# RO: Rebecca Watson of Skepchick, You are a \[very bad word\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 4, 2013, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468 "2013-12-04T12:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/41 "2013-12-04T19:26:29Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Your broadside still came out rather out of the blue, mate. Which made it all the more stunningly effective. So there’s that.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/42 "2013-12-04T19:33:10Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Your broadside still came out rather out of the blue, mate. OH NOES!!! Someone made fun of someone else in the Pit! This shithole has gone to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/43 "2013-12-04T19:41:40Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > My understanding of the whole Rebecca Watson-Skepchick controversy goes like this: > > Rebecca Watson and some of her fellow bloggers have complained that the atheist movement has not done enough to fight the tendency towards mostly old-white-male speakers and presenters at conferences. This has been controversial, with many bloggers and prominent atheists leaning towards one side or the other (for example PZ Myers agrees with Watson, while Dawkins, I believe, seemed to be saying it was a big fuss about nothing). At some conference a year or two ago, Rebecca was approached by a man in an elevator very late at night. This man propositioned her (said something like “would you like to come up and have a drink in my room with me?”). Rebecca posted about it, basically saying something like “this was inappropriate and creeped me out- guys, you shouldn’t proposition women in an elevator late at night”. This resulted in a weird backlash, including a surprising post from Dawkins, IIRC, in which he basically said that Watson’s complaints were just first world whining, as compared to the real suffering women in the third world (and the Muslim world) experience. And the backlash included really vile stuff, like rape threats and the like. > > If my understanding of the situation is correct, then I tend to sympathize with Watson. I like Dawkins too, but I think he really has put his foot in his mouth here. …there is much much more to Elevatorgate than what you have written here. Dawkins is hardly involved in the story at all. The story blew up when Watson attacked Stef McGraw: “accusing her of parroting of misogynistic thought.” [http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/](http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/) [http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html](http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html) Watson is an internet troll. She’s a former moderator on the Randi forums who got banned because she thought the rules didn’t apply to her. The guy in the elevator didn’t necessarily “proposition her.” According to Watson’s own words he said: > [@](#): > > “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I find you very interesting, and I would like to talk more; would you like to come to my hotel room for coffee?” > **[Skepticism – Impolite Conversation](https://impoliteconversation.wordpress.com/category/skepticism/)** > > Posts about Skepticism written by Jessa That looks relatively innocent to me (one could legitimately see it as potentially socially clueless if the man in the story actually exists) and I’m not sure why in the real world a simple “no thanks, goodnight” is so onerous. I have no sound on my computer at the moment so I have no idea what is in the video in the OP. But it sounds like Rebecca is doing what she does best yet again: trolling. Watson, like PZ Meyers and Carrie Poppy have flung a lot of poop at lots of people the last couple of years but they have very little substance to back up anything they have said. (Having said all this: the OP has a horrible misogynistic tone. There is plenty of ways to legitimately criticize Watson without having to slip into the gutter.) ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/44 "2013-12-04T19:48:32Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think you’re way off if you take Thunderf00t’s side vs Watson- he has serially dismissed the reasonable and likely true complaints of real women (including incidents of sexual assault!), done nothing to curb the vile and threatening comments in his own posts, and just in general been an all-around buffoon in his [crusade against feminism](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Thunderf00t#Ongoing_crusade_against_feminism). To be honest, I do enjoy TF’s videos on feminism, even if I do take them with a massive grain of salt. But that’s not what this thread is about. It’s about how Watson makes an ass of herself and her entire movement, and makes atheists on the whole whole look bad. > [@](#): > > With regards to his “rape avoidance” video, the problem is not that he “blames the victim”, the problem is that he doesn’t expend more than a token effort to blame the rapist! Any instance of rape is not 50/50 bad behavior on the rapist and poor caution by the victim- it’s _always_ 100% the fault of the rapist, period. It’s not even 99/1 bad raping men vs women who dress wrong or walk alone at night- it’s 100% the rapist’s fault. Women don’t need to change their behavior to avoid rape- rapists do. …Did you even watch the video? For example, he _never_ said this: > [@](#): > > Not only is