The Image Problem With Atheism in America

[Thumpalumpacus]

Where, doing what, and when?

I studied at a university for three years in Washington D.C. beginning in 2006, lived just outside the city for another two years. I visited the NASA center in Huntsville, Alabama including the control room for the ISS, visited Virginia (as far south as Norfolk, even if I drove further south on a trip) many times as it was across the river (best spot in America is Williamsburg), visited North Carolina and thought the food was great and the people were less crazy than the Virginians (a surprise to me), went down to Florida to see Disney World (was not a fan of the rain down there). I also visited West Virginia a few times, a state I wasn't including earlier but then realized that it as well is south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Well, we can throw your three years in DC out the window, because while that may be south of the Mason-Dixon line, it is not really part of the American South, as any redneck will tell you.

And I'd argue that your perceptions are filtered by your biases anyway, and your virulent anti-Americanism may well have kept you from seeing any of the better qualities people have here.

And -- the nature of this answer tells me that you don't really know what the South is, and that you're looking at it as solely a geographical construct. It's not.

[Zack]

Indiana is ABOVE the Mason-Dixon and many consider it a "Southern" state when it comes to the typical Southern stereotype. I grew up in Texas and my family comes from all over the South. It is a great place with great people that don't deserve to be lumped into some generalization. I can definitively say there are plenty of ignorant, racist, homophobic, Bible wielding Yankees to go around.

[Mister Agenda]

Would I be right in concluding that the lie Polaris has a problem with is Bad Wolf claiming not to be an Islamophobe?

If BW were an Islamophobe, not agreeing with it probably wouldn't make him a liar, it would more likely mean he is in denial, a rather different thing. Few people think their views are irrational.

As I understand it, Islamophobia is an irrational fear or dislike of Islam/Muslims. There are some things about Islam as it is practiced by some Muslims in some places that it is not irrational to fear or dislike. The stoning to death of adultresses, for example. There are other things it IS irrational to fear or dislike, like that Muslims will have a majority in the USA in 20 years or that all Muslims would be terrorists if given a good enough opportunity. And there's borderline stuff, like 'burqas should be banned'.

[MJ the Skeptical]

Would I be right in concluding that the lie Polaris has a problem with is Bad Wolf claiming not to be an Islamophobe?

If BW were an Islamophobe, not agreeing with it probably wouldn't make him a liar, it would more likely mean he is in denial, a rather different thing. Few people think their views are irrational.

As I understand it, Islamophobia is an irrational fear or dislike of Islam/Muslims. There are some things about Islam as it is practiced by some Muslims in some places that it is not irrational to fear or dislike. The stoning to death of adultresses, for example. There are other things it IS irrational to fear or dislike, like that Muslims will have a majority in the USA in 20 years or that all Muslims would be terrorists if given a good enough opportunity. And there's borderline stuff, like 'burqas should be banned'.

He seems to not even understand the word, let alone the suffix -phobia.

You have no idea what the word phobia means do you?

It's taken on a new definition when it was applied to homophobia (same definition change now used for Islamophia) or maybe it was the anti-gay people who changed the perception themselves from turning from being uneasy among homosexuals to flat-out hating and insulting them. Words constantly change in the English language.

Words don't change, more definitions for a word are created. Plenty of Islamic people, even Islamic scholars like to equate Racism with being Anti-Muslim--doesn't make it so, that's their spin. The colloquial usage of words change ("fag" being a great example) but Islamophobia is not one of those terms, it's very specific. I don't buy your spin that two root words like Islam and phobia can be extrapolated into an entire new meaning. Just being against Islam doesn't make you a Islamophobe. I'm against Christianity, but I'm not Christophobic.

[Endo]

I'm quite Priestaphobic though, never know when one of those guys will try to take my butt virginity. I'm trying to save that for a nice lady, don'tcha know.

