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She was young (15)
She wad cute (as are most teenagers)
She was intellectually interested (holding a book by Carl Sagan).
But she was met by a barrage of misogynistic commentary, none of which was acceptable.
Why? Why on a atheist webpage do we see misogyny?
Men go insane because they think they can get away with it, that is the only reason.
A 15 year old girl does not deserve misogynistic responses, and management of a group that puts up with this kind of verbal garbage is beyond lax and into denial.
In short, that sort of commentary should have no place. It isn’t religious or secular that is at the heart of the problem, it is the “accepted social norms of the group” that we need to see changed.
Attitudes and behaviors can be changed. Once it was fine to drive drunk, now it isn’t, and we see groups being very careful to have a ‘designated driver’.
Attitudes on bulletin boards can be changed too, it just depends on the directives of management.
That was sad. If there one think atheists should focus on it’s empowering women. The more equal and less discriminating a country is, the less power religion will have. The most misogynist countries are the most religious. The least misogynist are the least religious.
Ugh. I think PR would be much kinder to her…probably because she’s about the age of our own children….er, in some cases, grandchildren.
We have raised sex-obsessed, puerile, cynical and shallow kids because we are sex-obsessed, puerile, cyncial and shallow adults, then we wonder why they behave like assholes? When is our culture going to grow up? I blame all this sniggering sexism on our Puritan heritage. It really screwed up our brains. I don’t think Europeans are so juvenile, are they? I could go on and on because I have many concerns about these matters, but I will just sound like a cranky old biddy, so I won’t bother.
It’s not nice and I wonder what kind of moderation goes on with this site.
I hope this is a random event and not common place, although I’m sure it may be more common than I had hoped.
I think Europeans can be just as juvenile Saralynn, people are people I’m afraid, the world over.
It’s not nice and I wonder what kind of moderation goes on with this site.
I hope this is a random event and not common place, although I’m sure it may be more common than I had hoped.
I think Europeans can be just as juvenile Saralynn, people are people I’m afraid, the world over.
It’s not nice and I wonder what kind of moderation goes on with this site.
I hope this is a random event and not common place, although I’m sure it may be more common than I had hoped.
I think Europeans can be just as juvenile Saralynn, people are people I’m afraid, the world over.
I just watched her video and I must be a misogynist because while I could see how the incident could make her uncomfortable I also see that it could have been, and most likely was, completely innocent of any sexualizing or misogyny.
It’s not nice and I wonder what kind of moderation goes on with this site.
I hope this is a random event and not common place, although I’m sure it may be more common than I had hoped.
I think Europeans can be just as juvenile Saralynn, people are people I’m afraid, the world over.
Have to say Skep, this aint good either, I suppose the elevator situation, to give the benefit of doubt, may have been unfortunate, in that some men are socially inept, especially when it comes to speaking to women, or he could have been a sexual predator.
I personally think that it’s a sign of immaturity when someone you don’t know propositions you without any introduction or conversation, the choice of venue is important too.
When I was younger the type of places I frequented had a very wide variety of folk with a bigger variety of sexual preferences. So I learned quickly as a bisexual man, that making the right distinctions and reading the conversation and body language was very important, or you could face a pile of embarrassment.
It seems people aren’t taking time to learn the art of conversation and other social etiquette that is important not just as an atheist but as a balanced human being.
I just watched her video and I must be a misogynist because while I could see how the incident could make her uncomfortable I also see that it could have been, and most likely was, completely innocent of any sexualizing or misogyny.
Oh so what if he had lascivious intent. Men hit on women. That’s life. Grow up, already. If she felt uncomfortable, speak up.
Although she can be extreme on some issues, I am a fan of Camille Paglia, whom feminists love to hate. She writes, “Let’s get rid of Infirmary Feminism, with its bedlam of bellyachers, anorexics, bulimics, depressives, rape victims, and incest survivors. Feminism has become a catch-all vegetable drawer where bunches of clingy sob sisters can store their moldy neuroses.”
If you guys read the article or Google “Elevatorgate” you’d see the initial “incident” was pretty trivial. It brought some issues to light, but the reaction to Rebecca’s video blog was a more intellectual and EMO version of the same sort of thing as in the OP article. Elevatorgate was about the intense reaction to Rebecca “daring” to reject the dude and suggest what he did was unwelcome, and generally bad form.
I think its a big mistake to take a handful of crude comments and construe any kind of theory out of it. The exact same language is found in discussions about practically any subject you can imagine. This isn’t data that you can apply toward an evaluation of society. It has nothing to do with Sagans ideas or a general disrespect of children or anything else except a bunch of bored adolescents seeking negative attention.
Ugh. I think PR would be much kinder to her…probably because she’s about the age of our own children….er, in some cases, grandchildren.
We have raised sex-obsessed, puerile, cynical and shallow kids because we are sex-obsessed, puerile, cyncial and shallow adults, then we wonder why they behave like assholes? When is our culture going to grow up? I blame all this sniggering sexism on our Puritan heritage. It really screwed up our brains. I don’t think Europeans are so juvenile, are they? I could go on and on because I have many concerns about these matters, but I will just sound like a cranky old biddy, so I won’t bother.
My experience must be atypical, most of the teens (now 20-somethings and even almost 30s) are neither sex-obsessed, puerile, overly-cynical (cynicism seems to be a part of the job description), or shallow. I’ve generally been quite impressed. But then if I wander the mall I see other kids who probably fit your description to a t.
If you guys read the article or Google “Elevatorgate” you’d see the initial “incident” was pretty trivial. It brought some issues to light, but the reaction to Rebecca’s video blog was a more intellectual and EMO version of the same sort of thing as in the OP article. Elevatorgate was about the intense reaction to Rebecca “daring” to reject the dude and suggest what he did was unwelcome, and generally bad form.
”“daring” to reject the dude and suggest what he did was unwelcome”!?
She she pretty much called him a sexist and a misogynist because he said (after talking at the bar to 4am) “I find you very interesting and would like to continue talking to you, would you like to come to my room for coffee”. Even if that was 100% code for do you want to get busy with me so what. Charges of sexist and a misogynist based on that are simply outrageous.
SX: If the scenario doesn’t seem like a potential threat to you, then you could probably benefit from reading The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker.
The scenario didn’t strike me as a potential threat, so I better read that book and become an over-sensitive nervous nelly like that young woman. I just don’t get it. She so fragile and vulnerable that she can’t tell some guy who she had been conversing with in a bar to get lost if she finds his request offensive? And what was she so upset about? I mean, being told “I find you interesting and I ‘d like to talk to you some more. Would you like to come to my room and have some coffee…” is sexist and threatening? Was he cupping his genitals or lewdly sucking his middle finger like it was a dick? I can’t stand agenda-driven people.
