Atheists and White Supremacists

[Lord Cataplanga]

Question for you: Do you identify as an "Atheist" or do you merely hold an atheistic position regarding the existence of God? Because I would argue that "an Atheist" is a different animal from an atheist, in much the same way that a white person is a different animal from a White Supremacist.

The current direction of the Atheist Movement, as a group of people who identify as Atheist, is a mindset that I can only describe as Atheist Supremacy.

I don't identify as anything in particular, because I don't like playing those weird tribal affiliation games.
Of course, when I have to pick a tribe, I sometimes pick "Atheist", sometimes "Discordian" and sometimes "Liberal Catholic" depending on the situation.

I think you are taking these tribal affiliation games a little too seriously. It's just a game, and Atheists play the game with very low stakes.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Question for you: Do you identify as an "Atheist" or do you merely hold an atheistic position regarding the existence of God? Because I would argue that "an Atheist" is a different animal from an atheist, in much the same way that a white person is a different animal from a White Supremacist.

The current direction of the Atheist Movement, as a group of people who identify as Atheist, is a mindset that I can only describe as Atheist Supremacy.

I don't identify as anything in particular, because I don't like playing those weird tribal affiliation games.
Of course, when I have to pick a tribe, I sometimes pick "Atheist", sometimes "Discordian" and sometimes "Liberal Catholic" depending on the situation.

I think you are taking these tribal affiliation games a little too seriously. It's just a game, and Atheists play the game with very low stakes.

I'm with you on preferring not to affiliate.

I don't think I'm taking anything too seriously. There seem to be an awful lot of people tribing up under the Atheist banner because they're looking for someone to hate, and Atheism-as-tribal-identity gives them an enemy in the form of everyone who isn't their tribe.

So, those people go in the same mental category I put White Supremacists, which is the "Got nothing going for them" category.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Question for you: Do you identify as an "Atheist" or do you merely hold an atheistic position regarding the existence of God? Because I would argue that "an Atheist" is a different animal from an atheist, in much the same way that a white person is a different animal from a White Supremacist.

The current direction of the Atheist Movement, as a group of people who identify as Atheist, is a mindset that I can only describe as Atheist Supremacy.

well it's kind of hard to tell if you were talking about Atheists or atheists based on the title and op. Unlike when talking about a large and dominant group which is noted for something, which has the tacit understanding that if the shoe doesn't fit don't wear it,  atheists aren't a large or dominant group primarily made of assholes.

But Atheists are, as far as I can tell.

[LMNO]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

[Lord Cataplanga]

Question for you: Do you identify as an "Atheist" or do you merely hold an atheistic position regarding the existence of God? Because I would argue that "an Atheist" is a different animal from an atheist, in much the same way that a white person is a different animal from a White Supremacist.

The current direction of the Atheist Movement, as a group of people who identify as Atheist, is a mindset that I can only describe as Atheist Supremacy.

I don't identify as anything in particular, because I don't like playing those weird tribal affiliation games.
Of course, when I have to pick a tribe, I sometimes pick "Atheist", sometimes "Discordian" and sometimes "Liberal Catholic" depending on the situation.

I think you are taking these tribal affiliation games a little too seriously. It's just a game, and Atheists play the game with very low stakes.

I'm with you on preferring not to affiliate.

I don't think I'm taking anything too seriously. There seem to be an awful lot of people tribing up under the Atheist banner because they're looking for someone to hate, and Atheism-as-tribal-identity gives them an enemy in the form of everyone who isn't their tribe.

So, those people go in the same mental category I put White Supremacists, which is the "Got nothing going for them" category.

Oh, THAT category. I thought you meant "terrible people" or something like that, which is the category I use for White Supremacists.
You can see the source of my confusion.

[Kai]

If looking at reality and finding it devoid of supernaturalism, including deities, puts me in the "atheist" slot, then so be it.

As it is, I very much like that the Atheism+ community is going after sexism/misogynists. But it honestly feels like they're more humanists than anything. If I could choose a label, I like scientist much better.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Question for you: Do you identify as an "Atheist" or do you merely hold an atheistic position regarding the existence of God? Because I would argue that "an Atheist" is a different animal from an atheist, in much the same way that a white person is a different animal from a White Supremacist.

The current direction of the Atheist Movement, as a group of people who identify as Atheist, is a mindset that I can only describe as Atheist Supremacy.

I don't identify as anything in particular, because I don't like playing those weird tribal affiliation games.
Of course, when I have to pick a tribe, I sometimes pick "Atheist", sometimes "Discordian" and sometimes "Liberal Catholic" depending on the situation.

