Religion

cbayer

(146,218 posts) Wed Jul 30, 2014, 04:41 AM Jul 2014

Richard Dawkins, what on earth happened to you? [View all]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/30/richard-dawkins-what-on-earth-happened-to-you
Dawkins in 2014 is a man so convinced that he possesses God-like powers of omniscience that he can’t understand why everyone is angry at him for pointing out the obvious

Eleanor Robertson

theguardian.com, Wednesday 30 July 2014 01.56 BST

Richard Dawkins at home. Photograph: Rex Features

Another day, another tweet from Richard Dawkins proving that if non-conscious material is given enough time, it is capable of evolving into an obstreperous crackpot who should have retired from public speech when he had the chance to bow out before embarrassing himself.

“Date rape is bad. Stranger rape at knifepoint is worse,” huffs Dawkins. Seeming to have anticipated, although not understood, the feminist reaction this kind of sentiment generally evokes, he finishes the tweet: “If you think that’s an endorsement of date rape, go away and learn how to think.”

You can almost imagine him tweeting this, his fingers jabbing away at the keyboard as his glasses slide down a face contorted with disappointment at how irrational everyone is being. This is Dawkins in 2014: a figure of mockery, a man so convinced that he possesses God-like powers of omniscience that he can’t understand why everyone’s getting angry at him for pointing out the obvious. Why won’t we all just learn how to think, damn it! Then we could all live together in a peaceful society where nobody wears “bin liners”, and women shut up about sexual harassment.

Remember when Dawkins was widely respected? When his biggest detractor was late evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould? I don’t. Having grown up after Dawkins made the transition from lauded science communicator to old man who shouts at clouds, it’s hard for me to understand why anyone continues to listen to him about anything.

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Richard Dawkins, what on earth happened to you? [View all] cbayer Jul 2014 OP

And this after he tried to mend fences intaglio Jul 2014 #1

Good grief... MADem Jul 2014 #2

Agreed..our legal systems rank all sorts of crimes skepticscott Jul 2014 #6

Well, my point was that Dawkins was not considering the victim. At all. MADem Jul 2014 #8

Well, no.. considering the audience out there skepticscott Jul 2014 #9

Ah yes! The audience, of course, it must be the audience's fault. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #10

His point may be Aikins level tone-deaf to an American audience. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #27

I think he has crossed the pond enough times to know his "audience" Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #34

The comment was certainly lacking in tact and awareness of a very real AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #38

Yes, if anyone still clings to the idea of creationism skepticscott Jul 2014 #69

You seem to be the only one still clinging to creationism, like it's some kind of obsession. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #73

You must have nothing else but blather skepticscott Jul 2014 #80

Yes, well the OP wasn't about creationism, was it? Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #85

Rule One of Public Speaking: "Don't blame the audience". riqster Jul 2014 #77

Rule One of Science and Logic: Don't follow mass opinion. Follow the facts Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #86

The article referenced in the OP acknowledged that point. riqster Jul 2014 #89

The joint statement with Ophellia Benson is good and I hope a lot of people get to read it. cbayer Jul 2014 #3

I have given my opinion of Dawkins before intaglio Jul 2014 #4

Thanks for supplying the clarification about public school. cbayer Jul 2014 #5

Public school is private school, but private school on steroids. MADem Jul 2014 #7

He is indeed, though I don't see a problem with his education. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #11

Problems with his education intaglio Jul 2014 #12

Well I disagree. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #21

Well my father and mother would utterly disagree with you intaglio Jul 2014 #37

I think much of it is regional. We thought anyone from south of Birmingham was a snob. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #44

As my Grand Uncle observed intaglio Jul 2014 #52

Generation and culture. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #30

I'm not sure what you are saying here. cbayer Jul 2014 #33

I would assume the opposite. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #36

Right, his comment is not offensive in progressive countries like Britain. cbayer Jul 2014 #39

As I said upthread, it was certainly an insensitive thing to say. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #40

If anything, I suspect his comment will be more controversial in countries cbayer Jul 2014 #42

I think it's that context that you are assuming, that is the problem. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #45

