Follow this thread for my live tweeting from Saturday’s #MythCon event. The conference in the past focused on secularism but now speakers are going to debate topics like feminism & social justice.
Sargon of Akkad is debating atheist social justice advocate @RichardCCarrier at #MythCon. Last year, Sargon debated an irate Thomas Smith, who repeatedly accused him of misogyny. Security even became involved later. This was my report: areomagazine.com/2017/10/03/cha…
1. First up: @ArmouredSkeptic, @JaclynGlenn, @creationistcat, & @DavidCSmalley discuss question of how recent politics has divided the atheist community. Moderated by @GSpellchecker. #MythCon 
.@davidcsmalley pretends to walk off stage, mocking Thomas Smith’s stunt last year. #MythCon
.@ArmouredSkeptic calls out @creationistcat for using “right wing” or “conservative” as a slur, including, as he says, against him personally. #MythCon
.@davidcsmalley says some leftist skeptics suddenly aren’t skeptics when it comes to sexual assault claims.
.@creationistcat criticizes those who welcome & embrace Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, & other conservative figures. Crowd whoops in support of those men. #MythCon
.@JaclynGlenn asks @creationistcat why he was so triggered & reached out to her privately when she made video criticizing the left. #MythCon
.@shoe0nhead asks question. Is feminism like a religion? #MythCon
2. This will be contentious: Feminist @karen_garst is debating female men’s rights activist @girlwriteswhat. @MsMelChen is moderating. #MythCon 💥
.@girlwriteswhat says the custody system in the US is biased against men and that there are built-in mechanisms for women to exploit. #MythCon
.@karen_garst says the ridicule male victims of domestic violence get is akin to how women were treated for coming forward about sexual assault & rape. She says the excuses people have to dismiss Dr. Ford’s accusations against Kavanaugh is also emblematic of this. #MythCon
3. BLM activist @rissaoftheway is debating Youtuber @Some_BlackGuy on question of what impact social justice has on black American community. Moderated by intersectional sex educator @BrittanySomeone. #MythCon
.@rissaoftheway says her experience as a cisgender, able-bodied, black woman shapes her worldview and activism. She mentions shooting of Treyvon Martin as pivotal moment in her political awakening. #MythCon
.@rissaoftheway talks about how she was involved in shutting down a Bernie Sanders event in Seattle and forcing the Democratic Party to move further left. #MythCon
.@rissaoftheway disagrees with @Some_BlackGuy’s bridge-building approach to race relations. She says the most effective way to end racism/white supremacy is to levy severe consequences against people who are oppressive. #MythCon
.@Some_BlackGuy says he doesn’t feel oppressed and doesn’t recognize the society that @rissaoftheway describes. “I’m fine. I’m okay. And I’m doing well for myself.”
.@rissaoftheway says blacks are indoctrinated to believe that society is fair. She says bringing people together doesn’t solve problems and actually can reenforce white supremacy. #Mythcon
.@rissaoftheway says the “angry black woman” stereotype is being applied to her even though she’s been calm. She says any discussion of fighting white supremacy is seen as aggressive. #MythCon
Black woman calls out @rissaoftheway during Q&A: How do you expect to bring people together when you tell black people that whites hate them? #MythCon
4. Quillette’s editor-in-chief @clairlemon is joining @GSpellchecker, @TheQuartering, & @Timcast to discuss how alternative & commentary media is displacing MSM. Moderated by @DavidCSmalley. #MythCon
.@clairlemon says Quillette is stepping in to fill the gaps that MSM misses. She talks about how during the James Damore Google scandal, Quillette was one of the few outlets to reach out to actual psychologists to weigh in. #MythCon
They discuss how independent media outlets and journalists who rely on Patreon or PayPal for funding are at the mercy of these companies. #MythCon
.@clairlemon says legacy media is bleeding money. She points to how even the NYT relies on revenue from leasing their real estate in Manhattan to help stay afloat. #MythCon
I have no idea what’s happening but we’re being evacuated from the theater and there are a lot of police outside. #MythCon
The street has been blocked off. #Mythcon
We are getting moved further back. The police brought out a sniffer dog. #MythCon
Firetruck heading in direction of theatre. #MythCon
And another fire truck. #MythCon
More police have arrived and more of the street has been blocked off. #MythCon
#MythCon is back on. Psychology prof @clayroutledge is joining conservative YouTuber @RoamingMil to debate feminist @chrisiousity & Michael Rowlands on topic of intersectionality. @DavidCSmalley is moderating.
