Ace Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 It's not like watching a shitty tv show. It's being aware of the ideological conflicts that shape our culture. To "not look" is culturally irresponsible. Bullshit. It's people being smug on the internet. Smug dipshit atheists talking shit on twitter shape our culture about as much as juggalos and bronies. I'm not talking about some doofus on the internet. I'm talking about people and publications that are incredibly popular who influence those dipshits. Those dipshits are extensions of more popular dipshits. And the more of them there are the more important it is to pay attention how they're being created. Equating the importance of atheist attitudes in our society to juggalos is not a good comparison. I think you overestimate their popularity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Damn Yeti Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I'm an atheist, but not an Atheist. I like this. I'm a progressive secularist. Like the saying goes, religion is like a penis. It's great to have one, it's great to be proud of it, but don't take it out in public and shove it down our children's throats. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think you overestimate their popularity. Or I'm underestimating how popular ICP is world wide. Which is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antacular Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I have no statistical data (i.e. polling) to back up what I'm about to say (Although I have Putnam's latest work on my to be read list), it's all anecdotal. Regarding atheism, I believe the divide between "strong" and "weak" very much defines how militant one is with their beliefs. You can classify the "strong" with the Dawkins of the world, and the "Weak" with the Maher's. IMHO the "weak" one is the more logical, and thus the "correct" one. If you were to press atheists (and here is where polling data would be helpful), my suspicion is that most are of the "weak" variety. It's not so much that they disbelieve in God, per se, as the word "God" has heavy connotations (Judeo-Christian? Aztec? Aliens with marbles at end of MiB?). Rather, as Maher points out, to "know" that God exists would mean that someone has superpowers that others lack, which is clearly false. Same with atheists: We can't "Know" that God doesn't exist, and won't be able to know until we can tranverse dimensions and travel through blackholes (at the very earliest, if ever). But we're pretty confident that most religions are, in fact, bullshit, a position fostered only with the advancement of science. In short, the majority of atheists aren't so much "anti-God" as they are "anti-religion." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Spanish Waiter Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 That would be me. Anti religion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Damn Yeti Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think you overestimate their popularity. Or I'm underestimating how popular ICP is world wide. Which is possible. I've seen Big Money Rustlas Twice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqVB3W7OnbI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antacular Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 That would be me. Anti religion. Ditto. In my younger days I was thoroughly anti-God, but then I eventually realized that it made no sense to take a position against something that can't be proven or disproven. I do, however, have ample evidence indicating the world is not 5,000 years old, nor resting on the back of a turtle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.K.o.S. Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think you overestimate their popularity. To your point: http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/americans-continue-believe-god.aspx Granted, that's a few years out of date, but it surprised me the first time I saw how high that number is. Even when you break it down by age it still never drops below 80%. edit: Clearly I didn't read the "belief in God" vs. "belief in religion" posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antacular Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 IIRC, the percentage of Americans who identify as "non-religious" (not necessarily atheists) is currently hovering between 15 - 20%, an all time high (again, concentrated along the coasts and other liberal intelligensia conclaves). Again, no data to back this up, but as I implied above, I'd bet that the majority of people who claim are atheists are actually agnostics. They (We) just don't like the word agnostic because it comes off as if we haven't "decided" on a position, whereas by saying "atheist" your claim comes across as more forceful. For all intents and purposes, despite not being "anti-God" but "anti-Religion," I always identify myself as an atheist. Also, it's just easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 One can be both atheist and agnostic. Atheism is less the belief that god is absolutely impossible, and more the belief that no credible evidence for the existence of God or gods has yet been produced, thus it is exceedingly unlikely that they do exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Spanish Waiter Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 That would be me. Anti religion. Ditto. In my younger days I was thoroughly anti-God, but then I eventually realized that it made no sense to take a position against something that can't be proven or disproven. I do, however, have ample evidence indicating the world is not 5,000 years old, nor resting on the back of a turtle. I went to church a lot as a kid but my old man never did. He didn't really explain why and I just assumed it was because he would rather do anything else (much like me). Having spoken to him later it turned out that (like me now) he just hated everything about the church. Everything. All the racism and kiddie fiddling and gay hatred and all that just rubbed him the wrong way. That's what I can't tolerate, the awful things people say and do in the name of God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo. I don't know, but I did hear some Juggalo on the train out of NYC 5 years ago say that there are no Juggalo's left... Then two years ago, I heard some dude ask the face painters at Sea World if they could do Juggalo face paint... So I don't know what to believe anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin877 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think you overestimate their popularity. Or I'm underestimating how popular ICP is world wide. Which is possible. I've seen Big Money Rustlas Twice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqVB3W7OnbI That movie had stellar performances by Scott Hall, Sabu and Bridget the Midget! