Armoured Skeptic

[[File:Armored Skeptic Character.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The avatar.]]
[[File:Armoured Skeptic Face.png|thumb|right|165px|The human.]]
{{youtubenav}}
'''Gregory Fluhrer''' {{lived|1984}},<ref group=note>Based on one of his [https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/725178858450898944 tweets], he turned 32 in 2016 and was therefore born in 1984. According to [https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/631035410723012608 other] [https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/500312775055659008 tweets] his birthday is on August 11.</ref><ref>{{a|http://armouredmedia.com/contact-us|Contact Us}}, Armoured Media</ref> better known as '''Armoured Skeptic'''<ref group=note>Note the "U"; he hails from [[Ontario]], [[Canada]].</ref> (also '''Sir Skeptalot''' or '''AJ'''),<ref group=note>Not his real name; [http://armouredmedia.com/blog/bongo-onlinecom apparently a reference to his dog].</ref> is an atheist [[YouTube]]r who considers himself a critic of [[religion]], [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]], [[feminism]] / "[[SJW]]s" and ideological posturing in general. Many "skeptics" like the first two; somewhat fewer like the last two. His channel has supported an increasing amount of anti-SJW content.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1viRMmJU6gs&list=PLtceUZJedz1n0hp5ow3HbybJu7DHKmcQy</ref> At different points in his YouTube career, he considered himself a [[centrism|centrist]], a liberal, and a leftist.

As of February 2025, Fluhrer's main YouTube channel has over 436 thousand subscribers and 15 million views.<ref name=about>{{a|https://www.youtube.com/user/armouredskeptic/about|About ArmouredSkeptic}}, YouTube</ref> According to Patreon, he makes over $600 per video.<ref>{{a|https://www.patreon.com/armouredskeptic|Armoured Skeptic}}, Patreon</ref>

==Life==
As a child, Fluhrer was a member of a [[Messianic Judaism|Messianic Jewish]] [[cult]]. Fluhrer describes the members as very nice people but highly deluded. After watching videos from [[thunderf00t]], [[TheAmazingAtheist]], and CultOfDusty, he questioned his beliefs and became an atheist.<ref name=life>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oKfWapjNCA&feature=youtu.be&t=24s</ref><ref name= "group">
http://armouredmedia.com/blog/identity-and-gender-politics-every-community
</ref>

The first atheist group that Fluhrer joined was an "[[Atheism+]]" group which promoted societal equality. For questioning their ideas, said group [[Doxing| doxxed]] him and told his boss that he was a [[Rape|rapist]], which nearly got him fired. Exact words: "I personally was called a [[Rape apologetics |rape apologist]] because I denied there was a [[rape culture]] and I was called a rapist because I denied that consensual drunk sex was in any way a form of rape." As a result, he considered Atheism+ almost a cult and created the Armoured Skeptic channel to combat Atheism+, but he says that he has ultimately gone towards a more generally anti-[[bullshit]] channel.<ref name=life /><ref name="group" />

==Views==
{{cquote|I'm no political activist. I do not belong to any movements or groups. I merely like to share my opinions on those who do. [....] I am not a conservative. The reason I am so hard on the left is because I'm a member of the left. I like to make fun of the right and creationists, but I take my skepticism of the left very seriously. I'm not Anti-Religion, Anti-Feminist or an Anti-SJW, I am Anti-Authoritarian. It just so happens that religious people and feminists tend to be authoritarian.|||Fluhrer,<ref name=about /> anti-ideology ideologue}}

===Antifeminism===
{{main|Antifeminism}}
{{cquote|Regardless of the organization [[Conspiracy_theory|they have infiltrated]], everything regarding female representation is always wrong, no matter what. Every complaint, when met with a fix, is simply just flipped into a complaint about the fix. When trying to appease a feminist, one will find himself/herself in a no-win scenario where everything is problematic because... [[Pathos gambit|feelings. If it FEELS wrong to a feminist it is wrong.]] This is the logic we're up against. There is literally no winning, there is no appeasing, there is only the victim and the oppressor. Is this the world we want to live in?|||Fluhrer [[nutpicking]] feminists<ref name="group" />}}
Fluhrer claims not to mind feminism but thinks it needs "evidence" to support its claims.<ref name= "group" />

