Protesters invade Richard Dawkins / PZ Myers talk (poddelusion.co.uk exclusive)

[AvanLotharion]

Isn't it funny how people with no brain can still walk and talk?

[inarko]

People are stupid..

[JaytheOstrich]

Um.. who are these nuts?

[Newwaver2007]

Lol, first the monkeyshow and then the scientists :)

[Schizopantheist]

Direct action is a controversial tactic, but i am broadly supportive of it and of the views of these protestors. I also enjoy the talks of Richard Dawkins. But i think here (in his association with Graylings institution) he has made a mistake. It is not a totally neutral action ('i'm just a teacher') to become a teacher at a private institution at this period when education is undergoing such changes, rather it's a loaded choice that suggests Dawkins is happy to -exacerbate- social inequality.

[Schizopantheist]

@Schizopantheist BTW, can anyone point me to the response from Dawkins mentioned in the description, i can't seem to find it at the linked website? Thanks!

[trinitymike]

@Schizopantheist Want to alter public education??? then DO it and don't whine about private institutions who have the right to do what they wish, within reason....

[MrWagman11]

Religion promotes intolerance.

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[oxymor0n1]

I love 2 quote this

“unlike the new atheists, I take scholarship seriously. I have written that The God Delusion made me ashamed to be an atheist and I meant it. Trying to understand how God could need no cause, Christians claim that God exists necessarily. I have taken the effort to try to understand what that means. Dawkins and company are ignorant of such claims.. like a first-year undergraduate, he can happily go around asking loudly, "What caused God?" -Atheist Philosopher Michael Ruse

[CokeSupply]

fucking idiots lol

[platermanone]

Richard and PZ, following their discussion, make these protestors - and what are they protesting? - seem like bigger idiots than they were to begin with.

[perfectgyroscope]

Why not just get up and punch the fuckers

[bingofingers]

"They can't afford  this University". Precisely. We shouldn't be putting people into a university based on their ability to pay but on their intelligence or ability. We shouldn't see universities as of benefit to the individual but to society. If RD wants a world based on reason he needs to understand that you achieve that through meritocracy allowing those most able to reach positions of power.

whether the protesters were right to protest like that does not make their cause wrong.

[AzulesseluzA]

I feel so cheated!!!

Richard Dawkins and A C Grayling have always attacked religious schools and education for being exclusive, elitist and self-segregating.

They then go and build a school that is exclusive, elitist and self-segregating.

Disgusted

[quitoguru]

@AzulesseluzA you become what you hate. I admire Dr.Dawkins but sometimes i feel like he is funding his own religion.

[EuroUser1]

@AzulesseluzA Richard Dawkins has always criticized religious schools for discriminating children based on the religion of their parents. And for teaching as truth things that science has already disproved.

[Bluevetteboy2012]

We dont allow shit like this in the USA! Here the cops would have already beaten the shit out of them.

[faithisfiction]

Who precisely were these idiots..?

[metalbucket2]

PZ and Dawkins were OK, but actually I was quite glad that the protesters came in and made things a bit more lively. It was fun heckling them. Thanks guys.

[rationalsalvation]

@metalbucket2 You were there? What were the protesters chanting? I couldn't make it out.

[kangsan2014]

The protestors in Ireland seem like they have more gull to do stupider things like interrupt a meeting. Atheists don't go interrupt meetings at mosques, churches, religious outings, and so on. It goes to show religious people have less tolerance. As shown above, it is imperial evidence.

[gypsyflute]

The protestors are perfectly within their rights to target future lecturers at New College. It's not an existing institution whereupon the lecturers just teach there and may come to not agree with its strategies (I am aware this happens a lot).

It is instead a new institution which they are joining in full awareness of its aims and objectives.

They are playing a crucial part in supporting an institution which will widen class divides and further privatise education! It's not for sale!

[mrmedical2010]

THEY DID NOT TURN THIER BACK THEY WERE FACING THE CAMERA LOL

[TurboDally]

PZ Myers the day before predicted there would be a protest on the day he and Dawkins were discussing- OMG! A miracle! PZ is a prophet!

[fuzzberrys]

I can see the back of my head from here. Didn't realise I was that bald at the back. However I was a little disappointed by some of the truly vicious comments from some members of the audience considering it was a Humanist association event which advocates rational discourse. When the students started to talk it they where actually polite, articulate and made their point well. And lets be honest, isn't it a student right of passage to protest? And it was still a smashing night.

[polychenko]

@chewbackawookie - in my view the protest created little real disruption. Ultimately they left and we enjoyed the talk. I think there is a moral argument that people like Dakwins and Grayling should be made to feel uncomfortable about the ultimate repercussions of what they are doing, and this will create disruption. The megaphone guy was stopped outside; most of the audience couldn't hear what they were saying, and things became a bit emotive. Police handled things very well though

[polychenko]

Good stuff: they came, made their point, and left. I, like others in the room, joined in. Dawkins when questioned gave a poor argument in defense. How much is a pint of milk Prof Dawkins? Or the median income in the UK?

[chewbackawookie]

@polychenko Did they make their point though? At the time I didn't know what their beef was. The audience wasn't there for a talk on student fees or new universities. We came for an intelligent discussion by two prominent biologists and atheists. Surely their quarrel is with the government that has allowed student fees to rise. Hell I might even agree with them but it was hardly the time, place or appropriate forum to swing others round to their position.

[polychenko]

@chewbackawookie I felt that they made a point. It was an amusing minor anoyance for those soley interested in the talk (which happened regardless). Dawkins probably felt pretty uncomfortable; he supports the private univeristy (morally questionable in the sober light of day) which this group of individuals is against.

