Mollyycolllinss Categories Society
7 days
30 days
All time
Recent
Popular
THREAD: On Jewish Atheism. People frequently ask whether you can be a Jew and be an atheist. When speaking to Jews about atheism, Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi would famously say “I don’t believe in the same God you don’t believe in.” This is the basis of my answer. 0/
Atheism as we think of it in common popular culture in America is primarily based on a Christian worldview. Atheism in this form is in contrast to Christian views of belief, belief in Christ being the integral key point to Christianity. This is not parallel in Judaism. 1/
In order to be an atheist in Judaism, you have to actively believe something very specific: The materiality of the world as we see it is definitely all there is, without any meaning or purpose. Arch materialists like this certainly exist, but I find them exceedingly rare. 2/
Throughout Jewish history the theology has been incredibly diverse. The idea of a man in the sky pulling the strings has not been prominent for over a millennium. Even Biblically it wasn't the norm. For great Biblical theology, check out this book: https://t.co/tq6tk2OSUj 3/
Classical Rabbinic ideas varied widely. Merkabah Mystics did transcendental journeying for experience of the supernatural realm; Tzadokim denied the supernatural realm; the Mishnah (below) simply said don't go there. Jews always went There, but never settled on what "There" is.4/
Atheism as we think of it in common popular culture in America is primarily based on a Christian worldview. Atheism in this form is in contrast to Christian views of belief, belief in Christ being the integral key point to Christianity. This is not parallel in Judaism. 1/
In order to be an atheist in Judaism, you have to actively believe something very specific: The materiality of the world as we see it is definitely all there is, without any meaning or purpose. Arch materialists like this certainly exist, but I find them exceedingly rare. 2/
Throughout Jewish history the theology has been incredibly diverse. The idea of a man in the sky pulling the strings has not been prominent for over a millennium. Even Biblically it wasn't the norm. For great Biblical theology, check out this book: https://t.co/tq6tk2OSUj 3/
Classical Rabbinic ideas varied widely. Merkabah Mystics did transcendental journeying for experience of the supernatural realm; Tzadokim denied the supernatural realm; the Mishnah (below) simply said don't go there. Jews always went There, but never settled on what "There" is.4/
1/ Thread
@rak3re aptly identifies a sudden shift in global consensus in early March, which led to endless lockdowns. But it’s vital to realize this shift didn’t just happen; the CCP launched an entire campaign of propaganda and fraudulent science to bring it about. Let’s recap.
2/ In late Feb., WHO was dazzled by China: “China’s uncompromising and rigorous use of non-pharmaceutical measures to contain transmission of the COVID-19 virus in multiple settings provides vital lessons for the global
3/ In a press conference, Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO’s China mission, told the press: “What China has demonstrated is, you have to do this. If you do it, you can save lives and prevent thousands of cases of what is a very difficult disease.”
https://t.co/KpAqMTKnEM
4/ Two days later, in an interview for China Central Television (CCTV), Aylward (who later disconnected a live interview when asked about Taiwan) put it bluntly: “Copy China’s response to
5/ @NYTimes immediately lapped up the WHO’s February report: “China ‘took one of the most ancient strategies and rolled out one of the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease-containment efforts in
@rak3re aptly identifies a sudden shift in global consensus in early March, which led to endless lockdowns. But it’s vital to realize this shift didn’t just happen; the CCP launched an entire campaign of propaganda and fraudulent science to bring it about. Let’s recap.
What happened in those ten days? The moral burden of the pandemic\u2019s outcome shifted as a global consensus (read: groupthink) began to emerge that China\u2019s declining cases \u2013 after three months of uncontrolled spread \u2013 was explained entirely by its \u201cdraconian\u201d measures. 7/ pic.twitter.com/pCFLvU5zdx
— rak3re (@rak3re) February 2, 2021
2/ In late Feb., WHO was dazzled by China: “China’s uncompromising and rigorous use of non-pharmaceutical measures to contain transmission of the COVID-19 virus in multiple settings provides vital lessons for the global
3/ In a press conference, Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO’s China mission, told the press: “What China has demonstrated is, you have to do this. If you do it, you can save lives and prevent thousands of cases of what is a very difficult disease.”
https://t.co/KpAqMTKnEM
4/ Two days later, in an interview for China Central Television (CCTV), Aylward (who later disconnected a live interview when asked about Taiwan) put it bluntly: “Copy China’s response to
5/ @NYTimes immediately lapped up the WHO’s February report: “China ‘took one of the most ancient strategies and rolled out one of the most ambitious, agile and aggressive disease-containment efforts in
Read my report for the @thegwpfcom on the UK Climate Assembly, which was an obvious and deeply flawed attempt to circumvent democracy.
