It’s not every day something shocks me in a good way, but I was floored when I read this: It’s typical bullshit. So I’m responding in my own way. Because, you see, I am a racist. I’m not proud of that fact – but growing up in a deeply racist and sexist culture, you can’t …
Tag Archive: General
Sep 06 2010
What it means to ‘replace’ science
Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about the dichotomy between science and religion. His position was that we can’t rely on certainty in anything, since our understanding of the universe is constantly changing. Because of this, he reasoned, faith in the supernatural is just as valid as the …
Jul 09 2010
Movie Friday: Kavita Ramdas
Since I gave the stage to the ladies yesterday, I thought I’d keep the ball rolling with this excellent talk from Kavita Ramdas at TED: Kavita masterfully separates cultural traditions from religious reasoning in this talk, in which she highlights three specific contributions that women have made – exploiting cultural expression to enact social change. …
Jul 08 2010
Sexism? Only if you… y’know… LOOK for it
A friend of mine sent me a newspaper article that made my heart hurt: A young black woman working in the medical imaging department at Toronto Western Hospital was sexually harassed and the object of racial taunts in what a hospital investigation concluded was a “poisoned work environment.” There are three things you should know …
Jul 07 2010
How NOT to do secularism
We secularists are in a tough spot. Religion has dominated the political and social landscape for so long that it is held by many to be an intrinsic value, and one that ought to be free from criticism. Of course this is nothing but special pleading – no ideas are sacred, criticism is the only …
Jul 06 2010
Why I was wrong (and why it doesn’t matter)
It seems like only yesterday I was talking about how I would try my best to admit when something I’ve said is incorrect. Weeks ago, I attacked the idea that Canada is founded on Judeo-Christian principles, pointing out the number of ways the Charter diverges from both Jewish and Christian scripture. I gave credit to …
Jul 05 2010
What does it all mean?
I started writing short stories when I was a little kid – most of them were blatant rip-offs of movies or video games (or sometimes other books). As I got older, I became more interested in writing scripts for movies or (because I was involved in drama) plays. This interest matured into allegorical social commentary …
Jul 03 2010
What you missed this week: June 28th – July 2nd
What kinds of shenanigans did I get up to this week?: I put a pin in my argument that bad ideas can’t be left alone; Roger Ebert deeply impressed me; I asked believers what they’d do if their beliefs were in conflict with society; I talked about an MPs anti-Israel comments, and what the response …
Jul 02 2010
Movie Friday: Louis CK
More standup for you today. This time it’s from perhaps my all-time favourite comedian, Louis CK. He’s been on Parks and Recreation, and was in The Invention of Lying as well (movie with a great concept but poor execution). Listening to him is like hearing my own brain talk to me, but it’s way funnier …
Jun 30 2010
When religion clashes with secular values
My views on religion are not well-liked by believers. Those of you who read the comments attached to my posts may have seen a back-and-forth I had with a Baltimore-based columnist named Rene over my invocation of Russel’s teapot. I like Rene – he’s a funny guy who shares my views on people who stubbornly …
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