Oh, lord, the stupid…


In the expected counterattack from sexists defending Ben Radford’s obtuse sexism, there are now demented dingbats accusing me of being a veritable MRA and implying that I’m some kind of hypocrite, because I have in the past been subject to an abortive false accusation. I mentioned this in a comment four years ago (some people are obsessive in following my every word, and I should be flattered, I suppose — I must be very interesting). Here’s the dry account of the event that I gave then:

I won’t meet privately with students either — I always keep my office door wide open, and when I’m working with students in the lab, I find excuses to move out and let them work on their own if it turns into a one-on-one event. I just can’t afford the risk.

I was also subject to accusations of harassment, once upon a time. A female student came into my lab when I was alone, unhappy about an exam grade, and openly threatened me — by going public with a story about a completely nonexistent sexual encounter right there.

Zoom, I was right out the door at that instant; asked a female grad student in the lab next door to sit with the student for a bit, and went straight to the chair of the department to explain the situation. I had to work fast, because I knew that if it turned into a he-said-she-said story, it wouldn’t matter that she was lying, it could get dragged out into an investigation that would easily destroy my career, no matter that I was innocent.

I was in a total panic, knowing full well how damaging that kind of accusation can be. Fortunately, I’d done the right thing by blowing it all wide open at the first hint of a threat, and getting witnesses on the spot.

There is nothing inconsistent about this. False accusations do happen, and they can have extremely damaging consequences (which I said previously: “Yes, they happen…rarely. They’re important to detect.”) Obviously, I had just explained that I certainly do know of at least one case in which a desperate student tried to cheat her way to a better grade with an accusation. It happens.

How I responded to that instance is just part of a protocol for how people should work together. Here’s what I do:

  • I don’t harass women, or anyone for that matter.

  • I maintain complete transparency. Not only do I not harass women, but any accusation that I do founders on the implausibility of the circumstance.

  • I deal with any potential situation by defusing it immediately. Not arguing, not protesting my innocence, not begging the person to refrain from hurting my reputation, but going straight to departmental authorities and explaining the situation. Again, transparency: the slander isn’t going to stick.

  • I bring in witnesses, preferably women too, who can testify to my innocence. And I don’t just mean people who will say I’m a nice guy, but witnesses to the incident who can describe all the details of the event.

  • I keep myself protected against false claims, which also means that I’m keeping my students protected from any harm. We all work just fine together, with nothing to hide.

  • I don’t sexually harass my students or colleagues. Period.

Not only is my reputation spotless, and honestly so, but there’s no way to even realistically bring such a charge against me. And of course the great majority of my interactions with students bear no risk of any such problems — we can trust each other.

But then, there are always people like those slimy ones, that minority of nasty untrustworthy liars commenting on Radford’s thread, who are happy to distort and make false accusations, and I deal with them in the same way that I did that earlier incident: with transparency and honesty and frank admission of what actually happened. I don’t deny that such unpleasant people exist, especially when so many of them are already populating that thread and the existence of contemptible liars is so apparent. But when one has no interest in harassing people, it turns out to be relatively easy to maintain one’s integrity — I don’t have years of stalkerish behavior and complaints and administrative disciplinary actions to make excuses for, unlike some people.

Comments

  1. moarscienceplz says

    One nice thing about all this sound and fury, when I am prioritizing a list of skeptic/atheist orgs to donate to, I now know where CFI belongs on my list.

  2. David Marjanović says

    — by going public with a story about a completely nonexistent sexual encounter right there.

    A consensual one?

    Because if so, you haven’t been accused of sexual harassment or assault, “unlike some people” – so their accusation of hypocrisy falls flat.

  3. unclefrogy says

    short of installing cctv every where you are that sounds pretty good. It is sad that to live safe and harmlessly in the world today such precautions must be taken.
    uncle frogy

  4. methuseus says

    I hate that there is a single person that thinks a false accusation like that would ever be warranted. There’s a chance she was bluffing in the first place, I’d hope, but you did what was best for both you and her in that case. Either way it’s not the same thing at all. Nobody brought a case against you because you nipped it in the bud. That these MRAs can equate your single (I don’t know if that was the only time it actually happened) instance of a false accusation with saying that every accusation has to be examined with the utmost scrutiny before saying there’s any chance that the woman is being truthful speaks to their lack of logic.

