Justin Vacula demands proof that sexism can be detected
Posted on: February 5, 2013
- In: Xenologer
- 4 Comments
Discussing gendered harassment with someone like Justin Vacula (who is still demanding to know how it is possible for anyone to know when, where, or even if sexism is happening) is a little like discussing geology or evolutionary biology with a creationist who is demanding to have it demonstrated that we can study events and processes that happened in the past. It’s a “debate” with someone who has prima facie rejected the whole premise of actually studying the question at hand. The results are a predictable waste of everybody’s time.
I mean, look at this.
Still waiting for someone to demonstrate how they know women who face criticism, ridicule online experience this because they are women.
— Justin Vacula (@justinvacula) February 3, 2013
He was linked to http://bit.ly/v5OsD5, but I am pretty sure from his continued responses that he didn’t use the recommended resource.
4 Responses to "Justin Vacula demands proof that sexism can be detected"
February 8, 2013 at 1:51 pm
I think the problem might be that he’s talking about individual cases and we’re talking about larger societal patterns. In an individual case, it’s usually impossible to prove that sexism happened, which is why suing employers for discrimination and stuff like that is so difficult. Of course, the fact that you can’t prove it doesn’t necessarily mean it didn’t happen; just that the person who did it was smart enough to avoid making it obvious.
However, in society at large, sexism is prevalent and research confirms this. To pretend that the difficulty/impossibility of proving sexism in one specific incident also means that it’s difficult/impossible to prove that sexist patterns exist in society is ridiculous. Kind of like, just because it’s really cold on a given day doesn’t mean that global warming isn’t happening.
February 5, 2013 at 3:34 am
Hi Xeno,
I agree, a debate with the likes of Vacula would be a complete waste of time proving nothing at all; but I gather Lee Moore may have found someone willing to engage in such a non-event. Prominent biologists tend not to debate creationism with creationist evolution denialists because it gives a false legitimacy to the creationist side of the argument that it doesn’t deserve based on the weight of evidence. Justin Vacula should be lumped with the creationists, the climate science denialists, the 9/11 truthers, the flat earthers, and geocentrists.
(By the way, the fetus graveyard post is hilarious and awesome, I hope you don’t mind that I just linked to it from Manboobz’s current thread, where someone else had just brought up the idiocy of Kevin Swanson. It’s a coincidence that I was commenting about that when I happened across that Vacula tweet and saw your reply to it.)
February 5, 2013 at 3:37 am
I do not mind at all! I am glad other people are finding a little joy in the anti-choice nonsense.
February 5, 2013 at 3:44 am
The cartoons almost gave me an internal injury suppressing my laughter, to avoid waking my partner. Highly LOLworthy in different circumstances!