it ineffective, but it’s incredibly rude and obnoxious to actual victims of rape- essentially saying “see, you could have avoided this if you just did x, y, and z”. Or indeed came close to saying that. In fact, in his video, he pretty much said, verbatim, “you can do everything recommended and still get raped”. He made his point exceedingly clear again and again and again, to the point where I’m wondering if you and I watched the same video. Yeah, he doesn’t spend a lot of time berating how awful rapists are, because that’s not the point of the video. It was never intended to be the point of the video. It’s all about him taking a point he finds rather stupid and providing constructive (yes, _constructive_) criticism by way of an alternative, more productive viewpoint > [@](#): > > Rape is a different sort of crime, and it should be treated differently. What, you mean that basic risk analysis and mitigation don’t apply? I guess I don’t quote understand how it’s different. > [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Yay. > The 18 year old white dude solved sexism. To be honest I spent about a minute just sort of sitting here, wondering how to respond to this. I mean, while **Ducca** ’s commentary was out of the blue, it’s also kind of routine. I expect him to be kind of a douchebag about this shit; it’s been a repeating theme, he’s just kind of an asshole. But this seems to be less “personal beef with me/being a gigantic tool” and more “desperate attempt to interpret me as saying something I wasn’t even coming close to”. Which just kinda strikes me as sad. This was _never_ about sexism. I’m not here to talk about sexism. I’m here to point out that Watson is kind of a cunt (sorry, had to, my crotch was making those slurping sounds again), and that acting like this when you’re the figurehead of a popular movement is absolutely unreasonable. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Eh, when you decide to call a woman a cunt all bets are off. Well what about guys? Can I call _them_ cunts? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/45 "2013-12-04T19:52:50Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > OH NOES!!! Someone made fun of someone else in the Pit! This shithole has gone to hell. Hey, I didn’t object. I just made an amused remark on the sudden, vitriolic and entirely unrelated retort. Using a tired meme, OK, I pledge guilty to that one. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/46 "2013-12-04T20:06:23Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > To be honest, I do enjoy TF’s videos on feminism, even if I do take them with a massive grain of salt. But that’s not what this thread is about. It’s about how Watson makes an ass of herself and her entire movement, and makes atheists on the whole whole look bad. Oh, and great moments like ‘Rape a Skepchick’ as performed by white male atheists does wonders for the movement? Or the antics of the Reddit atheists group? These are just fine but RW cracks wise and you have a meltdown? Get a fucking grip. Watson cracked a joke. If it wasn’t funny then just move on, because it sure as hell wasn’t worth you calling her a ‘cunt’. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/47 "2013-12-04T20:09:26Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …there is much much more to Elevatorgate than what you have written here. Dawkins is hardly involved in the story at all. The story blew up when Watson attacked Stef McGraw: “accusing her of parroting of misogynistic thought.” > > [http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/](http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/) > [http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html](http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html) > > Watson is an internet troll. She’s a former moderator on the Randi forums who got banned because she thought the rules didn’t apply to her. I don’t know about this stuff- I’ll look at it. > [@](#): > > The guy in the elevator didn’t necessarily “proposition her.” According to Watson’s own words he said: > > [Skepticism | Impolite Conversation](http://impoliteconversation.wordpress.com/category/skepticism/) > > That looks relatively innocent to me (one could legitimately see it as potentially socially clueless if the man in the story actually exists) and I’m not sure why in the real world a simple “no thanks, goodnight” is so onerous. It’s not that it’s onerous- it’s that it was reasonable for her to feel creeped out (even if some people would not be creeped out by that), and it was reasonable for her to advise guys to not do that. Basically, I think it’s reasonable and wise for men to assume that a woman is being honest when she says she felt afraid, creeped out, harassed, etc. in a particular situation. She was reasonably creeped out, and her advice is reasonable. I wouldn’t do that to a woman in an elevator, because I would not want her to feel uncomfortable. > [@](#): > > I have no sound on my computer at the moment so I have no idea what is in the video in the OP. But it sounds like Rebecca is doing what she does best yet again: trolling. Watson, like PZ Meyers and Carrie Poppy have flung a lot of poop at lots of people the last couple of years but they have very little substance to back up anything they have said. > > (Having said all this: the OP has a horrible misogynistic tone. There is plenty of ways to legitimately criticize Watson without having to slip into the gutter.) I’m much more familiar with PZ Myers, and a regular reader of his blog- he’s certainly aggressive, but from what I’ve seen pretty much every target of his has deserved his criticism. