7 thoughts on “AS68: Cognitive Dissonance on Atheist Celebrities, Part 2”

  1. I know it’s not the same fucking thing, but I’m a fat man who rides a bike to try and become a not-fat man, and there’s isn’t a day I go out that some asshole doesn’t take it upon himself to holler words of discouragement at me. It’s invariably a dude, generally under 35.

    I wonder if it’s that these shouty assholes regard anyone who isn’t like them – in terms of fatness, the possession of a dick, or any other criterion – as being an open target for their attention. It must take a certain kind of person, because I can’t see any of my friends or colleagues ever doing that to anyone for any reason. I guess I just don’t hang with douchebags.

    1. Hold close your true friends and keep working toward your goal! Remember there are plenty of us out there who see you and are thinking, “Great Job! and best of luck!”

  2. Well done for calling out street harrassment for the BS it is Thomas. It’s outrageous to me that this kind of thing still goes on to the extent it does. Obviously it happens all over the world and not just a problem in the UK!

    Anyway keep it up, always a great Ep with the Cognitive Dissonance crew!

  3. Hi Thomas! Forgive me for commenting here on an earlier episode; I was on vacation, fell behind on your fine programing, and didn’t want my comment to be lost.

    On feminism and men’s rights, try two things when you get a chance:

    1. Look at a page of feminist statistics (1 in 3, 1 in 4, 1 in 5 women, 2% of rape claims, all those big ones), and see how many you can actually substantiate. You know, be diligent, don’t stop at “The Dept of Justice said it,” but see what exactly they said, and on what study (if any) the conclusion is based. If a survey is involved, check whether people were actually answering the same question as asserted in the statistic. If the stat refers only to women, check whether there’s a similar statistic for men which was ignored. See how many stats you’re left with.

    2. Read a couple testimonials from men who were falsely accused of rape, and from fathers going through the family courts. That’s not in and of itself proof of how widespread these cases are, of course, but I think it’s helpful to see where some men are coming from.

    Then consider whether you think anything should change.

    I’ll just add that I came at this question as an ardent feminist, and it took me around two years to get so thoroughly frustrated that I turned away from the label. There’s a dictionary definition of “feminism” which looks great, but there’s a reality on the ground which I tried, and tried, and could not square with it. To me, “humanist” says everything I want about gender equality.

  4. Being a woman in the over 50 age range I can add another view of the cat call phenomenon. When I was younger I endured the same thing where ever I went. There wasn’t a time that I went out that men were not whistling and making comments about my physical appearance. Sometimes I felt annoyed, sometimes a little scared or freaked, but most of the time I felt complimented. Many times I found it quite funny when a guy was turning back looking at me and would run into a pole or trip over a curb. A couple of times I caused car accidents (not so funny but a little, since no one was hurt). Back then I sometimes, wished I could melt into the scenery but being a 5’10” blonde I stood out. Still, I could have dressed more frumpy or worn a burka but, as I said, all in all, for the most part, I enjoyed the attention. These guys knew nothing about me or about the fact that I was a college graduate working as a programmer/analyst on flight simulators at NASA/Langley Research Center, so I didn’t take their attention as an insult to my intelligence. Except for the touchers or overly aggressive, scary guys, 95% of them were just young and impetuous, as we all are for a time in our lives. Looking back now, I actually miss the catcalls… a little.

  5. You were mentioned in passing on Atheists On Air. I am going through their archives and you were mentioned in an episode from late summer.

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