ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Should the scientifically-minded, skeptical community grant religion an exemption from outspoken criticism. In the least, should the touchy subject be treated with careful diplomacy?
There's been quite a bit of talk about this topic in recent months. Should a person "not be a dick" by pushing their skepticism -- their religious skepticism, Buy Ribavirin without prescription, specifically -- into the face of otherwise skeptical believers. Before I begin to explain why I come down on the side of pro-dickishness, so to speak, allow me to make a confession. I am a Gnu Atheist of sorts -- one of the supposedly original brand of heretics who regularly ventures beyond the bounds of traditional academic manners and forums, rx free Ribavirin. I freely criticize religion and publicly point out how I think it is wrong and bad, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. (I don't always put my napkin in my lap, either.)
As you can imagine, when high profile non-believers -- such as Chris Mooney in his book Unscientific America and at his blog The Intersection, Where can i order Ribavirin without prescription, and Phil Plait in his provocative talk, "Don't Be a Dick" from the Amazing Meeting 8 -- indirectly chide me for speaking out in a manner they view inappropriate or too harsh, I beg to differ.
My reasons. There are three: 1) intellectual consistency, 2) the importance of the issue, buy cheap Ribavirin no rx, and 3) social equality.
1. Intellectual Consistency
It strikes me as odd that it is fully acceptable to flag individuals for being under the spell of unseen forces and agents, provided those forces and agents are unique. Ribavirin over the counter, Has he or she gone off their meds? And yet, when a person is under the spell of shared conceptions of invisible forces and agents, we are to let those people go on their sometimes merry, yet nonetheless equally deluded ways. That is what you call a double standard.
ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, When met with truth-claims, as a skeptical, scientifically-minded person, my inclination is to ask, "What evidence do you have for making the claim?" Is homeopathy a valid medical treatment. Show me the evidence, japan, craiglist, ebay, overseas, paypal. Do vaccines cause autism. Show me the evidence. Is it then a character flaw that I believe it important to play no favorites. Am I missing out on the opportunity to enlist others in a fight against one form of bologna because I neglect to refrain from challenging all forms?
Put explicitly, I don't buy the, "You are pushing away someone who is mostly on your side" argument, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. Order Ribavirin from mexican pharmacy, Human beings are fabulously adept at compartmentalizing our alliances. I full well know, for example, that one of my close friends considers me an adversary on the topic of religion, yet he recognizes, Ribavirin trusted pharmacy reviews, as do I, that we are close allies when it comes to environmental issues. Okay, Buying Ribavirin online over the counter, so we can't work together in this one area, but on others -- no problem. And it really is no problem. At least for those with adequate degrees of intellectual sophistication and emotional maturity.
ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Neither intimate nor public relation-dynamics are of black or white variety. Don't fight them on issue x, for you could completely alienate them. Our system of government is a perfect example of the ability of people 'on different sides of the aisle' to work together when it suits their interests.
But most importantly, real brand Ribavirin online, I believe in openness, dialogue and integrity. Aside from the domain of exchanging small-talk, Kjøpe Ribavirin på nett, köpa Ribavirin online, why should I hide what I believe. Tacitly agreeing to honor a barrier consisting of what another person designates as sacred is to play by their rules. Sure, the rules may be traditional and custom-ary, but are they fair and helpful?
One of my all-time favorite quotes is by Salman Rushdie, order Ribavirin online c.o.d. It goes:
"The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in any culture, because it seeks to turn other ideas - uncertainty, progress, change - into crimes."
Which brings me to the next reason I fail to see benefit in accommodating religious belief.
2, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. The Importance of the Issue
Sorry, but believers in Sasquatch and anti-vaxxers aren't the biggest deniers of reality. Their claims are have at least small analogues and minute plausibilities here on earth. Where can i buy Ribavirin online, Likewise, ghost-hunters and homeopaths are not holders of the greatest social and political clout in our country and thus aren't the greatest threat to progress. Religion is. You might say that religion is the elephant in the room that some people are hushing others to quit drawing attention to.
ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, If there is a 'skeptical movement,' why dabble with relative inconsequentials. Compared to the pedicure-level intervention of critically evaluating alleged alien visitations, working to excise supernatural entities from public thought is akin to an appendectomy of social betterment.
When, canada, mexico, india, I ask, was the last time a paranormal group blocked legislation on ideological grounds?
The religion question is more important then the topics of UFOs, ghosts, Ribavirin for sale, and homeopathy combined. Casper's creator never had a Jihad placed on his head.