The Climate Assembly was convened by six parliamentary select committees:
@CommonsTreasury
@CommonsTrans
@CommonsSTC
@CommonsHCLG
@CommonsEAC
@CommonsBEIS
But half of the funding came from two green billionaire "philanthropic" foundations who controlled the event.
Those foundations are the European Climate Foundation (ECF) & the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) @EsmeeFairbairn.
(Don't take my word for it - the influence of political organisations in Parliament is supported uncritically by MPs like Darren
The Climate Assembly brought together 108 "randomly selected" members of the public, who heard from speakers chosen by four 'expert leads'.
One of those leads is Chair of @theCCCuk, Chris Stark @ChiefExecCCC.
That's obviously problematic, as the report explains.
The other Leads are:
* @Bankfieldbecky formerly of the @GreenAllianceUK
* @lwhitmarsh, chair of UK Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST)
* Former @UKERCHQ chair & chair of @theCCC's Net-Zero Advisory Group, Jim Watson.
No bias there then.
UK Climate Assembly was undemocratic https://t.co/cBjwSgXxIR pic.twitter.com/hHYnpV77Ds
— GWPF (@thegwpfcom) January 29, 2021
The Climate Assembly was convened by six parliamentary select committees:
@CommonsTreasury
@CommonsTrans
@CommonsSTC
@CommonsHCLG
@CommonsEAC
@CommonsBEIS
But half of the funding came from two green billionaire "philanthropic" foundations who controlled the event.
Those foundations are the European Climate Foundation (ECF) & the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (EFF) @EsmeeFairbairn.
(Don't take my word for it - the influence of political organisations in Parliament is supported uncritically by MPs like Darren
On behalf of @CommonsBEIS and five other @UKParliament committees, thanks to @involveUK @SarahAllanUK @SortitionNow @mySociety @ECIU_UK @ChiefExecCCC @watsonjim2 @lwhitmarsh @Bankfieldbecky European Climate Foundation @EsmeeFairbairn and of course all 108 @NetZeroUK members!
— Darren Jones MP (@darrenpjones) January 26, 2021
The Climate Assembly brought together 108 "randomly selected" members of the public, who heard from speakers chosen by four 'expert leads'.
One of those leads is Chair of @theCCCuk, Chris Stark @ChiefExecCCC.
That's obviously problematic, as the report explains.
The other Leads are:
* @Bankfieldbecky formerly of the @GreenAllianceUK
* @lwhitmarsh, chair of UK Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST)
* Former @UKERCHQ chair & chair of @theCCC's Net-Zero Advisory Group, Jim Watson.
No bias there then.
I think this is a critically important piece and that we should continue to add more and more nuance to this conversation. I would share that I don't think despair is necessarily linked to determinist and binary notions of gender.
When we think about criminalizing care for trans youth - which is what states are currently trying to do - the efforts are intimately connected to codifying notions of irreversibility and constraining bodily self-determination.
This is why we see bills both criminalize care for trans youth while permitting surgical intervention on intersex infants to "normalize" their bodies in alignment with binary constructions of sexed difference.
Many of the newly introduced state bills also mandate disclosure by school staff to parents and guardians of any trans or questioning young person thus chilling the ability of young people to safely explore their identities and bodies.
Despair is tied not only to forcibly having treatment cutoff and the state criminalizing transition but also in losing self-determination. Many young people who are accessing medical care do not (and will not) have binary identities.
In which I argue that we are arguing about some of the wrong things. We Need to Change the Terms of the Debate on Trans Kids https://t.co/qqDdKnAGMB via @NewYorker
— masha gessen (@mashagessen) January 13, 2021
When we think about criminalizing care for trans youth - which is what states are currently trying to do - the efforts are intimately connected to codifying notions of irreversibility and constraining bodily self-determination.
This is why we see bills both criminalize care for trans youth while permitting surgical intervention on intersex infants to "normalize" their bodies in alignment with binary constructions of sexed difference.
Many of the newly introduced state bills also mandate disclosure by school staff to parents and guardians of any trans or questioning young person thus chilling the ability of young people to safely explore their identities and bodies.
Despair is tied not only to forcibly having treatment cutoff and the state criminalizing transition but also in losing self-determination. Many young people who are accessing medical care do not (and will not) have binary identities.
1/ Thanks to @BBCr4today for having me on to discuss data collection on sex and why it matters. This follows the extraordinary claim by Scotland's Chief Statistician, Roger Halliday, that sex should typically not be asked unless there is a medical reason.
2/ In fact, those of us who use quantitative data overwhelmingly believe that sex is important. It matters across a wide range of domains: education, wages, crime, political attitudes, religion - you name it, sex is almost always a big predictor!
3/ Sex and gender identity are two different things, and gender identity is not a clarly defined concept. Ciaran McFadden Young (who is not a quantitative social scientist as far as I can see) claimed that sex doesn't matter, effectively it is always trumped by gender identity.
