Melissa Chen

@MsMelChen

Rational centrist & staunch defender of Enlightenment values. Former scientist who disappointed Singaporean tiger parents by working for a counter-extremism NGO

New York, NY
Joined April 2010

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  1. Pinned Tweet
    17 Jun 2017

    Ideas have consequences. But so does silence. Don't be afraid to speak up, even as tribes and communities breed conformity of thought.

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  2. 17 hours ago

    If nothing, not even an apology or a mea culpa is sufficient to redeem oneself, then what we really have here is a religious ideology that is resistant to forgiveness and salvation. What must do?

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  3. 21 hours ago

    The last time I danced in a video. Not nearly as likeable as 's given that the other parents in my preschool were horrified by what my hand was doing..

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  4. 22 hours ago

    Unlike ’s, old videos of me dancing would actually do more to ruin me than some old tweet taken out of context.

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  5. Jan 3

    Why don’t networks just investigate this privately rather than pulling the show? Why can’t the show go on concurrently with a PRIVATE investigation? These very public actions produce the optics of the accused being guilty.

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  6. Jan 3

    I have political disagreements with but my bleeding heart can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy just reading her words today. This is truly what the American Dream 🇺🇸 is all about. Only it is also the American Reality. Let's not forget that.

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  7. Jan 3

    We are fostering a culture of reading in the Middle East, and in doing so, hope to defeat ignorance and extremism far more effectively than tanks and guns ever could. is powering 's free digital library.

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  8. Jan 2

    Ideas Beyond Borders () is working on translating this movie into Arabic (get ready for a fatwah). Meanwhile, through the generosity of Maajid and Sam, Islam and the Future of Tolerance book is available in Arabic on our website for free:

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  9. Jan 2

    Director of Islam and the Future of Tolerance was on to talk about the & film. There are moments where he's walking on eggshells but for the most part, I'm glad this is getting mainstream attention.

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  10. Jan 1

    Speaking of policing comedy... cowers to pressure to pull ’s comedy show

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  11. Jan 1

    Pick One: > Kathy Griffin’s beheading joke was not offensive! She was just being edgy, get over yourself! > Louis CK’s jokes from the leaked tape are offensive! There are some things you just cannot joke about. This makes him an alt-right jackass! 🤔💣💥

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  12. Jan 1

    I watch people jump up and down in celebration and find it mildly amusing and strange that people get themselves all excited about a completely arbitrary non-change that they consider a change. As you can tell, I am real fun at parties. 😂

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  13. Jan 1

    Looked at skeptically, there is only an artificial and arbitrary change. I see no reason to madly celebrate or change anything else I do. It is just another night leading to another day.

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  14. Jan 1

    While a “year” is a well-defined astronomical unit, the way we humans have decided to create a transition from one revolution around the sun to another is completely and totally arbitrary; it has no underlying significance at all.

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  15. Dec 31

    We couldn't have done any of this without Prof. , & . Thanks for all you've done in 2018; I can only imagine what we'd accomplish together in 2019. To all who supported this humble endeavor from the start, I am grateful. Happy New Year y'all!

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  16. Dec 31

    Our year in numbers: - 6 staff members - 4 books (by & ), downloadable here: - 306 articles - 500K words - 43 events on college campuses and conferences - 106 tubs of hummus (for late nights and working lunches)

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  17. Dec 31

    “Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused." If ever there was a quote that perfectly captures the essence of who & I are, this is it. 2018 was a big year for us both as friends & co-founders of .

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  18. Dec 31

    Feels apropos to start the new year with crap in your pants! (I remember debating how those crazy folks in Times Square use the restroom with two friends who were high out of their minds two New Years’s Eves ago. Thanks for officially settling it)

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  19. 31 Dec 2018

    Woke hot take: that a ball drop is used to usher in the New Year is symbolic of male puberty, the ultimate purveyor of toxic masculinity. It’s conclusive proof of the way the patriarchy defines our lives. , I could do your job.

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  20. 31 Dec 2018

    Unresolved scientific mysteries: 1. What is the nature of dark energy? 2. How & why does measuring a particle make its wavefunction collapse, producing the concrete reality that we perceive to exist? 3. Why the hell would anyone willingly spend in Times Square?

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  21. 30 Dec 2018

    And the Ouroboros cycle continues... The solution if one is worried about “overwhelming whiteness” is to just get a spray tan.

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