  5. says

    It is the only time that has happened in 25 years of teaching. And it didn’t go far at all: ten minutes of worry, and then the student recanted and apologized.

    She wasn’t punished, except for the fact that she did fail the course…but that was going to happen anyway.

  6. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    They’re also going after Ogvorbis in the comments at that link. Compassionless fucks.

  7. says

    And Jason Thibeault. They’re hoping that if they throw enough shit, some of it will stick. The only thing I’m seeing, though, is a mob of stinking people with shitty hands.

    Ben Radford must be pleased with the quality of his defenders.

  8. anteprepro says

    It’s your hypocrisy. It’s your inability to either remember what you posted on Monday by Wednesday, or your belief that there’s two sets of rules: One for you, and one for everyone else.

    You fuckers don’t even know how to argue, do you? It involves more than vague bluster, ya know.

  9. zenlike says

    Hmm, which previously banned slymepitter is Tentacle rape going to turn out to be?

  10. jste says

    Anteprepro, #11:

    You fuckers don’t even know how to argue, do you? It involves more than vague bluster, ya know.

    Argue? I thought they were just shouting loudly and hoping to drown out any reasonable thoughts or rational responses.

  11. says

    Haha, very funny the pitter above calls himself “Tentacle Porn”, one of their other favourite bits of “hypocrisy” from PZ. Where he linked to an explicit discussion of Hentai tentacle rape porn in Japan, while warning of it’s NSFW’ness. Apparently cos he calls himself a feminist he has to adhere to their mental image of all feminists being sex negative harridans. Of course only total nazi-stalin-fascist censorship of all discussion or thought of such things is allowed in their straw-feminism. Otherwise he is being “inconsistent” … So pathetic, do better Slymetwits!

    Why are they so incapable of criticising PZ? I remember Melissa McEwan positively reducing him to cinders, feminists are better than the Slymetwits at everything :D

  12. anteprepro says

    Hmm, which previously banned slymepitter is Tentacle rape going to turn out to be?

    One of them. Who even gives a shit which one at this point. Just a whole bunch of people with imaginary grievances, fueled by outrage, and bringing only sleaze and incoherence wherever they tread. To even dignify them with worrying about which asshole is which is giving them more concern than they deserve.

  13. Sili says

    Tentacle Porn

    Fuck you. How dare you ruin such a lovely thing as tentacle porn, you cackhanded nitwit.

  14. anteprepro says

    Argue? I thought they were just shouting loudly and hoping to drown out any reasonable thoughts or rational responses.

    That’s what they are doing in effect, but when they go back to their holes in the ground to pat each other on the back, they all seem to think they said something insightful or logical. They must have a strange language that just happens to superficially resemble English. Maybe that would explain the disconnect.

  15. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    It’s not the stupid, Peezus. It’s your hypocrisy. It’s your inability to either remember what you posted on Monday by Wednesday, or your belief that there’s two sets of rules: One for you, and one for everyone else.

    Please provide links so that we can all see these dynamics at play.

  16. zenlike says

    Congrats on getting your badge I guess, TP.

    anteprepo, you are entirely right. Who in fact gives a fuck who this idiot is. One of them. One of too many of them. Fuck’em.

  17. anteprepro says

    I’m not going to “argue” on an intellectually bankrupt outfit like Freethought Blogs that bans and memory-holes anything but the most puerile group-think.

    Holy shit, it is 1984 themed word salad.

    Of course, that’s why you want to “argue” because the rigged game gives you the delusion of being an intellectual, doesn’t it, baboon?

    “Baboon” is a tell, isn’t it? Either it is a common pitter meme or it was a favored term of a certain troll. It is ringing a bell….

    However, should you want to move past the “vague bluster” that is the signature style of Pharyngula,

    So basically your rebuttal is “NO U!”. Instead of actually substantiating your position, that’s what you bring us. I would act surprised if it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

  18. anteprepro says

    Although I expect that in the next 15 seconds, P.Z. Myers being the shameless intellectual coward that he is.

    Before that happens, see ya!

    “What a coward he is, for doing something he hasn’t done! And he is so cowardly and so likely to do it, that I am going to run away before he does it!”

    What was that about hypocrisy again?

