Skeptiprom!

Of all the conferences I'm not an organizer for, Skepticon is my favorite.  They've managed to create a genuine atmosphere of fun, while still running a large conference in a professional manner.  And they do this all while keeping Skepticon free to attend.  And speaking as someone who has seen what putting on a conference involves, this is an incredibly underrated accomplishment.

In keeping with what makes Skepticon fun, there's now Skeptiprom.  It started as a casual conversation on a Facebook post of Beth Presswood's about having an adult prom.  In an effort to make it happen for real, someone tagged in Skepticon's Lauren Lane.  And now it's happening.

When: Saturday, November 22 at 10:00pm

Where: Ramada Plaza Hotel & Oasis Convention Center • 2546 N Glenstone Ave • Springfield, MO 65803

Masquerade Ball

Costume Party

90′s Prom

Dino Extravaganza

Cash Bar

Fancy Dress

Dates Optional

Costumes Desired

Dancing Mandatory

Be There or

Be Square

$10 Suggested

Donation

Best Idea

10:00pm is Estimated

We Do What We Like

This should be a great addition to what was already one of the best conferences around.  Now I've just got to figure out an idea for a costume (on top of the costume for Apostacon's Meat Ball).

The Problem Is Not Phil Robertson

When news of A&E's suspension of Phil Robertson started coming out, I was annoyed by the surprise that he said something bigoted.  The guy is pretty open about his Christian beliefs.  Surely, A&E knew he held those beliefs.  Especially since those beliefs are not even that uncommon among Christians.

Since the suspension, the Christian Right have been falling all over themselves to defend Robertson and attack A&E.  I think Beth Presswood put it best.

I can't stand these dudes.. but I also can't stand people who act like this is shocking and not standard Christian doctrine.

Well, Presswood got it second best.  No one has yet topped God.

The Duck Dynasty guy who likened homosexuality to bestiality makes a living helping people trick ducks into thinking they want to fuck them.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) December 19, 2013

Of course it's not all Christians.  But it is part of their doctrine, and it's the majority of the Christian Right and their voices in media.  Sarah Palin wasted no time defending him.  And the comments from her fans back up my point.

These are from just a bit of what was in a small section of that one post by one right wing icon.  From the comments in a post from a right wing acquaintance, was something special.

The scary part is that I've interacted with extreme right wingers to know that isn't just this guy.  That craziness is quite common.  As is the cluelessness that led the guy to follow that comment by linking to Rage Against the Machine.

This shit is not rare.  Hate from Christians is commonplace.  Phil Robertson is not the problem.  He's merely a symptom of a much larger problem.  But he's also a great, public example of the problem.  This is good opportunity to put a spotlight on the fact that Phil Robertson's views on homosexuality are both common and wrong (even if his departure has been planned for months).  As Steven Olson (blogger at Carl Sagan's Dance Party & co-author of Unbelievable History) put it,

A lot of people are reacting with a lack of surprise on Duck Dynasty's bigotry. The thing is, it's still important to talk about it. When we shine a light on the examples of bad behavior in the public sphere, it gives us a chance to convince more people to begin treating others with respect.

And these aren't fringe views. This is mainstream conservatism. Politicians who were nearly president have been defending this or saying the same exact things.

We have work to do, and calling out a famous beard guy is an effective way to do it.

Please Help JT Help Matt & Beth

I opened Facebook yesterday to pictures and posts from Beth Presswood (wife to Matt Dillahunty) of their ransacked house.

Today, I opened to a link to a post from JT Eberhard and his, not unexpected efforts to help them.  All three of them are excellent examples of what it means to be "Good Without God".

Matt is seriously a great guy.  So…I’m not in a place right now where I can donate.     Maybe at the first of next month.  If you feel like chipping in, you can send Matt a donation via paypal at the address sans.deity[at!]gmail.com.

Here’s what I can do: all the money I make off this post, I will donate to Matt next month.  I make $100 per 25,000 hits, so unless this post goes viral (or gets some help from reddit), it probably won’t be much.  But it’s money that none of us has to cough up individually, and I’ve made damn near $1,000 from a viral post before, so it’s possible.  It’s what I can do.

Please visit his post, upvote the post on Reddit, and share it wherever you can, to get it more attention so it can do more good.