|
Rebecca Watson
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. Early life and educationBorn 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] CareerWatson 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] SkepchickAfter 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] The Skeptics' Guide to the UniverseWatson 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] Public Radio Talent QuestIn 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] "Elevatorgate"
 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.[31][32] In the video, Watson described speaking at the convention about her experience of being sexualized as a woman within the movement,[33][34] 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.[35] She advised her viewers, "Just a word to the wise here, guys, don't do that",[36] and went on to say:
Reactions to the video varied, with some supporting Watson's desire for privacy and others criticizing Watson for overreacting.[31] Writer and biologist PZ Myers supported Watson with a post about the incident on his blog Pharyngula.[31] 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,[35] soon spread across several websites, including Reddit, and became highly polarized and heated.[39][40][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.[35] Watson experienced death threats,[37] with commenters on her blog saying in graphic terms how she should be raped and murdered[35] and one man publishing a website threatening to kill her.[4] The controversy attracted mainstream media attention when biologist Richard Dawkins joined the debate.[35] Although Watson had not compared the incident to sexism within Islam,[41] Dawkins used the occasion to satirize the supposed indifference of Western feminists to the plight of oppressed Muslim women.[42][43] In the comments section of Myers's blog, he wrote:
Dawkins' comments led to accusations of misogyny and Islamophobia.[32] 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.[44] Several commentators argued that the incident showed Dawkins' insensitivity to gender-related issues such as sexual violence.[45][46] 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".[45] David Allen Green criticized Dawkins for dismissing lesser wrongs because bigger wrongs exist.[47] 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.[48] 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".[45] She stated that she would no longer buy or endorse his books and lectures.[49] The result of this exchange led to an extended internet flame war[37] that several reports dubbed "Elevatorgate"[50][51] and which has been the subject of Internet memes.[32] 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.[39] Dawkins later apologized,[32][46] 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".[52] 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."[53] Personal lifeWatson married Sid Rodrigues in a surprise ceremony during The Amaz!ng Meeting in July 2009.[54] In April 2011, she announced that she and Rodrigues were separated and seeking a divorce.[55] She later remarried.[56] HonorsAn outer main-belt asteroid discovered by David H. Healy on March 22, 2001 was named 153289 Rebeccawatson in her honor.[6][57] See also
References
Further reading
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rebecca Watson.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