4/ This is a remarkable claim, but it is a testable claim, if we collect data on both sex and gender identity. If we can't collect the data, then we will never be able to test this hypothesis. And perhaps that's the point.
5/ Ciaran also claimed that is has been proven that post-transition MtF transwomen earn the same as https://t.co/6luJGGHikU was frustrating not to have a chance to challenge this claim, which I find implausible. I'd be very interested to see the research referred to @dr_ciaran
2/ In fact, those of us who use quantitative data overwhelmingly believe that sex is important. It matters across a wide range of domains: education, wages, crime, political attitudes, religion - you name it, sex is almost always a big predictor!
3/ Sex and gender identity are two different things, and gender identity is not a clarly defined concept. Ciaran McFadden Young (who is not a quantitative social scientist as far as I can see) claimed that sex doesn't matter, effectively it is always trumped by gender identity.
4/ This is a remarkable claim, but it is a testable claim, if we collect data on both sex and gender identity. If we can't collect the data, then we will never be able to test this hypothesis. And perhaps that's the point.
5/ Ciaran also claimed that is has been proven that post-transition MtF transwomen earn the same as https://t.co/6luJGGHikU was frustrating not to have a chance to challenge this claim, which I find implausible. I'd be very interested to see the research referred to @dr_ciaran
For those of you concerned about the "damage" done to the field and academic freedom by the push to cancel transphobes in philosophy, I have this to say
The above is from Gen. Sherman on what is necessary to restore the Union during the Civil War, the sentiment is apt for my position on philosophy: if we are to have an inclusive field and the structure of the field prevents that, then that structure must be destroyed. (2/n)
Now, I understand that this sounds harsh, but consider why it sounds harsh: so much of the pushback against transphobia in philosophy, and the recommendations made to address transphobia in philosophy sounds like "damage" to philosophy by established philosophers. (3/n)
And in response to that perception of damage or destruction, they push back hard to preserve the "integrity" of the field, regardless of the harm being done to the marginalized people who have to survive an inhospitable field that refuses to change. (4/n)
Now, this position was anticipated by Sara Ahmed in the following:
“Indeed so often just talking about sexism as well as racism is heard as damaging the institution. If talking about sexism and racism is heard as damaging institutions, we need to damage institutions.” (5/n)
"We do want and will have an inclusive field of philosophy. That we will have, and, if it involves the destruction of your departments and institutions, we cannot help it."
— Dr. Johnathan Flowers says "Fuck your Democracy." (@shengokai) January 13, 2021
The above is from Gen. Sherman on what is necessary to restore the Union during the Civil War, the sentiment is apt for my position on philosophy: if we are to have an inclusive field and the structure of the field prevents that, then that structure must be destroyed. (2/n)
Now, I understand that this sounds harsh, but consider why it sounds harsh: so much of the pushback against transphobia in philosophy, and the recommendations made to address transphobia in philosophy sounds like "damage" to philosophy by established philosophers. (3/n)
And in response to that perception of damage or destruction, they push back hard to preserve the "integrity" of the field, regardless of the harm being done to the marginalized people who have to survive an inhospitable field that refuses to change. (4/n)
Now, this position was anticipated by Sara Ahmed in the following:
“Indeed so often just talking about sexism as well as racism is heard as damaging the institution. If talking about sexism and racism is heard as damaging institutions, we need to damage institutions.” (5/n)
Hello, gentrified farm & food media.
Get your shit together. Clean up your house.
There are thousands of BIPOC and working-class activists doing the real work of building viable, accessible, long-term food systems.
And y'all prefer to work with actual crackpots over them.
This isn't an isolated event. Joel Salatin has been completely candid about his white supremacy, and the food movement kept platforming him for years. Here's just one journalist talking about how he did so despite Black women repeatedly asking him not
Baker Creek kept platforming very special militant white dude Cliven Bundy until their own customers boycotted them out of
In today's food & justice world: Latine meat plant workers are one of, if not the hardest-hit demographic in the pandemic.
Indigenous communities are scrambling to vaccinate older tribe members to keep their languages from going extinct.
More than 1 in 750 Indigenous & Black Americans have already died from COVID.
https://t.co/yFq67WLZxL
And your response to this horror is… horse around with a dude who makes movies about how it's fake? And tries to overturn free and fair elections?
*That's* what you've got?
Get your shit together. Clean up your house.
There are thousands of BIPOC and working-class activists doing the real work of building viable, accessible, long-term food systems.
And y'all prefer to work with actual crackpots over them.
Just your reminder that Mikki Willis - a COVID conspiracy theorist who was photographed storming the U.S. Capitol - was on the advisory board for @kissthegroundoc until like five minutes ago.
