The Rise of the Petulant Goddess: Feminism, Humanism and the Atheist Community (Friday, September 13, 2013)

Elevatorgate.

Donglegate.

A grenade laced with rape accusations slung by associate professor of biology PZ Myers on his Freethought blogs at renowned skeptic Michael Shermer, who answered this “bomb” with a cease and desist letter from his lawyers demanding the removal of “numerous false, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate and/or misleading statements about Mr. Shermer” from Myers’ blog.

These are just a few incidents erupting in the secular world, where atheists, skeptics, Humanists, freethinkers and even geeks and gamers are grappling with questions on how to handle sexism.  The landscape is riddled with accusations of misogyny and the promotion of a rape culture (warning for the sensitive types – link includes strong language) by a “new wave” of radical feminism that has – perhaps in some cases unintentionally – aimed foul-mouthed criticism against well-meaning civil rights activists and friends of equality.

In society at large, we’ve seen a “war on women” being waged by American religious right activists and political conservatives focused on limiting women’s reproductive health choices.  India is dealing with gang rape crimes.  An 8-year-old Yemeni child was forced into marriage and died at the molesting hands of her 40-year-old “husband.”  The news goes on and on.

It’s a big topic.  It’s a big issue.  Whether in fundamentalist, “Quiverfully” religions, in the political sphere, or in the atheist/Humanist movement, gender equality is an important cause.  To help shed a light on the radical aspects of feminism and how it is not constructive, we’re joined by a knowledgeable, well-educated panel of guests in this episode of the Freethought Fridays and Variety Show.

JOURNALISTIC ETHICS AND THE TRIAL-BY-INTERNET.
Becky Garrison, Religion Author and Journalist.

To kick the discussion off, we’re honored to have internationally-recognized journalist, columnist and author Becky Garrison join us to talk about journalistic ethics, particularly in light of the “new wave” of feminism many of us have been witnessing where we are “publicly shamed” or added to a list if we disagree with something.

Becky’s writing credits include work for The Washington Post’s On Faith column, The Guardian, Believe Out Loud, Killing the Buddha, American Atheist Magazine, Perceptive Travel, The Revealer, Free Inquiry, Religion & Politics, Religion Dispatches and the now defunct Wittenburg Door.

Becky had her encounters on Twitter over this issue and will help us understand what libel is and the generally-accepted principles of responsible reporting by journalists, bloggers and other writers.

POSITIVE FEMINISM IN THE REAL WORLD.
EllenBeth Wachs, Founder and Co-President of Atheists and Humanists of Florida.

A retired attorney, EllenBeth Wachs is well-known in the atheist and Humanist community for her tireless work in separation of church and state advocacy.  She was the lead plaintiff in the groundbreaking Florida constitutional litigation: Atheists of Florida & EllenBeth Wachs v. City of Lakeland & Gow Fields.

EllenBeth served in various governing capacities of Atheists of Florida and Humanists of Florida Association.  A sought-after speaker and conference organizer, she founded Atheists and Humanists of Florida in 2012 and currently serves as co-president of the organization along with John Kieffer.

Her Humanist work has involved feminist causes, and we’ll find out from EllenBeth how sexism is best handled in conferences, how feminism can be embraced by Humanists in a positive manner … and how she has been demonized by the “new wave” of feminists.

FEMINISM:  THE HARD WAY.
Jen August, Atheist and Blogger.

With wit and a compelling writing style, Jen August blogs at Wading Through the Illusion.  Those of us bewildered by the “petulant goddesses of the RadFem movement” looking down from their mountaintops and decreeing our sins of politically incorrect thoughts, words and deeds will enjoy Jen’s perceptions.

Jen has transformed rants into an art form when she writes about gender equality.  “Equality for women is not a game to be played where the women vs men bullshit is perpetuated. It is an ideal that offers all men and women an opportunity to benefit from a world full of humans that share not only the same rights and freedoms but the same responsibilities as well. Equal treatment gives birth to equal contribution and equal gain. Isn’t this the point?” she asks, adding that she has an “aversion to those that call themselves feminists and yet spend their time and energy on supervising the expressions of true male and female feminists that are in the fight to win the fight.”

MALE FEMINISTS AND MISOGYNY.
Matthew Facciani, Cognitive Neuroscience PhD Candidate.

Matthew Facciani is a man who identifies as a feminist.  Yet, many men who support gender equality are being labeled as misogynists and, if they dare express the idea that women should take reasonable precautions to prevent sexual assault, they are accused of “promoting a culture of rape.”  We’ll find out from Matt why men identify as feminists and how they perceive the “new wave” of feminism.

Matt is a PhD candidate in cognitive neuroscience at the University of South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate education at Westminster College, PA receiving a B.A. in Psychology with honors. Once Facciani completes his PhD, he plans to obtain a post-doctoral fellowship furthering his cognitive neuroscience research and become a college professor.

Calls are welcome during the show!  We’ll be taking a look at the ugly side of feminism and the positive, Humanistic values that feminism can promote.  We’re very interested in your experiences, as well as your opinions about feminism and the freethought community.

Show Time: Friday night, September 13, 2013, 6 Pacific / 7 Mountain / 8 Central / 9 Eastern (Additional time conversions at the World Time Server).

Call-In Number: 914-338-0452 or toll-free, 888-238-8529 (or, when show is live, simply push the SKYPE button that appears on the show page…see “how it works” below)

To hear the show live and participate in the web-based chat room:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/god-discussion/2013/09/14/the-petulant-goddess-feminism-humanism-atheism

How it works … When you visit the show page (linked immediately above), the podcast will automatically play out of your computer speakers when it is live. A SKYPE button will also appear that you can simply press and connect with the host (if you have SKYPE, that is). A web-based chatroom will be running contemporaneously with the show, where you can post questions and comments. To use the SKYPE feature and to participate in the chat room, you will need a free BlogTalk listener account (click the “Register as a Listener” option).

Upcoming shows: Look at the events at the top of this page or visit our “At–A-Glance” calendar.