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustronaut Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo. That'd be 31 million Juggalos. A sure sign the world has ended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antacular Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 That would be me. Anti religion. Ditto. In my younger days I was thoroughly anti-God, but then I eventually realized that it made no sense to take a position against something that can't be proven or disproven. I do, however, have ample evidence indicating the world is not 5,000 years old, nor resting on the back of a turtle. I went to church a lot as a kid but my old man never did. He didn't really explain why and I just assumed it was because he would rather do anything else (much like me). Having spoken to him later it turned out that (like me now) he just hated everything about the church. Everything. All the racism and kiddie fiddling and gay hatred and all that just rubbed him the wrong way. That's what I can't tolerate, the awful things people say and do in the name of God. Neither of my parents were/are particularly religious (my mother claims she's an atheist, and I've never talked about it with my father, but I suspect he's the same), so I only went to church for a couple years as a kid. I never made communion/confirmation (communion is, what, 3rd grade, and confirmation is 7th or 8th?), so we must've stopped going when I was around 9. I was really into dinosaurs as a kid, and I remember asking my pastor at some point how humans and dinosaurs could coexist when dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and the Bible says we've only been here for a few thousand. He befuddled the question and gave me some response that even at age 7 I knew was bullshit. So once my parents gave me (well, me and my siblings, but I'm the eldest so I call the shots) the choice whether to attend or not, that was that. It was only once I got onto the internet at like 12 or 13 and came across the writings of our Lord and Savior Mr. Dawkins that I realized I didn't believe in any of it. (Ironic considering I've been to catholic high school, college, grad school, and law school) But yeah. My issue is the same: It isn't necessarily the belief in a deity, but what the doctrines associated with said theology tend to result in. Also, I love science, so there's that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubbymark Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo. That'd be 31 million Juggalos. A sure sign the world has ended. That's a shit ton of people to go to Cave in Rock, Illinois for the Gathering, or wherever the hell it is they hold it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Ape Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 First my father-in-law (suicide attempt), then my grandmother-in-law (multiple organ failure which she SOMEHOW survived), now my mother-in-law (slipped on ice, broke her shoulder). My wife's side of the family is bad luck. Holy shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newb82 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Had a great day partially ruined when I found out via facebook that a high school friend has gone missing since Sunday. That family already lost a son via car accident when I was still in school too. Also found out that the longtime head janitor at my old high school died from cancer a couple weeks ago. We always gave him shit because teenagers are assholes, but he seemed like a genuinely good guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newb82 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 So...I find out today that my missing friend has been found. He went into hiding after getting into a car accident, then after the other driver got out of his car to prevent my friend from leaving...my friend ran him over and fled anyway. Shiiiiiit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LooseCannon Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo.I don't know, but I did hear some Juggalo on the train out of NYC 5 years ago say that there are no Juggalo's left... Then two years ago, I heard some dude ask the face painters at Sea World if they could do Juggalo face paint... So I don't know what to believe anymore. There are no Juggalos, there are only people cos-playing as Juggalos. What would be worse, being surrounded by Juggalos or being surrounded by cos-playing freaks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooks Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo.I don't know, but I did hear some Juggalo on the train out of NYC 5 years ago say that there are no Juggalo's left... Then two years ago, I heard some dude ask the face painters at Sea World if they could do Juggalo face paint... So I don't know what to believe anymore. There are no Juggalos, there are only people cos-playing as Juggalos. What would be worse, being surrounded by Juggalos or being surrounded by cos-playing freaks? The wrestling company I work for in Dayton, OH also runs concerts of out our building. On March 15th, we have ICP coming in. I'll be working security for the show. Surrounded by a crowd of Juggalos. I'm going to view it like a social experiment to test my levels of patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 The biggest, loudest, longest FUCK YOU I can muster to the two 100 year old zombies that live next door to me and leave their 5 barking rats out in their yard all hours of the day and night to bark at everything and nothing. I wouldn't care so much if their yard weren't like 20 feet from my bedroom and I didn't have to be up for work in 6 hours. This is not an uncommon situation BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Okay, let's focus on something more important. I need to know if 1 out of 10 Americans is a Juggalo.I don't know, but I did hear some Juggalo on the train out of NYC 5 years ago say that there are no Juggalo's left... Then two years ago, I heard some dude ask the face painters at Sea World if they could do Juggalo face paint... So I don't know what to believe anymore. There are no Juggalos, there are only people cos-playing as Juggalos. What would be worse, being surrounded by Juggalos or being surrounded by cos-playing freaks? I've been to a Comicon, and I've been surrounded by "Juggalo's". I'm actually not sure which is worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustronaut Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 The biggest, loudest, longest FUCK YOU I can muster to the two 100 year old zombies that live next door to me and leave their 5 barking rats out in their yard all hours of the day and night to bark at everything and nothing. I wouldn't care so much if their yard weren't like 20 feet from my bedroom and I didn't have to be up for work in 6 hours. This is not an uncommon situation BTW. Call the cops, they'll at least get a ticket out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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