Reply Ophelia Benson:

When I started doing the YouTube thing in late 2006 I was not sure what I wanted to do. I heard about YouTube somewhere in the news, so I went online and checked it out. Let me just say this, almost immediately I loved it. There were not too many of us back in those days. We got away with a lot more than we do today. 

 Jen McCreight 'snif' said that she would be leaving the bloggosphere for awhile because, 'snif' the mean comments were just too much. Before I begin discussing Jen, I would like to direct my readers to the video above. This was an 2006 ABC Dateline special featuring the Rational Response Squad. Remember them? I appear at the 5.04 mark of the video. I am the girl wearing the hat. I did not even know that I was featured on the news until someone pointed it out to me. I included this video as evidence backing up the things I am about to say. So, here goes....

 I am the very first person on Youtube to start discussing Islam from the perspective of an atheist. I was the first person to make a video calling Muhammad a pedophile for having sex with a nine year old girl. I was the first person to put my face on camera and say that Islam was a harmful, destructive force in the world. After I did it, everyone started doing it. Not only did I call Muhammad a pervert, but I am a ...brace yourself.....a...a...a...... white woman. I know. I know. The fact that I am a white female really ads insult to injury doesn't it. 

I made dozens of videos investigating different claims Muslims made about Muhammad, Allah, Hadiths, and the Quran. I made videos debunking 'science' in the Quran. I made videos discussing the battle of Khaybar, and the poor seventeen year old Jewish girl forced to marry Muhammad after he murdered her entire family.

Suddenly Muslims were spitting venom at me. I was unprepared for the amount of hate they vomited in my direction. I received death threats, rape threats, threats of all types. Sometimes, Muslims would write me apologizing for the behavior of other Muslims against me. In 2007 I moved to France where I remained for about a year. At that point I was still making videos about Islam, but all my videos were narration only. I stopped showing my face on camera and removed all the videos that did show my face. I took a lot of flack. Being the first person to attack Islam, being a woman, and being a minority I was one hell of a target for Muslims. They wanted to shut me up by any means necessary.

Here we are in 2012. 

After my first five videos about Islam, others started to follow in my path. I made it easier for them. I do not regret it in the least. I know it was the right thing to do. Sometimes if you want to be a trailblazer, if you want to do something original or do something you know will piss off a lot of people, you have to understand that you will take a lot of heat. We are not talking about people who simply disagree with you, we are talking. Muslims threatened to kill me, rape me, and slit my throat. When they could not get to me, they tried threatening me with eternal damnation. That did not work either because I know very well that hell is not real.

One thing I always knew was that these people were not a real threat. They did not know me. They did not know where I lived. They would not have been able to find me even if they wanted. I was unattainable.

When I read Jen McCreights blog about how the hate is 'too much' for her, and she needs to take a break from blogging, it makes me stop and think. I do not want to compare myself to her because we are two unique individuals with different tolerance levels. It appears to me that I have a higher tolerance level than she does.

How did I handle it?

Very simple. I am capable of being a raging bitch to people if I so elect. The Muslims toughened me up. I have no qualms about trolling somebody until they burst into tears and run crying from the room. It is a rare event. I prefer not doing it. I like to walk softly and carry a big stick. It is true that we can come to a point where the hateful comments do not phase us anymore. I reached that point years ago. But it is also about understanding that this is the internet.

Usually the right action is just to ignore them. The solution to the problem of hate comes down to picking your battles. Some battles are not worth fighting. For example, I have been trolling two gynophobic Nazis lately. These men represent REAL misogyny. I have to wonder why Ophelia Benson has to spend her time nit picking stupid crap, when there are men in this world who really hate women.

   I did the very thing they were  not expecting - I photoshopped their faces onto two big vagina's and put it on this blog. Immature? Yes. Do I care that I am immature? Nope. In fact, I have grown to love and embrace my immaturity. In the real world, these woman hating douchebags would not deserve my attention. I would not even let them kiss my feet if they begged me. But every once in a while, I do enjoy embarrassing the crap out of them for saying all those disgusting things against women. Not only that - I enjoy it.

This is what makes me different from Jen McCreight. She is not capable of proudly owning 'the bitch factor'. This is of course, nothing I would hold against her. Human beings are not all cut from the same stone.

Back in the ole days, when I was the target of hate, it never occurred to me to make a video or post saying, "oh, the Muslim's have gotten me down, I just can't take it anymore, I need to leave for awhile." It would actually be funny and weird if I was like that. If I needed a break I took a break.

Ophelia Benson is a Useless Twat

Benson decided to publish a blog calling my husband a misogynist. Why would she do this? Here is the reason:

It also never occurred to me to try and get sympathy from others. There are 7 Billion people on planet earth. Visit World Internet Statistics some time, there are millions upon millions of people who have internet access. There are hundreds of thousands who hide behind Proxy servers. Anonymity allows trollish behavior because anonymity means people are not accountable for their actions. I know Ms. Benson is paranoid that some terrible, horrible, thing is going to happen to her. Rest assured, I seriously doubt any rape threat is credible. Even though I am not nearly as unattractive as Benson, and still have my period, online rape threats against me are not credible either.

This is the internet folks. Freaks are everywhere.

Conclusion

 My blogs and Youtube videos get hits because my content stands on its own merit.  People are interested in what I have to say, they enjoy reading my words, and sometimes, I make them laugh. I write about how to learn foreign language LINK. I share my recipes with the world LINK. I also write about gardening LINK. Oh, and lest we not forget, I post blogs helping women like Ophelia Benson take care of their skin while preventing premature aging. LINK All of this, with a small business and two babies underfoot.

Browsing through my posts on Venture Philosophy, one will see that I put myself into everything that I write.  My attention is earned. I write to express my own individuality, to entertain others, to express ideas or to re-hash old ideas. The fact is that the Free Thought Bloggers, like Benson, are professional victims because they know that they have no real talent. They know that if it wasn't for their shenanigans, nobody would pay attention to them or care about them. They know pity-blogging about patriarchy, penis, vagina, etc..etc... is the only way they can get attention. It is sad when you stop and think about it.

With that, I bid you adieu.