Frivology

There’s a bit of a kerfuffle going on at Pharyngula, and I specifically use such a silly word because it’s a pretty silly discussion.  Luckily, PZ is taking it just as silly as it really is.  Short version - he linked to a site that had a poll going on, which ended up getting that poll around 4,000 new votes skewed toward his reader’s views.  The owner of the site threw a hissy fit about it and some guy - not even the site’s owner - is now threatening to tell PZ’s college and ISP what a naughty man he is by allowing people to make fun of others and use naughty words in comments.  Yeah, not kidding.  Kerfuffle.  I got involved in the tangle when the kerfuffle-starter, Jon, showed up at the Richard Dawkins forums and started to talk down to everyone around.

First… we aren’t good enough Atheists:

In my own life, I’ve spent nearly 24 years out of 40 contending with religious bigotry in my own family (and being ostracised for it), campaigning against religiously motivated politics, actively supporting pro-choice groups in Ireland, giving money and time to UK secular organisations and more recently co-ordinating with atheists locally on an arts-based music project. I’m not some silly, zeitgeist-jumping little twerp (who would probably sign-up to Christianity if it could promise to cure acne) that recently bought a t-shirt and read a book! I care passionately about atheism and humanism and I’ve had to take a real stand for both. Watching them get wrecked will not be a welcome end result.

Then, later, we see his supposedly final post in the Pharyngula comments where he insults World of Warcraft players (of which I am one) and anyone who would dare to shed insults at him (though he seems impervious to the claims that he’s giving because he doesn’t use naughty words when he insults people), all wrapped in a neat bow of implied violence. Oh yes, and lest I forget… there’s another jab at anyone who’s not as strongly atheist as he is.

Final point – a colleague at work used to play World of Warcraft and I asked him about it once. He said it was full of little dweebs (mostly kids) playing at being tough demonic-style warriors, whereas for him he had a bit of a laugh playing as a nature loving elf. Basically the characters people chose generally reflected something they didn’t get a chance to be in their lives—which kind of makes sense.

Now, that guy and myself both work as psych nurses. We’ve both earned extra money as doormen and we’ve both – a few years back—been known as people you really shouldn’t cross until we started to get a clue, calm down and grow up a bit. Consequently I think the Warcraft rule applies here. I know you daring, offensive, shocking little tykes would love to sound really brave and come over as ‘edgy’ (lol), but I also know you probably wouldn’t dare to say boo to me if you met me. Such is the unreality of the net.

If you want a real shock take your little play atheism onto the street and see what happens I’ll bring the band aids and a video-camera.

It’s all a bunch of stupidity, but the reason that I call attention to it is that wrapped up within the moronic sentiments, there is a very real and worthwhile conversation … it’s a much more strident conversation on a subject than I think I’ve ever seen - much less had the chance to participate in.  That conversation is… should atheists be loud and proud, or should we be quiet and “respectful”.

I’ll sum my position up by paraphrasing something Matt Dillahunty said on Non-Prophets Radio last week.  There are a group of people that seem to think the only way to have intelligent discourse is to shut of your distate for any position that you find stupid in the name of “respect”.  However, truly retarded positions don’t call for any respect - don’t need respect - and shouldn’t HAVE respect granted to them… period.  What kind of world would we be in today if no one ever openly scorned and ridiculed things that were stupid?