  19. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @tentacle porn

    should you want to move past the “vague bluster” that is the signature style of Pharyngula,

    no evidence for your claims? No links? Just “hypocrisy!” and “double standard!” without even specifics as to what the hypocrisy is or double standards are?

    I think someone’s signature style is “vague bluster”, but Pharyngula isn’t coming to mind.

    still, there’s plenty of opportunity for you to support your claims.

    Before that happens, see ya!

    Umm, yeah. All the intelligence of a “First!” post and cowardice too? Who’d a thunk it?

    Now I just have to predict that you’ll fail to stick the flounce and I can win $1 million from JREF.

  20. nich says

    None of the above. Never posted on, nor was banned from Freethought Blogs before.

    Although I expect that in the next 15 seconds, P.Z. Myers being the shameless intellectual coward that he is.

    What’s with the Ban fetish some of these nitwits have? “You’re a stinky mcstinkerson who stinks like stink has never stunk before! Now I know you will ban me. Oh ban me baby. C’mon. Oh yes. I just love the way you ban, master. Use that big banhammer on me! Oh my gosh I am so banned! FAPFAPFAPFAP.”

  21. says

    Of course, that’s why you want to “argue” because the rigged game gives you the delusion of being an intellectual, doesn’t it, baboon?

    The standard preemptive excuse: the MRA knows he can’t hold his own in any argument, so he claims the game is rigged.

    None of the above. Never posted on, nor was banned from Freethought Blogs before.

    In other words, he has no evidence or experience to back up any of his childish bluster. I really don’t have the words to say how surprised I’m not.

  22. says

    I almost miss the days when they at least tried to put some effort into their stupid and ignorant arguments. I find this far more annoying. This is hardly above the level of a drive by commenting.

  23. Rey Fox says

    The “baboon” remark would suggest reap paden, but the comments are otherwise too coherent.

  24. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @Tentacle Porn, #31

    DingDingDing! And I have a million dollars.

  25. anteprepro says

    The flounce was not stuck. Just so that we can get more contentless blather. What a shocking development.

  26. Al Dente says

    The ‘pitter couldn’t even stick the flounce. They just don’t make ‘pitters like they did in the bad old days. Now we’re subject to incoherency and whiny insults. Where is the bombast of yestermonth?

  27. says

    What’s the point if they are not even good for a laugh? One doesn’t even need to get their teeth out for it.

    I am actually considering getting back to work! Oh the humanity.

  28. anteprepro says

    “Contentless blather”? I apologize for honing in on your niche.

    You’ve already done the “NO U” schtick. Try something new.

  29. zenlike says

    And now we’ve got Gunboat Diplomat. Wooptiedo. Say, do you guys have some sort of MRA batsignal or something?

  30. zenlike says

    I might just repeat the title at this point:

    “Oh, lord, the stupid… ”

    A title perfectly fit for Gunboat Diplomat. TP is a whole other league however. Gunboat Diplomat, you are really going to do your best in this thread to outdumb TP. But we know you can do it…

  31. anteprepro says

    Personally I believe the victim. After all the whole system is stacked against them so the very small number innocent people caught up in this are just acceptable collateral damage. Plus this isn’t a court of law so I can say what I want. Also if you disagree with me you’re an MRA “standing on the borders of rapeland.” That’s literally the only alternative explanation. You’re either with us or against us. I see no problem with such simplistic dichotomies.

    BAAAW. I am glad that you willing to let the small number of false accusations serve as an excuse to dismiss rape and sexual harassment claims. Because that makes you a logical and moral human being, for sure. Everything aside from that, whining about being inaccurately labeled, is just crocodile tears. You want to stop being lumped in with MRAs? Then stop prioritizing the danger of potential liars over justice for the massive number of real victims.

  32. anteprepro says

    Well Tentacle Porn vanished. Now I actually am curious about whether they were previously banned or not. I changed my mind! Hypocrisy and what not!

  33. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Tentacle Porn @21:

    Before that happens, see ya!

    Since this isn’t, strictly speaking, famed as a promise/commitment, TP is best framed, at this point, as deceptive and/or flighty. But as we accumulate more TP, I expect clear proof of intentional mendacity to arrive soon.

    In the meantime, I observe
    1. there is still no specificity to TP’s allegations, much less any evidence which could be easily provided with links.
    2. TP is eminently flushable.

