wire

Paula Zahn on CNN recently aired a segment about atheism and the discrimination atheists face. The full show transcript is here, but the edited highlights and video are available here.



The out-of-studio segment is perfectly straight reporting, telling the story of an atheist couple who (after they complained about unconstitutional prayer and Bible study in their public school) were ostracized by their community so that no one would play with their children, angry people called the husband's boss, and no one would speak to them. There's another bit about a similarly ostracized family.

Then we move into the studio where a panel of three 'experts' comment on the situation. I put experts in quotes since one of the experts is Stephen A. Smith, a sports journalist. I'm not sure what particular expertise he has in understanding the discrimination that atheists face in America, but I can at least say that he was the sensible one. He gets it: "I love the Lord. So does Karen, so does everybody that I know. But the reality is that you're entitled to believe what you want as long as you're not imposing your beliefs on other people."

Then there was the lady whose main talking point seemed to be "I'm a Jew, but this is a Christian nation." Then she smiles like she's made an unassailable logical argument. 'Look, this nation is Christian and you can't say otherwise, because I'm a Jew and even I think so!' Thank you, Ms. Lieberman.

And then there was Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and professor Karen Hunter:
"I think [atheists] need to shut up and let people do what they do. No, I think they need to shut up about it."

She was very big on shutting up.

Well listen up, because I'm not shutting up. I don't have to shut up. Why didn't Martin Luther King Jr. just shut up and let people do what they do? Why don't abortion protestors just shut up and let people do what they do? Why doesn't the Reverend Phelps just shut up and let people do what they do? Why doesn't the American Family Association just shut the fsck up? They don't have to, and I don't have to.
You don't like that atheists went to court and got prayer in the public schools removed? Tough. That's what the courts are for, as provided by the Constitution. If you don't like it, you can SHUT THE FU... Ahem. Got carried away. If you don't like it, you can MAKE AN ASS OUT OF YOURSELF ON TELEVISION!

Although I praised Smith earlier, I'll backpedal a little bit. When Zahn mentioned the statistic that atheists are by far the most hated minority in America, he said, "I'm not even willing to believe that. That's news to me. I heard that, I read that, I just don't believe it."
C'mon, man, there was the evidence of the earlier footage of ostracized people, and more importantly, the woman across the table from you was calling out for atheists to all SHUT UP.

Try those on for size:
All you black people need to shut up.
All you Jews need to shut up.
All you homosexuals need to shut up.
All you evangelists need to shut up.
All you left-handed people need to shut up.
Can you imagine someone showing up on CNN to say any of those?

Sure, atheists are hard to spot (sneaky little bastards that we are) so we don't get shot, beaten to death, or dragged behind a truck as frequently as some other minorities, but the survey was not bullshia. If Smith couldn't spot the hate in the lady across from him, he needs to have his eyes examined.

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technodynamic

that's a lot of words.

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v6RIOT

meh.. atheists are getting to be as bad as chritian fundamentalist.

bitch and whine about stupid things like taking "god" out of the fvcking pledge.

Al Blue4.6l

no, seriously, shut up.

the only thing worse than an evangelical christian is an evangelical athiest.

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NS

I wish someone would. Sad thing is...someone else would find something else to complain about

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No.....**** you!

v6RIOT

fvck anyone who is overly-sensitive about who they are

_AC_

I am left-handed and I won't shut up.
We have had enough of your scissor tyranny! Oh, and stop watching me write. It's not funny that I have to curve my whole arm to see the letters!

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NS

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No.....**** you!

wire

Especially if they denounced lefthanded Jews.

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wire

But I'm the most hated and zealously screaming about my beliefs will surely get me more love

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Black Fox

i'm with you man /raises right fist in solidarity






um... nevermind

NS

I hear protesting at dead soldiers funerals helps a lot.

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No.....**** you!

JP7

preach it brotha! i'm with you

Abneriel

and when Jesus comes back he'll say all that too

:mwan:

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DSTURBD

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Teal95GT

wire you need to come to my campus.

we got a guy who comes out almost everyday and yells at people about how their going to hell for committing sins and whatnot, it's quite entertaining

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v6RIOT

you have that crazy guy at any university

knucklehead11

Well it is true this is a mostly Christian nation.

About the fvckin' pledge... yeah it says under God. So what if you don't like it. The world doesn't cater to your every need. Most people prefer under God... so why should a small bit of people ruin it for the rest of us?

Martin Luther King spoke up about racial segregation because segregation is just flat out wrong. I see no problem in it because he had a huge ass point about racial segregation. To have "under God" removed from the pledge because a select few people don't like it is... well... quite selfish and ignorant. MLK and the words of the pledge are two totally different subjects.

Abortion protestors SHOULD shut up and let people do what they do... BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MAKES AMERICA... AMERICA! Doing what you do! It's called "freedom" and "liberty" and it's guaranteed by the Constitution. Sure... the right to assemble is as well... but damnit it doesn't seem like anyone's listening about abortion protests... they might as well shut up!

And we still have the freedom to pray in school... it just can't be led by the teacher... I can understand this completely... even as a Christian... because the parents raise their kids how they want... and shouldn't be led in prayer if the parent's don't want them to.

But again... this has nothing to do with why athiests should shut up.

On the flipside... I agree that a bunch of Christians should shut up. Yes I really do think so. There are too many out there trying to "spread the Word" and "win the world for God." and such. Well if someone in America really wanted to know... they'll go get a damn Bible and find out, or go ask someone... but it irritates me how a lot of Christians accuse people of going to hell and shiit... we're not the ones to judge. And about "winning the world for God..." I've heard this many times in church... how the fvck are you supposed to win the world for God when it even says in Revelation that during the 7 year tribulation there will be the antichrist and a shiitload of people that don't believe. Basically... you're never going to win the world for God... but that's a whole other can of worms as far as ignorance among Christians.

I think all should shut up, athiests, Christians, Jews, Muslims, everyone!

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knucklehead11

we had that kind of guy a couple of years ago. those people piss me off...

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