How Much More Insult In The Mainstream Media Can We Take?

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

Wow.

 

You know, I literally got angry to tears on a lot of points in this video, but it's really true. We are one of the most persecuted, misjudged class of people on the planet. This video puts together an interesting presentation highlighting the ideas perpetrated by mainstream media. It is videos like these that makes me think we need to act militantly about our beliefs at this point.

 

I want people to understand that if we atheists did pack up ...our bags and leave, and take away all the NOTHING we've ever contributed to society, that this country WOULD FALL.

 

We are a melting pot of cultures and beliefs, but to say my family and non-conforming friends are worse than RAPISTS? You tell me who is really persecuting who. Fuck you, religious zealots. I wish your hell were real, but until then, I will try my damndest to make the world you breathe in now just so. At least until you feel what you are doing to the rest of us, and maybe try to shed enough of your belief to knock it the fuck off it's high horse and keep it in your churches and homes where it belongs.

 

How can an atheist in today's age NOT become jaded, militant and intolerant like myself? Everyday I see on the streets signs about being lost without an idol. Schools trying to convince my children they aren't good enough on their own and with their family. Nay, my children are worthless pieces of SHIT until GOD makes them worthy. FUCK YOU. Really.

 

**On a side note, yeah, I'm pissed off today. Sometimes you just reach your fucking limit.**

 

[stryper]

yes sometimes you do.

 

Then things change.

[Kaiser01]

Yes because i only believe in rational things with evidence i believe in nothing at all.

[Inqui]

It wasn't too long ago that the men and women listed in that video would be burned at the stake for making their beliefs public. Yet here they are contributing to humanity in various ways and earning the love and admiration of millions worldwide.

 

It wasn't too long ago that homosexuality was a death sentence. Yet society is gradually accepting them on so many levels and that will only increase in the future.

 

I remember hearing a theory that Christianity undergoes a major split every 500 years - and the next one will be fundamental christians and liberal christians. It's obviously easier to convince the liberals that atheists won't destroy society and sacrifice babies in the dead of night, while the more noise the fundamentalists make the more people will eventually get turned off what they think: "the problem with communism is the communists, just as the problem with christianity is the christians."

 

Personally, I think it will get better for atheists going forwards, particularly as the older generation starts dying off (I love my grandparents to death, but the world really would be a better place without their ideas). As it is, that list of atheists is a really inspiring one and the more pronounced their atheism becomes the more accepted their beliefs will become.

 

That said, I do think atheists have it worse than many other persecuted minorities did (public executions aside), because the current competition for media airtime relies on having the most interesting and therefore extreme stories. Fuckheads like the WBC will consume media attention, as will guys like that Congressman who blamed the Aurora shootings on the decline of religion. But I also think they'll eventually harm their own cause.

 

I have a lot of respect for people who openly disbelieve and live in the haven of genetic variety that is the Bible Belt.

[Guest wester]

2 words:

 

Psychological Projection

[raoul]

One of the hardest things to do is to filter out what goes into our minds or what we see and/or watch on TV. You set yourself up to be pissed because you watched some of the biggest jackoffs like Robertson and Malkin spew their garbage. Perhaps you're a regular Young Turks viewer, as I am, but whenever I see Robertson come on TV, I immediately tune him out or switch channels. The only time I watch him is when I'm making a YouTube video which will be used to ridicule whatever silly teaching he's trying to push on the rest of us.

[buffettphan]

 

Personally, I think it will get better for atheists going forwards, particularly as the older generation starts dying off (I love my grandparents to death, but the world really would be a better place without their ideas).

 

 

I had to chuckle at this because I am a grandparent who seriously wishes that most of my generation (and older) would just get it over with and go "meet their maker".... and leave the rest of us in peace.