*Fluhrer believes that [[Anita Sarkeesian]] is a "mouthpiece" for "extreme left nonsense" and that [[Christina Hoff Sommers]] is a second-wave feminist trying to "reconcile third wave feminists with reality."<ref>http://ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic/answers/127979641691</ref>
*Fluhrer doesn't believe the [[gender wage gap]] exists as a result of discrimination and thus isn't worth addressing:<ref>[https://archive.is/agCj3 Comment] on "Is the Gender Pay Gap Real?" by vlogbrothers</ref>

{{quotebox|Yes, fuck, Jesus, women as a whole make less then{{sic}} men as a whole. Everyone knows this.

The part that continues to fly over your head is that less women are in STEM fields... Women aren't allowed to join STEM you say? NO! They're actively encouraged to join, but somehow there are less women then{{sic}} men. Maybe... and bear with me... maybe they CHOSE not to join. Maybe women are flocking to gender studies and other useless degrees instead of getting into technology and engineering. Women are the reason the wage-gap exists, not the patriarchy. The point is, the fact that the gap exists does not mean something needs to be done about it. That's a non-sequitur and you know it. Feminism is about empowering women to choose. You're witnessing the result of their choice. Let[']s say we DO decide to fix this issue. [[Apex fallacy|<nowiki>Why not start at the ground up? Let's ensure there are as many women in sewage jobs as men, let[']s make sure there are as many women in mining jobs as men, let[']s ensure there are as many women driving big-rig trucks as men... then when the foundation is laid we will get more women into CEO positions.</nowiki>]]}}

*His reply video to one of [[Steve Shives]]' (where Shives argues that "Atheism and feminism are complementary to one another") is titled "Feminism is My God Now" and argues, in part, that "the only people I hear en masse perpetuating the concept that women are not equal to men are third wave feminists".<ref name = "start">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLMdXzy9gxA</ref> [[PZ Myers]] heavily criticized this video,<ref name= "critic">http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2015/12/15/oh-crap-another-youtube-misogynist</ref> to which Fluhrer released a response arguing against Myers' criticism.<ref name= "really">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU-RT6kJpZI</ref> In his response, Fluhrer states that Myers didn't properly criticize his work,<ref name= "really"></ref> which is justifiable as Myers neglected to address and debunk Fluhrer's points properly in his criticism.<ref name= "critic"></ref> In a tweet, he claimed that Myers "[called] me misogynist and anti-feminist for disagreeing with a feminist".<ref>https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/677082053469425665</ref> Myers' accusation of antifeminism, at least, is also justifiable as Fluhrer used the same arguments as many [[Anti-feminism|anti-feminists]]: a prime example being his claim that the [[Gender pay gap|gender pay gap]] should be questioned.<ref name = "start" />

===Anti-religion===
Fluhrer's main body of work consists of rebuttals to creationist Christian arguments videos by his character (a guy in a modern suit and a knight helmet).

Notable videos:
*{{web|[[Were you there?]]|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOFqy91SPA}}
*{{web|God Not Real|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDVe4-XXFYY}} (Discusses the [[cosmological argument]].)
*{{web|Christian Holocaust Part 1|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD8PRKaxJxY}} and {{web|Christian Holocaust Part 2|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHvYJFmKwT4}}
*{{web|[[Shockofgod|Shock of God]]-Awful Arguments|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J--YV5_p-bA}}
*{{web|Atheism isn't Proof|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZCbmy3rhWc}} (On the [[burden of proof]] of atheism.)
*{{web|Atheists are a Myth|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcZJVfw_GOo}} (On the [[burden of proof]] of atheism.)

===Atheism+===
{{main|Atheism+}}
Fluhrer believes skeptics fail to apply skepticism towards feminism.<ref name= "group" /> Fluhrer heavily opposes "[[identity politics]]" in atheism, which here largely means feminism.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0E1MVwN0Fs</ref> For example, he writes:<ref name="group" />

{{quotebox|The leaders [of Atheism+] gave voices to only a select few bloggers and celebrities. These bloggers would express opinions about what kind of problems exist in society and when commenters would ask questions about specifics or disagree with a single point in a blog, the commenters would get banned, bashed, berated, attacked, doxed, publicly shamed or called a rapist. It wouldn't matter if one were to agree with the over-all point of the blog, if one disagreed or questioned one small part than that person was basically Hitler to the rest of the community.