— SOMETHING ELSE. (@SylvanaquaFarms) January 11, 2021
This isn't an isolated event. Joel Salatin has been completely candid about his white supremacy, and the food movement kept platforming him for years. Here's just one journalist talking about how he did so despite Black women repeatedly asking him not
Baker Creek kept platforming very special militant white dude Cliven Bundy until their own customers boycotted them out of
In today's food & justice world: Latine meat plant workers are one of, if not the hardest-hit demographic in the pandemic.
Indigenous communities are scrambling to vaccinate older tribe members to keep their languages from going extinct.
More than 1 in 750 Indigenous & Black Americans have already died from COVID.
https://t.co/yFq67WLZxL
And your response to this horror is… horse around with a dude who makes movies about how it's fake? And tries to overturn free and fair elections?
*That's* what you've got?
Things I learned after I got covid (I'm fine now):
- You can be contagious 1-3 days before having symptoms
- Taking zinc can make you really nauseas ... taking too many vitamins can also make you super nauseas
- Protein and hydration are key
- The headaches are no joke
- You should really try to walk around (inside) for some parts of the day even though you want to and probably will sleep literally all day
- The rapid tests are SOOOO INACCURATE. The PCR test matters. If you're in GA, cvs is a great. https://t.co/AlSdQ5mkxK is testing ASAP tho
- You really need to let everyone you interacted with 1-3 days before becoming symptomatic when you've tested positive. It sucks sending that message, but you need to do it.
- You should also let people you've seen in the 14 days prior know too incase you got it from them
- Stay away from sugar (yes even donuts). Make healthy smoothies. They really helped.
- I took vit c and d (apparently d is really important). Fish oil (some days) and zinc (but stopped bc it was making me feel sick)
- Also used a nasal spray and a colloidal silver spray.
- I didn't develop a cough. My fiance had one. I'm not sure if its bc I started doing a salt water gargle early but who knows. I had a sore throat like the first day and that's all.
- Tylenol didn't help my headache. A shower made it slightly more bearable. Took nyquil at night
- You can be contagious 1-3 days before having symptoms
- Taking zinc can make you really nauseas ... taking too many vitamins can also make you super nauseas
- Protein and hydration are key
- The headaches are no joke
- You should really try to walk around (inside) for some parts of the day even though you want to and probably will sleep literally all day
- The rapid tests are SOOOO INACCURATE. The PCR test matters. If you're in GA, cvs is a great. https://t.co/AlSdQ5mkxK is testing ASAP tho
- You really need to let everyone you interacted with 1-3 days before becoming symptomatic when you've tested positive. It sucks sending that message, but you need to do it.
- You should also let people you've seen in the 14 days prior know too incase you got it from them
- Stay away from sugar (yes even donuts). Make healthy smoothies. They really helped.
- I took vit c and d (apparently d is really important). Fish oil (some days) and zinc (but stopped bc it was making me feel sick)
- Also used a nasal spray and a colloidal silver spray.
- I didn't develop a cough. My fiance had one. I'm not sure if its bc I started doing a salt water gargle early but who knows. I had a sore throat like the first day and that's all.
- Tylenol didn't help my headache. A shower made it slightly more bearable. Took nyquil at night
The most critical flaw in this piece imo is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of sexual offending by men, particularly voyeurism and indecent exposure. Self-declaration is a MUCH lower barrier than current requirements for these motivated offenders (who are not rare)
Recent experience with historical sex offence cases show how far the most motivated serious offenders are prepared to go- including getting specific lifetime jobs and volunteering positions. These are a relatively small number of men. Indecent exposure however 2/
Is a crime that roughly 3 MILLION women have experienced since age 16. Well over 100 THOUSAND offences were committed in the last year (official gov stats https://t.co/FxTUosXaFj )
3/
What percentage of these offenders would pretend to be trans in order to offend? Well, you might argue that a very large proportion won't, but what is the barrier proposed under self-ID? Filling in a form. There's no commitment to a process required 4/
And (this is key) there are women's spaces where it is normal to be unclothed. So these men can indulge their offending without any realistic possibility of conviction, AND 5/
Recent experience with historical sex offence cases show how far the most motivated serious offenders are prepared to go- including getting specific lifetime jobs and volunteering positions. These are a relatively small number of men. Indecent exposure however 2/
Is a crime that roughly 3 MILLION women have experienced since age 16. Well over 100 THOUSAND offences were committed in the last year (official gov stats https://t.co/FxTUosXaFj )
3/
What percentage of these offenders would pretend to be trans in order to offend? Well, you might argue that a very large proportion won't, but what is the barrier proposed under self-ID? Filling in a form. There's no commitment to a process required 4/
And (this is key) there are women's spaces where it is normal to be unclothed. So these men can indulge their offending without any realistic possibility of conviction, AND 5/
