…it seemed as if some of the most blatant issues were largely ignored, at least publicly.

You would not be referring to “Angry Vagina Craft Time” by chance, would you? 😉

Or perhaps the other elephant in the room I have yet to fully address?

I’m glad you have no fear. It’s important for many of us to know that don’t need to restrain ourselves when we have a rational argument because we know that we’ll have support from friends.

I understand the fear of wording things in a manner in which they are subsequently misunderstood. When in the heat of the moment, it is easy to be unclear. I know that I’ve been guilty of that on more than one occasion. However, I won’t let a little bit of defensiveness from a few people stop me from speaking up if and when I see something significant that I feel should be addressed.

But, in general, there are just some topics that seem to have been off-limits in this community for some time. My experience yesterday is a great example of why people fear speaking out. My department has gone through periods in which it has seemed taboo to critique, too, and that’s a shame because that kind of open exchange is exactly what a university is designed to encourage.

I think that’s changing for the better (in the Skeptic community). Those being criticized might not take it well and some may join them, but I think we are getting to the point that there is no need to worry about losing friends over criticism which is not personal, lazy, malicious, or irrelevant. If so, perhaps a closer look at who one’s friends are is in order.

But it is sometimes difficult to word things well when you’re angry, and I think that Kylie is feeling the pressure to “get it right” so that she is not misunderstood or trapped by something she wishes she’d have said differently. I struggle with this this myself.

I hope you don’t stop just because some people get defensive, Tonya. On many of the issues that make us all a little nervous, there are many in agreement who would like to be able to speak freely without fear. If some of us do, more will.

The fact is – that I don’t feel I can write openly about this issue reflects that there is a tremendous, unaddressed problem out there with bullying and marginalisation, where one does not feel comfortable or welcome to give any constructive criticism or anything that could be less than an ‘A+ review!’ for some.

Podblack, I completely understand this statement. There was minimal constructive criticism of many of the talks and events, with a lot of things slipping by without question. At first, I thought it was essentially due to a lack of critical thinking from others. Then, I saw very quickly that when I questioned something in a Twitter post, I was immediately met with comments defending the speaker. I don’t usually hesitate to speak my mind in those situations. Likewise, if I am wrong, I like to be given the correct information. In my little fantasy world a conference advocating critical thinking would be the ideal place for constructive criticism and debate.

I bet a Pedantic Penis workshop where we just put balls into sacks would go over HUGE next year.

The personal attacks are not the worst part of it. The worst part is the fear of losing friends who don’t want to discuss the sacred cow. When people attack my friends, it bothers me, so I can understand it. But that makes it hard to step out on a limb without a safety net and voice an unpopular opinion.

Ok gotcha. Though please feel free if at anytime that you think I am barking up the wrong tree to criticize me.

You did not mention if you were at TAM8. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it, whether they are well-formed (this stuff is fuzzy sometimes!) or just feelings. Please feel free to email (or find me on Facebook if we aren’t friends already).

To be brutally honest, and this is nothing more than a guess made from biased obvservations, is that Jen felt that she needed to examine sexism at TAM8 because it has been discussed in regard to previous TAMs.

As I stated in a FB comment and should have included in my post, I would be MUCH more interested in hearing what she had to say about the talks, but she is apparently not going to discuss them. Something about a lost pen, it seems.

Yes, that was snarky, but she says she likes snark, so I’ll leave it.

As a female who received a single-sex education, I have my own thoughts on sexism that differ significantly from blag hag’s post. I was struggling to compose them and happy to see this well-written, through piece by someone with the qualifications to back up statements.

Thanks.