Familiar Faces: Desiree Schell

There is one face that has been here from the beginning.

She was along side Grace, as she threatened a self-managed care worker for something she was not responsible for, and rather than put a stop to the threatening behaviour, Desiree manipulated blame to someone who was not involved at all.

When an AUPE Soprano's wannabe was being aggressive and intimidating towards one of the security people, she stepped in to lay blame on the person who was the target, rather than the instigator.

She was among those having a grand old time harassing one of our members for the crime of being a union member (not AUPE) and living in Artspace at the same time - and for daring to stand up for neighbours after they were physically assaulted.









Of course, she was right there with The Urinator himself, including when he was using the bull horn.

When Malka finally got thrown off the picket line for his Bad Cop routine (though that hasn't stopped him from coming back, despite repeated assurances to us that he wouldn't), she got put into the role of Good Cop.  In this role, she actually had the temerity to tell one of our members that she didn't know what Malka was doing (re: the use of the air raid siren and bull horn, etc.), but that when she found out about it, she put a stop to it right away.  This despite the fact that we have video of her standing next to him while he was using the bull horn.

So who is this person that is now apparently in charge of the picket line?

Her name is Desiree Schell and, unlike other picketers, she's rather more "famous", if that's the word that can be used.  She's the host of a radio call in show and podcast called Skeptically Speaking and, like Malka, is an AUPE organizer.

There's a youtube video of her speaking at an anti-religion event.  I tried watching it, but I couldn't make it past the boring and self-aggrandizing intro.

I found this little bit from the above linked interview telling;

Kylie Sturgess: How do you define the term skeptic? Do you consider yourself a skeptic?
Desiree Schell: To me, skepticism means basing decisions on evidence rather than emotion whenever possible. It means being aware of and trying to compensate for my own cognitive biases. It means trying to think critically, even after I’ve made my mind up on a particular topic. And it absolutely means being willing to listen if someone disagrees with me and [being willing] to change my position if their evidence is sound. 

Just so you know, this is what the term "skeptic" means.

skep·tic noun \ˈskep-tik\
: a person who questions or doubts something (such as a claim or statement) : a person who often questions or doubts things

Full Definition of SKEPTIC
1: an adherent or advocate of skepticism 2: a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding religion or religious principles

And skepticism means;

skep·ti·cism noun \ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm\
: an attitude of doubting the truth of something (such as a claim or statement)

Full Definition of SKEPTICISM
1: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object
2 a : the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain
   b : the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics 3: doubt concerning basic religious principles (as immortality, providence, and revelation)

It takes a special kind of arrogance to redefine a word, then use that definition to define oneself and somehow expect the rest of the world to go along with it.  Especially when one's own definition contradicts the true definition.  If you've made up your mind about something, you cannot, by definition, be skeptical about it.

In my personal experience, people who insist on defining themselves as "skeptics" do so for two reasons; 1) they consider themselves intellectually and morally superior to the hoi polloi and 2) as a way to cast others as being closed minded or bigoted, when they are the closed minded bigots, themselves.

I have yet to find someone who defines themselves as a skeptic that is truly skeptical.

As an aside, I am curious to know how someone who claims to make decisions based on evidence and lack of emotion can be a smoker.

As for lack of emotion or trying to keep emotions out of things, I will quote one of our members who, I think, said it better than I would have;

...emotions are the key to empathy, and empathy is the key to getting shit done.  Telling people to keep emotion out of it is the defence of people who don't know what they are talking about.  The only reason people say that is to undermine others, to "feminise" them, and to imply that they are weaker for caring.

So how does the skeptical speaker handle things on the picket line?

Well, aside from being a really obvious manipulator who has been caught in many falsehoods, she has also revealed herself to be a truly disgusting human being.

Yesterday, this incident was witnessed and reported.

One of our members; a SAIL user member in a wheelchair who has difficulties speaking, was coming off of DATS. The creepers had their kids out again today, but instead of using them as human shields in the driveways, they were using them as human shields in front of the loading zone at the front entrance of the high rise.

This member went to Desiree to talk to her about the mess they were making.

Desiree responded by talking to her as if she were retarded (that word was used very specifically in describing Desiree's manner).  Then, as this member crossed the street, Desiree laughed and made fun of her.

The irony of this is that the woman Desiree was talking to as if she were mentally challenged is, in fact, quite brilliant.  However, like so many bigots, because of her disability, Desiree seemed to assume that being slow of speech means being slow of mind.

She's not the first to do this, of course, but that, too, is irrelevant.  She is the organizer of this group of "care" workers who treat the disabled with contempt, including those who claim to just "love our residents."

Several of our members with speech challenges have been targeted for this sort of discriminatory and bigoted behaviour, from taunting and harassment, to mockery and crude imitations of their speech mannerisms.

Every single one of the members they have mocked are exceptionally intelligent and accomplished people.  Not a single picketer that has ever shown up as part of AUPE's siege of Artspace can hold a candle to any one of these members, never mind all of them together.

This particular member's towering intellect is, however, irrelevant to the fact that Desiree treated her with such a level of contempt.  It wouldn't matter if she really were mentally disabled.  She should not have been treated this way.

The former organiser, David Malka, may be reviled for his abusive, threatening, aggressive, harassing and intimidating behaviour, but not even he stooped as low as Desiree Schell.