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/48 "2013-12-04T20:11:20Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Well what about guys? Can I call _them_ cunts? :rolleyes: I’m a guy and don’t mind if you call me a cunt. You could probably work on finding some new ways of expressing yourself that don’t make you look like a woman-hating asshole though. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/49 "2013-12-04T20:14:47Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > …Did you even watch the video? For example, he _never_ said this: He didn’t outright say it, but several victims of rape took it that way, and I believe it was extremely insensitive. > [@](#): > > Or indeed came close to saying that. In fact, in his video, he pretty much said, verbatim, “you can do everything recommended and still get raped”. He made his point exceedingly clear again and again and again, to the point where I’m wondering if you and I watched the same video. Yeah, he doesn’t spend a lot of time berating how awful rapists are, because that’s not the point of the video. It was never intended to be the point of the video. It’s all about him taking a point he finds rather stupid and providing constructive (yes, _constructive_) criticism by way of an alternative, more productive viewpoint And his viewpoint is ineffective (and condescending and insensitive), I believe. Women already know all that, and it would be much more constructive to instruct men to change their behavior- not women. Really- women don’t need to be told anything about avoiding rape- especially by men. If he wanted to talk about rape, he went about it the wrong way. > [@](#): > > What, you mean that basic risk analysis and mitigation don’t apply? I guess I don’t quote understand how it’s different. It’s different because of the power and gender dynamic of society, and the history of how rapists and victims have been treated by society. Historically, society has blamed the victim and excused the men, by and large (except, perhaps, when the men were black in the USA). Women already know all of the “risk mitigation” stuff. The gender that needs to be educated about rape is men, not women- especially young men. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/50 "2013-12-04T20:15:28Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Oh, and great moments like ‘Rape a Skepchick’ as performed by white male atheists does wonders for the movement? To be fair, this is the first I’ve heard of this (or the antics of /r/atheism), and it sounds utterly despicable on every conceivable level. Of course, there’s a difference between horrible online trolls, and important figureheads in the movement, but I’ll gladly point out that anyone actually advocating harm towards Watson or others is a pretty fucking terrible human being. A cunt, if you so will. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/51 "2013-12-04T20:19:59Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …there is much much more to Elevatorgate than what you have written here. Dawkins is hardly involved in the story at all. The story blew up when Watson attacked Stef McGraw: “accusing her of parroting of misogynistic thought.” > > [http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/](http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32/) > [http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html](http://www.thearmchairskeptic.com/2011/08/civility-is-in-eye-of-beholder.html) PLease. The Elevator incident blew up because suddenly a bunch of women came in with similar stories in effect saying "This is why I do not go to these kinds of conferences!'. > [@](#): > > Watson is an internet troll. She’s a former moderator on the Randi forums who got banned because she thought the rules didn’t apply to her. Watson was not a Moderator (officially) when she was banned, and her antics were essentially a suicide by mod (and frankly it seemed funny to me!) > [@](#): > > The guy in the elevator didn’t necessarily “proposition her.” According to Watson’s own words he said: > > [Skepticism | Impolite Conversation](http://impoliteconversation.wordpress.com/category/skepticism/) > > That looks relatively innocent to me (one could legitimately see it as potentially socially clueless if the man in the story actually exists) and I’m not sure why in the real world a simple “no thanks, goodnight” is so onerous. I have no sound on my computer at the moment so I have no idea what is in the video in the OP. But it sounds like Rebecca is doing what she does best yet again: trolling. And her comment on the guy was a simple ‘Guys, don’t do that’. It sparked a reaction, then a counter-reaction, and so on. She didn’t accuse him of rape, but her point was that things like that are not welcome. If that is trolling I’d like to know why? Watson did not expect the reaction she got, and when asked to speak about the incident on SGU she wasn’t keen on fanning the flames. In turn speaking out about the incident has gotten her rape and death threats from within the skeptic/atheist movement. Does Rebecca Watson overreach? Probably. Almost certainly. But when she made the suggestion that maybe Reddit atheists that their discussion on how to anally rape an underage declared atheist was not in good taste earned her a series of rape threats I really have to wonder why so many folks are determined to pin the ‘troll/cunt’ labels on her. