An image from the Reddit thread in question.
There’s a tendency among some egalitarian minded folks to blame the state of women — around the globe and in their own backyard — on religion.
It’s my opinion, however, that “religion,” as a discreet entity, doesn’t exist. Religions (as opposed to faith, and/or the existence of the Divine) are human social constructs, and thus cannot help but reflect the human societies they serve. In fact, it’s my opinion that the frequency with which religions serve as a vehicle through which we reveal our worst proclivities isn’t the impressive thing — the impressive thing is how frequently religion has inspired us to reach beyond our worst proclivities for our better angels.
And just as you don’t need religion to be a good person, you don’t need religion to be an asshole.
Witness the experience of a 15 year old young lady attempting to participate in an atheist group (or “subreddit”) on Reddit. She posted a thread named “What my super religious mother gave me for Christmas,” featuring a picture of herself holding a copy of Carl Sagan’s The Demon Haunted World – I discovered her story on Skepchick last night, and my hair still hasn’t come back down from where it got stood on end.
As writer and Ms. Skepchik herself Rebecca Watson says in the post:
What a cool thing to happen! A touching tale of religious tolerance. I’m sure the comments will be appropriately celebratory and, seeing as she’s 15, nonsexual. LOL.
Because yes. That is not, to put it mildly, what happened.
It took fewer than ten responses for an audience of grown men to start referring to the young lady’s bodily orifices, and from there the distance to suggestions of abduction and rape was very short indeed — liberally sprinkled, of course, with such bon mots as “relax your anus, it hurts less that way” and “blood is mother nature’s lubricant.” Not to mention “BITE THE PILLOW, IM GOIN’ IN DRY!” and “tears, natures [sic] lubricant.” And, just to add horrible to disgusting, these comments were roundly supported by the majority of the readers on the thread — as were the many insults hurled at this 15 year old girl for having the temerity to put her own face in the picture of the gift she wanted to tell people about (because — it was claimed — males don’t do that. Which, I suppose makes it the better way to do things). (Aside from that claim being demonstrably false – a fact demonstrated amply in Skepchik post).
Is hurling stomach-churning rape japery at a high school student as bad as sexual abuse, rape, or organized repression? No. Is it on the same continuum? You betcha.
Until we come to fully understand that women and girls are as fully human as men and boys, 50% of the world’s population will find itself at the mercy of those who would deny them their humanity. Religious creed optional.
Crossposted at Emily L. Hauser In My Head.
“Is hurling stomach-churning rape japery at a high school student as bad as sexual abuse, rape, or organized repression? No. Is it on the same continuum? You betcha.”
Also, am I really supposed to believe that groups of people who write this kind DO NOT abuse, rape, or support/ignore organized repression? Simply because they’re not religious?
Because I don’t.
Indeed.
As an athiest myself, although not really big into the atheist community, it rather unnerves me to see so many people who thinks that atheism makes them just plain right.
The fact is, while atheists are more L/P than most, I feel, it comes down to many of the same issues that L/Ps fail to deal with: their own unexamined privilege and biases. After all, that’s something the religious nuts (or right-wing) does, athiests (or left-wing) don’t do that!
No matter where you stand on religion, politics, or what-the-hell-ever, you’ve been steeped in the biases, privilege, and attitudes of the cultural majority your entire fucking life, and THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS FACT. The end. Full stop. No exceptions. You are a product of the cultural bullshit that every other person has to go through. The fact that you are L/P or atheist or anything else does not magically make you not racist, not sexist, or not a jackass.
But, since they assume they’re in the right (of which yes, I agree that they are), it means they don’t have to take a good hard look at themselves and their own thoughts and actions.
And then they have the audacity to wonder why you don’t see many atheist women or atheists of color.
SELF-FUCKING-REINFORCING, DIPSHITS.
I’m guilty of it too, but at least recognizing the fact is the beginning of fixing it.
r/atheism sucks. Stop reading it.
Yes. Because if we ignore rape culture and misogyny, it will just go away.
Also, too.
I’m a little late on the reply.
I never said anything about ignoring the “rape culture” that exists all over the internet. I said r/atheism sucks. It is full of immature teenagers who love to argue.
You can go ahead and address the “rape culture and misogyny” found on anonymous message boards. I’m sure you will make a huge impact/sarcasm
Bzzzt, wrong answer. Thanks for playing.
That is what these assholes want. The message they’re sending? “Go back to the kitchen, bitch, this is for MEN. If you’re not going to show us your tits or spread your legs, you don’t belong here.”
One thinks I was talking about more incidental misogyny and bigotry in my previous comment, but the more I think of it (although my comment still holds true) is that this is very active misogyny. These assholes wanted to chase her off so they could have their He-Man Woman Hater’s Club.
Best way to stop that: Push back, hard.