.@clayroutledge, a quantitative psychologist, says intersectional studies often does not approach discipline agnostically in pursuit of the truth. #MythCon
Michael Rowlands says intersectional feminism has helped bring non-white women to the table. @chrisiousity talks about white male identity politics. #MythCon
.@chrisiousity scoffs when @RoamingMil brings up Jordan Peterson. MichaeL Rowlands calls him “Lobster boy.” #MythCon
.@chrisiousity says black people live with a lot of stress due to racism that is everywhere. #MythCon
.@clayroutledge calls out other side for strawmanning and misrepresenting his views. #MythCon
.@chrisiousity says there is a reason there aren’t many people of colour at #MythCon. @RoamingMil becomes visibly annoyed.
Transwoman confronts the intersectional advocates during the Q&A. She strongly disagrees with them. #MythCon
Michael Rowlands takes jabs at the audience after they sneer at his comments. “Sorry if I offend your white male sensibilities,” he says. #MythCon
6. Transwomen across the political spectrum have a discussion on issues that affect them. @MsBlaireWhite is joined by @TherynMeyer & @Angelbsings. Moderated by sex educator @BrittanySomeone. #MythCon
Local news report about the threat that caused the theatre to be evacuated earlier. #MythCon fox6now.com/2018/09/22/the…
.@Therynmeyer calls for a stronger trans sisterhood. She brings up the hate that @MsBlaireWhite has received. #MythCon
7. The headlined event: social justice critic Sargon of Akkad debates atheist writer & social justice advocate @RichardCCarrier. Moderated by @MarioQuadracci. #MythCon
Sargon of Akkad comes out swinging: he says the problem with social justice advocates is they try to make compassion compulsory. He also brings up how “SJWs” have accused @RichardCCarrier of being a sexual predator. #MythCon
Sargon of Akkad says SJ ruined the Reason Rally and broke up the atheist movement. “Go woke, go broke,” he says. #MythCon
.@RichardCCarrier tries to focus discussion on abortion. Sargon of Akkad accuses him of changing the topic of the debate. #MythCon
Contentious exchange when Sargon of Akkad brings up @RichardCCarrier’s lawsuit. #MythCon
.@RichardCCarrier says “SJW” extremism is not true social justice. He says atheism should intersect with the “good kind” of social justice. #MythCon
Sargon of Akkad becomes irate and tells @RichardCCarrier to shut up multiple times when he is interrupted in debate. #MythCon
During Q&A @RichardCCarrier says abortion is a women’s rights issue but then corrects himself to acknowledge that (trans) men can get pregnant too. #MythCon
In the debate, Sargon of Akkad alluded several times to how @RichardCCarrier had been kicked out by the social justice atheist community he was once a part of. These screenshots help provide background context. #MythCon
And here are some of the photos I took at #MythCon. YouTubers @shoe0nhead & @NameIsJosephine in the audience:
Quillette founder & editor-in-chief @clairlemon join @Timcast, @davidcsmalley, @GSpellchecker, & @TheQuartering to discuss independent media.
Everyone on the block was evacuated due to a threat to the Pabst Theater. #MythCon
Intersectional social justice advocates @chrisiousity & @Music_Man_Mike chastise the #MythCon audience.
Professor @clayroutledge calls the other side out for misrepresenting his views. He is joined by @RoamingMil on the panel. #MythCon
Conservative YouTuber @MsBlaireWhite speaks on a panel with @TherynMeyer & @Angelbsings about being transgender. #MythCon
To see more photos from #MythCon and to read about what happened there (lots!), read this: quillette.com/2018/09/24/ami…
