I haven’t been off a plane for 48 hours, but I’m about to hop back on one. But I’m excited because I’m going to the Secular Student Alliance annual conference in Columbus, OH! Wooooooo!
I’ll be giving the same talk I gave last year – “Diversity.” ” Or, “That Obligatory Diversity Talk.” Or, “How to Make Your Group Not Just Contain Nerdy White Dudes (Though It’s Cool if You’re a Nerdy White Dude).” Or, “Indoctrination into the Feminazi/Femistasi Politically Correct Totalitarian Conspiracy.” Whichever title works.
Before someone actually accuses me of a feminazi diversity conspiracy…It was the SSA con organizers who asked me to give this talk last year, and who asked me to do it again. I’m not shoving it down their throats – they realize the importance of groups being diverse. Of course, I guess that just makes them part of the conspiracy. Oh well. DEEP RIFTS!
I’ll be tweeting about the conference @jennifurret if you want to keep up to date about secular student shenanigans.
Aw, sweet, sign me up. I have SO many questions! For instance, are Faminazi/Femistasi gendered? Like, the shrill, castrating, lesbian harpies are the Feminazis and us simpering, cock-blocking beta-males the Femistasi? I think that’s how it should work (since we are total bullies and have no concern whatsoever for anyone who might feel excluded by such a policy, and also since there is exactly zero other types of people on this side of the ‘argument’).
Also, if it IS a Totalitarian organization, why can’t we have our enemies executed yet? And how long before we can? Because there’s this guy at work that is totally guilty of consensual, vaguely sexual horseplay in a public area and really needs a good ‘disappearing’, if you know what I mean (wink wink nod). Since that is of course the ultimate crime.
Wait, I got an idea that solves two problems! What if we just take everyone who disagrees with us and chuck them right into the DEEP RIFTS? I’m sure there’s enough of them to fill it up completely! Us superpowered internet bullies oughtta be able to pull this off. Let’s banhammer them right out of the interwebs! The sheer, 1st amendment crushing censor power of such an act should catapult them right into the RIFTS! It’s so stupid that it HAS to work!
(To whom it may concern: The above is parody and in no way reflects the actual views of anyone, living or dead. I mean seriously, how do you throw an actual person into a metaphorical rift? You people are just weird.)
I really want to go to the SSACon one year, but I cannot afford it.
And I’m not talking about just the conference fee (I actually don’t know what my cost would be as a student and maybe-potential founder of the FAU branch of the SSA), but the plane tickets, the hotel fee… I’m just poor…
:(
That’s okay, though… if the talks end up online I can enjoy that way… at least…
The rifts are more imagined than real.
Every reasonable person believes in professional and legal gender equality. Every reasonable person believes that the scientific and skeptical movement is and should remain widely and fully open to all persons. Every reasonable person believes that relationships and interactions between adults should be professional in professional environments, and at all times governed buy mutual consent.
But there are real discordances.
One of the insights of skepticism is that not all of our feelings, beliefs and preconceptions are strongly tied to reality. Just because we feel something is true, it does not mean that there is truth in that feeling. Many skeptics are perplexed by questions such as “do you feel safe walking home ?”. A better questions is “is one safe”. This second question can be studies, and if there is a problem – corrected.
The same logic can be applied to issues of respect, sexism, gender equality – which are both real issues and issues where there is real agreement. However, there is a danger in trying to address these things with feeling. It actually debases something of importance.
Thank you for considering my words.
I heard you speak last year in California. You were organized, humorous, informative, and what you said actually made sense….a rare quality in most speakers I’ve ever heard when attending a conference, and I attended many working in the medical field for 16 years….I think you can make a difference, I really do.