Rebecca Watson | |
---|---|
Born | Rebecca Watson October 18, 1980 [1] United States |
Alma mater | Boston University |
Years active | 2005–present |
Known for | Science communication, atheism, feminism |
Website | skepchick YouTube information |
Channel | |
Years active | 2006–present |
Subscribers | 163 thousand [2] |
Total views | 27.7 million [2] |
Last updated: 26 September 2024 |
Rebecca Watson (born October 18, 1980 [1] ) is an American atheist blogger [3] [4] [5] and YouTuber. She is the founder of the blog Skepchick and former co-host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast.
Born in 1980, [6] [1] Rebecca Watson grew up in New Jersey. [7] [8] She graduated from Boston University in 2002, where she majored in communications. [7] She worked her way through college as a magician. [9] Watson says she had little interest in science before meeting other skeptics, including magician James Randi, while at university. [10]
Watson blogs about atheism and feminist politics, and has been particularly active in critiquing the modern atheist movement (sometimes called "New Atheism") from within, especially regarding the lack of attention given to the role of women in the movement. Primarily active online, she was described by BuzzFeed as "the first major atheist whose rise has occurred on the web". [11]
After attending James Randi's skeptic conference The Amaz!ng Meeting, Watson produced a pin-up calendar to support the cost for other women to attend the conference. [12] [13] She founded the website Skepchick in 2005 [11] [14] as a place to distribute the calendars. [13] New additions of the calendar featuring scientists and skeptics were produced each year [15] until 2007. [16]
The website originally consisted of a forum and a monthly e-zine, Skepchick Magazine, launched in 2006. [17] [13] The same year, Watson created a blog that would eventually replace the magazine. [13] Skepchick's stated goal is to "discuss women’s issues from a skeptical standpoint". [11] [18] The site has a focus on science and skepticism in general rather than atheism in particular. [11] Watson has also contributed articles on skepticism to the blog Bostonist . [9]
In 2010, Skepchick partnered with the Women Thinking Free Foundation to host a vaccination drive with the help of the "Hug Me!" campaign at the Dragon*Con convention in Atlanta, Georgia. [19] [ self-published source ] Public health staff provided Tdap vaccinations free of charge, as well as educational literature promoting immunization. [20] In 2011, Skepchick, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), and the Women Thinking Free Foundation partnered to offer a similar vaccination clinic at The Amaz!ng Meeting 9 in Las Vegas. [20]
Skepchick won an Ockham Award in 2012 for Best Skeptic Blog. [21] In 2017, the site consisted of a network of over 20 bloggers from around the world. [11] In 2023, Watson formally closed the blog network after most writers had moved on to other projects. [13]
Watson co-hosted the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast for nine years. [22] Her first appearance was on episode 33 in March 2006, where she was interviewed about her work on Skepchick. She returned for episode 36 as a regular member of the panel. [23] [ not specific enough to verify ] In December 2014, she announced that she had recorded her final show prior to leaving the organization. [24]
In May 2007, Watson entered the Public Radio Talent Quest, a contest aimed to find new public radio hosts. [25] Watson's entries won the popular vote in every round, [26] and she was selected along with two other winners to produce a pilot episode for presentation to executives of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. [8] [27]
Watson's pilot, Curiosity, Aroused, [28] was an hour-long program focused on science and skepticism. [27] It featured interviews with Richard Saunders of Australian Skeptics and Mystery Investigators, and Richard Wiseman, author of the book Quirkology and Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. She also investigated claims of poisonous amounts of lead in lipstick, went on a ghost tour in Boston and visited a Psychic Fair.[ citation needed ] Her show was the only one among the three winners not to be awarded funds for production of a year-long radio program. [29] [30]
This section contains too many or overly lengthy quotations .(August 2020) |
The controversy that came to be known as "Elevatorgate" originated with a video Watson made following the June 2011 World Atheist Convention in Dublin, Ireland, where she appeared on a panel about sexism within the atheist community. [3] : 90–91 [31] In the video, Watson described speaking at the convention about her experience of being sexualized as a woman within the movement, [11] : 100–101 [32] and said that a man from a group of conference attendees had later followed her from the hotel bar into an elevator and sexually propositioned her as she was returning to her room early in the morning. [33] She advised her viewers, "Just a word to the wise here, guys, don't do that", [3] : 91 and went on to say:
I was a single woman, in a foreign country, at 4 a.m., in a hotel elevator with you—just you—and don't invite me back to your hotel room, right after I have finished talking about how it creeps me out and makes me uncomfortable when men sexualize me in that manner. [11] : 101 [34]
Reactions to the video varied, with some supporting Watson's desire for privacy and others criticizing Watson for overreacting. [3] : 90–91 Writer and biologist PZ Myers supported Watson with a post about the incident on his blog Pharyngula . [3] : 90–91 A negative response by the online atheist community to Watson's account of the elevator incident, which was a brief part of a longer video about other topics, [33] soon spread across several websites, including Reddit, and became highly polarized and heated. [35] [36] [ further explanation needed ] The debate steadily grew to include the overall status of women within the secular movement, with most of the movements's prominent figures offering their opinion on whether the elevator incident was sexual harassment. The discussion spurred a continued backlash, with commenters online labeling women who spoke up on the subject as "feminazis" and other misogynistic slurs. [33] Watson experienced death threats, [11] : 101 with commenters on her blog saying in graphic terms how she should be raped and murdered [33] and one man publishing a website threatening to kill her. [4]
The controversy attracted mainstream media attention when biologist Richard Dawkins joined the debate. [33] Although Watson had not compared the incident to sexism within Islam, [37] Dawkins used the occasion to satirize the supposed indifference of Western feminists to the plight of oppressed Muslim women. [3] : 91–92 [38] In the comments section of Myers's blog, he wrote:
Dear Muslima
Stop whining, will you. Yes, yes, I know you had your genitals mutilated with a razor blade, and ... yawn ... .don't tell me yet again, I know you aren't allowed to drive a car, and you can't leave the house without a male relative, and your husband is allowed to beat you, and you'll be stoned to death if you commit adultery. But stop whining, will you. Think of the suffering your poor American sisters have to put up with.
