Skepticism

Comment o’ the Week!

Reminder: nominate your favorite comments by logging in, clicking the little arrow next to them, and writing “COTW” somewhere in your response!

I don’t usually give Comment o’ the Week to something that doesn’t make me laugh, but Sam nominated one that really is quite sweet. So here’s Gwennifer:

Sometimes I feel like that quote from Whitman “Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes”. I am a skeptic because I have to be – it is in my nature to be free in the way that matters most, in my mind, and only through skepticism can a mind be free. But at the same time I believe there are moments and situations where skepticism has no place. I believe in Santa, and in my own gut feelings, against all reason. I am a complete sucker, who would rather be taken advantage of than refuse help where I can give it. I am emotionally and psychologically as self-sufficient as anyone can be. I feel intensely, but I have an uncanny way of amputating feelings that become a threat to my sanity or my freedom. Sometimes I wonder how true feelings that just turn off really are, and I wish I knew the feeling that I need someone, deep down in my soul. That there is a feeling out there that is larger than self-preservation. Probably this unhealthy longing can be chalked up to too many great love stories, of the trashy as well as classic and great literature varieties. I come about last on my own list of priorities. I am a teacher, and am crazy about children. They’re usually crazy about me too, so it works out. I’d rather hang out with the kids at any gathering than any grown-up you can name. I have no tolerance for those who deliberately hurt children.

I hate Hemingway, people who try to make my mind up for me, and prejudice in all its forms, though as a human being I’m aware of the fact that I’m not immune to it.

I hate the phrase “life isn’t fair” and all its variants, not because it’s not true, but because it is usually used dismissively, as in, since life is not fair, why should i bother being fair when it’s not convenient for me. I consider it my responsibility to give more than I take, and I take my responsibilities seriously.

I love life, nature, and myself, mostly because growing up I needed something to love, and someone to love me.

More COTWs after the jump!

Faith’s contribution to that thread was also quite good:

I’m Faith – I was saddled with this ridiculous name because my grandmother wouldn’t let my mom name me what she wanted to… FML (which is actually my initials). But I digress. I have been married for 10 years to a skeptic who is also an atheist but more of an atheist than a skeptic. He tends to believe what he hears until I bring up some fallacies in logic and then he tells me that I’m the smartest person he knows and then I decide to stay married to him for another year.

I work in HIV research at a very large university and post snarky things on my door. I think my co-workers humor me. Not sure about that yet.

I love to bake. I’d spend all of my time baking for people because cookies = love. Really. I can show my math if you want.

I think science is awesome and I know how magnets work.

From mrmisconception in response to Bjornar’s suggestion we increase the popularity of the word “vulva”:

Are you trying to further the stereotype that all us elite atheist liberal types are granola-eating Vulva-driving hippies?

Oh, wait… Never mind.

From Draconius:

Hi there!

I may have said this here before, but I have always hated the word “slut”. For one thing, I hate how it’s always applied to people who: “seem like they probably have a lot of sex”. I’ve known women that were virgins until marriage who just enjoyed wearing low-cut blouses, short skirts, and fishnets. But they get called “sluts” more than little Mary Conservative who screws nine guys before breakfast.

But once I get my hands on a time machine, I want to find the very first person who ever used the term “slut”. I want to know what genius first looked at someone and said: “Hey! That woman over there fully enjoys her liberated sexuality without all of the puritanism and self-loathing that most women suffer!! Let’s come up with a pejorative word to describe HER! Maybe in a few centuries women EVERYWHERE will refuse to sleep with men for fear of ostracism and shame!!”. I want to find the guy who first said that, and beat the ever-loving shit out of him. Pardon my French

— Craig

From kimberlychapman:

Oh, well, gee, it’s a good thing little Lilie had that art done, because she was in no way an adorable, pretty, cute little thing before being photo-shopped with girliespooge. Yeah, that original photo was just so lacking in young feminine sweetness that it needed to be drowned in the sweet juices of PinkAngelOrgasmaFairyFuck.

It’s really good that she was taught so young that her real self could never be cute and pretty enough. It’ll help her when she’s old enough to read women’s magazines and know that we all need gobs of expensive touch-ups.

*headdesk*

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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9 Comments

  1. Wow, I had missed gwenwifer’s post the first time around. Nicely put. Makes my little snark-based pun seem particularly unworthy.

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