Read Krugman this morning

The Republican party is appallingly misinformed: there is a Wonk Gap .

But that was then. Modern conservatism has become a sort of cult, very much given to conspiracy theorizing when confronted with inconvenient facts. Liberal policies were supposed to cause hyperinflation, so low measured inflation must reflect statistical fraud; the threat of climate change implies the need for public action, so global warming must be a gigantic scientific hoax. Oh, and Mitt Romney would have won if only he had been a real conservative.

It’s all kind of funny, in a way. Unfortunately, however, this runaway cult controls the House, which gives it immense destructive power — the power, for example, to wreak havoc on the economy by refusing to raise the debt ceiling. And it’s disturbing to realize that this power rests in the hands of men who, thanks to the wonk gap, quite literally have no idea what they’re doing.

There’s another place with a major wonk gap: the media. Television news is unwatchable, and even the major newspapers, like the one that publishes Krugman, are loaded with delusional timewasters and glib liars for conservative policies. How do those clowns get in control of government? Well, one way is that the media are indiscriminate and set up superficial apparatchiks like Friedman and Brooks and Will and whoever as arbiters of rational policy.

This crap is everywhere

One question I got at my CFI-DC talk was about the prevalence of sexist/misogynistic scumbags in the atheist movement — aren’t they just a minority? And my answer was that I don’t know what percentage they are, but that it’s a mistake to dismiss it as a fringe phenomenon; it’s too common, and the people who are doing it aren’t some bizarre handicapped aberrant group, they’re people you wouldn’t look at twice if you saw them in the street. And some of them are your friends and family.

And then I get home to discover the latest misogynistic screw-up in the tech industry: a conference called TechCrunch which features presentations about quick hacks had a couple of, to put it generously, inappropriate presentations, including one called “Titstare”. This is the entirety of the talk.

Let me just say that not only was it grossly sexist, but it was unimaginative, uncreative, incompetently done, and terribly presented. These two guys ought to be deeply embarrassed to have thrown up such a pathetic joke on a public stage — even if it hadn’t been a sad attempt at a breast joke, it was a total failure.

These people are all over the place. There’s just something wrong with the culture.

My theory: boys are brought up with a lack of sexual responsibility. The aggressive aspect of male sexual behavior is celebrated and treated as entirely natural, and therefore excusable, while girls are brought up with all of the responsibilities. Crude sexual humor is an outlet or venting, rather than a mistake or exhibition of ineptitude.

You know that right now those two guys are back with their bros, who are not telling them, “you fucked up.” They are being told that bitches are crazy, women have no sense of humor, grim somber feminists are ruining everything because they hate men and don’t know how to laugh. All blame is being placed on women because men are not accountable for what their testicles make them do.

You know who else ought to be really outraged at that spectacle? Comedians. Because boys are also brought up to think the most stupid crap is hilarious, as long as it’s about getting sex (see also that crass young man who was yucking it up on camera about the Steubenville rape), and it really lowers our expectations for humor.

Oh, hi, blog

I didn’t forget you. I got into Washington DC late last night, had a flavulous meal with Melody and Simon, slept, had a pleasant and interesting conversation with some ex-Muslims, had brunch with some local CFI people, gave a talk or something, signed a whole bunch of books, took a long cab ride to Dulles, and am now sitting in an airport waiting for a magic winged cylinder to fly me home. I get back to Minneapolis around 9, then drive home to get there about midnight, and then I get to rise up in the morning and go teach a couple of classes, which I’ll be preparing for on the plane.

I haven’t had much me time lately, but I did make a new friend, thanks to some generous Hordies.

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So what have you been up to lately?

We have a few pictures of the event at GWU.

Kronar writes

You must read this overheated paean to his semen by a pickup artist (or if you prefer, you can have Saruman read it aloud to you). This guy literally thinks his seed is so wonderful that women ought to be begging him for it.

But, excuse my bio-pedantry, there’s one part that I found factually annoying. It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of basic reproductive biology and genetics.

kronar

My salty essence and genetic code is a gift from my father, and his father, and his father, and on it goes.  Its the sticky genetic code of self-sufficient men who have protected and provided for family, women and children.  Its the haplogroup of men who built civilization.  I have the genetic lineage of warriors, business owners, firefighters, blacksmiths, farmers, herders, poets, politicians, soldiers, artists and even chefs.  Hard jobs that help build the world, thinking jobs that help build a culture, they’ve all been done by men in my bloodline.  My ceiling for accomplishment is limitless.

That leaves out a significant fact. Approximately half of the genetic sequence in Mr Raving PUA’s sperm comes from his mother, and from her mother and his father’s mother, etc. Half of it is from the women who built civilization. I think that’s a fine thing, but I wonder; does he believe it dilutes the quality of his semen that it isn’t exclusively passed on from father to son?

