Brian Sapient - Latest Comments

Re: Rant after reading all of the Rush Limbaugh supporters

BrianSapient — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:37:31 -0000

It could be that you just visited a site on that topic either pro-choice or anti-woman and the ad company is targeting people who did. Or maybe the ad company is targeting Rush Limbaugh posts, or something similar.

I don't choose the ads, I just use google. Advertisers have to pay for that space and the highest bidder wins. You can do something about it by buying ads on my site and outbidding them. Use google.com/adwords and site target me. :-)

Re: Rant after reading all of the Rush Limbaugh supporters

Olga Fedorova — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:17:14 -0000

Why in the world is an anti-Choice ad appearing on your blog? You really should do something about this.

Re: My religious upbringing and a timeline

WWJD — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:36:12 -0000

My thoughts,WOW!!!!If I was to word my thoughts to you and your clan from the ABC debate with Kirk Cameron till now,I'd have to say you are a complete and total IDIOT!!!May my God forgive me!!ROLLING YOUR EYES AND SHAKING YOUR HEAD!!!I didn't see the Christians doing that!!!That's all you all do is WHINE!!!WAH!!!!Do you see Christians do that,I don't!!Ya'll got the 10 commandments out of the courtroom and stopped prayer in school and you don't see the obvious of what that has done to America.Our forefathers built this nation as a nation under God and you and your brethren are doing all you can do to wipe it out,but it never will happen!!Allot of the reason this country is in moral decay is due to the fact we have turned our backs away from God,but no you don't see it that way!!It's the Christians fault!!!So intelligent,but such an IDIOT!!Throughout recorded history Atheists have killed more innocent people than what God has done to unjust and while I watched that debate years ago,you said something about atheist around the world!!You need to get some facts straight about that and not some second hand poll that you and your comrades made up!!I try to maintain my composure and do the Christian thing,but in a world full of idiot's and haters it's sometimes hard to do.IT'S EASY TO BLAME THE OTHER PERSON AND I SEE YOU HAVE DONE THAT ALLOT ALL YOUR LIFE FROM JUST THE FEW HOURS I READ ABOUT YOU!!!MAYBE JUST MAYBE IT WASN'T YOUR MAMA'S FAULT FOR BREAKING THE FAMILY UP,MAYBE IT WAS BRIAN'S FAULT!!That just made you look more like a whine bag!!!!WAH!!!WAH!!!

Re: Speak out against PIPA

anty — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:45:41 -0000

Hey, I'm not sure if you read these comments, but I couldn't find an email address. So...

Frank Walton is back - well, he never really left - and is currently stirring up things on youtube. Now under the name, "John Leonard" h's served many with DMCAs - including me - and created harassing website - including one about me.

I know he used to harass the rational response squad, and if you think you have any information that will help us track this nut job down, can you shoot me an email at antybu86@gmail.com ?

Thanks

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

BrianSapient — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:20:45 -0000

Sorry about that, it is misleading. I myself thought there was a connection. I'll edit it a little.

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

Melody Hensley — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:48:34 -0000

By the way, the Centre for Inquiry Canada is a completely different organization from the Center for Inquiry. The Center for Inquiry has no control over the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Your blog may mislead readers.

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

Kapkao — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 07:36:17 -0000

Minor addendum: You're going to take heat for being a gifthorse, at times, because of your high visibility in activism and your innate leadership skills. People feel angry at RRS or atheism in general, you would likely be on the receiving end of that anger. Mostly this amounts to anonymous trolling and verbal abuse, which is a definite plus, considering how theists usually resolve their anger.

Dawk received the same kind of treatment before going "RDNFubar", as I understand it.

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

Robert "Kapkao" Hester — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:47:47 -0000

I like it!

Suggestion: if what is happening with atheism right now could be thought of in terms of division and factionism, perhaps the problem isn't what schools of thought or approach to theism and religion one takes. Perhaps it is merely a question of what positions a person is diametrically opposed to (as you suggested.) In the setup I have in my head, it isn't a problem of a willingness to unify... it is a problem of diametric opposition. That is to say, "accomodationism vs confrontationalism" "anticonfrontationalism vs antiaccomodationism". Of course, this is only in my very limited experience with activism of any sort. In broader terms, diametric opposition is a defining trait of religions, cultures, ideologies and organizations with access to Information Age technologies across the globe; essentially everyone who can buy a tablet device. In such a scenario, where so many people have access to instant communication and 21st century data organization (internet communities, that is), many billions of people immediately recognize they have vehement disagreements with ideals spawned across the globe. In many cases, practicing such ideals or concepts become what is known as a "deal breaker", and can even part close friends (I've already seen a live example of the latter and it wasn't pleasant.) Apparently, religion is the ultimate dealbreaker for you, Sapient in the sense that you have no place for religion in your personal habits and behaviors. Indeed, when it comes to helping rather than causing harm, religion is the second most ineffective tool of human society. The absolute most ineffective is 21st century war.

When people define their positions in terms of what they are against, rather than what they advocate, they have the option of holding opinions and supporting beliefs that may contradict themselves in terms of whatever school of thought they might normally be labelled with in terms of advocacy.

For a (fake) hypothetical: I am ANTItheist and ANTInonsecularist, where nonsecularist= a person who attempts to bridge the gulf between society and religion as much as possible. I am not necessarily atheist or secularist. Think about it, if you will. But don't think I borrowed this idea from Hitch (I didn't.)

There are apparently a multitude of ways to define your opposition to a particular idea or another, and sometimes simply appending the prefix 'ANTI' is the best way to go, if the idea is the maximum rhetorical advantage.

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

BrianSapient — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:20:44 -0000

There's plenty of evidence on that page to show there was a rift in part because Justin was viewed as a confrontationalist.

"The squabbles at CFI are part of a larger disagreement between accommodationists and confrontationists."

"As the former National Director of the Center for Inquiry Canada, Justin Trottier clearly fell into the Confrontationalist camp."

I understand you have a different opinion. I also understand that you could have made your post under your own name very easy. You could have logged in with any number of services yet you chose to make your post in secret. Since your post is all hearsay, and you're anonymous forgive me for not jumping right on board.

At least log in.

Re: Implosion at CFI Canada because of accomodationism vs confrontationalism

Nobody — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 19:30:49 -0000

Your title already shows a complete miscomprehension of what happened at CFI Canada. Unless confrontationalist/accommodationist just means jerk/non-jerk, that debate had nothing to do with the in-fighting. Justin Trottier has a reputation for treating CFI employees and volunteers poorly, and otherwise being a lousy manager of people. Derek Pert was more professional, and got on well with most people (except those poisoned by Justin's allies). If Justin was fired for being confrontational, this is what it was about. Nothing about whether we are dicks to the religious.