Only this week I heard of one, she calls herself Skep 'chick', and do you know what happened to her? A man in a hotel elevator invited her back to his room for coffee. I am not exaggerating. He really did. He invited her back to his room for coffee. Of course she said no, and of course he didn't lay a finger on her, but even so...
And you, Muslima, think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.
Richard [33]
Dawkins' comments led to accusations of misogyny and Islamophobia. [31] He explained that, in his view, Watson had not suffered any injury, comparing Watson's experience with the annoyance one might feel while riding an elevator with someone chewing gum. [33] : 199–200
Several commentators argued that the incident showed Dawkins' insensitivity to gender-related issues such as sexual violence. [33] : 200 [39] Religious scholar Stephen LeDrew writes that "For the first time since the New Atheism had risen to prominence, [Dawkins] found himself under attack by many of those who had viewed him as a respected leader". [33] : 200 David Allen Green criticized Dawkins for dismissing lesser wrongs because bigger wrongs exist. [40] Steven Tomlins and Lori G. Beaman argue that the incident highlights a schism within atheism over the role of feminism, some saying it should take a prominent place in the movement and others calling it divisive. [41]
Watson said of Dawkins, "to have my concerns—and more so the concerns of other women who have survived rape and sexual assault—dismissed thanks to a rich white man comparing them to the plight of women who have been mutilated, is insulting to all of us". [33] : 200 She stated that she would no longer buy or endorse his books and lectures. [42]
The result of this exchange led to an extended internet flame war [11] : 101 that several reports dubbed "Elevatorgate" [43] [44] and which has been the subject of Internet memes. [31] In the wake of this and an incident at a Center for Inquiry-sponsored event, where female atheists reported gender bias and inappropriate behavior, organizations including the Richard Dawkins Foundation have reviewed their policies regarding sexual harassment and non-discrimination. [35] Dawkins later apologized, [31] [39] stating, "There should be no rivalry in victimhood, and I'm sorry I once said something similar to American women complaining of harassment, inviting them to contemplate the suffering of Muslim women by comparison". [45] Watson tweeted in response, "Richard Dawkins just did the blog-equivalent of coughing into his hand while mumbling 'sorry' to me. Eh, I'll take it." [46]
Watson married Sid Rodrigues in a surprise ceremony during The Amaz!ng Meeting in July 2009. [47] In April 2011, she announced that she and Rodrigues were separated and seeking a divorce. [48] She later remarried. [49]
An outer main-belt asteroid discovered by David H. Healy on March 22, 2001 was named 153289 Rebeccawatson in her honor. [6] [50]
Richard Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. His 1976 book The Selfish Gene popularised the gene-centred view of evolution, as well as coining the term meme. Dawkins has won several academic and writing awards.
Scientific skepticism or rational skepticism, sometimes referred to as skeptical inquiry, is a position in which one questions the veracity of claims lacking scientific evidence. In practice, the term most commonly refers to the examination of claims and theories that appear to be unscientific, rather than the routine discussions and challenges among scientists. Scientific skepticism differs from philosophical skepticism, which questions humans' ability to claim any knowledge about the nature of the world and how they perceive it, and the similar but distinct methodological skepticism, which is a systematic process of being skeptical about the truth of one's beliefs.
The Richard Dawkins Award is an annual prize awarded by the Center for Inquiry (CFI). It was established in 2003 and was initially awarded by the Atheist Alliance of America coordinating with Richard Dawkins and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. In 2019, the award was formally moved to CFI. CFI is a US nonprofit organization that variously claims on its website to promote reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values, or science, reason, and secular values. The award was initially presented by the Atheist Alliance of America to honor an "outstanding atheist", who taught or advocated scientific knowledge and acceptance of nontheism, and raised public awareness. The award is currently presented by the Center for Inquiry to an individual associated with science, scholarship, education, or entertainment, and who "publicly proclaims the values of secularism and rationalism, upholding scientific truth wherever it may lead." They state that the recipient must be approved by Dawkins himself.
