Pharyngulite

A Pharyngulite (Pharyngulista is a name used only by Schismatics) is a citizen of Pharyngula, and a follower of PZ Myers. The Pharyngulites are collectively known as The Horde or the commentariat.

Other terms in occasional use are Pharynguloid, Pharynghoul and Pharyngulette. The term Pharyngulette should be used with caution; as an in-joke referencing femmey or cheerleading behaviour (regardless of actual sex or gender) and definitely not as a generic term for the women of Pharyngula.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is an important skill which Scientific Atheists should strive to develop.

1. Are Pharyngulites sufficiently critical when they accept or reject whatever PZ Myers tells them?
2. Should Pharyngulites routinely take the side of PZ Myers whenever PZ is embroiled in controversy?
3. Perhaps Pharyngulites should do just that little bit more critical thinking and ask themselves/each other how far PZ adds to controversy with his abrasive style.
4. When reading typical strongly critical material that PZ has written in his familiar abrasive style Pharyngulites could do well to remember Hanlon's razor. Pharyngulites could ask themselves whether the other person PZ is criticising really meant to do harm.

Echo chamber

Pharyngulites, according to certain drivebys, by definition comprise an echo chamber, notwithstanding the frequent and rancorous discord that erupts in comments threads between them, sometimes in criticism of the host's original post. The startling fact is that there is broad (though not universal) agreement amongst regular readers on such controversial ideas as that

1. Creationists and religionists are generally full of it, and
2. Accomodationists don't even make especially good doormats, and
3. The Earth is an oblate spheroid in a roughly elliptical orbit around the Sun.

The above a clear piece of evidence of this failing of the community.

It would be vastly healthier forum, naturally, if it were more generally populated by persons like said drivebys, with more pluralistic views, and minds more open to certain novel and sadly underrepresented notions.

1. Such as the notion that you need to beg a dead Jewish zombie for intercession with his psychotic, universe-creating father, due to the fact that your g'g'g'g'g'g'great grandmother ate an apple once.

That one, especially, just never seems to get a fair shake--a hearing in proportion to the idea's merits, really--anywhere, sadly. Clearly, If Pharyngulites would just stop pointing out this notion is utter bollocks, and impolitely requesting that drivebys stop wasting their time with such things, the whole of the forum could be ever so much richer for it.

References

Adapted from Pharyngula Wiki