(Sorry, passing semen from father to son is a really icky image.)

Further, half of his glorious seed will generate mere daughters. Clearly, his proud man-juice is weak and tainted with the poison of femininity.

Also, for some reason, I couldn’t help thinking of the Kronar stories on Oglaf (NSFW!).

I’m tired of Fox News Christians

What awful, horrible people. And they’ve got a whole network full of them! Here, they’re commenting on the Massachusetts case to have “under God” removed from the pledge of allegiance.

All the news is about the first woman speaking, but really what astounded me was that they took turns going around the panel, and every single one of them said something incredibly stupid. They’re 0 for 5.

Dana Perino: I’m tired of them…they don’t have to live here.

Neither do you, lady.

Eric Bolling: It was added, but it doesn’t matter. It’s on our currency…they can choose not to take it.

It was also added to our currency in the 1950s, guy, at the height of Cold War fervor that couple religiosity to patriotism. It’s a relic of the same phenomenon that fostered McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklist. It’s not a history to be proud of.

Greg Gutfeld: they can…give thanks for giving us the freedom to be an atheist.

Oh, yeah, I should also get down on my knees and praise Jesus for allowing me to be an atheist now.

Kimberly Guilfoyle: Why should they be catered to? It is offensive that a few people…inflict their belief system. It is incredibly selfish, small-minded…

Guilfoyle was furiously indignant. She seems to think it is OK if a majority of small-minded people use their kids as pawns to force their Christian belief system on others, but if the minority resist, they must be ignored.

And finally, Bob Beckel. I despise Bob Beckel. When conservatives go looking for a nominally liberal person they can prop up as a figurehead who will reliably agree with them, they search for the dumbest person around, and there’s good ol’ Bob.

Bob Beckel: interesting that it’s in Massachusetts, where the Salem witch trials, remember that’s when there was an intolerance about not being religious.

I don’t think the women were hanged for being atheists, Bob. Retire, Bob. You’re too stupid to be humiliating yourself this way on TV.

Losing the will to live

World, you aren’t helping. It’s been a long, long day, I thought I’d just browse the news on my brief break, and I run across this.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Monday said that it was a “scary thought” that elites could be culling the population with vaccines to preserve the Earth’s resources.

The Texas Republican spent part of his five-week break from Congress this week by interviewing conservative activist Alan Keyes while filling in as a guest host for Tony Perkins on Family Research Council’s Washington Watch.

Gohmert + Keyes and the Patriarchy Research Council, all in one story. Why didn’t the earth open up in revulsion beneath them and launch them towards Mars in an explosive eruption of lava?

By the way, what prompted that accusation against the liberal elites was that some Texas megachurch was responsible for a measles epidemic because they discouraged their followers from vaccinating their kids. If Gohmert blamed ignorance for a disease, he’d have to take the fall as the Typhoid Mary of stupidity.

No gods, no masters…and no heroes, either

I was reading Greta Christina’s piece about being disillusioned with heroes…and I was wondering why we keep propping up this hero thing.

We don’t need them. Ever.

I don’t need “heroes” to get my work done. I need colleagues and friends and peers and collaborators and partners. I need people to lead on some projects, and I need to lead on others. I need specialists and I need workers and I need assistants. I mostly need teamwork and a community of equals.

Think about every last job you’ve accomplished. The last damn thing you needed was a shiny nickel-plated figurehead striking a noble pose and freakin’ inspiring you. And I can’t think of anything more useless than getting placed up on a pedestal.

How about if we form a movement and shoo away all the goddamned heroes?

Dragons aren’t real

The concepts of “fiction” and “pretend” and “imagination” seem to be very difficult to get across to some people, especially the ones who keep muddling fiction with reality. The Creation “Museum” has a big exhibit on dragons that illustrates this confusion well, with a telling beginning.

The Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky shares a fascination with dragons with the creators of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ new show.

Yep, there’s a sucker born every minute.

Ken Ham is promoting them because he wants to tie folk beliefs, like those about dragons or Jesus or angels, to reality. Hey, if we’re basing our beliefs in the reality of Jesus on myths and fairytales, then fairytales had better be a credible source of evidence.

He said there are carvings and other kinds of primitive artwork all over the world that look like dragons and there are some fossil records to indicate dragon-like dinosaurs. The Welsh flag still features a picture of a dragon, he said.

“They are so prevalent,” he said, “they may have a basis in reality.”

In homes all around the country, you will find copies of Harry Potter stories and comic books about giant green hulks. They are prevalent too. That does not imply in any way that magic wands actually work, or that you should expose yourself to an atom bomb blast to acquire superpowers.

They’re fiction. Fiction does not have to be based on reality. Sometimes it’s only based on what we want to be true.

Silly ol’ Ken Ham. Isn’t it about time you grew up?