Atheism+ was supposed to bring the atheist community together, but instead it ripped it in two. The worst part is that many of the famous atheists, Steve Shives, Matt Dillahunty, Aron Ra and many others who helped me come out of religion and taught me to use logic and reason to come to my decisions had all thrown out basic logic and reason and embraced a feminist mindset. Be skeptical, unless it's about feminism, be logical, unless it's about feminism, be reasonable, unless it's about feminism, debate ideas you disagree with, unless it's feminism. Someone disagree with you? Call them an MRA, misogynist, rapist or a terrible human being that is on the wrong side of history.}}

===Anti-bullshit===
Before Fluhrer went fully off the deep end, he did create some generally anti-bullshit videos:

*{{web|Evolution is not Philosophy|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfiaLZNCh9Q}} (On [[evolutionism]] and [[evolution and morality]].)
*{{web|Is the Earth Round? I'm Skeptical|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiv0wBGYbLw}} and follow-ups {{web|The Globe was an Inside Job - Part 1|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDk5mlas_fg}}, {{web|The Globe was an Inside Job - Part 2|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_MpXnG-WGE}}, {{web|Skeptic Reacts: Flat Earth Comments|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPD6WpF6p3s}}
*{{web|The Moon is Fake I Guess|2=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDx1Kh2iU6o}} (Maybe the moon is artificial, as [[Spirit Science]] says.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaDeiBRifm8</ref> Or not.)

===Pseudohistory===

In 2019, amidst his typical schtick, Fluhrer uploaded a video called "History is a Lie?" where he claims that a [[global flood]] was covered up and history before about 200 years ago is distorted.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2jj879Snis History is a Lie?] Armoured Skeptic on YouTube, 11 June 2019.</ref> He continued this into a series, referring to it briefly as "The Armoured Conspiracy Files" and later "Tinfoil Helmet". He finally settled on calling this series "History is a Lie", and has since released dozens of entries.

These initial videos are almost entirely unsourced and cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to [[conehead skulls]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4rEF8Hbo6k Alien Skulls are Real?] Armoured Skeptic on YouTube, 26 November 2019.</ref> [[Nikola Tesla]], Tartaria, [[free energy]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh-at8vj9oE Free Energy is Real?] Armoured Skeptic on YouTube, 1 September 2019.</ref> geopolymers, the [[Giza pyramids]], [[Rapa Nui]], and, of course, [[Atlantis]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLK3YA1bX2M History is a Lie - Atlantis] Armoured Skeptic on YouTube, 20 July 2020.</ref> Fluhrer synthesizes all this into his pseudohistorical theory: in ancient history, humans were ruled by a race of cone-headed albino giants, the Denisovans. Atlantis was a global society of these giants, and they utilized the advanced technology found in architecture around the world. All this was either forgotten or covered up after a global mud flood in the early 1800s. Since then, Fluhrer has continued to release videos about topics such as the [[moon landing]], [[crop circles]], and Hollywood conspiracies.

==General problems==
Fluhrer does not post any sources on his videos, which would be useful for proving that he's right or wrong on scientific issues. While he sometimes highlights sections of web pages or videos that he thinks help prove this point, this is vastly less useful than the relevant links. In this way, he often relies on [[snark]] and [[Argument by assertion|assertion]] to make his points.

