Feminist Link Roundup #4: Reality Checks for Geeks & Pagans

“Reproductive Healthcare” isn’t just about Reproduction– In the wake of the Hobby Lobby case, Part-Time Monster points out that different contraceptives can have many medical uses, not just prevention of pregnancy.

Stop Telling Me I’m Pretty For a Girl in a Wheelchair: How Your Words Contribute to Violence Against Women with Disabilities by Stephanie Woodward

“You, my dear crippled girl, will never be pretty. You’ll be cute. You’ll be cute to adults who like to patronize you and squeeze your cheeks and treat you like a child for the rest of your life. Adults that automatically think that because you’re in a wheelchair you’re broken.  You will never be cute to the boy in your 8^th grade class who has the perfect hair and great smile. He’ll never think you’re pretty because, quite frankly, you’re a broken girl. ”

Sins of the Whistle-Blower by Shauna Aura Knight-

“In the movies and on TV, when someone blows the whistle and reveals the illegal doings of a company, or speaks out against their rapist, or outs an abusive leader, there’s always a happy ending. And–the person is always telling the truth.

The middle part of the movie might have a lot of dramatic tension where the whistle-blower is in danger, or people think they are lying, but ultimately they come out as the hero. I wish it were always that easy. I wish that people believed the activists who rise up to speak the truth.”

 

Once again (or maybe I posted this on Facebook not here?) please take a look at the Geek Social Fallacies of Sex, there is a lot that applies to many different subcultures I participate in of people who considers themselves Super-Smart/Progressive/Enlightened but don’t always act that way…

Nerds & Male Privilege by Dr. Nerdlove Nerdy guys think of themselves as nice underdogs, and often forget how male privilege applies to them. The Good Doctor gives the geek dudebros some tough love.

 

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Humanism Can Include Theism

I am a skeptic, a freethinker, and a humanist. I don’t believe these labels exclude theists of various kinds, yet that is how they are often used, at least by implication.  Perhaps if I use them in lowercase, it makes it a little clearer that I am using them more broadly. A skeptic is one that does not accept claims without carefully scrutinizing them, and a freethinker is one who thinks for themselves, rather than rigidly following the dogmas of authority figures without question. (Said authorities can be religious, secular or political)

Humanist, on the other hand is a little trickier to define. In general, it is a philosophy of human dignity & independence from dogma, and reliance on reason and science.  I don’t think that conflicts with a belief in some sort of divine being(s) While I am probably not 100% sure of the existence of God(s), I have a sense of the sacred,  the power of ritual & community, and I seek the Divine, or more simply a connection to nature, the universe, my inner self, and others.

Here are some of my beliefs & ideas that I consider humanist:

• Humans are intrinsically morally neutral, not born sinful without commiting any wrong. Or as the Unitarians put it: “We affirm the inherent dignity and worth of every person”.
• The human body, and sexuality (if practiced between consenting adults) are beautiful, valuable, and we should be proud of our bodies and our sexual nature. There is nothing dirty or shameful about them.
• We can and should be moral & ethical, regardless of whether we are religious. We do not need the pressure of God(s) and/or clergy to spur us to ethical behavior. In fact, the idea that one only acts morally due to divine commands and/or rewards in the afterlife is in of itself immoral.
• It is important to focus on this life, and living it to the fullest, rather than an afterlife which may or may not exist.
• Humans can, and should try to make the world a better place, both for each other, and for the natural world as a whole.
• The scientific method is a good way of learning about the universe. Science does not conflict with religion, rather it complements it.
• We should all be allowed think and speak for ourselves, and engage in civil debate in public and private with others who disagree.
• God(s) may or may not exist, be if he/she/they do, humans reserve the right to not worship them without fear of punishment. Honoring and worshipping a divine entity should be done out of love and reverence, not out of fear.