  34. anteprepro says

    . I’m sure he’ll be toddling back again later.

    They always do. I doubt even they have any idea WHY.

  35. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Ah, get busy finishing up at work, and when I get home, all the standard MRA drivel is deleted. Sounds like the normal incoherent rant from someone with a barely functioning vocabulary.

  36. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Veni, VD, Veaktea

    I came, developed a chancre, and didn’t even get much out of it.

    Pretty much the best you can expect from an MRA troll. Most of the time you don’t even get to come.

  37. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    @anuran:

    Someone who frequents a website named the “slymepit” that contains a lot of horrible crap in its comment threads and is notorious for, among other things, obsessing over FtB and anything remotely resembling the combination of feminism and skepticism, atheism, geek culture, or tech.

    Their reactions are so predictable they’re like the first half of an old Reece’s peanut butter cup commercial:

    Clumsy doofus #1: You got atheism in my feminism!
    Clumsy doofus #2: You got feminism in my atheism!

    cue the shockhorror. Too bad they aren’t even smart enough to actually sample it and see if the combo works.

  38. says

    Yeah, he’s already back, and all of his comments are getting caught by the filters. It’ll take him a while to figure out that he needs a new pseudonym.

    Reminds me of the old days of training cockroaches in simple learning tasks. They can figure it out, eventually.

  39. jste says

    Clumsy doofus #1: You got atheism in my feminism!
    Clumsy doofus #2: You got feminism in my atheism!

    cue the shockhorror. Too bad they aren’t even smart enough to actually sample it and see if the combo works.

    I get the feeling lots of them have sampled it. Found out it meant treating other human beings with respect. As human beings. As equals. And for some reason, promptly decided THAT was a flavour combination they weren’t too happy with. It’s a position I have a hard time understanding, since I think I’d quite enjoy a world where all humans can expect to be treated like humans.

  40. noxiousnan says

    TP at 10:

    It’s your hypocrisy. It’s your inability to either remember what you posted on Monday by Wednesday, or your belief that there’s two sets of rules: One for you, and one for everyone else.

    You are parroting an assertion from that MRA, er CFI post, even while they are quoting PZ as follows:

    But of course we have to accept the personal testimony of women’s experiences. In that case, it would have been totally injust to simply say, “oh, she’s a woman, therefore she’s lying”. Most rape accusations are not false, so a priori dismissals are inappropriate, and if that woman had gone to the authorities (she didn’t, because I immediately brought in witnesses to make her effort futile) I would sure as hell hope they’d treat both of our positions with equal seriousness.’

    Tell me TP, et al, where exactly is the hypocracy? Try bringing a real argument next time, but I won’t hold my breath.

  41. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    These fucks are exactly the sort of people that I abhor the most. They take the tools of skepticism and abuse them to avoid compassion at all costs. The push, and they pry, and they squeeze every argument until it passes through the narrow aperture of false equivalence. Why? Because then they get to wash their bloody hands and smugly claim victory. Because that claim, no matter what they have to do to achieve it, no matter who is harmed, is the only important thing. It’s never about making the world a better place for these shitstains, it’s all about their ego.

    Rant and rave little pissants, rant and rave. Display for the world your petty, narcissistic hate so that your vile pustulence will be encysted by the world all the sooner.

  42. Cinzia La Strega says

    Being transparent… check. Being scrupulously ethical… check. Seeking immediate backup in the event of a worst-case-scenario… check. Thanks, PZ!

  43. Ogvorbis: Still failing at being human. says

    Just spotted this:

    They’re also going after Ogvorbis in the comments at that link.

    Apparently, accusing a 12-year-old boy of rape, with all the extenuating circumstances, is taking the high road.

    I really hate this shit.

  44. anteprepro says

    Apparently, accusing a 12-year-old boy of rape, with all the extenuating circumstances, is taking the high road.

    I really hate this shit.

    We all do, and we are sorry that they decided to use something from your life as one of their weapons of choice. They are amoral, unsympathetic, unnuanced human beings that come as close to disgusting as I have ever seen. People like them make me question my faith in humanity.

  45. anteprepro says

    I thought that who you believe says a lot about who you are.

    Does that principle not apply in this particular case?

