Dear <<First Name>>,
You may not have seen him, bravely standing next to the anti-vaxx crowd in Kelowna holding up various counter protest signs, but David has been fearlessly standing up to ignorance, letting the anti-vaccine, 'pro-freedom' crowd know that there are people who think differently. And wow, David has been doing this since the anti-vaccine protests started.
If you would like to stand next to him, join him on his Facebook Page - YAY Science Okanagan. Below is a write-up of what you might expect at these rallies if you counter-protest.
Do you ever listen to Jon Stewart - Here is his reasoning why he intially supported Joe Rogan - Spotify And Rogan: How To Engage With Misinformation | The Problem With Jon Stewart Podcast
Sincerely,
Nina George
think@askuskelowna.ca
KASHA - Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics & Humanists Association
Inquire with us at askuskelowna.ca
You can now become a member via our secure website payment system HERE
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Nitwit Counter-Protesting 101
 If you’re nervous about getting involved and taking a stand for what’s right, here’s what to expect if you ever join me on a Saturday.
If you get there early (11am'ish), first of all, it’s quiet. Not many people around, often a very nice morning, good time to drink your tea and chat. Grin at the cute kids marching off to the ice rink with mom and dad. Come and say hi. It will be nice to meet you.
Then the flag-wavers start rolling in, honking and irritating.
So my advice for the protest-hesitant is to just hang back and observe. Don’t hold a sign, just wear a mask and stand on the City Hall side of the road (the mutts occupy the park across the street).
See what a party this is to the ill-educated. It’s fascinating and scary (not physically but intellectually) all at once.
Without a sign in your hands you’ll be left alone. Wearing a mask might get you a comment (if you’re near the sidewalk) or question like “Why are you wearing a diaper?” or some such. Just ignore them. Which is good advice for anything they say, really.
So hang back, and maybe watch me become the target. I'm used to it.
The oddballs will walk across the street to have their picture taken with me holding an abusive sign, and they will often try to convince me I’m wrong. This would take some doing, as I patiently try to explain science to them in one brief, noisy conversation beside a road. I try to tell them that we’ll not find common ground, and to part as friends, but it doesn’t always work.
If you’re approached by a wingding, they will often begin their wingdingery by saying “Can I ask you a question?”
The best answer to this is “No. Please stop talking. Go away. Shoo! Close your mouth while breathing! Piss off!” Or whatever suits your style. I often say all of this to them in a constant barrage of abuse. It's kind of fun.
This will not stop them, however, so be prepared to just walk away, unless you enjoy hearing the most bug-nutty facts and theories ever told by mankind (if, for example, you meet Racist Idiot Bruce and his GoPro camera in your face).
Being approached by someone a few fries short of a Happy Meal is also a good way to get caught up on all the latest FOX news, which you’ve probably missed. “Have you not heard of (insert name of lone wolf doctor who knows the REAL truth here) and he says that…”
And that’s how it goes.
Some practical notery here:
- Making a sign? Make it legible. Just a Sharpie on some paper will NOT be seen. Do you really want these people coming close to you in order to read your pithy statement? I think not. Get the biggest felt pen you can find (I always have one with me in case a sign breaks out), and make your script lines thick. Keep it short. And make it big. Every inch taller means it can be read forty feet farther away. And did I say keep it short? Keep it short. Don’t write a paragraph. Write one short, punchy statement if people are driving by. Longer ones work for walking people who have the time to read it, but generally shorter is better, unlike this paragraph.
- Hang back and observe the shenanigans if you are fearful. You will be fine. There will be police around, and security people. Nothing to fear physically, unless they start making speeches, in which case you may lose your breakfast, or your brains may fall out. Gawd they are dull. And stupid.
- Remember you cannot make them see your point of view. It is entirely pointless trying to convince them of actual facts, or that they are incorrect in their thinking. So why bother? Don’t worry about appearing rude – you cannot offend these people, so walk away from them. Or call them names. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. You cannot bruise a pillow.
- Park away from the traffic. Trust me on this. You don’t want to get stuck in amongst a bunch of honking idiots who have the intellectual capacity of bathroom cleanser.
