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bjgroom · 2012-05-27T12:29:28.134073+00:00

Of course. What I took issue with is that the two were compared as equals. As an outsider, I can see how religion itself can be used for bad, but I don't see how atheism (in whatever form, it's sort of hard to pinpoint) can be actively utilized in the same way since itself isn't a clear-cut set of beliefs with rules or writing to be interpreted. It's sort of just a state you are either in, or not.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:55:11.230005+00:00

Can you please link me to the exact posts on /r/atheism which "torture and oppress" others? I must have missed those.

Remember, we're talking about actual, real life oppression here, used to subjugate others. Not a facebook post making fun of someone because they think they saw Jesus in their coffee.

EDIT: Or just downvote and run away :) I'm just trying to understand what you're saying.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:53:59.120902+00:00

According to my logic? What? Don't put words in my mouth.

Most definitely no, in that situation, institutionalized atheism or atheism as a way of thinking didn't make that guy call you a faggot. He did that because he was a dick. That's like saying someone was rude to me because they wear blue shirts, are a democrat or have a certain haircut.

I don't think you can compare being called a faggot (of which I get called a lot, many times because people's religion tells them that it's wrong to be gay) to the actual persecution of people because their religion tells them that they are right and should fight (sometimes violently) to preserve that. I lost one of my best friends because religion had changed his parents to such a degree that they thought his sexuality was sinful and he was bringing some sort of eternal shame on them that they effectively brainwashed him into someone I don't even know anymore, like the shell of a human. It's disgusting. What about religion in my politics? People in power letting the teaching of their religion influence how other can live. How could the lack of a belief in something restrict and force others to live a certain way?

Of course, religion is for the most part okay, but I don't see how you could hold atheism in the same contempt to the point of saying it persecutes people just as much with some guy you argued with as the evidence?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:19:41.352058+00:00

What?

Prejudice; you just judged the mindset and age of almost 800,000 people based on no evidence. That can't get any closer to the definition of the word.

"What is it with atheists and their strange desire to feel persecuted?" Again? Really?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:10:06.215180+00:00

How?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:09:45.565221+00:00

I think his point is that you just prejudged an entire group of almost 800,000 people as angsty teenagers when that's obviously not true.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T11:05:13.650210+00:00

Also, just one other thing; I think you could look at /r/atheism and conclude that it's just a bunch of people making fun of others. But you could do that with thousands of subreddits, yet none other even get the same treatment and dismissive attitude atheism does.

I'm sure those people, in real ife, when faced with the ones they 'ridicule', would actually be civil to each other. Sometimes, it's more about criticizing an idea than the person themselves, it just so happen that a tiny, tiny, insignificant portion of their personality is what people take issue with (very easy to do when encapsulated on a candid facebook post). It's only when those differences are highlighted and left open to free comment that stuff like that comes out. Atheists and theists exist side-by-side whether they know it or not and most people in society seem civil to me right? The internet just tends to paint a bad picture of people regardless of beliefs.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T10:55:17.586289+00:00

What about offensive news stories? What about offensive videos?

You're backing yourself in a corner here by saying all subreddits with potentially offensive content shouldn't be a default. I don't want to argue anymore because I think this is one of the more minor point to get hung up on, but a user-content controlled site will always offend people (I'm sure not all of the things on atheism or adviceanimals offends you, but what if it offends someone else, we can't ever account for that).

My original gripe was that people act like /r/atheism shouldn't even exist because they don't personally see the point or use to it, and that's not what we're talking about anymore so I'm done.

No ill feelings though, so have a good one mate

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T10:43:01.777763+00:00

School of argumentation? Okay...

So, essentially you're in a subreddit which does something you fundamentally disagree with, arguing about another subreddit which does the same thing? Am I missing something here?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T10:35:23.044748+00:00

Haha, you mean just like the High Expectations Asian Dad meme on this subreddit? Or the Almost Politically Correct Redneck on this subreddit? Or the Downe Syndrome Girl meme on this subreddit? I could go on.

Did you think about it?

I guess not.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T10:22:01.032495+00:00

TL;DR version:

-People get angry at /r/atheism because it isn't what they think it should be, when in reality, it's such a broad subject that it essentially can't be pinpointed and everyone will still hate it anyway (hence the use of deeper subreddits)

-Why are people surprised by internet posts which ridicule religion when religion itself is used to torture, oppress and judge others in actual, factual real-life.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T10:18:29.246550+00:00

I'm not playing into this argument. This was never my original point and I don't want to fight with you by having to justify other people's actions.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T09:55:11.561974+00:00

What are you trying to do here? I don't quite know if you're trying to argue that atheists aren't ever discriminated against or if you're just disappointed in the quality of content on a subreddit I don't control. Which is it?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T09:45:15.684231+00:00

Which is why I'm allowed to vent by saying all this on an internet post which will be irrelevant about 9 hours from now.

