It's not a cult!

It's a collective.

It's not even a community as far as I can see. Not in the way Buffy fandom was a community. Very few people who aren't the Talent (for lack of a better word) seem to have any real ties to each other.

I wonder if my carpool buddies (Jennifer and Sean Carroll) propel me into BNF status. HAHAHAHAHA.

That was a weird time in my life.

It's not even a community as far as I can see. Not in the way Buffy fandom was a community. Very few people who aren't the Talent (for lack of a better word) seem to have any real ties to each other.

I think that's true as far as the internet is concerned and at a big event like TAM, but there are tons of local skeptics groups all over the place which have no big names attached to them. Those meetups create communities.

Oh definitely. I didn't think. Skepchicks run vaccination clinics and it appears that a community has sprung around WTF (Women Thinking Free).

SERIOUSLY. It's a very white male privilege and VERY ANGRY when you call it out sort of thing.

Yeah. It's why I stopped reading most skeptic sites. There's enough crossover with the Randroid/Reason set that it's nasty as heck when you call 'em on it.

Because their identities are wrapped up in believing that they are completely rational, and sexism/racism is irrational. Sometimes they double down and turn to evo psych to justify it all.

My laptop is braindead. I had to order it a new brain with disk (because I can't find the disk). My poor laptop.

Because their identities are wrapped up in believing that they are completely rational, and sexism/racism is irrational. Sometimes they double down and turn to evo psych to justify it all.

Exactly, Allyson.

They get all irrational about it, too.

(I've noticed that calling skeptics of any gender on their irrationality and the confirmation bias in their opinions -- skeptifem, I am looking at your irrational nonsense on porn and pitbulls -- is the quickest way to get them to foam at the mouth.)

(I've noticed that calling skeptics of any gender on their irrationality and the confirmation bias in their opinions -- skeptifem, I am looking at your irrational nonsense on porn and pitbulls -- is the quickest way to get them to foam at the mouth.)

Is there anywhere at all on the internet where you can call people on their irrationality without starting a flame war? The only difference I see with skeptic sites is that you can use the term "confirmation bias" without having to link to Wikipedia.

Is there anywhere at all on the internet where you can call people on their irrationality without starting a flame war? The only difference I see with skeptic sites is that you can use the term "confirmation bias" without having to link to Wikipedia.

Phobia support sites? I dunno. But I will note that in my time on skeptic sites, and back when I still read Reason for S&Gs, you didn't even have to SAY irrational. You just had to SUGGEST that, hey! why don't we look into problem X from a skeptic/libertarian/whatever POV! and you'd have people leaping up in outrage, denying that it was a problem they had to address AT ALL!

Which, normal on the internet, yes, but still depressing to see.

There's a lot of overlap between skepticism and science fiction fandom, and I think both groups have some of the same issues, among which is a tendency to think that their members are Smarter Than the Average Bear. It's the "fans are slans" thing: we are using our intelligence to make a better world, and you irrational people are just bigoted against us because we're smarter than you!

And because prejudices of all sorts are considered to be irrational, as Plei says, the least implication that maybe bone-deep cultural biases come into play is resisted fiercely. If they're sexist, too, that means they lose their superiority over the sheeple, you see. Can't have that.

... I overstate, but not by much. I read a bunch of the comment threads about the Watson-Dawkins business, and it felt just like reading RaceFail.