Advocatus Atheist

Cultural appropriation ***OUTRAGE*** is, in most cases, total BS. Upon closer inspection, I think you'll discover that this faux outrage regarding cultural appropriation also happens to be a form of thinly veiled xenophobia. I'll explain more about that down below. Around a year ago, I remember that outrage over white people being allowed to try on kimonos at a cultural fair that went viral. It was all over the American newsfeed for about a week. I could hardly believe it. A cultural fair, people! You're supposed to partake in other cultures at cultural fairs. That's what they're for.  The same goes for festivals. It's a chance to try to understand the culture by becoming it and partaking in it. And even if it's just for a one-time experience, it will be a *culturally* enriching experience. That's the whole idea behind multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is the co-existence, sharing, and mingling of a multitude of cultures, and th

*** ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED  On The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser July 9th, 2016 *** IS ABORTION MURDER? (A RATIONALIST’S TAKE) By Tristan Vick 7/9/2016 INTRODUCTION I’ve always been somewhat of a pedant when it comes to terminology. Personally, I just think it’s better to know what you’re talking about when you’re pontificating on some cultural or social subject rather than, say, not knowing anything but thinking you’re the bee’s knees simply for having an opinion. Often in the pro-life vs. pro-choice abortion debate, the pro-life side will make the hyperbolic claim that “abortion is murder!” They also like to imply if you support abortion that you are in support of murder. They don’t seem to realize that the pro-choice side isn’t pro-baby killing. We don’t want unnecessary abortions either. But when it comes to the abortion debate, we pro-choicers have understood the fine nuances of the pro-life proposition which they clearly have