There’s a weird trope out there – it’s been out there for awhile but it’s getting more and more so (more weird and more out there). One form of it is to complain of “threat narratives” and in the next breath to assert that we are the most vile awful loathsome abominable people ever. In other words, to pour scorn on the idea that there is any whiff of threat at all, while at the same time working hard to create the very threat that is the object of scorn.
Another form of it is to call us fucking morons for not hiding our names and locations, when in fact it never crossed my mind to hide my name and location, until a bunch of people started spending hours of every day calling me a fucking cunt and all the rest of it.*
See what I mean? It’s so circular. Endless ranting and smearing and mocking, accompanied by
- incredulity about “threat narratives”
- rebukes for not hiding our names and other personal information
Having it both ways, in short.
*It hasn’t seriously crossed my mind to hide my name and location now either, and anyway it’s obviously far too late, but the point is that there wasn’t a trace of a reason even to think about it until a couple of years ago. One day I was just some blogger, the next day I was a punching bag.
I’m not making any threats and anyone who says so, I’ll fucking kill them.
Sounds like a typical “heads I win-tails you lose” move by the slymepitters.
Goes along with the bullshit about how real harassment is illegal and if it’s not illegal, it’s not harassment.
Goes along with the bullshit about how
real harassmentlegitimate rapeis illegalcan’t result in a pregnancy and ifit’s not illegalyou get pregnant, it’s notharassmentrape.The “thinking” is the same. It’s designed to allow as much threatening, harassment, rape as they want to dish out without having to acknowledge what they’re doing. It’s always some other guy who is the *real* rapist or what have you.
I’m not sure I could be more appalled.
Let’s see: it’s pretty much _central_ to the lives of unbelievers in rather a lot of places, the pressure to keep your atheist ass quiet and silent and hidden. Getting ‘out’ is actually kinda difficult, frequently fraught, painful for some, nor do I figure this so much an accident; it’s been central to the protection of religion for years, cowing opposition, making it socially unacceptable to be public about your unbelief, in turn making it easier to make it unthinkable for those in the fold that there’s actually anywhere to go outside… And creating a culture in which it isn’t such a big damned thing, making more places safe for that is, I think, a big part of what any unbeliever who wants a safer world for the like-minded _should_ be pressing for…
And these assholes are mocking someone who’s willing to be so public? Oh, how could you be so naive as to put your real name out there? We’re ever so happy to live our pseudonymous half-lives, thanks… Allow us to attempt therefore to force everyone else to do the same.
This is beyond stupidity. Beyond foolish. Beyond counterproductive. I cannot spit with enough contempt.
Yeah.
You see, being a public atheist is admirable and praiseworthy. Being a public feminist … well, we know where you live.
So they’re admitting that their behavior is so undesirable that you should have to be protected from them by hiding where you live…?
I have to agree with what Jacob and MEFoley said: Ophelia, they disgrace themselves. Hang in there! I admire you greatly.