Posts Tagged ‘ FTB ’

Make Facebook authorities aware

Jul 27th, 2015 10:47 am | By

Arifur Rahman tells us that Facebook is letting Islamists shut down bloggers and activists.

Few days ago, I came across an article being shared by Atheist Republic, discussing how they are under attack after publishing the Rainbow Kaaba. I got interested and read the whole article where the author described how their Facebook page, their Admins are getting abuse from Islamists, threats and how their Facebook accounts are getting suspended for no good reason.

To my surprise, I wasn’t surprised, at all!

Because, we, the Bangladeshi bloggers, have suffered this kind of attack all too often. This kind of mindless attack, which I call Facebook terrorism, was thrown at us since the dawn of blogging history. But until now,

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



A star is born

Jul 26th, 2015 6:08 pm | By

But now, a treat –

Meet the owlet who is my new avatar.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J3lPssz1MsRead the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Deserving

Jul 26th, 2015 5:57 pm | By

One more fun thing before the sun sets over the mountains –

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: Good wishes

Jul 26th, 2015 5:33 pm | By

Originally two comments by Julia S on The destroyer of worlds.

I also saw a comment under your name in a blogpost. I was a bit surprised as it was blatantly anti-trans but it seemed reasonable (as in, calm and non-slurry) and used similar language as you so I wasn’t incredulous about its authenticity. I was thinking about writing about or replying to it but decided against it. It’s uncool for someone to impersonate you, if that’s true and you didn’t just change your mind about a distasteful comment. Good wishes, Ophelia.

[I replied: Could you tell me where, please, so that I can do something about it?]

I would tell you if you weren’t such a transphobe … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



The destroyer of worlds

Jul 26th, 2015 11:30 am | By

I have developed superpowers.

I’m not friends with this person and have had zero interactions with her recently – I would estimate at least a year.

#tookmymeds + beta-blockers and double melatonin-> some hope of a) not bursting a vessle and b) sleep. Thanks a fucking heap, Ophelia Benson.

I make people suffer misery in their struggle to explain to the world how horrible I am.

Improbable Joe said:  July 26, 2015 at 1:09 am

I’m trying not to wade too much into this, it has caused me some significant stress and pain. All I know is that trans women are dying, and relatively privileged women are treating their lives and experiences as an intellectual exercise AT BEST. And whether

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



The latest ploy

Jul 26th, 2015 9:27 am | By

Someone is impersonating me to leave terrible transphobic comments on blogs.

If you have a blog and you get a comment from “opheliabenson@freethoughtblogs.com” that’s not from me, it’s an impersonator.

Please share that information.… Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



And now for something completely different

Jul 25th, 2015 11:24 am | By

From Twitter.

Gautam Trivedi‏@Gotham3
Breaking News: A police officer in Netherlands found a baby owl roaming on the streets today.

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



The land of ambiguity

Jul 25th, 2015 11:12 am | By

Ok. It’s too late for this (but then it probably always was), because there are a lot of people just hell-bent on spotting a TERF in the bushes and not changing their view no matter what; the well is thoroughly poisoned and is going to stay that way. The poisoner oolon, who went to Pharyngula to work up the troops against me yesterday, is one such; that dude wants scalps, period.

But there are, I’m told, people who are just plain hurt and upset, especially trans people, and I don’t to hurt people. Therefore I’ll try to clarify what I meant by refusing to answer yes or no.

(It’s like Bill Clinton and “is” – that was treated as … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: We’re not trying to draw bright line boundaries at all

Jul 25th, 2015 10:51 am | By

Originally a comment by Jenora Feuer on We’re going to end up putting feminist intellectual history through its own extinction event.

I can’t comprehend what it means to “know that you are male/female,” because I don’t particularly “feel” my gender.

Me either.

There was a comment at We Hunted the Mammoth a few weeks back (I commented on it here before) where someone said that they had found two different groups of people who really didn’t ‘get’ trans issues intuitively. One was the group of people who strongly identified with their gender, assumed everybody else was like that, and therefore that anybody who didn’t identify with their gender was wrong in some way. The other was the group of … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: We’re going to end up putting feminist intellectual history through its own extinction event

Jul 24th, 2015 6:27 pm | By

Originally a comment by A surprise to many on The art of the question.

What the hell is so difficult about a yes-and-no answer to the “trans women are women” question? For some, perhaps even most, purposes, yes, absolutely. For other purposes (women’s reproductive health, family policy, FGM), no.

This is no different from any other socially constructed group identity. Is Barack Obama African American? Yes. And no. Is the Nigerian immigrant who runs the pizza place near my job? Yes. And no. Is someone with a Jewish father a Jew? Yes. And no. Are messianic Jews Jewish? Yes. And no.

Am I a woman? Yes. And no. Even though I was identified female at birth and have gestated … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



In some photos there is a shackle on one of her limbs

Jul 24th, 2015 5:31 pm | By

Ashley Ford interviewed Nona Faustine for Elle.

Nona Faustine’s photographs are blowing up on Facebook and no one is more surprised than her. Born and raised in Brooklyn, with a distinct city accent, her tone is as light as her work is somber. In the “White Shoes” photo series, Faustine appears in the places where African slaves were bought, sold, and traded in 1620’s New York City. Her expression is solemn, in some photos there is a shackle on one of her limbs, and aside from her shoes, she is completely naked.

Go to the article to see some of the pictures. I saw the first one on Twitter a few days ago; it’s very powerful.