3. Social Equality
As a freethinking skeptic, it seems highly ironic to me that some skeptics want to appease the privileged majority and their claim, "My beliefs are off-limits." Okay, buy Ribavirin online no prescription, more 'progressive' believers may cry instead, "Treat beliefs of the religious variety with special care." Why is this ironic. How does a group of supposed intellectuals not understand that it isn't the holders of a majority position that need to be advocated for?
Egalitarian civilizations tend to grant members of minorities greater room for social complaint. Consider stand-up comics, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. Comprar en línea Ribavirin, comprar Ribavirin baratos, A black comedian is freer to poke fun at "white folk" than white comedians are to poke fun at "black folk." In truly egalitarian societies, checks and pressures are not equally put on the powerless and the powerful; they are not equally applied to the disenfranchised as they are those already clutching the reins of power. For good.
It seems to me that of the two -- believers and 'nons' -- it is the minority position that should be granted greater leeway in the freedom of expression. Yet here's the odd thing: It is the majority-block believers who are currently granted greater leeway in their speech about non-believers.
Consider these three telling examples -
> While on the campaign trail for president in 1987, George Bush Sr, buy Ribavirin from canada. said this in an interview:
I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots.
The heck with illegal immigrants, maybe our borders should be sealed off from non-believers. Atheists need not apply for citizenship.
ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, George Sr. Buy no prescription Ribavirin online, later recanted that statement. Then came Junior. How far had the apple fallen from the tree. In January of 2005 The Washington Times reported, "President Bush said yesterday that he doesn't 'see how you can be president without a relationship with the Lord.'"
At least to a degree, buy Ribavirin no prescription, the American public seems to agree with our ex-president George Jr. In a Gallup survey conducted in 1999, 59% of the respondents said they might vote for a homosexual for president, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. But only 49% said they would vote for an atheist.
Want to be president of the United States. Outspoken religious skeptics need not apply.
> The third largest city in Florida is Tampa, Purchase Ribavirin, population roughly 300,000. It's no backwoods settlement. As reported in the St. ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Petersburg Times, in July of 2004, an atheist attempted to give the opening invocation of the Tampa Bay city council meeting. He had been invited by a council member, where can i buy cheapest Ribavirin online, who thought it was important to allow any citizen the opportunity. Three council members walked out before the atheist uttered a word. One of Tampa's elected officials said -
I just can't sit here and listen to someone that does not believe in a supreme being.
Another said -
We have never had people of an atheist group represent Americans, Ribavirin gel, ointment, cream, pill, spray, continuous-release, extended-release, and I don't think it is appropriate in this setting.
These, by the way, were not the actions of Billy Bob and his cousin and spouse, Daisy Jane, spouting off from the front steps of their trailer, buy Ribavirin from mexico. These were the elected representatives of a sizable city.
Is it inappropriate for atheists to represent Americans. Heck, there probably aren't more Jews in Tampa, yet they are welcome to give the invocation, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. And what are Jews but a walking/talking reminder that not every religious person accepts Jesus as the answer. But no, Ordering Ribavirin online, we atheists get singled out. The Christians who left the room refused to respect a person they supposedly represent. The atheist's message, by the way, was about tolerance.
The next day the St, order Ribavirin no prescription. ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Petersburg Times reported that the city council's phone lines "lit up." E-mails "poured through" the city's Web site. Many vilified the speaker. A message on the atheist's home answering machine included the words, You need to be exterminated.
Want to give the opening address at a city council meeting -- at least in here in the Sunshine State. Where can i find Ribavirin online, Atheists need not apply. You are not worthy of being listened to, not worthy of being handed the microphone.
Through the millennia, how many millions of the ranks of the non-believing have been silenced. The intolerance continues in our times.
And we, the relatively oppressed minority, should mind OUR manners?, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. Are you kidding me?, Ribavirin samples. Of Phil Plait and Chris Mooney, and others who have made the "don't-be-a-dick" argument, I ask: Please provide examples of atheists behaving similarly in a supposedly neutral, Order Ribavirin from United States pharmacy, public setting.
If you can't, maybe you should direct your ire where it better belongs. Give atheists more room to speak out as the maligned minority they are. Otherwise, turn in your humanist badges, where to buy Ribavirin. ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Perhaps you should quit congratulating yourself for your high-minded rationality as well. All things considered, your stance doesn't make sense.
> On Sunday mornings I used to watch the news magazine, This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Online buy Ribavirin without a prescription, I thought it covered international politics fairly well, featuring an in-depth interview with a power broker in our government or some other nation's, and a round-table discussion with knowledgeable and usually well-behaved talking heads. They closed the show with "in Memorandum." With a background soundtrack of solemn music, the names of recently deceased celebrities and soldiers scrolled the screen, purchase Ribavirin online no prescription. It seemed to be a fairly classy show. As a light touch, there was a segment called the "Sunday Funnies." They rolled clips of the late-night-comics poking fun at some recent political development.
