"Privilege" and the Assassination of Effective Discourse

[Robert_S]

Oh and when I say that the use of the word "patriarchy" in a way that suggests something other than a bunch of cultural baggage is anti-human, I mean that there is still work to be done. But most of that work is getting us to recognise that cultural baggage and adjust for whatever prejudices and unexamined assumptions we have and try to get past it. I contend that not everyone flying under the feminist and anti-racist banner wants that. I contend that the intent is not to move toward a society of equal opportunity and less unintentional assholery.

Just as the DEA does not wish the drug problem to go away and just as our for-profit prison industrial complex does not want to see a serious reduction in crime, so too do these professional victims not wish to see an end to sexism, racism, homo/trans phobia and so on; so do some on the "progressive" crowd seem to have more interest in creating a backlash than actually raising widespread awareness of what marginalised people are dealing with.

[Audley Strange]

I agree wholeheartedly with both your posts, except that last line. The backlash is not coming from a political group of those of progressive thought, but by a loose network of people of different political and cultural affiliations who are essentially reacting to an attempt by some people to make skepticism non skeptical by

A) Making accusations of endemic misogyny within this community by providing a couple of anecdotes which are at best questionable.
B) Claiming those trivial anecdotes mean that women are unsafe within the a/s networks specifically
C) Accusing all people who question this as being part of the problem, including all the vocal women who have disagreed.
D) Denouncing movement "leaders" while trying to position themselves as such.
E) Exaggerating all of this without batting an eyelid about who they insult, hurt, accuse and defame, within the community they apparently want to make better.

They are fucking poison to the A/S networks, the idea of rugged debate, the idea of free speech and the central idea of the A/S networks which is "we do not accept things just because someone claims them."

[Robert_S]

That's the brilliance though, if you get both credible and thoughtful people as well as 14 yaur old "LOL, NAO SHADDUP AND MAKE ME A SAMMICH B4 I RAEP YOO!!!" fool against yous, then you can group the two together as your haters.

[Audley Strange]

I have also began to wonder if perhaps a lot of those Trolls are in fact not atheists, but religious loons deliberately doing such to undermine the "community" though and if Ms Watson and the Femthinkblabs Hecate are not dancing to their tune.

[Bella Fortuna]

That's the brilliance though, if you get both credible and thoughtful people as well as 14 yaur old "LOL, NAO SHADDUP AND MAKE ME A SAMMICH B4 I RAEP YOO!!!" fool against yous, then you can group the two together as your haters.

Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar...

[pErvinalia]

Not sure if you guys/girls/its know about it, but there is a "sister" A+ forum, without all the bullshit mods and paranoia, that's been set up by what seems to be an accepted 'insider' (although for how long?) of the original A+ lot.
It's at http://atheismplus.4rumer.com/forum
I joined it yesterday and there's a number of intelligent and articulate posters over there contributing to some of the same discussions that have been deemed oppressive or fucking whatever at the loony bin forum. If anyone wants to discuss some of these things further, it seems a pretty good place to do it. Audley, you might like it as a forum to present your ideas, as it will reach some of the loonies (who probably lurk there to feel victimised), and not so loonies.