[buffettphan]

One of the hardest things to do is to filter out what goes into our minds or what we see and/or watch on TV. You set yourself up to be pissed because you watched some of the biggest jackoffs like Robertson and Malkin spew their garbage. Perhaps you're a regular Young Turks viewer, as I am, but whenever I see Robertson come on TV, I immediately tune him out or switch channels. The only time I watch him is when I'm making a YouTube video which will be used to ridicule whatever silly teaching he's trying to push on the rest of us.

 

So true! I was talking with a friend last night about some of the crap that Robertson and his ilk spew and their followers believe. We came to the conclusion that people with inoperable bullshit detectors shouldn't be allowed to watch television, especially religious programming and/or anything to do with possible conspiracy theories.

 

[raoul]

One of the hardest things to do is to filter out what goes into our minds or what we see and/or watch on TV. You set yourself up to be pissed because you watched some of the biggest jackoffs like Robertson and Malkin spew their garbage. Perhaps you're a regular Young Turks viewer, as I am, but whenever I see Robertson come on TV, I immediately tune him out or switch channels. The only time I watch him is when I'm making a YouTube video which will be used to ridicule whatever silly teaching he's trying to push on the rest of us.

 

So true! I was talking with a friend last night about some of the crap that Robertson and his ilk spew and their followers believe. We came to the conclusion that people with inoperable bullshit detectors shouldn't be allowed to watch television, especially religious programming and/or anything to do with possible conspiracy theories.

 

Inoperable bullshit detectors. ROFL - I love that! And I find how you describe yourself fascinating - 'evidence based on logic'. It's intriguing because it's EXACTLY how I became a theist in the first place - the logical arguments put forth by Aquinas and other philosophers were just a few reasons. And, it's EXACTLY why I dropped the christian tag - for the very same reasons.

[owen652]

great video; I just wish (and i'm being anal here but it's my pet hate) that they had gotten someone to proofread it. If you're trying to portray atheists as the intelligentsia, then the kind of bad spelling and grammar which permeates fundy propoganda won't help the cause.

[Inqui]

great video; I just wish (and i'm being anal here but it's my pet hate) that they had gotten someone to proofread it. If you're trying to portray atheists as the intelligentsia, then the kind of bad spelling and grammar which permeates fundy propoganda won't help the cause.

I don't think it's being anal at all.

 

Last year I got in touch with a Wellington-based journo school and the reply I got was riddled with typos and rubbish sentence structures.

 

Usually I'll tolerate that kind of thing, but in that email they were representing an academic institution so now said school won't get a second look when I finish my undergrad studies.

 

I'm sure their curriculum is actually just fine, but the reply I got was the window from my perspective into the school. I think it's the same with any group: in this case that video is supposed to represent the interests of atheists so they should be looking to make a good impression.

 

That said, I wasn't actually paying attention to the spelling and grammar in the clip. I think I've learned to shut that part of my brain off when it comes to YouTube.

[Lilith666]

I doubt, since CNN was covering the topic, that mainstream media hates atheists. However, many intentionally stupid people do insist on distrusting anyone who isn't like them.

Since people like Jessica Ahlquist are having their way more often and the Xian Church is having its way less often, I'd say there has been definite improvement. Smile!

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

I doubt, since CNN was covering the topic, that mainstream media hates atheists. However, many intentionally stupid people do insist on distrusting anyone who isn't like them.

Since people like Jessica Ahlquist are having their way more often and the Xian Church is having its way less often, I'd say there has been definite improvement. Smile!

I think when these news outlets quit catering their news (meaning showing bias), it will help open minds further. Everything is an editorial now. A persuasive argument. We are a generation of dialogue, but I see way too many instances where there isn't a display of all sides of the conversation. It's frustrating.

[Inqui]

I doubt, since CNN was covering the topic, that mainstream media hates atheists. However, many intentionally stupid people do insist on distrusting anyone who isn't like them.

Since people like Jessica Ahlquist are having their way more often and the Xian Church is having its way less often, I'd say there has been definite improvement. Smile!