[chewbackawookie]

/watch?v=nPcwLsfg_Zg&feature=r­elated Here is the bit where the audience member from Romania got on stage to vent his frustration at the protesters.

[Vash002]

I loved that people turned their backs to them.

[JustineK45]

Where were the protesters' nappies? Did anyone else spot them? Maybe they were conveniently hidden under their fashionable attire. 

[BAGADOOBLE]

YEAH! How dare a University which has gone to great lengths to procure some of the most respected minds in science together in one place have the AUDACITY to actually expect people to pay more for premium education!

It is an outrage that people should be allowed to decide what they will charge for their services!

Experts should be educating me for whatever price I decide!

[danjenkinsdesign]

To everyone in that audience who stood and turned away I say Bravo! Well done.

[trinitymike]

Poor Babies...They can't afford this University, so they act like children...."wahhhhhhhhhhh...I wanna play here tooooo".

Spoiled Brats...

[mrmedical2010]

@trinitymike BURN

[MisterAlexGabriel]

@trinitymike ...because obviously there couldn't be any moral or political basis for their action - like thinking NCH will only encourage underfunding of state universities and contribute to a longterm marketising narrative. I don't necessarily endorse these people's methods, but to say jealousy is their sole motivation is a slander.

[Schizopantheist]

@trinitymike I fail to see how people protesting against private education are spoiled brats. Surely they are taking time out of their day to -protest- against spoiled brats!

[trinitymike]

@Schizopantheist What's wrong with a privately funded University? Not EVERYthing needs to be shared, you know....If I want to pay extra to go to a higher tier school, than I have that right to spend MY money however I see fit.

[tybaltstone]

My favourite bits were "You're all individuals!" "Yes! We're all individuals!" and the chap who got up on stage with his back pack trying to explain that he'd flown all the way from Turkey to see this talk and it was being ruined. It was a good talk in the end between PZ and RD.

[chewbackawookie]

@tybaltstone Also I loved he backpack bloke having a go at 'James Dean' to rapturous applause. But I hated how happy hipster James Dean looked with himself after the comment.

[gilgaladios]

the papers today were saying that 1 in 5 parents cannot read aloud,

the logical argument for a better future is to triple the uni fees

hell yeah it makes sense!

[pavmanuk]

This video missed the interesting bit where a member of the audience got on stage and threatened to remove the protesters himself.

Then police got involved and quickly removed the protesters.

[fegu]

This wasn't a protest against atheists but about cuts in education. It was not religiously motivated, but it might as well have been, cosidering when and where they chose to do it.

[metalbucket2]

You've got to hand it to the protesters, they gave up Happy Hour at RADA in order to do this gig.

[heethen1]

That's pretty pathetic.

[TurboDally]

Oh wow, you uploaded this pretty quick, nicely done :P

Sad I couldn't see myself sitting at the front watching the saga, damn!

[chloedalbasso]

They were actually protesting about his involvement in the new, privately-run New College of Humanities with its £18,000 a year undergrad fees. I'm not sure how well informed anyone is about the college's position on fees - I've heard they hope to reduce them in time. Dawkins isn't deeply involved but his lectureship does appear to endorse such fees - not that NCH would be the first or even worst culprit. I'm generally in favour of calling people out through protest. Did Dawkins respond?

[chewbackawookie]

@chloedalbasso At one stage during the middle of a discussion out of nowhere two protesters walked up to the stage and started reading questions to much booing. Dawkins stridently stated to them that he would answer questions at the end of the show. The last question of the night was related to his education at Oxford. He said that he was grateful for his education and that he does generally support education being free but one for the price of a car isn't that bad. The talk was abruptly ended.

[gilgaladios]

@chewbackawookie "He said that he was grateful for his education and that he does generally support education being free but one for the price of a car isn't that bad. The talk was abruptly ended."

I guess that his argument then implies that If I can afford a limo, I will pay for a limo for my education, If I can only afford a tiny car, then this should be my uni fees.

does he mean something else?

[chewbackawookie]

@gilgaladios From memory he said that the price of putting a student through university is 18000 pounds. While this is a lot of money for a student it is not a lot of money if you consider what most people spend their money on. He gave the example that someone with an above average car would be able to afford an Oxford/Cambridge education. This is from memory so don't take this verbatim as what he said or means.

[chloedalbasso]

and why were they all facing that way??

[chewbackawookie]

@chloedalbasso I was there. It was a way of saying we in the audience are not interested in what you have to say so please piss off.

[chloedalbasso]

What is it that's shouted at 5.50 that upsets everyone so much?

[chewbackawookie]

@chloedalbasso I think it was that the James Dean hipster wannabe started his pretty little chant again. To be clear it wasn't religiously motivated, it was to do with funding cuts to students. Their argument seems to be that Richard Dawkins got his education paid for by the taxpayer. A confusing argument as they blame him for taking the opportunity they are protesting for. Humanities students, pffft.

[jackhartcup]

Just so people know it was not religiously motivated, as far as I'm aware most who went were atheists. The chant was "Richard Dawkins get out, we know what you're all about: cuts, job losses, money for the bosses". They're protesting Richard Dawkins endorsement or a US style university system where those that can afford it go to the best university's and those that can't don't. More information can be found by googleing : richard dawkins protest facebook

[DrNickBlue666]

A confusion?

[DrNickBlue666]

An Incoherence?

[DrNickBlue666]

What's the collective noun for idiot protesters?

[Tylzen]

What were they chanting?

[jackhartcup]

@Tylzen "Richard Dawkins get out, we know what you're all about: cuts, job losses, money for the bosses"