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Being an atheist while driving through the south (part 2)
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So, a couple of days ago I wrote a small article that i thought was largely insignificant. Boy was I wrong. I had just gotten back from a vacation with my lovely girlfriend and decided to compose a brief commentary about a small part of my experience. Let me be as clear as I can. I was not traveling through the south in order to provoke people because I had preconceived notions about people from the south. I was traveling to the south to see all these places I had not seen before, in order to spend quality time with a loved one. And I really enjoyed the many places I visited and I would gladly return to any of them. I think the people were friendly, intelligent, creative, and I was glad to meet them. I just thought it would have been nice to get some perspective on how people in other parts of the country view atheism or at least skepticism. I would have done the same anywhere I had visited, because that is one of the things I am interested in.
I was not wearing my various shirts to provoke the people there because they were southern; I wear shirts like that frequently and I do get comments and conversation as a result--in Philadelphia. Why do I do this? The primary reason is that most of them advertise the local organizations that I am affiliated with, so if I run into other people who are atheists, freethinkers, etc they will know where that community is and how to find them. Obviously, that could not have been my purpose in this case because my local groups would be of little interest to people in other places.
Thus, my reason had to be something else. I think discussion about things like religion is healthy for the public. I think that there are misunderstandings, stereotypes, and in some cases blatant falsehoods thought about people with other worldviews than their own--and this is true of atheists as well. I really enjoy talking with people with other beliefs because it's one of the ways I learn. I have friends of many different faiths, non-faiths, and those who simply do not wish to think about it. Therefore, I wear shirts that will get people's attention because I'm attempting to bring attention to issues that I think are important for our cultural evolution.
Now, I understand that this looks like me being a dick or full of myself to some people (many of which have been commenting on articles of mine in the last couple of days). The fact is that my trip was not an experiment of any kind, it was just a trip and the aspect I wrote about was just one of the facets of my vacation which I found relevant to this audience. I believe that (peaceful) conflict , confrontation, and challenge is imperative for cultural growth. I believe that between the various ideas about religion, gods, and culture there are many misunderstandings that could be transcended by people talking--but that rarely happens. So, I risk looking like an ass in order to try and foster such discussion. And what do I get? ....
My surprise, upon not receiving comments or finding discussion, was not in that people in the south were not backward, but that they were so obviously taken aback and yet not one of them actually asked me about it. It's not because I'm so important, but because the question is important. Why are people uninterested in talking about it? I just happen to be one of many atheists out there whom is interested in pursuing the cultural discussion. The fact that atheists are so maligned (many of the comments I read were not directed at me specifically but to atheists in general, such as the recipe for how to cook one--which I did find quite funny, nonetheless) and misunderstood is part of the reason for this.
I was not impressed by the responses (mostly) that I got. A few people emailed me, mostly politely, and a few comments were respectful. I did learn from this experience. But it was not my being a "douche" or a "d-bag" that I learned. I learned that in our culture, people will not talk to you when you are in front of them, but they certainly will comment when they are hidden behind the interwebs.
Next, I'll travel to the Vatican with a sign that says "The Pope is a douche" in tall letters. Await my report on how locals will not talk to me, bruising my fragile ego and idea of self-importance. I really should just die, I'm so lame....
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