Female skeptics.. where they at?
I struggle with the reasons why there aren’t more ‘big-name’ female skeptics but I’m loathe to put it down to sexism, patriarchy, misogyny or that women who put themselves online get abuse.
Let’s face it. The world is full of dicks. Men and women - we can all be total arsehats. To each other, to ourselves. I’m not condoning people who act like tools online. I have to admit that I’ve been rude online. I’ve been more snippy with someone that I’d likely be in real life.
But men get abuse too. It’s just different. It’s because we have historically lived in a sexist society that people feel it’s ok to be rude about a woman’s appearance yet call out a man’s opinions as being wrong rather than attack his appearance.
It’s the reason that in this revolution of HD television Moira Stuart and Arlene Phillips get ditched in favour of women who are younger and prettier on the screen yet men like John McCririck, Bruce Forsyth and John Sargeant still get work. Why shouldn’t they? If they’re talented at what they do, you might say, well, then, they should still be on screen. Yes. Agreed. As long as that gets applied to women too. Which it doesn’t.
I get abuse sometimes because I’m not your average size 10. People have also treated me differently when I’ve been thinner or fatter. It’s the same problem - essentially as a human race we’ve been programmed to take people at their face value BEFORE we listen to what they say. If you’re pretty you’re listened to more than if you’re considered unattractive. This is not fair. It’s not right. But it is the way it is. I’m not being defeatist here. I’m being realistic.
That doesn’t make it right. I’m not saying that. I’d love for all this to change. For men and women to be equal. For even the notion of gender to go away. Who cares if you have a penis or a vagina or even if you don’t identify as a man or a woman?
All I’m saying is that by saying that a woman getting abuse due to her opinions is also because she’s a woman suddenly makes you bullet proof from criticism BECAUSE you have a vagina. And that’s wrong too. Because you are a person. Like anyone else. And you have a right to be treated with respect but also to have your opinions pulled apart.
I don’t actually disagree with Rebecca Watson’s disgust at what that atheist girl got in return for posting a picture of her with a Carl Sagan book. That’s not really what I’m talking about. I’m not even talking about elevatorgate.
I just don’t like the fact that it seems that every bit of criticism any woman gets is suddenly being termed as misogyny. Some of it is. Ignore that. Those are the people who are really not worth your time. Ever seen the comments under a silly YouTube video who post utter shit and can’t think for themselves? They actively enjoy being dicks - they do it for a laugh. They are called trolls and they absolutely LOVE being called out. Because it gives them more ammo to come online and call you a dog or a bitch or a cunt. Don’t give them the satisfaction. I’d rather put my efforts into skepticism - evaluating evidence. The evidence I’ve seen in calling worthless people out is that it just creates more and more furore and more opportunities to attack. It’s just a waste of time that could be used on something more productive. I always find women who rise above the idiots come out of things a lot more sane and a lot happier if they don’t feel like they’re being persecuted just because they’re a woman. Not to say that there aren’t genuine woman haters out there. I know there are. I’ve met them. They didn’t get much of my time.
I consider myself a feminist in that I want equality. That means having the same right to be insulted as a man is.
I don’t expect many people to agree with me, apart from, perhaps THE MEN. And I fully expect to be accused of ‘mansplaining’, but that’s OK. It’s just my take on it. Change my mind. With rationalism and proper arguments. Or just call me a bitch. That’d learn me, eh?
