(March 22, 2019 at 4:30 pm)Der/die AtheistIn Wrote: I'm not talking about countries in which atheism is illegal. How should an atheist react to discrimination in a non theocracy?
Long ago, when I was in HS, I had my first real friend, but when I first met him, he had some very dark humor in response to my interactions.
One day, true story, I went to my locker near his, seeing something in the news, although I cant remember now, that at the time bothered me. I went up to him to complain about what I saw on the news, and his response was, "Well, you know what you need to do?" I asked, "What", he responded with "Kill everyone and plant trees".
My point is we get it. Even in the west atheists are not seen as equal and are viewed as suspect. But this is still too broad a question. There is no blanket solution to how to react to how you are treated. In some cases, you are right to raise your voice, in other cases, it isn't worth it.
"It depends" is all one can say.
My mother was a lifetime Catholic, died a Catholic, and if it were not for her, I'd be living in the streets. She never liked the fact I was an atheist, but she still loved me as I loved her.
Nobody who does not have a direct connection in your daily life can really dictate how you respond, especially face to face. Only you can gauge what you think will benefit you, and what simply is not worth it.
So unless you want to go on a killing spree, and I hope you do not, this only gets a "it depends".
In matters of politics, outside personal relationships, you can and should raise your voice, even if only online. But on a day to day basis, in face to face interactions it isn't always wise to confront an asshole.
