MORE BRIGHTNESS
The brights are being discussed again. I mentioned them here. They're taking well-deserved criticism here and here. It's a smarmy, arrogant, condescening term. The obvious objection being that believers in supernatural forces are, by implication, "dim". This may occasionally be true, but the same can be said of any other stereotype. It doesn't make it's use appropriate.
Another objection I have, along with the above, is that the term simply isn't needed. The topic rarely comes up in discussion, so it provides no real convenience over such phrases as "I'm a mechanistic atheist," or "I'm a materialist" or even "I think paranormal claims are a bunch of crap."
If you're gonna make up words, make up words we actually need, like one for those twin ridges of skin between my nose and upper lip. Next time I get hit there it *would* be convenient to be able to say, "Ouch! My trosbmnaul!"
Let's see if these people are "bright" enought to do that.
posted by Harvey at 6:08:01 PM permalink HOME
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