I think you are taking these tribal affiliation games a little too seriously. It's just a game, and Atheists play the game with very low stakes.

I'm with you on preferring not to affiliate.

I don't think I'm taking anything too seriously. There seem to be an awful lot of people tribing up under the Atheist banner because they're looking for someone to hate, and Atheism-as-tribal-identity gives them an enemy in the form of everyone who isn't their tribe.

So, those people go in the same mental category I put White Supremacists, which is the "Got nothing going for them" category.

Oh, THAT category. I thought you meant "terrible people" or something like that, which is the category I use for White Supremacists.
You can see the source of my confusion.

I don't think they're terrible people. I think they're kind of pathetic and grasping at attributes that they can leverage to make themselves feel powerful, and they have so little going for them that they settle on something that allows them to look down on other people in order to have an illusion of relative status.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

What do you want? Atheists. People who identify as Atheists. People who revolve a portion of their identity around being part of a group that believes that God doesn't exist.

Atheists. How much more specific do you want me to get? It's an ugly group that's getting uglier, which is why, although at one time I would have called myself an atheist, I won't anymore, because there is now a group identity of "Atheist" that I want nothing to do with.

[Lord Cataplanga]

I don't think they're terrible people. I think they're kind of pathetic and grasping at attributes that they can leverage to make themselves feel powerful, and they have so little going for them that they settle on something that allows them to look down on other people in order to have an illusion of relative status.

I think I see what you mean. I can't go around saying I'm better than, say, Gilbert K. Chesterton, just becuase he had a couple of stupid beliefs which I don't share.
To be better than him, I would actually have to do something that makes the world better than whatever he did, not just believe things.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't think they're terrible people. I think they're kind of pathetic and grasping at attributes that they can leverage to make themselves feel powerful, and they have so little going for them that they settle on something that allows them to look down on other people in order to have an illusion of relative status.

I think I see what you mean. I can't go around saying I'm better than, say, Gilbert K. Chesterton, just becuase he had a couple of stupid beliefs which I don't share.
To be better than him, I would actually have to do something that makes the world better than whatever he did, not just believe things.

Right; and furthermore, a sense of self-worth that is based on personal accomplishments is almost never relative, unlike a sense of self-worth that is based on comparing yourself to others, such as white/mud person or Atheist/faithfool. Those kinds of comparative sources of self-worth rely on denigrating the other to be of any use, whereas personal accomplishments are not dependent on anyone else failing/being lesser-than.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

What do you want? Atheists. People who identify as Atheists. People who revolve a portion of their identity around being part of a group that believes that God doesn't exist.

Atheists. How much more specific do you want me to get? It's an ugly group that's getting uglier, which is why, although at one time I would have called myself an atheist, I won't anymore, because there is now a group identity of "Atheist" that I want nothing to do with.

And every Muslim is an extremist.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

From where I am sitting it looks like the term "Atheist" has been thoroughly hijacked by those who would use it to form a group identity that is reliant on the idea of relative worth.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

What do you want? Atheists. People who identify as Atheists. People who revolve a portion of their identity around being part of a group that believes that God doesn't exist.

Atheists. How much more specific do you want me to get? It's an ugly group that's getting uglier, which is why, although at one time I would have called myself an atheist, I won't anymore, because there is now a group identity of "Atheist" that I want nothing to do with.

And every Muslim is an extremist.

Islam is a group of closely related religions. Atheism is...?

[LMNO]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

What do you want? Cain. The person on this board called Cain. People who revolve a portion of their identity around being part of a group that believes that God doesn't exist.

Cain. How much more specific do you want me to get? It's an ugly group that's getting uglier, which is why, although at one time I would have called myself an atheist, I won't anymore, because there is now a group identity of "Atheist" that I want nothing to do with.

Is what you're saying.  Even after Cain clearly posted upthread.


Nice going.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Dude, be more specific with your terminology, or SHUT UP.

What do you want? Atheists. People who identify as Atheists. People who revolve a portion of their identity around being part of a group that believes that God doesn't exist.

Atheists. How much more specific do you want me to get? It's an ugly group that's getting uglier, which is why, although at one time I would have called myself an atheist, I won't anymore, because there is now a group identity of "Atheist" that I want nothing to do with.

And every Muslim is an extremist.

Islam is a group of closely related religions. Atheism is...?

A label taken by people who reject belief in a supernatural entity. Which, as I'm pretty sure we've talked about in your other threads, is a statement of belief ("I believe there is nothing" as opposed to the agnostic "I dunno"). As a group, atheists have been subject to forms of discrimination for centuries, and they've only just recently started to get uppity about it. And the uppity ones are a minority of the people who identify as Atheist.