[Polaris]

I studied at a university for three years in Washington D.C. beginning in 2006, lived just outside the city for another two years. I visited the NASA center in Huntsville, Alabama including the control room for the ISS, visited Virginia (as far south as Norfolk, even if I drove further south on a trip) many times as it was across the river (best spot in America is Williamsburg), visited North Carolina and thought the food was great and the people were less crazy than the Virginians (a surprise to me), went down to Florida to see Disney World (was not a fan of the rain down there). I also visited West Virginia a few times, a state I wasn't including earlier but then realized that it as well is south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Well, we can throw your three years in DC out the window, because while that may be south of the Mason-Dixon line, it is not really part of the American South, as any redneck will tell you.

And I'd argue that your perceptions are filtered by your biases anyway, and your virulent anti-Americanism may well have kept you from seeing any of the better qualities people have here.

And -- the nature of this answer tells me that you don't really know what the South is, and that you're looking at it as solely a geographical construct. It's not.

Pretty sure Alabama is the South....you're just mad because where you live is the laughing stock of the United States and for good reason as well. I only had to go one mile out of the DC to see "The South Will Rise Again," but even that area was much less like the South than Washington D.C.. Anyone who's been to all parts of the city knows just how awful it truly is...basically 3rd World nations have better statistics than Washington D.C.

I saw those better qualities, which was why I stated good things about Williamsburg and the region of North Carolina I visited. Your stereotypical pro-American BS keeps you focusing on the worst of perceptions people have about you.

You are correct, more often than not, the definitions due change. But words change as well...many words are spelled and pronounced completely differently between the English spoken in Commonwealth nations and the English spoken in the United States.

[Dystopia]

Islamophobia? A phobia is an irrational fear of something, the fear of Islam is pretty rational and justified. Islamophobia is a word made up by Muslim activists to describe people who do not want to live in a theocracy and value freedom of speech. If Portugal ever approved a law to protect Islam from critics, I'd be happy to burn a Quran in public and pay a huge fine because of it.

Islam is not a fucking race. Islam is a race as much as Christianity.

And Islam is not only a religion, but a fucking death cult filled with oppression.

[Ryantology]

Pretty sure Alabama is the South....you're just mad because where you live is the laughing stock of the United States and for good reason as well. I only had to go one mile out of the DC to see "The South Will Rise Again," but even that area was much less like the South than Washington D.C.. Anyone who's been to all parts of the city knows just how awful it truly is...basically 3rd World nations have better statistics than Washington D.C.

I saw those better qualities, which was why I stated good things about Williamsburg and the region of North Carolina I visited. Your stereotypical pro-American BS keeps you focusing on the worst of perceptions people have about you.

The south has a lot of problems.

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Poverty:



Illiteracy (unrelated to lack of English language proficiency):



Poor education in general:



Gun violence / Violent crime / Incarceration:





Hate and racism:

[hide]

Oh, I forgot one.

[hide]Christianity:

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[Neo-Scholastic]

Islamophobia? A phobia is an irrational fear of something, the fear of Islam is pretty rational and justified. Islamophobia is a word made up by Muslim activists to describe people who do not want to live in a theocracy and value freedom of speech. If Portugal ever approved a law to protect Islam from critics, I'd be happy to burn a Quran in public and pay a huge fine because of it.

Islam is not a fucking race. Islam is a race as much as Christianity.

And Islam is not only a religion, but a fucking death cult filled with oppression.

I was going to give you a kudos but I have a family.

[Endo]

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Islamophobia? A phobia is an irrational fear of something, the fear of Islam is pretty rational and justified. Islamophobia is a word made up by Muslim activists to describe people who do not want to live in a theocracy and value freedom of speech. If Portugal ever approved a law to protect Islam from critics, I'd be happy to burn a Quran in public and pay a huge fine because of it.

Islam is not a fucking race. Islam is a race as much as Christianity.

And Islam is not only a religion, but a fucking death cult filled with oppression.

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I was going to give you a kudos but I have a family.

Huh? That's quite a non-sequitur.