Please, I've read all his lame explanations and don't need them repeated to me. cbayer Jul 2014 #49

Oh yeah, try and spin it on me. Very nice. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #53

More responses to Richard (are you sure your last name isn't Head?) Dawkins intaglio Jul 2014 #13

Thanks for those responses. okasha Jul 2014 #81

he's beginning to sound like a troll, honestly eShirl Jul 2014 #14

He has always thrived on controversy, but I think he is going too far. cbayer Jul 2014 #16

unlike, for example, the pope enthusiasts, who cannot lose their enthusiasm Warren Stupidity Jul 2014 #18

Look, over there, a butterfly! rug Jul 2014 #23

I saw that flutter by. Hilarious. Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #28

Well, thanks for the flamebait, cbayer. trotsky Jul 2014 #15

Well at least she didn't preface the discussion with an admonition for all atheists to shut up. Warren Stupidity Jul 2014 #19

Hey, I guess we'll take what we can get. n/t trotsky Jul 2014 #20

Of course! Most of his follwers on twitter are evolutionary biologists. rug Jul 2014 #24

He is a well known Atheist so I think it is fine here. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #29

Everyone is *something*. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #41

So if the pope or religious leaders make comments on an issue not having to do with religion it shou hrmjustin Jul 2014 #43

Dawkins isn't a religious leader. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #46

Well correct me if I am wrong but he has been linked to by atheists here. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #47

But any given statement we link to, that he makes, is either true or false on its face. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #48

Point is he made an asinine statement and it is going to be posted here. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #50

Ok. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #51

Yes, just like when a religious leaders does something stupid it does not reflect on me. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #56

Is the pope your leader? I thought not so much. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #57

I am not aiming it at you but there are those here who give me a hard time if I say the nicest thing hrmjustin Jul 2014 #59

That's ok. I just had someone with the temerity to ask me if I think date rape is rape, right after AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #60

Of course it is rape. I think Dawkins needs to just talk about other things. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #62

I agree. In this case, he tried to explain one third rail he stepped on, by going and standing on AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #68

This is an absolutely stupid thing to say. edhopper Jul 2014 #17

Do tweets have context? I think not. cbayer Jul 2014 #22

Of course they do. Goblinmonger Jul 2014 #25

Well said, GM. trotsky Jul 2014 #32

Yes edhopper Jul 2014 #54

You may be right. cbayer Jul 2014 #58

I found this edhopper Jul 2014 #61

So he was trying to make some logical point and chose this as an example, I guess. cbayer Jul 2014 #64

I can think of dozens of better examples. edhopper Jul 2014 #66

All of us can think of dozens of better examples. cbayer Jul 2014 #74

This is certainly true. AtheistCrusader Jul 2014 #67

That's a horrible thing to say. Goblinmonger Jul 2014 #26

Good for you GM for addressing the OP Starboard Tack Jul 2014 #31

A creepy and horrible thing to say. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #35

Is he the one who recently commented on roody Jul 2014 #55

Are you referring to this? rug Jul 2014 #63

He is an elderly white public-school-educated British male, with a lot of the prejudices that such LeftishBrit Jul 2014 #65

Too bad this will do damage to the Atheist Movement edhopper Jul 2014 #70

I doubt it will and it shouldn't. He is a jerk. hrmjustin Jul 2014 #71

It was a joke edhopper Jul 2014 #72

As with most ideological leaders, it will not be up to him to step down, cbayer Jul 2014 #75

Step down from what??? edhopper Jul 2014 #79

There is no official position, but he is widely considered a leader cbayer Jul 2014 #83

"Widely considered"? By who? skepticscott Jul 2014 #88

With no recourse of an eternal afterlife he is in the process of going up his own ass CBGLuthier Jul 2014 #76

I was going to post okasha Jul 2014 #82

this is one reason that I will never have a Twitter account.... mike_c Jul 2014 #78

I am with you I will never have one. cbayer Jul 2014 #84

Even then, Twitter has been too short to allow necessary qualifiers and nuances Brettongarcia Jul 2014 #87