Renee Hendricks

It's been a bit since posting here. A lot has been going on. Unfortunately, a huge portion of what has been going on (online, anyways) relates to my last post regarding privilege. One good thing I keep reminding myself of is that all this in-fighting with atheists and skeptics is pretty much an online phenomenon. If one were to stand outside ones local grocery store and poll 500 or so people on whether or not they knew who PZ Myers, Ophelia Benson, or Rebecca Watson were, you'd get a huge portion of blank stares. So, that's something to keep in mind and take to heart. That being said, the latest bit of crap has been centered around Ron Lindsay (President and CEO of CFI) and his speech at WISC2. The part of his speech that cause an uproar (to be fair, an "uproar" in this case is a very small number of feminists) was concerning "privilege" and how it is misused: That said, I am concerned the concept of privilege may be misapplied in some instances. First, some people think it has... - Renee Hendricks

Privilege. In as far as social justice is concerned, it means advantage. The basic premise is that, based on gender, nationality, and a myriad of other possible classifications, one group of people have advantages over other groups of people. While I can understand the premise and issues behind "privilege", I have a very difficult time with the cavalier tossing about of the word to silence anyone who doesn't agree with you. When you look at my picture online or see me face-to-face, you make several very quick judgments about what sort of privileges I might or might not have. I'm a female and I'm white. That's about all you can discern just by looking at me or my picture. This is where the problem begins. You have no clue what I have experienced in my life. There is no easy way to tell if I'm lower, middle, or upper class. My skin color is white but this does not give you any indication of my nationality. Sexuality - can you tell just by looking at me if I'm straight, gay, bisexual, or... - Renee Hendricks

There's a phrase that is coming up time and again within the online skeptic/atheist/feminist community - "Shut up and listen". When a member of a marginalized group tells a member of a privileged group that their efforts, no matter how well-meaning, are wrong, there is one reasonable response: Shut up and listen. You might learn something. - PZ Myers The underlying note of this phrase pertains to men and their input on feminism. As men are coming from a "privileged" position (and the concept of privilege deserves a post on its own), they should simply close their mouths and listen to the women. I have a huge problem with this line of "thinking". As a woman who has removed herself from feminism and moved on to egalitarianism, this line now applies to me and many other women who no longer beat the feminist drum. By telling those who don't have the same opinion or goal as you to shut up, you're doing several things: Putting the other person on the defensive and less likely to listen to... - Renee Hendricks

"So very sorry I missed this one! I was looking forward to chatting with you! Maybe another time :)" - Renee Hendricks

Dawn Gordon - a lesson in how people find your information based on a picture you've taken: MP4 Video Tags: Dawn GordonstalkerBrampton Ontario <!--//--> - Renee Hendricks

This is an excellent bit of work on the part of Michael Nugent - "A proposed agenda for structured dialogue to move beyond the rifts in the atheist and skeptic communities". I'm all for what Mr. Nugent proposes. I worry a great deal about how this can even be facilitated even with the ground rules outlined. Many people on both sides of this rift will be hardpressed to at least relent and open discussion. In any case, Michael has my full support and I am more than willing to participate and help out in any way possible. Tags: atheistatheism <!--//--> - Renee Hendricks

Tags: generalWashington statepicturebeautiful <!--//--> - Renee Hendricks

When you or a loved one have a disease to contend with, it puts a lot of things in perspective. Yes, I'm about to get "Dear Muslima" on you but, honestly, it's the only realistic and truthful response. There are a few things that I read now that put things in the proper view. One of the worst recently has been "someone said something mean about me/Photoshopped a bad picture of me". I see these things and think to myself "Really? The very worst that has happened to you is some anonymous joker said or did something naughty?" While you're whining about this, my guy is busy having a tube put in his stomach so he can get the nutrition he needs once radiation and chemo therapy start. He hasn't even started the stuff that is required to ensure the cancer is killed off and is feeling exhausted already and you have assholes being, well, assholes to you on a medium you can shut off and walk away from? You willingly go to a web site that will probably have bad things to say about you, whine and... - Renee Hendricks

As members of the Slymepit will attest, occasionally someone posts something that is distasteful. The latest 'shopped piece of crap was put up by one "noblehawk2". Please be aware that I've linked to the post but will not post to the image - you'll have to do your own copy/paste for that. The image is that of an elderly, overweight woman with Ophelia Benson's head Photoshopped in. It served absolutely no purpose other than to either get a rise out of the forum participants (which it did) or to help widen the gap between two sides of the online atheism community. In any case, Ophelia was unaware of this picture until Michael Nugent decided to be "helpful" and created a post to point it out. He even went further and directly tweeted Ms. Benson the link to his latest bit in the ongoing effort to "positively change" the Slymepit. As of this morning, it seems this little ploy has backfired: The question asked over and again is where is the line drawn? I think that's a personal thing. For... - Renee Hendricks