    *blinks*

    How does that even apply!? By god, how do these people remember to breathe?

  46. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    I thought that who you believe says a lot about who you are.

    Does that principle not apply in this particular case?

    Fucking hell. And there you have the perfect demonstration of my contention in 63. A false equivalency made in order to score a ‘gotcha’ with a side helping of gratuitous cruelty.

    Fuck off, you bleeding canker of a human being.

    I’m so sorry I brought it up Oggie. My intention was to warn you to stay away from that link. I should have done it more out of sight.

  47. anteprepro says

    Sez MRA:

    So it applies when the accusations are aimed at someone else but not when you become the accused? Or it only applies when you personally are convinced by the accusations?

    What is this principle, as you understand it? What is this case, as you understand it? Use your people words.

  48. Stacy says

    I thought that who you believe says a lot about who you are.

    Does that principle not apply in this particular case?

    What principle is that, li’l pitter?

    Think about it. Think real hard. Maybe if you can figure out the correct answer to that question, you’ll be able to contribute something intelligent to this conversation.

    Maybe.

  49. anteprepro says

    It is extremely gratifying though to see this hypocrite becoming the pariah that he deserves to be with every toxic blog post he makes.

    Seriously Myers, why don’t you spend your spare time masturbating to more tentacle porn

    So “Tentacle Porn” finally figured out how to come back, I take it? The Menz Brigade are such a fulfillment of Voltaire’s prayer, it is borderline miraculous. Though, honestly, it is more like a fulfilled wish from The Monkey’s Paw.

  50. nich says

    Has there ever been anyone in the history of atheism as odious, disgusting and creepy as PZ (don’t accuse me of rape) Myers?

    Stalin Schmalin! Apparently promoting social justice issues trumps directly and/or indirectly causing the deaths of millions.

  51. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Okay, for the hard of thinking:

    The “Which Side..” post is about a situation where there are two competing contentions and how compassion and logic dictate believing the victim (as an individual, not a juror or member of the judicial process) until evidence to the contrary is presented.

    So tell me, you bastion of logic you, what are the competing contentions you’d have us evaluate?

  52. Jacob Schmidt says

    The principle that “who you believe says a lot about who who are.”

    What, precisely, does it say?

  53. anteprepro says

    I’m glad to see it confirmed that the breadth and depth of MRA knowledge is entirely limited to the titles of articles. I always suspected that that was the limit of their reading ability, so it feels nice to be right about it.

  54. ChasCPeterson says

    A false equivalency made in order to score a ‘gotcha’ with a side helping of gratuitous cruelty.

    That strikes me as a perfectly pithy and accurate characterization of the ‘pit MO. I likened it to the 7th-grade lunch table (of the more unpleasant 7th-graders) the other day, but this is much better.

    What is this principle, as you understand it? What is this case, as you understand it?

    The case in reference is evidently PZ’s tale of the disgruntled student’s threat to accuse.
    The principle in reference is evidently that in cases of alleged sexual misconduct one should believe the accuser.

    The false equivalence is that in one example (Dylan Farrow/Woody Allen)we have a case where a plausible accusation was made in the context of an existing pattern of behavior but the observer does not know the truth; in the other (PZ Myers/unnamed student) we have a case where an accusation was threatened (but not actually made) and the observer/reporter was the not-quite-accused, being in a position to actually know the truth.
    Or perhaps the insinuation is that PZ is lying now and that he actually did commit sexual misconduct with the student, so the observer should not believe him? ‘Oh lord, the stupid’ is right.

  55. anteprepro says

    Chas, you are helping the ‘pitter cheat on their pop quiz!

    Tony: Seen BMCHell before then?

  56. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Oh noesss!!! How could you PZ? The peaches, those precious, precious frozen peaches! Will no one think of the poor peaches?

  57. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Playonwords already articulated the most important thing to know about false accusations
    here.

  58. says

    I think we’re up to 8 pseudonyms for this wanker so far (there’s a couple you haven’t seen because the filters caught them first). He might be going for Reap Paden’s record.

  59. Goodbye Enemy Janine says

    Ogvorbis, I am not sure if you knew that the slymies were using your story or for how long. Sadly, it is one thing that they wave about.

    The reason?

