PZ Myers and the Art of Shameless Dishonesty

The short version, PZ Myers gave me his personal assurances that I would have the freedom to talk about whatever I wanted on freethoughtblogs. I did talk about an issue that I thought FTB was way off base on (addressing sexism at conferences), and PZ Myers kicked me because of it.

Further a friend has now informed me that freethoughtblogs is changing its policy, and they do not intend to repeat the 'mistake' of giving people the freedom to talk about whatever they want again. *SLOW HAND CLAP FOR FTBs*

You can send a tweet to PZ Myers by using @PZmyers

The longer version:
Yup, PZ Myers wrote to me giving me an ultimatum, 'please resign' with the childishly obvious subtext, else we will ban you from freethoughtblogs.

I was actually stunned by this as this was the same man who less than six months earlier when we first discussed this in DC had given me his personal assurances that freethoughtblogs (yes there are witnesses willing to corroborate this) didn't try to control content, and we were free to talk about whatever we wanted. You have to remember that the origin of freethoughtblogs was because PZ Myers wanted somewhere where he could post free of the controls of Nat. Geo.

The betrayal of academic integrity over something as transient as a disagreement with the opinion of the plurality on freethoughblog on their political stance on feminism seemed to me, well I've got to be honest, unbelievable. I really expected the man to act with some sense of academic integrity, and not to jettison it completely at the first opportunity.

There is also a litany of other reason why I do not hold freethoughtblogs in high regard. Chief among these was their pressure on me to yield to someone WHO STATED THAT THEY WERE USING COPYRIGHT LAW (not for protection of copyright) BUT TO STIFFLE DEBATE. Yes, ftb were quite happy to enable the tactics used by the likes of VFX, kent hovind, answers in genesis and a horde of others to stifle debate.
But thats a story for another day.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Eyjolfur Kari]

PZ Myers is a mangina

[fredziper]

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” These were not his words, but rather those of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, written under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre in her 1906 biographical book The Friends of Voltaire. (Wikipedia...)

[Wino McDrinky]

Hey now! I am a libertarian and I'm pretty sure we're really super free speech and all.

<3 from your friendly neighborhood libertarian

[Tedikun]

I've found that too, they seem to love to criticise men, but for some reason think they are excluded from their own generalisations. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for equality, but kissing someone's ass because they are female isn't equal treatment.

[midas12354783]

Somebody needs to get that bi+ch laid, Maybe some bull dyke's will take care of her. Even better, get those trans-gender and lesbians who argue about who has it worse to do it.

[Tom Cruise]

I would NEVER rape Rebecca Watson. Not because I agree with bullshit opinions, just because she's got a face like a slapped arse.

[kurt otto]

why not split the "debate" into two seperate areas: atheism on the left, sexism on the right, and keep them seperate, like the seperation of church and state?

perhaps i missed the main bulk of this conflict by avoiding drama like the plague, but that's good, right? it seems a shame to come looking to learn new things and finding all the dialog is derailed by a bunch of negative vibes where nobody is happy.

[LucisFerre1]

Is there any reason as to why your entire post in in quotation marks?

[LucisFerre1]

Atheism + is a trojan horse. Any cursory listen to Richard Carrier at any TAM meeting makes it painfully obvious that Atheism + means Atheism + Cultural Marxism. And cultural marxists are not exactly known for free thought and tolerating dissenting ideas.

[LucisFerre1]

They're manginas.

[LucisFerre1]

And his reputation is now trash. He was on the short list of well known guests to discuss skeptical thinking, along with Shermer, Harris, Dawkins, etc. Now he's lugging enough red flags that no doubt he's being passed over. I certainly would not engage him in a critical thinking discussion in a professional forum such as a radio show or pod cast.