and do misogynistic things, and they don't speak up. There are black and gay and poor Republicans. There are pro-choice Catholics. To suggest that all of these people are "really" supportive of beliefs simply because they don't fight back against them is silly. There are a lot of reasons why people don't speak out against things -- some of it is assent, some of it is fear, some of it is socially normative pressure. I refuse to speculate about the beliefs of others based on what those around them say. Which isn't to say that AVfM isn't a misogynistic publication -- it is. I'd be SHOCKED if the majority of people who comment there don't sincerely believe some disgustingly anti-woman bullshit. But I can't make the leap from "X at Y said Z" to "therefore everyone at Y is whatever-ist". I wouldn't be surprised if this reaction of yours about "guilt by association" is entirely because of people assuming they know everything about you because of where you blog. I get comparatively little of that, unless I insert myself into those conversations. My reaction is because I think someone's actions, and not their associations, are an accurate indication of their behaviour. Your second paragraph seems to indicate that you feel the same way. Stephanie was asking people to recognize the fact that this person -- Gurdur, Tim Skellitt -- hangs out for months on a thread that is entirely built as a "monument to free speech", but serves exactly one