tingilinde

huge shoes to fill

Eugenie Scott announced she is retiring from her director role at the National Center for Science Education.  It will be difficult to find someone as dedicated and talented.  They've often been about the only firewall between real science and creationism in the schools.  Extremely important work.

Their big focus has traditionallly been evolution, but they've had to expand to climate change.  Creationists are often climate change deniers.  

One of her talks a few years ago..

anti education efforts in louisiana

It is remarkable Louisana is so backward.  Imagine being a business trying to attact an educated workforce.  Imagine putting your children through that non-education in science.

(hat tip to Jim)

 

 

 

 

 

on homophobia and sexual repression

A lot of people have suspected this - it will be intereting to see future research confirms it.

snip

...

Using this methodology we identified a subgroup of participants who, despite self-identifying as highly straight, indicated some level of same-sex attraction (that is, they associated “me” with gay-related words and pictures faster than they associated “me” with straight-related words and pictures). Over 20 percent of self-described highly straight individuals showed this discrepancy.

Notably, these “discrepant” individuals were also significantly more likely than other participants to favor anti-gay policies; to be willing to assign significantly harsher punishments to perpetrators of petty crimes if they were presumed to be homosexual; and to express greater implicit hostility toward gay subjects (also measured with the help of subliminal priming). Thus our research suggests that some who oppose homosexuality do tacitly harbor same-sex attraction.

What leads to this repression? We found that participants who reported having supportive and accepting parents were more in touch with their implicit sexual orientation and less susceptible to homophobia. Individuals whose sexual identity was at odds with their implicit sexual attraction were much more frequently raised by parents perceived to be controlling, less accepting and more prejudiced against homosexuals.

It’s important to stress the obvious: Not all those who campaign against gay men and lesbians secretly feel same-sex attractions. But at least some who oppose homosexuality are likely to be individuals struggling against parts of themselves, having themselves been victims of oppression and lack of acceptance. The costs are great, not only for the targets of anti-gay efforts but also often for the perpetrators. We would do well to remember that all involved deserve our compassion.

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the temperature of hell must be less than 0° C

The Mormon church's shifting position on the politics of gay marriage. 

Proposition 8 as a pyrrhic victory

snip

...

The church's anti-gay positions and lobbying on gay marriage have always been divisive. In 2000, during the fight over the Knight Initiative, a young gay Mormon named Stuart Matis killed himself on the steps of a Mormon ward in Los Altos, California. In a letter to his cousin shortly before his suicide, he despaired over the impact of the church's political activities on Mormon families: "On the night of March 7th, many California couples will retire to their beds thrilled that they helped pass the Knight Initiative. What they don't realize is that in the next room, their son or daughter is lying in bed crying and could very well one day be the victim of society's homophobia. The Knight Initiative will certainly save no family. It is codified hatred. It is anti-family, anti-love and it is wrong."

But Matis' death didn't slow the church's efforts to beat back same-sex marriage initiatives. In 2008, after the California Supreme Court briefly legalized gay marriage in the state, the Latter Day Saints lent their formidable organizing skills and networks to the Prop. 8 effort, sending canvassers door to door by zip code—sometimes as many as 25,000 per weekend—much as they send out missionaries to spread the Gospel. The church has been credited with almost single-handedly getting Prop. 8 passed, despite a well-funded opposition with backing from Hollywood.

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better than halloween

Charles Fréger's photographs of European pagan folklore - that is still practiced (via Slate)

a rather stunning world view

The frightening thing is Pew surveys are generally robust.  This is - well - just strange.

(hat tip to Larry)

 

"natural" sexuality

It is amusing when some claim that heterosexuality is what Nature demands ..  a small piece in the NY Times that points out a bit of reality..

Nature is very creative - how about seven sexes?

 

 

the myth of early christian persecution

Claiming you are persecuted makes for powerful storytelling and can make a group more cohesive as well as give them cause to be aggressive against other groups with little or no cause.  Christian persecution is firmly tied into the belief, but how real is it?

During today's rowing I caught an interview of Candida Moss (50 minute mp3), Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Notre Dame, by Krys Boyd on KERA's Think podcast.    Candida's book,  The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom, sounds interesting...

 

those who would be against suffrage a century ago ...

... and seemingly would like to turn the clock back to those times and before ..

Some GOPers- notably those in the religious right and tea party factions - seem obsessed with straight Christian white male superiority.  Even the women of this faction.  They've been advised to not talk about rape as a first step to becoming more popular with other groups, but if you are obsessed you can't help it.

This from Salon...

and Bart's comment:

The GOP is funnier than Blazing Saddles.

Hedley Lamarr: Qualifications? 

Applicant: Rape, murder, arson, and rape. 

Hedley Lamarr: You said rape twice. 

Applicant: I like rape. 

"a list" celebs

I'm not taken with celebrity, but this list is notable as it would be social taboo until recently - and in many parts of the country it still is...  (via Salon)

Perhaps society is becoming a bit more tolerant ...

(hat tip to sara)