I like to

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Comment-liking crime

Jul 24th, 2015 4:57 pm | By

Ew. Now they’re monitoring what comments I like on Facebook, and blabbing about them on Twitter. It’s exactly like the slimers – they too obsessively monitor every word of mine that they can get access to. It’s creepy and disgusting and loathsome.

Where’s the brain bleach.… Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: Back in fundie-land

Jul 24th, 2015 1:18 pm | By

Originally a comment by A Masked Avenger on The art of the question.

M. A. Melby @11:

As a recovering fundie, I can tell you that there’s only one answer to a question that ends with, “…yes or no?”, and that’s “Fuck you.”

Lawyers get to say “…yes or no?” because you’re compelled by the court to answer. You’ll go to jail for contempt if you don’t. And you’ll face contempt if you answer a yes/no question with a question, or a long answer, or a non-response. [Unfortunately] the lawyer is allowed to make such demands, because they are empowered to compel a response, and to punish you for your refusal.

Inquisitors get to say “…yes or no?” for … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: Submission

Jul 24th, 2015 12:58 pm | By

Originally a comment by Blondin on An overzealous state trooper.

The cop did a u-turn and covered a lot of ground to catch up with Ms Bland. From her point of view I think she did what most people would do if they saw a cop car charging up behind them. Just that aspect of the story looks suspiciously like a despicable tactic. Anyone who gets out of his way but fails to signal gets pulled over, either because he has a quota to fill, because he’s a loathsome bully who gets a kick out of antagonizing the powerless, or maybe a bit of both.

I keep reading comments saying she should have just complied; she should have just … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



The art of the question

Jul 23rd, 2015 5:44 pm | By

Wikipedia entry: Loaded question.

A loaded question or complex question fallacy is a question which contains a controversial or unjustified assumption (e.g., a presumption of guilt).[1]

Aside from being an informal fallacy depending on usage, such questions may be used as a rhetoricaltool: the question attempts to limit direct replies to be those that serve the questioner’s agenda.[2]

President Bill Clinton, the moderator in a town meeting discussing the topic “Race In America”, in response to a participant argument that the issue was not affirmative action but “racial preferences” asked the participant a loaded question: “Do you favor the United States Army abolishing the affirmative-action program that produced Colin Powell? Yes or

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Did you do your homework?

Jul 23rd, 2015 5:21 pm | By

I got a long condescending mansplaining email from James Billingham today telling me how terrible and telling it is that I refused to answer a question that demanded a yes or no response, and how extremely simple and uncontentious it should be to answer the question with a “yes” end of story.

That claim betrays an unfamiliarity with thinking.

Thinking just doesn’t work like that. If you can answer yes or no, there’s precious little to think about. Yes or no is for simple factual questions, or practical plan-making questions. Is the light on? Did you get milk? Are you ready to go? Did you feed the cat?

Questions that are more complicated than that can pretty much never be … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Guest post: He’s thinking of leaving policing

Jul 23rd, 2015 4:43 pm | By

Originally a comment by sambarge on An overzealous state trooper.

The mentality isn’t that you can’t back down. It’s that you can’t escalate needlessly. As you mention, you negotiate or talk. You don’t have to be a social worker but you have to be a human being. You don’t demand something of a person that you don’t have a very good reason for demanding. Because officers are armed and empowered to use force on their own judgment, they have to be of the very best judgment. That is not what we have now.

In short, I agree with everything you’ve said.

I was discussing the Bland case with a good police officer (one who believes he serves the public)

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



Tangerines and fish

Jul 23rd, 2015 11:55 am | By

A very interesting Fresh Air a couple of days ago about making the movie Tangerine, about a friendship between transgender sex workers in LA.

When film director Sean Baker moved to Los Angeles three years ago, he found himself drawn to one of the city’s most infamous intersections. The corner of Highland Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard is “an unofficial red light district,” Baker tells Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. But Baker’s interest in the area went beyond the usual transactions: “I thought there must be some incredible stories that take place on that corner.”

Baker wanted to tell those stories, so he and co-screenwriter Chris Bergoch began walking the streets in search of a collaborator who could act as

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



An overzealous state trooper

Jul 22nd, 2015 5:56 pm | By

Oh my god.

I tell you what, one thing I will cop to is putting off stories I know are going to be unpleasant to explore. I do that. So it’s only just now that I started to watch the video of Sandra Bland’s arrest and jesus christ. I’m only 2.18 minutes in and I’ve stopped because it’s hard to take.

The cop simply loses his fucking temper because Bland has the gall to talk back to him.

He picks a fight from the outset, going up to her car window and after a few seconds saying “You seem a little irritated.” She says she is irritated, since all she did was get out of his way. He tells … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)



How the lies grow and spread

Jul 22nd, 2015 4:54 pm | By

First, the claim about what I said:

Improbable Joe ‏@ImprobableJoe Jul 21
@latsot @oolon How about this question: “did you know that the people you’re friendly with are incredibly abusive to trans people?”

latsot ‏@latsot Jul 21
@ImprobableJoe Well how about it? I’d want to know more about the abuse, I guess. @oolon

Improbable Joe ‏@ImprobableJoe Jul 21
@latsot @oolon The response I got was “how dare you question my online associations”

Then, the actual exchange:

Improbable Joe:

Hey, do you mind if I ask you why you follow obvious terrible bigots like Sarah Ditum and Helen Lewis?

Me:

Hmm. I suppose I do mind a bit, because I think the whole monitoring who follows whom thing is…silly, at

Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)