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T09:44:17.886656+00:00

I'm not speaking to you, you've obviously had a neutral experience with it. You can't speak for everyone, you know this. Why even comment?

People have lost their families over atheism, but all is well if you happen to be fine?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T08:51:14.488514+00:00

Hey hey now, only OP can make a circlejerk post of something old and tired that they knew people would agree with. Can't have two of those in the same thread, ey?

bjgroom · 2012-05-27T08:09:27.053085+00:00

Oh, look, this post again. Please, everyone tell me how they "unsubscibed from /r/atheism as soon as they got an account" as well. It's terribly interesting. Self-congratulatory posts for everyone!

I also hate how oppressed people finally get a vocal online forum then proceed to use it to ridicule the institution that's caused pain, hostility and hatred towards them.

But please r/adviceanimals, continue to tell me how much of a circlejerk /r/atheism is while furiously jerking like there's no tomorrow.

Edit: As an aside, think about it for a moment. An online forum dedicated to the subject of the non-belief of something which is in most cases drilled into a person from a young age without their understanding, from which most people would have to go through a phase of "coming out" of sorts, where they are most likely going to be called ignorant, stupid, disowned from their parents and friends and bombarded with messages from the institutions to which they once belonged that what they're doing is morally wrong and that they will "spend eternity in hell". People act surprised that others want to go and make fun of something like this. Really? The majority of posts there ARE like that, but only because, for so many people, they've finally found a place where they can speak openly and critically towards something which has been taboo for them; they can actually de-stress and let off some steam for once instead of feeling isolated and afraid (I'm lucky to come from Australia where religion isn't really that much of an issue, but hearing the stories from many Americans of how bad situations can actually get, I understand why they want to do this, can't you?)

I get the feeling people are angry because they see the content as "inappropriate", but what would they deem appropriate? Tell me, under the horrendously broad subject of "atheism", what should 80% of posts be? I've heard people say "they should be helping people instead of bitching". Perhaps it should be solely discussion of atheist "coming out" stories. Maybe gear it to be a philosophical debate on the meaning of life? How about a big, constant flood of posts discussing which theory of the creation of the universe is best? Or maybe, just maybe, in a subreddit of so many people, of such a broad subject matter, you can't have it every which way and the trend of reddit as a whole sees the most funny or entertaining posts reach the top so often. Without delving into deeper and more specific subreddits, people will constantly see /r/atheism and compare it to what they think it should contain and it just doesn't work like that.

Please, unsubscribe, nobody could care any less, but this bragging about it is getting old. Old to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if I started to see "I unsubscribed from r/... because I was sick of seeing all the '/r/atheism is a cicrlejerkhurrdurr" posts in other subreddits. Very meta.

Spnish_Doctor · 2012-05-27T02:10:57.720742+00:00

What in god's name is that thing on the left?

I think I'll wear my picnic rug today...

Geronimouse · 2012-05-27T02:08:50.781048+00:00

Because most people solely watch TV News Networks and probably don't go and research to get the full story, more facts or unbiased opinions. Seriously, being on the internet for one day, how much more would you know what's going on in the world than your 40-60 year old parents who watch the 5'o'clock news and Today Tonight?

Where-Am-I · 2012-05-27T02:05:34.066876+00:00

Opens box

Sees note attatched to Cactus

"Cheers, cunt"

All is right with the world.

Wittier_Username · 2012-05-27T01:56:57.960190+00:00

I would imagine that if you got all the way there with a student ticket and looked the part (essentially, not too old), they wouldn't turn you away with a valid ticket if you "forgot your card" that day. Maybe that's just me being happily naive though.

takinter · 2012-05-27T01:52:31.549173+00:00

The connection at my uni can get up to 2Mb/s when downloading from external sites. I've never really wondered, how is it that they do that?

takinter · 2012-05-27T01:50:15.729097+00:00

What's a typical download speed for you, not from a torrent. If you download a program from CNET for example, what kind of Kb/s would you get?

takinter · 2012-05-27T01:48:35.723904+00:00

If only they'd get their act together on other important issues too. I liked Kevin, and I liked Julia to begin with too but now I not only dislike the choices she's made, but fundamentally dislike her as a person; she's shown her true colours and it's not something I'd go for. That being said, I take her over Abbott a million times over.

(Only) two more years until I possibly get the NBN, let's hope they don't fuck it up.

remixof1983 · 1 day

Basically "LOL men not in the presence of women, gay!".

meAndb

TROPHY CASE

meAndb

TROPHY CASE

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