On March 28th, 2003, after viewing clean-cut George S, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. and a number of others wearing thousand-dollar suits discuss serious issues, on came the Funnies. Buy generic Ribavirin, First I watched Jon Stewart point out the absurdity in the phrasing of a White House press release. Then Jay Leno gave George Junior a ribbing about something or another. I don't remember because I was so startled by the next piece it erased from my mind what came before. ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Jimmy Kimmel, newcomer to the late night talk-show field, introduced a video clip of his own. He said, There's this Jew bringing a case before the Supreme Court, buy Ribavirin without a prescription, and then the doctored footage rolled. As the Jew spoke about his case on the steps outside the court, he was hit by multiple bolts of lightning, Ribavirin price, coupon, caught fire, and then his head exploded.
Funny?
Had it really happened, the Jewish Anti-defamation League would have never stood for it, and were ABC dumb enough to show such a clip, someone would have lost their job. No executive from a major network would be so clueless as to depict a Jew getting burned on the steps of the Supreme Court. The same could be said about a Muslim bringing a legitimate case to the highest court, or even a Catholic priest (though a lightning bolt to the gonads might be in bounds).
What the sketch did depict was "some atheist" -- Michael Newdow, to be precise -- getting hit by lightning, catching fire, and exploding. And this was considered funny enough, and within bounds of good taste, to be broadcast during a Sunday morning news show.
An atheist getting hit by lighting -- I guess I can see some humor in that, if it weren't cliché, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. And if depicted on Saturday Night Live or a late night talk show, I'd have little problem with it. You've got to give comedians room to be funny. And you have to be able to laugh at yourself. But that sketch at that time was not funny. It was both telling and a bit scary.
Has our nation changed in the handful of years since then?
ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE, Yes I am an atheist. But more importantly, I am a skeptic. So when one group and their beliefs are privileged at the expense of another -- my eyebrow will be raised. As a humanist, I believe it is time to fight to level the proverbial playing field upon which ideologies compete. For the good of the entire world.
Sometimes polite fighting is an oxymoron.
Personally speaking, skeptics who embrace religion seem to me something akin to a post-lunch business associate with a piece of spinach stuck in his/her teeth. Um, ONLINE Ribavirin FOR SALE. You missed something there.
In terms of the wider world, peaceable change has never been easy. It relies on many people opposing social inertia and standing up and speaking bluntly for what's true, what's right. Yes, the 'stand-ers' tend to get yelled at, or worse. But the honorable continue standing. To more cowardly skeptics I say, if you are going to remain seated, at least you could refrain from hissing at those standing up for the true. Thank you.
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Tags: atheism, Freethought Musings, religion
December 11th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
I followed your reference to this post on the “No Forbidden Questions” blog.
Several very good and provocative points, here: I liked the observation that compartmentalization can and should work for us, and your necessary ridicule of the notion that the overwhelming believer majority needs to be protected from us horrid atheists. And that Rushdie passage doesn’t get quoted nearly often enough. (His first name is Salman, though.)
I’m a little reluctant to downplay the significance of specifically medical bunkum (anti-vax, homeopathy, etc.) the way you come close to doing here; people do in fact die from that kind of bullshit. But yes, of course, even more die from religion, and the two categories overlap (Christian Science, faith healing, etc.), anyway. Still, Bigfoot’s more harmless than fake cures for cancer.
All in all, very good stuff. Thanks for speaking up.
December 12th, 2010 at 10:08 am
@Rieux – Thanks for correcting me . . . my misspelling of “Salman” Rushdie, which I have subsequently changed.
This brings to mind (perhaps because it is freshly on my mind)the issue of tone/manners in intellectual discourse. Of “not being a dick” when we find error in another’s ways.
As I mentioned in the comments over at No Forbidden Questions, I think when a person is treated too gently, a correction can be far too easy to shrug of — at least in matters more significant than spelling.
As a blogger I have made my share of mistakes. And while I have learned something from all “corrections,” the ones that have changed my behavior have been more of the second type in this hypothetical couplet.
1) “Loved your post, I found ‘this’ valid, but I beg to differ with ‘that.’ Let’s do lunch sometime.”
2) “Hey nitwit. You got X totally wrong. Wake up and smell the coffee! Are you a serious thinker, or not.”
Granted, everyone is different, and what works to change my behavior, including cognitive and blogging habits, may not work for others. Yet stronger emotions tend to be stronger attention-getters and motivators.