Ramblings of a Skeptic Organizer

People are remaining silent on various issues.  For many, silence is considered supportive of one side or another.  If you don’t disagree visibly or vocally, then you must agree! It’s a fallacy, we all know it, but never the less it’s happening.  Right now, we have members of the skeptical movement who are staying silent out of fear of the resulting backlash.  It seems the silence is greatest when something is going wrong but, people are afraid to comment.  We all know when something has gone awry and we all know the moment of clarity that happens each of us, when it does.  What is puzzling for the skeptical movement is the silent stance.  After all, what has been one of the big tenets of our movement? Engagement.  We skeptics research, read, get informed, find answers that get us upset… then do nothing? What good comes from that? All our information and no questions or engagement, what is it all for if not to help others make informed decisions. Of course, when you do engage in our community it can get messy.  I know this all too well.  I wrote a blog on a skepchick article, which was my last straw, in the feminist movement.  I felt like I was being told how to think or feel about the topic.  My ability to stay silent was no longer palatable.  It was time for me to consider putting up or shutting up.  So, put up I did.  I am no worse for wear, my backlash could have been worse.  Not, like Stef McGraw, a virtual no one in the skeptical movement spoke out on a YouTube video.  Stef McGraw started a “knife fight” with Rebecca Watson and was greeted with a “bazooka”.  The response was not equitable and what is the outcome?  Do we have someone new in our midst to help, or do we have an alienated girl who will never look back? (Stef, will have to answer that question.)  However, no one takes the messy cake more then Dawkins.  The biggest name in atheism/skepticism movement stepped into the fray with, maybe, what he thought was response of refreshing perspective.  Dawkins, (#75) realizing it or not stepped on the biggest land-mine I have seen setting foot into the movement.   Calls to boycott, letters being sent, oh boy the list goes on for miles.   Right or wrong, the three of us stepped out, extended our necks and to varying degrees have experienced attempted beheadings.  Many of the people who disagree with you are going to get angry and try to shut you down.  The angry ones are going to do so in a variety of ways: Dismissiveness, Insults, Ganging up, Block you, Un-friend you, Mean Tweets, E-mails of anger, and a 100 other ways I care not to think about.  It’s the internet folks It can’t help itself, it’s going to get messy.  It is shame-almost criminal-to let anyone scare others into being silent.  If you are not ready to take the heat, do not start with the hottest topic out there.  Start with the small controversies-if there is such a thing-to get your feet wet and into the game.  For example: Large: my “feminism” article; many comments, much energy resulted from this on both sides.  Small: I wrote another article on chemicals natural versus synthetic; no comments and no interest.  The Internet is messy and it is fickle, don’t take it personally.  When you decide to write, write what interests you regardless of what you consider of interest to the public.  (I am an amateur.  I am not internet famous. However, this has been my limited experience: messy and fickle)   Now that you have been scared off, there is a good side to the internet.  The positive response.  It is so rewarding to know you are not the only one who thinks the same way.  I am not going to lie, it is a little kick of caffeine-my drug of choice-to my system.  However, when the topic is a controversial one of great magnitude, it will be mostly of the silent hidden kind.  (Silent is defined as private messages, emails, and conversations) Again, almost criminal to not share your opinion [...]