Why do I suddenly have the urge to build a giant phallus out of straw? - Tracy
I am getting a fair amount of attention from the skeptic community for my post about Phil Plait’s Don’t Be A Dick Speech. I don’t really have much more to say than what I said originally.
The really funny thing about this debate is that I suspect the only thing anyone actually disagrees on is whether Phil Plait was clear enough in his definition of dick. Everyone thinks that being nice to people when you’re trying to change their minds is appropriate, and everyone thinks that being a funny asshole about ideas and to Kent Hovind is appropriate. It’s just that the Dick Proponents, where I’ve found myself along with PZ and Dawkins, think that Phil should have been clearer about what he thought was appropriate or not, and the Dick Haters think Phil’s point was self-evident and everyone should be able to intuit his exact meaning.
Basically the Dick Proponents would like some evidence, examples and clarifications, and the Dick Haters take it on faith that Phil meant what they think he meant. Hmm.
;D
I agree with Greta Christina, let firebrands be firebrands, let the diplomats be diplomats.
Ashley's co-blogger is a third year student at Northwestern University who runs on coffee and snark. . At some point, she'd like to make people sit on couches and tell her about their feelings, but right now she writes in different places around the internet and makes silly faces when she doesn't know what to say. She's the president of her local Secular Student Alliance affiliate, and she is on the Secular Woman speakers bureau. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Secular Student Alliance
2 comments
Ian Andreas Miller
August 29, 2010 at 5:40 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yes, but also, let firebrands be firebrands when the time is right, and let those same people be diplomats be diplomats when the time is right.
ashleyfmiller
August 30, 2010 at 1:32 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Most people aren’t all things to all people, and some of us are better at being one or the other. It’s what specialists are for. I don’t disagree that individuals should use as many tactics as they want or think might work, but people who are instinctively one or the other should be able to be that too.