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→Abundance of vitriol and a lack of calm and reasoned discussion post Elevatorgate
My concern is not so much about whether someone takes one view or another with regards to Elevatorgate. Indeed, even among the members of Freethought Kampala, there are different opinions on various aspects of the matter. My concern is about how the matter has been handled, the poor quality of arguments that have been advanced, the astounding amounts of hypocrisy on display, and above all the intolerant attitude towards viewpoints that don’t tow the radical gender [[feminism|feminist]] line – all this, among people that call themselves skeptics.<ref>[http://freethoughtkampala.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/elevatorgate-part-2-the-failure-of-skepticism/ Elevatorgate – Part 2 – The Failure of Skepticism]</ref>}}
My concern is not so much about whether someone takes one view or another with regards to Elevatorgate. Indeed, even among the members of Freethought Kampala, there are different opinions on various aspects of the matter. My concern is about how the matter has been handled, the poor quality of arguments that have been advanced, the astounding amounts of hypocrisy on display, and above all the intolerant attitude towards viewpoints that don’t tow the radical gender [[feminism|feminist]] line – all this, among people that call themselves skeptics.<ref>[http://freethoughtkampala.wordpress.com/2011/09/15/elevatorgate-part-2-the-failure-of-skepticism/ Elevatorgate – Part 2 – The Failure of Skepticism]</ref>}}
=== Charge of unrestrained attacks on Dawkins by Rebecca Watson and her supporters ===
In a July 2012, article entitled One year after Elevatorgate the skeptic Chris Willett wrote:
Rebecca Watson and her supporters began waging unrestrained warfare on Richard Dawkins...
Certainly I can understand the outrage of Watson and others – no one relishes the idea of having Richard Dawkins sarcastically shout the equivalent of “first world problem!” at your dilemma, especially when a woman has good reason to feel discomfort in the confined space of an elevator – but they lost all of my sympathy when they reacted in a manner far disproportionate to Dawkins’ remarks:
Watson herself referred derisively to Dawkins as a “stinking rich” “wealthy old heterosexual white man,” thus immediately undercutting her own complaint about being perceived and treated according to her own sex and appearance. This was not a good start. Skepchick’s Mindy, who used the terms “misogyny” and “racist” to describe Dawkins’ comments, was more severe: “I look forward to watching your legacy crash and burn,” she wrote, and “you don’t get a second chance,” revealing as hypocrites the very same people who just finished criticizing Dawkins for his tone. And one wonders if any of the people then writing vicious letters had stopped to consider that Dawkins himself was inappropriately fondled as a child, which made it all the more absurd to claim that he is unfamiliar with and unconcerned about harassment and sexual assault.<ref>[http://elevatorgate.wordpress.com/ One year after Elevatorgate]</ref><ref>[https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzoCyyqmp5b5LUdobkxhblpmTDA/edit?pli=1 One year after Elevatorgate]</ref>}}
== Disharmony, factionalism and global decline of atheism ==
== Disharmony, factionalism and global decline of atheism ==