Gang of Four

From RationalWikiWiki

The Gang of Four is both an impetus and the dark side of RationalWiki's supposed anti-religion bias. In any discussion involving religion, you can count on at least two of them appearing on the page. They are as follows, alphabetically:

• Bob M is a relative moderate among the Gang of Four. While opposed to religion, he does a better job than the rest at avoiding fruitless confrontation over the subject. Nonetheless, he is an ever-present figure in the push for a less religion-friendly atmosphere on RationalWiki.
• Genghis Khant is somewhere in-between Jeeves and Bob M in terms of religious intolerance. Certainly an antitheist, though better able to criticize religion without smearing 95% percent of the population as emotionally and intellectually inferior.
• Jeeves is known for making offensive and contemptuous statements about the religious. While consistently more caustic than SusanG, his wrath is less feared than Susan's, lending his presence in a debate less weight. He is also the most frequent offender of people's sensibilities on the matter. His remarks set off the Great Pissing Contest, although he isn't as closely associated with the incident as Susan is in RationalWiki's collective memory.
• SusanG is definitely an antitheist, although she is normally quite mellow and interacts amiably with any theistic RWians. However, every once in a great while, some spark sets her off, at which point her ire can create verbal hurricanes raging across the wiki. During such times she is easily able to equal users Human and Radioactive afikomen in terms of abrasiveness.

Contents 1 Wannabes 2 Analysis 3 Trivia 4 Gang of three?

[edit] Wannabes

These RWians could easily be members of the Gang of Four, but for individual reasons, aren't quite at their level. Additionally, with extra members, we wouldn't be able to call it the "Gang of Four", now, could we?

• Human would like to could be on the list, but he can't muster up the effort to really care that much.

• Proxima Centauri is renowned for her jaw-droppingly presumptious statements about the nature of religion and the religious. She possibly heralds a new and frightening generation of atheists—a generation coddled on their pro-atheist forums and sites, for whom religion and the religious only exist as straw men and caricatures.

• Tmtoulouse is a logical positivist, a philosophy he has honed into a razor edge against any who would challenge him. However, as the owner of the site, his behaviour sets a tone for others to follow. Perhaps because of this, he largely stays out of confrontations regarding the role (or lack of a role) of religion on RationalWiki; loudly proclaiming his position on the matter would possibly fracture RationalWiki irreparably. Consequently, he is fairly quiet about it, and the issue only comes up when others confront him on the subject.

[edit] Analysis

Individually, its members can be and have been challenged. In her more accommodating moods, SusanG backs down relatively easily, and Jeeves is more likely to "harrumph!" and leave to never come back. Genghis Khant and Bob M are more challenging, being more willing to enter prolonged discussions and press the point, and showing more prudence in choosing in their battles.

It is important to note they do not conspire with each other. Their overlapping presence during discussions is purely a consequence of their similar opinions on the subject (although Susan has been known to encourage Bob and Genghis after dropping out of the fight herself).

[edit] Trivia

• They are opposed on the wiki by the Nag of Four.

• Susan does not want to be part of a "gang" [1], apparently.

• Teh Human would be part of this squad, but sees no reason to get involved in such hard-core fights over ceiling kittens.

• They are all believed to be English. (Does this mean something?)

[edit] Gang of three?

With the apparent departure of Susan, the gang now has only three members. Any nominations? Any volunteers?