I ran into this yet again, in another throwback episode of The Atheist Experience. Matt really has problems not understanding the words that come out of his own mouth.
This is why I object to him the second he walks into social issues because he has every bit as much faith as a theist in the issues that he embraces. But first, let’s link to the video and then we’ll talk more.
Here’s the video, if you want to watch it. The part that I’m specifically talking about happens about 6 minutes in, if you want to fast forward, but listening to earlier parts will probably provide context.
Jim and Matt are asking this wingnut what methodology he uses to prove his interpretation of the Bible is correct. Then, Matt goes on a mini-rant about how he knows cis people aren’t better than trans people or white people aren’t better than black people, but you know what he entirely fails to cover?
His own methodology!
This is just the stuff he feels, which is exactly the same thing that the theist is doing! Matt feels very strongly that all people are equal, but he says to the caller that it doesn’t matter what anyone feels, it matters what you can back up.
When do we think he’s going to come up with anything to support his own side?
Now I agree with him. I agree that cis people aren’t better than trans people and vice versa. All people are equal, at least in the eyes of the law. That’s basic social convention, or at least it should be. How you would actually defend that rationally, I don’t really know, since “equal” and “better” are wiggle words. You’d have to get some kind of agreement on what those terms mean and I think that you’d have a problem doing that, especially with people who are more emotional than intellectual.
So Matt is criticizing this guy for something he cannot do on his own. If he wants people to stop simply declaring their beliefs true, which is essentially what he’s doing, then he needs to do the same thing or be revealed as a complete hypocrite.
Sadly, I think that’s what he is and all of these instances of him saying one thing and doing another proves it. Granted, this is a couple of years old, but he’s still doing the same thing today. Any time slavery comes up on The Line, he’s still ranting and raving about how it’s horrible because he believes that it is, while ignoring all the stuff that the other side believes, because obviously, Matt’s morality is superior. Just ask him.
That’s not how this actually works though, is it?