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Skepticism
All the World’s an Echo Chamber
One of the many criticisms leveled at the atheist, skeptic, and feminist community (and its related intersections) is something along the lines of “you all form your little communities and then you all just nod and agree with each other all the time.” What, may I ask, is wrong with that? Of course, there are intragroup disagreements. In fact, those…
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Religion
Zombie Muhammad vs. Zealot
Last Halloween, an atheist named Ernest Perce dressed up as Zombie Muhammad and joined a parade in Pennsylvania that also included a Zombie Pope and Zombie Jesus. A Muslim man, Talaag Elbayomy, decided that this was so offensive to him that he had to take action; he claimed that he thought there were laws against offending him. According to the officer who…
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Skepticism
The Myth of the Muslim Monolith
What supposedly Islamic traditions are actually specifically Arab cultural traditions, but not universally Muslim? This is quite the difficult question to answer, and not just slightly due to the fact that Muslims themselves vehemently disagree on the issue among themselves and work to promote a united front for the eyes of non-Muslims. Despite what many Muslims are wont to say…
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Anti-Science
Babies and Bathwater: Monsanto
In a world ridden with woo, it can be hard to discern between something that is of genuine concern and something harmless that people oppose due to a faulty understanding of the world. However, to disregard any criticisms of any given thing just because the woo-minded oppose it is to endorse a stubbornly contrary sort of dogma. One example of…
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Feminism
How to Please the Patriarchy
We’ve all seen it, right? Heard about it? This idea that women are complicated — no really, super duper hard to understand — while men are simple and want simple things. One particular image has made its rounds on Facebook recently. Movies with titles like What Women Want, memes referencing “What She Said vs. What She Meant,” and bandwagon appeals along…
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Feminism
Tapped But Unsaved
Yesterday, I discovered just how different two very similar concepts could be when I was sent two separate emails attempting to sell me beer and beer-related products as a Valentine’s Day present. The first was from Saveology, one of the many generic deal sites to which I am subscribed. More men than women prefer beer, so, from a marketing perspective,…
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Religion
When The Feared Have the Most to Fear
Despite being an ex-Muslim, i.e. someone who learned so much about Islam that she was appalled enough to leave it, I’ve been accused of being an apologist for Islam. Incidents like the actions of the New York Police Department are what make me sound like I love Islam rather than have left it. A year ago, accusations began to fly…
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Religion
The Islam Dichotomy, Part 2: Sharia
Terrorism is one thing that non-Muslims fear about Muslims, but there is another Arabic word besides “jihad” that has begun to make the rounds. Is the implementation of Sharia in the United States a credible threat? Sharia in the UK The fear of Sharia taking over the West is one that stems from the words and actions of certain Western European…
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