    They think it shows what hypocrites we are because we defend you. (One of those assclams have declared that I am a “rape apologist” and a “woman abuser” because of this.)

    I have kept quiet about this here because if you were not aware, I did not want you to think of this. But now that I know that you know, you should know just how deep this goes. It is part of the narrative that the slymies spin, one in which they have the undeserved high moral ground.

    I am very sorry that the history of your abuse has become something that the reactionaries try to use as a weapon. But please kept in mid that this shows exactly how unprincipled these people are. (Cold comfort, I know. You do not deserve this.)

    Speaking only for myself, Ogvorbis, you have my support.

    And I wish this was not happening to you.

  60. anteprepro says

    Speaking only for myself, Ogvorbis, you have my support.

    And I wish this was not happening to you.

    Seconded, and I doubt there are many here who would disagree, honestly.

    And, frankly, knowing that this is something that they are doing has done the unthinkable: made me think even LESS of these fucking slimeballs. They’ve dug through their fucking basement dungeon on this one.

  61. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    Og’s been aware. He knows they horribly misuse his life and his words. He still comes back and contributes.

    That’s part of why, day after day, come good or come bad, I love him. Constantly. Consistently.

    I sit here loving you, Ogvorbis.

  62. says

    anteprepro @84:

    Seen BMCHell before then?

    Oh no. This thread is the first I recall seeing of them.
    Based on their comments so far, I just figured they needed a clue by four to get the point ya’ll were trying to make.

  63. says

    Ooh, his pseudonym count just took a big leap upwards — I connected him with another bunch of slymie incursions in 2011: les autres animals, dollypop, a couple of others. He just hit a score of 20! He’s on a run to catch up to Paden!

    Pathetic.

  64. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Og’s been aware. He knows they horribly misuse his life and his words. He still comes back and contributes.

    That’s part of why, day after day, come good or come bad, I love him.

    This. A thousand times this.

    Ogvorbis, you inspire me to be a better person, a stronger person. I can’t thank you enough for that.

  65. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Hey now PZ, who are we to judge other people’s hobbies? Never mind xe’s hobby is a rancid one. One that causes demonstrable harm, but hey, whatever floats the ‘ol boat, if ya know what I’m sayin’..

  66. says

    Ogvorbis
    Dropping in to Nth the other expressions of support. I’m still here for you.

    ibyea #100

    It’s like these idiots don’t understand the meaning of nuance.

    This seems to be a common thread among a lot of flavors of shitheads: pitters and MRAs generally, apologists/creationists, libertarians etc. The coexistence with severe empathy deficits is so prevalent I can’t help but wonder if there’s some causative connection, although which leads to which, or what common factor leads to both behaviours I wouldn’t care to guess.

  67. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    None of the above. Never posted on, nor was banned from Freethought Blogs before.

    Lying liar lied. Film at 11.

  68. brianpansky says

    wait, repeated attempts to come back as different nyms…

    is it sinking in that this is futile…and the disguise just does not work???

  69. vaiyt says

    Hey, suckers, do you know the difference between you and PZ?

    You try to use the possibility of false accusations to dismiss victims before they can speak.

    PZ went after facts and witnesses that would show he was not an offender.

  70. says

    Ogvorbis
    Hugs and support
    I love you

    —-
    It’s as if those people couldn’t see the difference between an adult and a child. That tells me a lot about them.
    I also want to point out that all the usual Hyperskeptics suddenly believe somebody’s word without any additional evidence or a court verdict, because they WANT to believe those things.

  71. says

    Giliell:

    I also want to point out that all the usual Hyperskeptics suddenly believe somebody’s word without any additional evidence or a court verdict, because they WANT to believe those things.

    Repeated For Truth.

  72. rorschach says

    Wow, so the ‘pit still exists? I thought they might all have died of shame and embarrassment by now, but then, I haven’t been following closely.

    In other news, Russell Blackford will be on a panel on hate speech at the Oxford humanist congress later in the year. There is no irony meter strong enough to cope with that, really.

  73. Nick Gotts says

    Clearly, there is no depth to which filthy scumbuckets such as “jeffrey” will not sink. Forcing juvenile victims of sexual abuse to participate in the abuse of others is by no means rare; attacking such victims who have spoken out about it, whether as children or as adults is, in fact, participation in sexual abuse.