Massimo Pigliucci is an Italian-American philosopher and biologist who is professor of philosophy at the City College of New York, former co-host of the Rationally Speaking Podcast, and former editor in chief for the online magazine Scientia Salon. He is a critic of pseudoscience and creationism, and an advocate for secularism and science education.
The Amazing Meeting (TAM), stylized as The Amaz!ng Meeting, was an annual conference that focused on science, skepticism, and critical thinking; it was held for twelve years. The conference started in 2003 and was sponsored by the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Perennial speakers included Penn & Teller, Phil Plait, Michael Shermer and James "The Amazing" Randi. Speakers at the four-day conference were selected from a variety of disciplines including scientific educators, magicians, and community activists. Outside the plenary sessions the conference included workshops, additional panel discussions, music and magic performances and live taping of podcasts including The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. The final Amazing Meeting was held in July 2015.
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is a division of Center for Inquiry (CFI) founded by British biologist Richard Dawkins in 2006 to promote scientific literacy and secularism.
Matthew Wade Dillahunty is an American atheist activist and former president of the Atheist Community of Austin, a position he held from 2006 to 2013. Between 2005 and October 2022, Dillahunty was host of the televised webcast The Atheist Experience.
Paul Zachary Myers is an American biologist who founded and writes the Pharyngula science blog. He is associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) where he works in the field of developmental biology. He is a critic of intelligent design, the creationist movement, and other pseudoscientific concepts.
Atheist feminism is a branch of feminism that also advocates atheism. Atheist feminists hold that religion is a prominent source of female oppression and inequality, believing that the majority of the religions are sexist and oppressive towards women.
The term New Atheism describes the positions of some atheist academics, writers, scientists, and philosophers of the 20th and 21st centuries. New Atheism advocates the view that superstition, religion, and irrationalism should not be tolerated. Instead, they advocate the antitheist view that the various forms of theism should be criticised, countered, examined, and challenged by rational argument, especially when they exert strong influence on the broader society, such as in government, education, and politics. Critics have characterised New Atheism as "secular fundamentalism" or "fundamentalist atheism". Major figures of New Atheism include Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett, collectively referred to as the "Four Horsemen" of the movement.
Sikivu Hutchinson is an American author, playwright, director, and musician. Her multi-genre work explores feminism, gender justice, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, humanism and atheism. She is the author of Humanists in the Hood: Unapologetically Black, Feminist, and Heretical (2020); White Nights, Black Paradise (2015); Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels (2013); Moral Combat: Black Atheists; Gender Politics, and the Values Wars (2011); and Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles (2003). Her plays include "White Nights, Black Paradise", "Rock 'n' Roll Heretic" and "Narcolepsy, Inc.". "Rock 'n' Roll Heretic" was among the 2023 Lambda Literary award LGBTQ Drama finalists. Moral Combat is the first book on atheism to be published by an African-American woman. In 2013 she was named Secular Woman of the year and was awarded Foundation Beyond Belief's 2015 Humanist Innovator award. She was also a recipient of Harvard's 2020 Humanist of the Year award.
Debbie Goddard is an American atheist activist and speaker, and the director of African Americans for Humanism (AAH). In 2019 she took on the role of vice president of programs at American Atheists. Since 2020, she has been on the board of directors of Humanists International.
Greta Christina is an American atheist, blogger, speaker, and author.
Timothy Patrick Farley is a computer software engineer, writer and instructor who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an expert in computer security and reverse engineering as well as a skeptic. He was a research fellow of the James Randi Educational Foundation. Tim Farley is the creator of the website What's The Harm?, a resource where stories are documented and categorized about the damage done when people fail to use critical thinking skills. Farley was also instrumental in the apprehension of spammer "David Mabus."
Stephanie Zvan is an American skeptic, feminist activist and radio host, blogger, newspaper writer, and fiction author. Her radio show, Atheists Talk, is produced by Minnesota Atheists and broadcast on KTNF in Minnesota.
Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and writer. Dawkins himself has stated that his political views are left-leaning. However, many of Dawkins's political statements have created controversy among left-wing and atheist communities.
The Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism is a four-day conference focusing on science and skepticism founded in 2009 and held annually in New York City. NECSS is jointly run by the New York City Skeptics (NYCS) and the New England Skeptical Society (NESS). The Society for Science-Based Medicine joined as a full sponsor of the conference in 2015. As of 2016, attendance was estimated at approximately 500 people.
The first Reason Rally was a public gathering for secularism and religious skepticism held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2012. The rally was sponsored by major atheistic and secular organizations of the United States and was regarded as a "Woodstock for atheists and skeptics". A second Reason Rally was held June 4, 2016 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.