- Prepare to get sad. Seeing people bring their kids to these things is kind of horrifying, as is the completely-separated-from-reality mindset of all participating.
- Prepare to get mad. Seeing the result of our education system writ large at these demonstrations is an eye-opener (at least I hope it is) and perhaps you’ll see why I stand up for science and reality. It’s awful and may make you question a lot of things. Good. Get angry and come out again. This has to stop.
I’ll shut up now. Come out and say hi. Thanks again for all your support.
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Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
from centerforinquiry.org
Today humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding–and also appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing?
Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books, he has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People and one of Foreign Policy‘s 100 Leading Global Thinkers. His books include The Blank Slate, The Stuff of Thought, The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, and Enlightenment Now.
This talk (Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters) took place on January 6, 2022 as part of Skeptical Inquirer Presents.
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‘Gone by 2040’: Why some religions are declining in Canada faster than ever
By Ashleigh Steward - Global News
Posted January 8, 2022
Updated January 17, 2022
It’s Advent Sunday and snow is falling thick and fast outside the front doors of the soaring, neo-Gothic bell tower of the Metropolitan United Church in downtown Toronto.
 A tiny crowd huddles around a black Weber grill, emitting brief puffs of smoke as a crackling fire battles the elements.
“Come, gather around the holy barbecue,” Reverend Jason Meyers jokes.
It’s a modern scene amid very modern challenges facing religious institutions in Canada. Continue reading HERE
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Shortly after the KASHA newsletter was sent out on December 22, I received an email from a KASHA member expressing his disappointment that we had included a link to the Zoom video chat between Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins. I was unaware of the backgrounds of these men, and had I known more about them, I don't think I would have promoted them in any way in our newsletter. If you are interested in becoming more informed, please check out the following articles: Lawrence Krauss and the Legacy of Harassment in Science, The Unbeliever, Richard Dawkins Loses "Humanist of the Year" Title Over Trans Comments, and Atheist Richard Dawkins Swings to Anti-Trans Right.
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Prey is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Matt Gallagher and released in 2019. An examination of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, the film centres on Rod McLeod, a man who is suing the church for restitution after having been abused in childhood by priest William Hodgson "Hod" Marshall, and includes testimonial interviews from some of Marshall's other victims.
https://www.knowledge.ca/program/prey#air-dates
One can sign up for free to get access to the Knowledge Network and stream this documentary.
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What I learned through deconverting (and funerals)
By Tania
(July 2013)
It has been about 2 ½ years now since the start of my deconversion.
I had been having questions and doubts about many of the Christian doctrines for years leading up to this, and I'd had many struggles with God and my relationship with Him; yet at these times, I sensed that these things were just building blocks to a stronger Christian faith, and I worked hard to become “the kind of person God wants me to be.”
In January 2011, something snapped. It was something small, in the scheme of things, and looking back on it now, I'm grateful for how things worked out in the end. But, nonetheless, I believe that it was the thing that marked the start of my unbelief in a God who intervenes in the lives of His children. What happened was small: I was interested in a young man; I felt that God had placed him into my life and that we would end up together, eventually, as husband and wife; said man expressed, three months into my infatuation with him, that he was not interested in me. And this hurt. It hurts to be rejected. And it hurt that it had seemed like such a “God thing,” only to be crushed. I remember going into my bathroom and looking at myself in the mirror, crying, angry, asking, “Really? Really, God? What are you doing? What ARE you doing? Where are you? Are You even there?”
Click HERE to read more
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Webinars & Town Halls on the KASHA website
Thanks to Darrel, we now have a page of interesting webinars and town hall meetings from BC Humanists, Center for Inquiry Canada, and Amnesty International that you can watch.
If you just can't watch another Netflix show or commercial TV, tune in here to see issues that are relevant to you. KASHA WEBINAR PAGE
You can also catch up on some of our previous newsletters HERE.
Thanks, Darrel, for all your work!
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We are officially an affliate local group member with BC Humanists. We receive support to help connect with humanists and atheists in our area. We become part of a larger network of non-religious people across the province by joining with other groups.