  74. says

    I don’t masturbate to Rebecca Watson videos either.

    Written with the projection of a True Christian. Care to tell us other thing you “don’t” do?

  75. Nick Gotts says

    filthy scumbucket@121,

    As you are well aware, Ogvorbis suffers appalling guilt and recurrent nightmares resulting from the abuse he participated in as a child under the influence of an adult rapist. To victimise him in pursuit of your vendetta against FtB is scarcely less vile than the actions of that adult rapist. You must also be perfectly well aware that such victimisation could drive a vulnerable person to suicide. Presumably, that is what you want.

  76. rorschach says

    I hope a monitor alert has been sent already wrt this harassing ptsd exploiting jeffrey creep.

  77. thetalkingstove says

    You hypocrites are disgusting

    Whereas pretending to give a fuck about the victims of abuse, when actually you’re just rubbing your hands with glee at having an apparent angle to attack FTB with is…laudable?

    How pleased you pitters are! If PZ actually did abuse someone, you’d just about explode with delight. You wouldn’t give the slightest thought to the victim, would you?

  78. ibyea says

    jeffrey: Calling us disgusting when you are the one harassing a victim of sexual abuse? PFffffft.

  79. Al Dente says

    Jeffrey believes Ogvorbis because he “thinks” he can use that as a weapon against the hated FTB. However I’d bet large amounts of money Jeffrey doesn’t “think” Rebecca Watson was propositioned in an elevator.

  80. Louis says

    I’m really feeling the, erm, love on this thread. It really amuses me when hatred of PZ/FtB (or who/whatever) overwhelms the opportunity for honest discourse. It makes me all warm inside to see my fellow Pan felix* descend to their most tribal and idiotic.

    Louis

    * Homo sapiens? Fuck off. Most humans have trouble not being utter saps, let alone managing sapience. Wake me when the in-group/out-group bullshit is dispensed with as the first line of interaction and I’ll take you bludgers more seriously.

  81. says

    I connected him with another bunch of slymie incursions in 2011: les autres animals, dollypop, a couple of others.

    You mean he lied about not posting here before? I’m shocked. I’m speechless with disbelief. My whole world is turned upside-down. O tempora, o mores!

  82. says

    Jeffrey:

    I believe her when she said she was asked for coffee. The difference is that asking someone out is not a crime, regardless of the hour.

    Wow, dishonesty from a ‘Pitter*. Color me shocked.
    As far as I’m aware, Rebecca has never treated that situation as a crime you witless dolt.

    Have you noticed that you idiots are always wrong?

    Oooh, burn. That stings.
    Oh, wait…it doesn’t.

    *I don’t give a fuck if you call yourself a ‘Pitter or not. You exhibit the same lack of self awareness, the same deficiency in empathy, the same tendency to harass people, and more. You’re functionally a ‘Pitter. So I guess you’re here to get your “Banned by PZ” badge, bc there’s nothing else you’re going to accomplish here.

  83. Louis says

    Tony,

    … bc there’s nothing else you’re going to accomplish here.

    Oh I disagree.* After all I’m sure this person could refrain from playing pathetic team blog drama for shit and giggle (singular intentional), make an actual argument that didn’t rely on on badly constructed tu quoque, go through step by step why any particular claim or argument was wrong as opposed to asserting it, in other words engage in a discussion. Thereby accomplishing that most basic of intellectual human interactions: reasoned dialogue.

    I’m sure they could do that any time now.

    Any time.

    Any minute now.

    It’s bound to happen any second.

    I’m holding my breath. No. Really.

    Louis

    * I think we both know I don’t, based on experience.

  84. Louis says

    LykeX,

    More tempura? Chicken and prawn mixed, please. And more dipping sauce too. Hurry up lad, I’m bored of popcorn. Oh and whilst you’re at it more beer and all. For fuck’s sake, if I have to watch these dribbling fuckwits appear from the internet woodwork and fail to distinguish between the Bayesian priors best applied to a case where everyone is largely ignorant and a different case with entirely different circumstances, and thus priors, I’m not doing it without snacks and alcohol.

    I don’t think they realise I drink and make dick jokes just to make them appear more interesting.

    Louis

  85. doublereed says

    This is one of the more surreal threads I’ve read on FtB. The deleted comments just adds to the mystery and strangeness. It’s like people are arguing with phantoms.