I think when these news outlets quit catering their news (meaning showing bias), it will help open minds further. Everything is an editorial now. A persuasive argument. We are a generation of dialogue, but I see way too many instances where there isn't a display of all sides of the conversation. It's frustrating.

Therein lies the problem.

 

People don't just want impartial, honest news: they like to think the news they're watching is impartial and accurate, but they prefer watching things that cater to their biases. If Fox News don't talk about how gays, muslims and atheists will destroy America, their audience will find another channel that will talk about it.

[Dhampir]

There's an organization dedicated to getting Fox News reclassified from a news outlet to a political agenda outlet. I think they're on to something. I think the public at large should be weeding out outlets that introduce high degrees of bias as fact, and call them something other than news.

[RedStar]

I hate the media with a passion. They will destroy people's lives without a second thought if they think it will get them good ratings. There are still far too many people who trust everything they say though, which shows how gullible and naive people still are.

 

If I want to know anything for example about a legal case I'll get the info that comes from court documents/transcripts, and the media and their bias and lies and pro prosecution bullshit can go to hell!

[blackpudd1n]

great video; I just wish (and i'm being anal here but it's my pet hate) that they had gotten someone to proofread it. If you're trying to portray atheists as the intelligentsia, then the kind of bad spelling and grammar which permeates fundy propoganda won't help the cause.

 

Oh, good, I'm not the only one who proofreads every damn thing I read. I know I'm not the best at grammar, which is why I guess it annoys me so much more, especially when I see it in a publication that should have been proofread. And when it's done on purpose... Well, that just really gets my blood pressure rising!

 

Like this darling gem printed by NSW Health, that I had to look at every time I got my bandages changed on my burn:

 

"Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander? Don't be shamed- say who you are."

 

That's not patronising or condescending in any way. No, not at all. Because everyone knows blackfellas can't read proper. Nice going, NSW Health.

[owen652]

well, this one's not racist, but there's a big fire safety billboard at the entrance to our town that says, 'Smoke alarms saves lives'. I really wanna get a sharpie and add an 's' to 'smoke' as well, just for the heck of it. I"m a graphic design student so I really notice these things now, i even take photos of really bad typos in signage i see around the place. It blows me away how many of my fellow students don't even bother to use spellcheck, let alone get someone to proofread. Why would you spend weeks working on a design and then leave the main heading spelled wrong? Sheesh. End rant.

[blackpudd1n]

well, this one's not racist, but there's a big fire safety billboard at the entrance to our town that says, 'Smoke alarms saves lives'. I really wanna get a sharpie and add an 's' to 'smoke' as well, just for the heck of it. I"m a graphic design student so I really notice these things now, i even take photos of really bad typos in signage i see around the place. It blows me away how many of my fellow students don't even bother to use spellcheck, let alone get someone to proofread. Why would you spend weeks working on a design and then leave the main heading spelled wrong? Sheesh. End rant.

 

Yeah... Except I get the urge to grab a red permanent marker and go around correcting the mistakes that I see. I'm not a grammar nazi, I'm just obsessed with grammar.

 

Actually, it's only really gotten bad ever since I somehow managed to turn off my spellcheck on the forum. I'm not sure how I managed it, but ever since, my grammar obsession has gotten worse. Not to mention my spelling obsession.

[TheBluegrassSkeptic]

well, this one's not racist, but there's a big fire safety billboard at the entrance to our town that says, 'Smoke alarms saves lives'. I really wanna get a sharpie and add an 's' to 'smoke' as well, just for the heck of it. I"m a graphic design student so I really notice these things now, i even take photos of really bad typos in signage i see around the place. It blows me away how many of my fellow students don't even bother to use spellcheck, let alone get someone to proofread. Why would you spend weeks working on a design and then leave the main heading spelled wrong? Sheesh. End rant.

 

Yeah... Except I get the urge to grab a red permanent marker and go around correcting the mistakes that I see. I'm not a grammar nazi, I'm just obsessed with grammar.

