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Sean Faircloth:
Attack of the Theocrats!
I agree that the slogan is not catchy but I think this has it's uses. As a New Yorker, I have to say that I have not found it easier to be an atheist here than any other towns in the Northeast, possibly less so. Frequently, if I let it be known that I don't believe in God in a public situation, I am enjoined to remain quiet. Conventional wisdom seems to hold that atheism is a luxury of the professional classes. This is very irritating to me since I have spent most of my life as a skilled manual laborer. Due to intellectual curiosity, I often find myself in social circimstances where I occupy the lowest social status. So professionals are often telling me to pretend that I believe what my parents believed (ironically, atheists) so as not to disturb the worldviews of the lower orders. I was very glad that Hitchens addressed this mistaken conflation of class and atheism in his book. Unfortunately, it continues.
This is a long winded way of saying that I think it is good that the slogan is not overly clever and cannot be percieved as smug or arrogant.
Though I guess it's amusing that people think I'm richer or better educated than I really am if I say I'm an atheist. Maybe that should be a message for the out campaign: Look smart - deny god.
Permalink Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:55:00 UTC | #372852