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/52 "2013-12-04T20:22:40Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > To be fair, this is the first I’ve heard of this (or the antics of /r/atheism), and it sounds utterly despicable on every conceivable level. Of course, there’s a difference between horrible online trolls, and important figureheads in the movement, but I’ll gladly point out that anyone actually advocating harm towards Watson or others is a pretty fucking terrible human being. A cunt, if you so will. Most of us can tell when Watson is cracking wise. If the movement is being harmed by her comments then there is something wrong with the movement. If your skyscraper fell down because of a light breeze, it wasn’t the fault of the wind. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/53 "2013-12-04T20:27:46Z")
[Moderating] At the request of a few posters to this thread, as well as the OP, I’ve removed the word “cunt” from the thread title, thus ending sexism in North America. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/54 "2013-12-04T20:30:01Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > At the request of a few posters to this thread, as well as the OP, I’ve removed the word “cunt” from the thread title, thus ending sexism in North America. > [/Moderating] Imagine what BPC will be able to accomplish once he hits his 20s! ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/55 "2013-12-04T20:39:22Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > PLease. The Elevator incident blew up because suddenly a bunch of women came in with similar stories in effect saying "This is why I do not go to these kinds of conferences!'. …incorrect. > [@](#): > > Watson was not a Moderator (officially) when she was banned, and her antics were essentially a suicide by mod (and frankly it seemed funny to me!) Nothing you have said disagrees with anything I said. And I didn’t think it was funny, just very very sad. > [@](#): > > And her comment on the guy was a simple ‘Guys, don’t do that’. It sparked a reaction, then a counter-reaction, and so on. She didn’t accuse him of rape, but her point was that things like that are not welcome. The real reaction happened after she attacked McGraw. The point that people like McGraw were making is that Watson is free to state her opinion on what is and isn’t welcome for her, but her opinion was not representative for all people. Many men and women have commented to say that, despite what you have written, being asked for coffee in the manner that Watson was asked may well have been welcome. > [@](#): > > If that is trolling I’d like to know why? Watson did not expect the reaction she got, and when asked to speak about the incident on SGU she wasn’t keen on fanning the flames. In turn speaking out about the incident has gotten her rape and death threats from within the skeptic/atheist movement. Give me a break. She was trolling when she got banned from the Randi forums. She was trolling when she lied about what happened at Dragon Con. Trolls troll for the reaction. And when they don’t get it they push the envelope until they get that reaction. That is what the McGraw incident was all about. If you want to know why trolls troll then you need to ask the troll: because trolling is not rational. > [@](#): > > Does Rebecca Watson overreach? Probably. Almost certainly. But when she made the suggestion that maybe Reddit atheists that their discussion on how to anally rape an underage declared atheist was not in good taste earned her a series of rape threats I really have to wonder why so many folks are determined to pin the ‘troll/cunt’ labels on her. This paragraph is a serious case of over-reach. I have already stated that the OP, in my opinion, is misogynistic. A troll is not a cunt. I’m not pinning the label of troll on Watson because she thought a thread on reddit was in bad taste. I’m pinning the label of troll on Watson because I believe that she says and posts inflammatory things on purpose for the reaction and that she irrationally thrives on this. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/56 "2013-12-04T20:52:18Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > It’s not that it’s onerous- it’s that it was reasonable for her to feel creeped out (even if some people would not be creeped out by that), and it was reasonable for her to advise guys to not do that. Basically, I think it’s reasonable and wise for men to assume that a woman is being honest when she says she felt afraid, creeped out, harassed, etc. in a particular situation. She was reasonably creeped out, and her advice is reasonable. I wouldn’t do that to a woman in an elevator, because I would not want her to feel uncomfortable. …she is entitled to give her opinion. And she is entitled to be creeped out. And she is entitled to tell men to “not do that.” But people are also allowed to disagree with her. It is entirely possible to disagree with Watson and not be misogynistic. It was the action of Watson attacking other feminists for daring to disagree with her that sparked the whole debate. > [@](#): > > I’m much more familiar with PZ Myers, and a regular reader of his blog- he’s certainly aggressive, but from what I’ve seen pretty much every target of his has deserved his criticism. Myers is an egg. He is currently under the threat of a lawsuit because he has publicly accused somebody of being a rapist. I find it hard to believe anything he says and find his blog to be almost unreadable. I would be skeptical about any words he writes about his “targets.” ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/57 "2013-12-04T21:07:21Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > Watson is an internet troll. She’s a former moderator on the Randi forums who got banned because she thought the rules didn’t apply to her. The guy in the elevator didn’t necessarily “proposition her.” According to Watson’s own words he said: > > “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I find you very interesting, and I would like to talk more; would you like to come to my hotel room for coffee?” What a monster. I hope this male wanna-be rapist is in prison now. :rolleyes: Chalk me up as another male atheist who has no idea who any of these people are and doesn’t care. Nearly all of **Budget Player Cadet** ’s OPs are dumb, and this one is no exception. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/58 "2013-12-04T21:09:46Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …incorrect. It is not incorrect. > [@](#): > > Nothing you have said disagrees with anything I said. And I didn’t think it was funny, just very very sad. Really? Because [here is the thread](http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=114972). More to the point, you are misleading people: Watson was not a moderator at JREF when banned (in fact she was only the moderator of the ‘Humor’ forum). You also stated that ‘she thought the rules didn’t apply to her’. She knew perfectly well that thread was going to result in a banning. She didn’t honestly care at that point. > [@](#): > > The real reaction happened after she attacked McGraw. Not from where I was watching. There was already plenty of noise about it. Frankly McGraw didn’t really register on my radar while the issue was happening. > [@](#): > > I’m pinning the label of troll on Watson because I believe that she says and posts inflammatory things on purpose for the reaction and that she irrationally thrives on this. Wheras I see it is someone saying things that people don’t necessarily want to hear and thus call it ‘trolling’ as a method of empty dismissal. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/59 "2013-12-04T21:27:31Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > What a monster. I hope this male wanna-be rapist is in prison now. > > :rolleyes: > > Chalk me up as another male atheist who has no idea who any of these people are and doesn’t care. > > Nearly all of **Budget Player Cadet** ’s OPs are dumb, and this one is no exception. Well, most of your posts are dumb, so I guess that puts us on somewhat even footing. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468/60 "2013-12-04T21:50:55Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > It is not incorrect. …it is indeed incorrect. > [@](#): > > Really? Because [here is the thread](http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=114972). Thanks for the link to evidence that Rebecca is a troll. That particular thread is the ULTIMATE troll thread. After linking to evidence that Watson is a troll, are you going to now deny that Watson loves to troll? > [@](#): > > More to the point, you are misleading people: Watson was not a moderator at JREF when banned :: reads what I wrote :: Yep. I clearly stated she was a former moderator. > [@](#): > > (in fact she was only the moderator of the ‘Humor’ forum). Which still makes her a former moderator! > [@](#): > > You also stated that ‘she thought the rules didn’t apply to her’. She knew perfectly well that thread was going to result in a banning. She didn’t honestly care at that point. And she didn’t. Look at what happened at Dragon Con. The rules were pretty clear. Yet she happily defied them until they told her to stop. I actually believe that she was surprised to get banned from the JREF. I agree though that she didn’t care. > [@](#): > > Not from where I was watching. And things are all a matter of perspective, wouldn’t you agree? > [@](#): > > There was already plenty of noise about it. Frankly McGraw didn’t really register on my radar while the issue was happening. If you had been following along then you would have. Dawkins didn’t speak out until a week after [Watson’s attack on McGraw.](http://theismatheism.blogspot.co.nz/2011/07/elevatorgate-timeline.html) It was the incident that really started to spark debate. I’m not surprised though that so many people who support Watson haven’t heard about it: it is in Watson’s best interest not to talk about it much. You can’t ignore the McGraw attacks. > [@](#): > > Wheras I see it is someone saying things that people don’t necessarily want to hear and thus call it ‘trolling’ as a method of empty dismissal. Its this kind of mindless linking of several unrelated incidents that characterize Watson’s mode of attack. The trolling accusation I made was very specific and is characterized by the behavior that Watson exhibits. For you to lump in my accusation of trolling with the words of annon reddit trolls who discuss on how to anally rape an underage declared atheist is simply dumb. And the thing is you aren’t a dumb poster: you actually are an awesome poster with a great history of posting stuff I agree with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ro-rebecca-watson-of-skepchick-you-are-a-very-bad-word/675468.md?page=4)