 

Actually, it's only really gotten bad ever since I somehow managed to turn off my spellcheck on the forum. I'm not sure how I managed it, but ever since, my grammar obsession has gotten worse. Not to mention my spelling obsession.

And that isn't a bad thing in the least. I refuse to let my children use spell check/grammar check programs. At their ages they aren't writing scientific journals, and exercising some thought into what they write is important.

[blackpudd1n]

well, this one's not racist, but there's a big fire safety billboard at the entrance to our town that says, 'Smoke alarms saves lives'. I really wanna get a sharpie and add an 's' to 'smoke' as well, just for the heck of it. I"m a graphic design student so I really notice these things now, i even take photos of really bad typos in signage i see around the place. It blows me away how many of my fellow students don't even bother to use spellcheck, let alone get someone to proofread. Why would you spend weeks working on a design and then leave the main heading spelled wrong? Sheesh. End rant.

 

Yeah... Except I get the urge to grab a red permanent marker and go around correcting the mistakes that I see. I'm not a grammar nazi, I'm just obsessed with grammar.

 

Actually, it's only really gotten bad ever since I somehow managed to turn off my spellcheck on the forum. I'm not sure how I managed it, but ever since, my grammar obsession has gotten worse. Not to mention my spelling obsession.

And that isn't a bad thing in the least. I refuse to let my children use spell check/grammar check programs. At their ages they aren't writing scientific journals, and exercising some thought into what they write is important.

 

I actually prefer it if someone corrects me on my grammar or spelling, simply because I'm more likely to remember the lesson. Particularly grammar. I've never taken offence to being corrected about those two things.

 

I particularly like having Ro-bear on the forum, so I can bug him with my questions about grammar

[centauri]

The clip where Glenn Beck is grinning while atheists are called parasites is quite revealing.

The word "parasite" is of course subjective.

 

Here we have a man (Beck) that produces chalkboard drawings and passes them off as reality.

A man that crys and weeps on cue, then seconds later is giggling and laughing like a demented demon child.

Glenn Beck stirs up and feeds off of a host, making millions, under the guise of educating his audience.

If a garden variety atheist is a parasite, then Beck is a prostitute parasite queen that wants to lay its eggs in as many places as possible, in order to increase the amount of energy that it sucks from the host.

Other queen parasites include Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and a whole nest of Fox News talking heads.

I'm fairly sure every one of these parasites defines themselves as being Christian.

They all enjoy rich lifestyles, due in large to their ability to suck off a system where dollars have replaced the club of the aggressive cave man.

They exist to club others into submission via loud mouthed and repetitive propaganda.

They aren't alone.

 

Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and a whole cadre of Christian religious parasites have been feeding off their congregations for centuries.

Using threats of hellfire and damnation, they spiritually bully people into submission.

They embody everything that they condemn.

[silentknight]

It's amazing to me how much my view changed over the past two weeks. I knew for years that I didn't really think church was right, but I somehow distanced myself from atheism and agnostics in my mind. Simply admitting that I don't believe in the Bible suddenly gave me much more compassion for the godless of the world, because I realize now how hard it is in today's society. For some reason I always just assumed atheists had a bunch of atheist friends and never really had to deal with Christians.

[RedStar]

For some reason I always just assumed atheists had a bunch of atheist friends and never really had to deal with Christians.

 

If only that were true. I'd be happy to never have to deal with them again.

[Sheldon]

Simply admitting that I don't believe in the Bible suddenly gave me much more compassion for the godless of the world, because I realize now how hard it is in today's society. For some reason I always just assumed atheists had a bunch of atheist friends and never really had to deal with Christians.

 

No, not by a long shot, stick around, read the Testimonials section on here, if you haven't already, quite a few of us came from Christian families and the Christian lifestyle. Our families, friends etc are now people that we used to share the same beliefs with, but they are now confused about our change in beliefs, and/or hostile to us about it, and that's those who have chosen to come out, there are many who won't, because they know the possible consequences.

 

Welcome to ex-C btw, I haven't been here very long myself.