Misrepresented?

This post directly relates to a number of goings on recently with the internet and my adventure begins here; http://skepchick.org/2011/12/reddit-makes-me-hate-atheists/ Watson writes very effectively, and her choice of title gets precisely the result any blogger wants; page views. She also points out a very serious issue, that there is a culture on the internet which condones the sexualisation of under-age girls. HUGE SURPRISE

I when I started this blog, I always thought that I would be posting from a neutral standpoint. I think the points I make here will go to and from. But I never thought I would even address this sort of issue.

I would claim that Watson's post, even though it points out this serious issue, is clearly pushing her agenda. Just as this insightful Reddit member points out; she only chooses the comments that make her case. http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/nt5x6/a_response_to_reddit_makes_me_hate_atheists/

Watson could have done so much with the examples she chose for her post. She could have cited how massive the child pornography racket is on the internet and how these 'jovial comments' do nothing to prevent the issue. She could have provided some good advice for young girls posting on the internet – a 'how to' on preventing this happening. She could have taken a shot at encouraging censorship, started a campaign to have the particular reddit accounts who commented removed or demanded apology. Nup, because the dominant number of atheists are white males, its obviously their fault that women are misrepresented and degraded in the atheist community.

What are we meant to take away from her post? That all women in the atheist community are ultra feminist? As the director of Skepchick, she really does represent a large number of us. Or should I say, misrepresent?

Before reading her post, I wasn't a member of Reddit. So of course I had to go have a look at the 'travesty' for myself. And after four decent hours of lurking and getting involved in conversation I really don't see how that comments responding to the one post = the atheist community on reddit. Thinking about it, its really rather insulting.

As an atheist with a reasonably developed system of philosophy, my personal concern is simply getting on with life. I am tired of the 'does god exist' arguments that are repeated everywhere on the internet in a vain attempt at reasoning with the faithful. Visiting other blogs, hanging out on youtube channels like Potholer54 are great, they generally present well developed views and a good variety of intellectual content. The reason that I enjoyed visiting Reddit, and the reason I will go back to the atheist subreddit is because its clearly just a place to chill out, its for the funny ones, for those who don't have the time or the inclination to commit to a blog. For the less articulate atheists among us who need advice. We need a break from the ultra intellectual every now and then. Don't we?

Either way, she got lots of views, had another moment in the spotlight, pissed off the @AmazingAtheist and others. Now I am going to link a very good blog post from someone with a much more balanced opinion on the issue http://owningyourshit.blogspot.com/2011/07/patriarchy-shmatriarchy.html Thanks to @AmazingAtheist for tweeting that, I feel a billion times smarter after reading it.