  86. Louis says

    It’s been a good few hours now and I’m not getting any tempura. MAKE WITH MY FUCKING TEMPURA, PEOPLE!

    Dagnabit am I going to have to sit through this bullshit with no fried foods and possibly even less beer? I may become sarcastic.

    Louis

    (This comment has been brought to you by the Foundation For Saying Things At Least Twenty Times More Relevant Than Your Average MRA/Pitter/Fuckwit [delete as applicable])

  87. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Oh dear! Very sorry Mr. Louis sir. Uhm, just let me check the shipping manifest…..

    Oh, yes, I see the problem. You ordered tempura and I’m afraid there’s been a bit of a mixup in the warehouse. We accidentally sent you an order of temper, er, in extra-large if I’m not mistaken. If you could just box it up and send it back we will ship out your tempura forthwith.

    Again, very sorry for the inconvenience.

  88. says

    Dagnabit, yourself. Here I try raising the intellectual level with a bit of latin (learned from an Asterix comic, but it still counts) and what’s the response? I’m sent off to pick up snacks.

  89. FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says

    Hop to it LykeX. Your performance review is a week Thursday, you ain’t got time for none of yer fancy book larning.

  90. Louis says

    A gentleman need not know Latin, but he should at least have forgotten it. ~Brander Matthews

    Louis

    P.S. LykeX, I’m no tyrant. You can have some of the tempura, I’m just tied up here with…erm…important beer…I mean work. Not beer. Work. Honest.

  91. Louis says

    Giliell,

    Definitely. Stands to reason. Must be the case. You’re a Lady Gentleman which means you open doors to let yourself through them and put your own cloak over puddles to walk on it. It’s the latest thing.

    Louis

  92. rq says

    I’m just here for the beer tempura. Carry on with the show.
    *pulls out old Asterix comics to review Latin*

  93. opposablethumbs says

    I’m going to post my tempura story in the Lounge, because it’s too long a derail and too frivolous to post here.

  94. vaiyt says

    Don’t talk about tempura, I’m hungry and there’s nothing nearly as delicious to eat here! ):

  95. Wylann says

    Louis @134 and subs:

    Thanks for that. I was starting to rage, and the chuckles did me good.

    Do we still give away sniny internets, or is that passé these days?

  96. opposablethumbs says

    PS it’s a Latin story as well as a tempura story.
    .
    I’m hungry too, now.

  97. opposablethumbs says

    It’s just that I thought my post was a bit on the long side for here, that’s all.

  98. Jackie, all dressed in black says

    Supportive hugs to Oggie.

    These nitwits really are the worst. I’m sorry that they are targeting you. I hope you’re alright.

  99. David Marjanović says

    Oh, Gunboat Diplomat! I remember him! Remind me, what was he banned for again?

    Written with the projection of a True Christian. Care to tell us other thing you “don’t” do?

    Heh. :-)

  100. anteprepro says

    Gunboat Diplomat eventually got around to sort of hinting that he might sexually assault me, IIRC. So yeah. Just disagreeing.

    Jesus fuck, the depths these people reach.

  101. Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says

    I with Tony!.

    I barely remember that. I remember he got threatening, but that’s about all.

  102. Seize says

    @ nich @28 hearty laffs were had. I scared the cat.

    @ SallyStrange and wrt harassing Ogvorbis, who is brave … what the actual fuck? It’s not as though I am a stranger to these pisslords as they love to turn up every time I write something about atheism on Kinja, but you could take a context-free glance at this content-scrubbed thread and still see clearly how awful these human beings are.

    They lie, they drag victims through briarpatches for the sake of rhetoric, they think it’s a lark to trigger someone’s PTSD, and they don’t even know how to dance.

  103. says

    I went back and looked at the thread. As I recall, it went well past 1,000 comments, but it seems that several hundred of them are now missing. But you can still see Gunboat Diplomat talking to me and several other posters, in language suggesting that the disgusted insults we directed towards him were turning him on and he was masturbating to the words we wrote. This, in a thread where several people had already been talking about their personal experiences with rape and sexual assault. A real charmer. http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/10/25/mras-are-almost-as-hilarious-as-creationists/comment-page-2/#comment-128522