joyfuldinosaur

This is an interesting blog I found on Women and Skepticism, trying to find an answer to the question "Why are there not more women skeptics?" The author outlines a brief history of Womens’ contributions to skepticisim. Among some other ideas, she broached the idea that skeptics have the potential to be mostly men, ‘macho’ and condescending, and that women are turned off by that, and would rather spend their time with their supportive friends who believe in the paranormal than hang around a bunch of rude men they agree with.

I’ve had this problem, and not all skeptic communities are very good. I’ve had some bad experiences with the Rational Response Squad, which might be said to be more of a militant atheist group than a skeptic society. But their tactics involve ridiculing debate opponents, and I don’t agree with that at all. Ad hominem attacks are rarely a good idea. The debate we were having was over feminism and chivalry. I suggested that treating someone in an overly kind and chivalrous way just because you desire to have sex with them, and then getting angry at them when they’re not interested is sexist and patriarchal. It was infuriating to hear a group of otherwise intelligent human beings spew the most sexist s***.