Fluhrer has been criticised for his overinflated ego and tendency to act as if he is an expert on topics of which he is demonstrably ignorant. A notable example is Fluhrer's video about free speech in Canada.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVVDQnkqh8M</ref> He made numerous factual errors, making it evident that he was either deliberately lying or had done barely any research. A pair of videos by YouTuber Logicked highlighted the factual inaccuracies<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd95T66YjSQ&t=7m39s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd95T66YjSQ&t=14m20s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd95T66YjSQ&t=17m20s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd95T66YjSQ&t=48m44s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfL5pTVlbIo&t=2m30s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfL5pTVlbIo&t=42m20s</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfL5pTVlbIo&t=3m20s</ref> in Fluhrer's video. Possibly his most egregious error was when he said, "{{wpl|An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code|C-16}} is a Bill that prohibits people from misgendering or using the wrong pronouns when addressing people who identify as trans." The Bill said nothing about misgendering but was instead about adding gender identity to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act.<ref>http://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Bills/421/Government/C-16/C-16_1/C-16_1.PDF</ref> In essence, it makes it illegal to deny services, employment, or accommodation to individuals based on their gender identity.

==RationalWiki==
{{cquote|You should never use Rational Wiki as a source for anything... ever...|||Fluhrer's now deleted tweet.<ref>https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/598909079554269184</ref>}}
Fluhrer is [[Pissed at us|pissed at]] [[RationalWiki]] and [[Essay:I thought this was supposed to be RATIONALWiki|questioned its name]].<ref>https://m.ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic/answers/129874504795</ref><ref>https://m.ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic/answers/129872209243</ref><ref>https://m.ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic/answers/129874504795</ref><ref>https://m.ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic/answers/133671909211</ref> (At the time, RationalWiki's entry on him described him as a Gamergater and conspiracist.<ref>http://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=RationalWiki:Vlogroll&oldid=1508254#Controversial_secularists</ref>)

Fluhrer responded to [[Steve Shives]]'s claim that he (Fluhrer) had cultivated a following "by making content that panders to racists, rape apologists, and misogynists", which Shives backed up with a link to this page. Fluhrer correctly noted that this page doesn't include the words "race, white, black, [or] supremacist" and didn't support any of these claims. He says:<ref name='Skeptic RationalWiki'>{{a|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf-1FN2EHC0&t=8m21s|2=SJWs Try to Deplatform Me}}, YouTube</ref>

{{quotebox|In fact, considering the nature and history of the site, I'm pretty impressed with how nice my page is. Even the criticisms about me are pretty reasonable. Ask [[Shoe0nHead|June]] about her RationalWiki though. It is a shit show.}}

==See also==
*[[Shoe0nHead]] — fellow YouTube [[antifeminist]] & [[atheist]]. They were previously engaged<ref>https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic/status/947646412443082753</ref> and have collaborated often in the past.
*[[Sargon of Akkad]] — once a close friend
*[[Chris Ray Gun]]
*[[TheAmazingAtheist]]
*[[Thunderf00t]]

==External links==
*[http://armouredmedia.com/ Website]   Deactivated
:*[https://www.youtube.com/user/armouredskeptic ArmouredSkeptic Channel] and [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf1iroepad-o5w2il-06Gjg/featured ArmouredMedia Channel] at [[YouTube]]
:*[https://twitter.com/ArmouredSkeptic Account] at [[Twitter]]  Deactivated
:*[https://www.facebook.com/ArmouredSkeptic/ Account] at [[Facebook]]    Deactivated
:*[https://plus.google.com/+armouredskeptic/posts Account] at Google+    Deactivated
:*[https://m.ask.fm/ArmouredSkeptic Ask.fm]   Deactivated
*[http://armoured-media.wikia.com/wiki/Armoured_Media_Wikia Armoured Media Wikia]
*[http://youtube.wikia.com/wiki/Armoured_Skeptic WikiTubia page]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qG14_YW-ds&list=PLGBXcHi8dHCJo2GJL7ocjhWo3IZUpENE-&index=51 Guest: Armoured Skeptic UNMASKED!], [[Drunken Peasants]]
:*[http://drunkenpeasants.wiki/Armoured_Skeptic Drunken Peasants Wiki page]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:Alt-lite]]
[[Category:Antifeminism]]
[[Category:Apologists and counter-apologists]]
[[Category:Atheists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Pissed at us]]
[[Category:Pseudohistory promoters]] 
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:YouTube]]

Categories: Alt-lite, Antifeminism, Apologists and counter-apologists, Atheists, Living people, Pissed at us, Pseudohistory promoters, Pseudoscience promoters, Sexism, YouTube