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It's Christian Bashing Week!
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by kellym78 | May 2, 2008 at 03:34 am
405 views | 2 Recommendations | 2 comments
How's that headline? Do I have everybody's attention now? Good. Because a headline like that should get your attention. Would anybody tolerate "Gay Bashing Week" or "Woman Bashing Week?" The very idea is ludicrous. Yet, Dinesh D'Souza can print an article entitled "Atheist Bashing Week" and hardly anybody bats an eyelash. There's certainly not public outrage and condemnation for such blatant bigotry. He was just joking, you say? Even in all of our stunts here at the RRS, which are regularly criticized by atheists (often quite vehemently), we've only dared to tell people that their god doesn't exist or encourage others to say so and post it to YouTube. Even the mind disorder controversy doesn't encourage physical harm or even allude to it. If we haven't had "Christian Bashing Week," you can bet it's because we find the notion repugnant, even in jest.
D'Souza's piece may have been tongue-in-cheek, but that is of little consequence to the typical reader who barely scans headlines and will be even subliminally influenced by this, much less those who have don't have the reading comprehension to detect his almost imperceptible sarcasm. Could any of you imagine a "Muslim Bashing Week?" Even if a "Ha ha! Just kidding!" is added at the end, it is still extraordinarily offensive, and the fact that he isn't facing scorn for this piece is evidence that people are still permitted to discriminate against those evil godless heathens.
Though our numbers are increasing, it seems that our influence is not--at least not fast enough. Criticism of anybodys belief system is a freedom that I prize, and I have no desire to silence the apologists, but an inference to acceptance of physical harm is quite different. If we ever want to cast off our mephistophelian characterization, we must put a human face on the term "atheist," and the easiest way to do that is to openly identify yourself as one. Only then will we see public criticism of this rhetorical intolerance--when almost everybody has a son, daughter, sister, brother or friend who is an atheist.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (2)
at 07:47 on May 2nd, 2008
Great post Kellym78!
I think it's inappropriate to bash anyone for their beliefs: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or other. A particular part of your post drew my attention: "Could any of you imagine a Muslim bashing week?" I could. In fact I would call the first 8 years of the new century as the Muslim bashing decade. I see the sentiment clearly on here. Mainstream media, particularly from those with a right wing affinity recklessly paint all Muslims in a derogatory fashion, whose faith is somehow degenerate or inferior to their own, without consideration that their actions are rascist, and in some jurisdictions, illegal.
In my view, like yours, hate or selective exclusion has no place in our society, particularly within a politically correct society. Ironically some are so bold in the support of their own their faith, or lack of faith, or hateful opinions, that their zeal clouds a blatant and rascist reasoning. Many times when I comment on postings here that are fervently anti-Muslim, I often receive responses back suggesting that I visit rascist and right wing websites that somehow support the widely held belief that Muslims are the new plague to the world. Perhaps this sentiment will change with time much like it did with the civil rights movement and the integration of African Americans into mainstream society, and like it did with the reduction of anti-semitism in the west, through education, lobbying and legislation.
Perhaps the best way to get rid of the "Muslim bashing decade" is for the 7 million law abiding citizens of Muslim origin living in North America to awake and say, "No more: It's time to be treated as equals," as they and others who value their faith, should be.
at 09:50 on November 18th, 2008
i use the term "religion bashing" frequently and with a smile. that in no way makes me a supporter of violence, but it expresses my contempt of superstition. i'm not going to say that religion is somewhat harmful to the evolving of human intellect, when i really think it's fucking stupid. well, i might conceal some of my thoughts for the promise of an interesting argument or to play devils advocate or if i'm debating a muslim who's bigger than me, but that's about it. i don't like political correctness because it's just no fun at all, and i want my life to be funny, since i only got one.