WiS and Liveblogging Wrap-Up

I’m back! Women in Secularism was excellent. I’m catching up on everything I left alone while I was gone and have a bigger post in the works, so you’ll have to forgive me for the short summary and links.

PROOF: We're not actually the same person.
PROOF: Not actually the same person.

Liveblogs:

Opening Remarks
Faith-Based Pseudoscience. [Another from Jason]
Amanda Marcotte [Jason]
Rebecca Goldstein [Jason]
Women Leaving Religion
Gender Equality in the Secular Movement
Susan Jacoby [Jason]
How Women’s Concerns Can Best Be Advanced within the Context of a Secular Agenda [Jason]
Jennifer Michael Hecht [Jason]
Maryam Namazie [Jason]
What the Secular Movement Can Learn from Other Social Movements [Jason]
Who Speaks for Feminism?

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In Which People Wrote About Those Opening Remarks

If you haven’t actually heard or read the original talk by Ron Lindsay, I strongly suggest you read the transcript first.
…and follow that with Lindsay’s second post, where he responds to calls for examples.
Rebecca responded briefly.
Ron Lindsay…appears to have forgotten that he co-wrote this letter, and writes this.
PZ : People are not pleased. (I particularly appreciate how charitable and even-handed PZ was here–I’d be quaking in my boots right now.)

Digital Cuttlefish has a poem.
Ashley has some thoughts.
So does Amanda Marcotte.
Adam has some remarks.
Secular Woman has a statement.
PZ would like to remind everyone of the excellent work done by CFI’s Michael De Dora. Though I haven’t met Michael, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the interactions I’ve had with CFI staff. In particular, it was wonderful to meet Sarah Kaiser of CFI On Campus.

I want to emphasize that I had fun at WiS and lots of it. The conference was impeccably organized, the people were friendly and positive and gave excellent hugs, and I was happy to be there. I’m mightily sorry that the other employees are dealing with the conflict as a result of Dr. Lindsay’s opening remarks. At the same time, I’m okay with the growing pains and the ways the community has reacted to this. We can do better, and constructive criticism is part of this.

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WiS and Liveblogging Wrap-Up
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4 thoughts on “WiS and Liveblogging Wrap-Up

  1. 1

    Can someone verify that Amanda Marcotte is actually a member of CFI?

    She writes

    “I have long followed and supported your fantastic organization and its goal to “foster a secular society based on science, reason, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values””

    This and he rest of her piece give me the impression she is not a member of CFI, and yet, as an outsider, she seems to insist they listen to her as she demands the removal of Lindsey.

    Well, she has never been anything if not a cowardly hypocrite and moral jackass, but I would have thought she would have the decency of joining CFI if she were going to be a precious speaker at so many of their conferences, or if she was going to claim anyone should listen to her as she insists their leader is failing her requirements.

    1. 1.1

      Okay wtfwhatever, there’s a few ways I can take this.

      1) You think that in order to have opinions in the secular movement you ought to be members of respective organizations you are discussing. This is classist as hell and the sort of arguing that runs you in circles. Because now if I subscribe to this, I have to demand some sort of proof that you are a member of CFI, and then because I’m demanding it of you, you’d probably need to see proof that I’m a member of CFI, and then where are we? At least ten comments later and probably annoyed.
      2) You really don’t like what Amanda said, which could theoretically be backed up by some excellent arguing, but you have chosen to back it up by tilting at windmills and both arguing that Amanda should be a member of CFI to critique it and failing to offer proof that she isn’t.
      3) Something else, which you should probably clarify, because right now I’m having to choose between classism and poor arguing, and you’d probably prefer I wasn’t, as neither options endear me to your commenting.

    2. 1.2

      Umm…why would someone saying they’ve ‘long followed and supported’ the CFI give you the impression that they’re NOT a member of the CFI? Sense, make some.

      I’m also amazingly taken aback at your assumption that since Marcotte doesn’t pay dues (which again, I have no idea how you’d know that), she is unable to voice her opinions of Lindsay’s behavior. Opinions that she’s far from holding by her lonesome. You do get how an open letter works, right?

  2. 2

    Well, she has never been anything if not a [redacted] and [redacted], but I would have thought she would have the decency of joining CFI if she were going to be a precious speaker at so many of their conferences

    It’s not a rule. And if you have a convention that’s designed to bring more people into your movement, you don’t advertise and sell tickets and preach to your existing circle (aka ‘preaching to the choir’).

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