And yet fighting it isn't the full on issue here. Certainly the pilots are either religious and in accord with the consensus that atheist adverts should be prohibited at all costs, or they're simply gutless and fear if they don't go along to get along the word of sheep against them for that may stand to impact their business in future.
We have all had the opportunity to see reactionaries calling for boycotts on the sidewalk in front of radio stations and businesses. We've read online calls to activism against product manufacturers, and some years ago Christian "family values" watchdog groups made the news threatening to picket and boycott and harass a network broadcasting during prime time, if they dared air a Trojans condom commercial.
You know, because seeing a condom inspires sex and prophylactic protection against STD's and especially the certain killer that is HIV/AIDS is immoral. Abstinence is the only answer. Otherwise, we'll picket, harass, threaten, intimidate, jeer, and make national news demonstrating what Jesus would do. (Beam with pride, while wearing little gold cross)
So what's to do?
I hate bullies. Their kind shouldn't be tolerated in schools. Their victims shouldn't be expelled or suspended when they fight back against what is terrorism by definition. Send the message to a bully in a language they can understand. When they raise a hand to you, feed it to them so they choke on it and maybe learn a lesson that involves the simple message; don't fuck with me or I'll destroy you piece at a time until you stop!
And yet, in the business market how's that work exactly?
Atheists can't force these intimidated pilots in the OP to grow some guts. And woe to us all if we think to force them to serve our business of flying atheist banners for pay. Because imagine what that precedent would bode for everyone if that success through some means of our own threats, intimidation, coercion, achieved success and as such was pursued as a matter of law. Making it illegal for a business to refuse service to anyone.
This article is about us, now. Discrimination against atheism and our full on inalienable right to not only speak freely but to also be free from religion. And yet, if we think we can become the bullies now and force a business to serve us against their will, imagine the repercussions for everyone.
Imagine the lever that would provide for terrorist, intolerant, arrogant, discriminatory, bigot Theists. One more avenue to force their will upon others by law, because free choice to refuse business to anyone is no longer an option.
The good news is, in the OP, not all pilots were chickenshits. And the message is flying high.
It was said if you don't fight it, you accept it. In many respects with regard to many issues that is spot on. However, it's important to pick one's battles wisely. Looking at the full picture which includes the repercussions and how it can all be turned around to work against, in this case, us.
Do we want to force pilots, or bus companies, or taxi services, to carry the atheist message?
How can we do that and then say it's all because we want to stop Christian bigots from forcing their mythological ideology down the throats of a public consumer base that must be presumed to have enough intellect to decide for themselves what to think about any given advertisement that rolls or flies past. The same base as atheists paying for ad space presume are capable of reading and considering the atheist message as well.
Because there is no doubt Theists are frightened of our community. Not that that's news however, Theism is losing it's membership every day. Atheist book titles in 2007 out sold Theist for the first time in publishing history. The Church of England in 2007 blamed Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the exodus of women from their congregation!
How desperate to put the blame everywhere else, even on bad TV fiction, rather than giving credit to parishioners for daring to exercise their free will, that is a fine thing when it's held responsible for making them a damned sinner, and their free thought to arrive at a different conclusion about the superstition they'd accepted on faith before is no longer making sense, because it simply isn't working in their life any more.
Sure, it's easy to say if you don't fight it you accept it.
However there's another cliche that applies here. If you become like unto your enemy, you make an enemy of yourself and that foe gains two victories.
I don't bitch because not all pilots accepted the contract to fly atheist adverts on July 4th. I thank free choice in business practice, that any pilot chose to send the message at all. They're in business to do business. Forcing them to do business because we're atheists and are entitled to keep them in business, is taking on the guise of bully in our own right. And after all, if they (pilots, etc...) wouldn't fight that, then they'd have to simply accept it.
We have all had the opportunity to see reactionaries calling for boycotts on the sidewalk in front of radio stations and businesses. We've read online calls to activism against product manufacturers, and some years ago Christian "family values" watchdog groups made the news threatening to picket and boycott and harass a network broadcasting during prime time, if they dared air a Trojans condom commercial.
You know, because seeing a condom inspires sex and prophylactic protection against STD's and especially the certain killer that is HIV/AIDS is immoral. Abstinence is the only answer. Otherwise, we'll picket, harass, threaten, intimidate, jeer, and make national news demonstrating what Jesus would do. (Beam with pride, while wearing little gold cross)
So what's to do?
I hate bullies. Their kind shouldn't be tolerated in schools. Their victims shouldn't be expelled or suspended when they fight back against what is terrorism by definition. Send the message to a bully in a language they can understand. When they raise a hand to you, feed it to them so they choke on it and maybe learn a lesson that involves the simple message; don't fuck with me or I'll destroy you piece at a time until you stop!
And yet, in the business market how's that work exactly?
Atheists can't force these intimidated pilots in the OP to grow some guts. And woe to us all if we think to force them to serve our business of flying atheist banners for pay. Because imagine what that precedent would bode for everyone if that success through some means of our own threats, intimidation, coercion, achieved success and as such was pursued as a matter of law. Making it illegal for a business to refuse service to anyone.
This article is about us, now. Discrimination against atheism and our full on inalienable right to not only speak freely but to also be free from religion. And yet, if we think we can become the bullies now and force a business to serve us against their will, imagine the repercussions for everyone.
Imagine the lever that would provide for terrorist, intolerant, arrogant, discriminatory, bigot Theists. One more avenue to force their will upon others by law, because free choice to refuse business to anyone is no longer an option.
The good news is, in the OP, not all pilots were chickenshits. And the message is flying high.
It was said if you don't fight it, you accept it. In many respects with regard to many issues that is spot on. However, it's important to pick one's battles wisely. Looking at the full picture which includes the repercussions and how it can all be turned around to work against, in this case, us.
Do we want to force pilots, or bus companies, or taxi services, to carry the atheist message?
How can we do that and then say it's all because we want to stop Christian bigots from forcing their mythological ideology down the throats of a public consumer base that must be presumed to have enough intellect to decide for themselves what to think about any given advertisement that rolls or flies past. The same base as atheists paying for ad space presume are capable of reading and considering the atheist message as well.
Because there is no doubt Theists are frightened of our community. Not that that's news however, Theism is losing it's membership every day. Atheist book titles in 2007 out sold Theist for the first time in publishing history. The Church of England in 2007 blamed Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the exodus of women from their congregation!
How desperate to put the blame everywhere else, even on bad TV fiction, rather than giving credit to parishioners for daring to exercise their free will, that is a fine thing when it's held responsible for making them a damned sinner, and their free thought to arrive at a different conclusion about the superstition they'd accepted on faith before is no longer making sense, because it simply isn't working in their life any more.
Sure, it's easy to say if you don't fight it you accept it.
However there's another cliche that applies here. If you become like unto your enemy, you make an enemy of yourself and that foe gains two victories.
I don't bitch because not all pilots accepted the contract to fly atheist adverts on July 4th. I thank free choice in business practice, that any pilot chose to send the message at all. They're in business to do business. Forcing them to do business because we're atheists and are entitled to keep them in business, is taking on the guise of bully in our own right. And after all, if they (pilots, etc...) wouldn't fight that, then they'd have to simply accept it.
"In life you can never be too kind or too fair; everyone you meet is carrying a heavy load. When you go through your day expressing kindness and courtesy to all you meet, you leave behind a feeling of warmth and good cheer, and you help alleviate the burdens everyone is struggling with."
Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy
