#atheismplus

Listen and Believe

Shadow Doxxing

It seems to me that there are a variety of options available to those of us who are concerned with the presence of misogyny among atheists, skeptics, or any other group. Publicly browbeating high-profile individuals within the group on which one is focusing is certainly one such option. Calling people names when they express disagreement with one’s viewpoint is another. Are these options effective? Do they run the risk into turning many potential allies away from one’s stated cause?

Personally, I am distressed a bit that there’s now a perception of non-atheists that we are sexists and misogynists. Can’t you just hear the theists chuckling right now? After all , we’re the ones that point out the sexism and misogyny in religion. We’re the ones that speak out for equal treatment for all.

The method is similar to that used in the atheist community. Criticize the existing structure from a biased perspective, block or disable dissenting opinions and discussion, wait for the inevitable trollish hatred and nasty comments, display the troll comments as proof of the initial problem, rinse and repeat. Click bait journalists eat this stuff up since it makes the page counter spin and they will publish the trolling as news, often completely overlooking the dozens or hundreds of reasoned rebuttals of the initial criticisms.

I suppose he was fed up by a segment of the atheist blogosphere whose ideology is so rigid that not only is dissent from its views prohibited, but mere discussion of some issues, particularly around gender, is also prohibited. To engage in such discussion immediately brands one as a sister-punisher, a misogynist, a rape-enabler, and various other nasty creatures.