I find it utterly ridiculous when other people try to tell me what I am, when they try to redefine or vilify the words I have chosen to describe myself.
I am an atheist, and I think of the time that atheist speaker Matt Dillahunty was interviewed for a Christian radio show. The host said that Dillahunty "denied Christ" and stated that he (the host) thought that atheism was the belief that there was no god, in spite of what Dillahunty says on his own show, The Atheist Experience: that atheism is a lack of belief in a god.
It made me wonder, what was he trying to say about Dillahunty? Was he trying to say that Dillahunty didn't even know what he was, or was he actually trying to put words in his guest's mouth? Was he trying to change what Dillahunty believes or claims, by changing the definition of the word "atheist?"
Or did he claim to know better than Dillahunty what Dillahunty actually believed?
There is a video on Youtube, that I have been unable to find since seeing it the first time, in which a preacher talks to his congregation about his experiences giving speeches at colleges. I paraphrase him here:
"I told them, 'You're not an atheist, because an atheist believes that there is no god, so you're an agnostic...But you're not an agnostic either, because an agnostic believes that the question of God's existence is unknowable...'" (I had never heard of this one! Apparently, he had already proved that this subject was knowable, somehow?) "'...So if you're not an atheist, and you're not an agnostic, what are you? Well, then, you're a seeker, and that's why I'm here today.'"
He got thunderous applause from his church congregation, yet I failed to see how calling someone a "seeker" would make them more open to his arguments for God's existence. He was trying to redefine their identities in such a way that changed their belief systems, or even their thought processes. It almost seemed as if he was trying to deceive people into thinking that they were "seeking" God when they weren't.
Atheists are subject to this kind of label-changing from Christians and other theists, this kind of vilifying, and also often judged by a radical fringe of their movement. And yet, many prominent atheists do these very same things to another vilified group: feminists.
For example, on Youtube alone*:
Jaclyn Glenn, when asked in an
interview at the University of Southern California whether she
considered herself a feminist, replied that she considered herself "more
of a humanist," because she was for everyone's rights, not just women's
rights (because she apparently thinks that one can't be for more than one cause at a
time, or take more than one label at a time).
The Amazing Atheist
thinks that it's okay to call a random woman a "stick with tits" (a
Drunken Peasants Podcast reply to a video by Laci Green) because he
considered her stupid (and no, I don't agree with reducing a "stupid"
man to his genitals, either).
And Mr. Repzion thinks that
feminists think it hilarious to see a woman beating up a man for ruining
her clothes in a commercial, totally dismisses the idea of the gender
wage gap (without at least providing evidence to explain it away, on
"Re: Potty Mouthed Baby Feminists"), and reads tweets from radical
feminists (for example, one promoting the idea that all men should be castrated) thinking
that they represent many or most feminists.
*(I wanted to provide links to all of these videos, but
unfortunately can't stand to see them again. They are readily available
on Youtube with a simple search.)
Feminism, as feminist, atheist and sex guru Laci Green so perfectly explains here, is the belief that women deserve equal rights and privileges under the law. That is all that it is. Some feminists carry the idea further than that, as some atheists carry their unbelief to extremes and say that all theists are stupid, etc.
But that does not change the underlying idea, the actual definition, of either feminism or atheism, any more than the existence of fundamentalist Christians makes all Christians fundamentalists.
(I say more about feminism, what it means to me, and what I believe it is, or at least could be, in this previous article, The Reason I'm A Feminist (Is Not What You Think))
This is actually the No True Scotsman Fallacy, turned around to apply to the other person.
"A 'true' atheist says that there is no god--just like Psalm 14, isn't that convenient? You're a fool!" (I actually rebut this point here.)
"A 'true' feminist wants to subjugate and castrate all men, therefore feminism is dangerous and isn't necessary."
But the behavior of radicals does not make me radical. I may not be a feminist by some people's definitions, but that does not change anything about what I believe or what I stand for.
I stand for equality. I stand for women's rights. I believe in encouraging women and girls to dream big and reach their highest potential, and I find inspiration in the idea of being a good feminist role model. Beyond that, I can't guarantee that I will agree with every other feminist. I do not believe, for example, that all men should be forcibly castrated (though I do sympathize with the underlying desire to feel safer in a world where men are the stronger sex).
I find it amazing that atheists are an often vilified group, judged for the behavior of a few radicals, but many atheists don't want to be associated with feminism--because of the behavior of a few radicals! Since when have atheists let people's judgements of them interfere with being honest, and applying what they believe is an accurate label to themselves?
Perhaps they don't know or care what feminism actually is? Or perhaps they are okay with being judged for one thing but not another? They will stand with the godless, with the apostates, with the sinners...but not with the women, because that would be too aggressive. (And if you do stand with women, and are for women's rights, then I would daresay that, at least to a degree, you are a feminist yourself!)
I believe that the backlash against feminism, though fueled by the behavior of radicals, is originally caused by three things: guilt, fear, and sexism. Some would dismiss women's problems as simply ridiculous, or think that they would know better than women (or other women) how big or small their problems are. I also believe that, deep down, many people (not just men, as I know that women aren't all good, and men aren't all bad) know that women have gotten a raw deal, especially those women who wished to step outside of their traditional gender roles (e.g., feminists), and some people are afraid of the backlash from such treatment.
This is why I believe, for example, many white people are often uncomfortable talking about racism (guilt, if not for themselves, then for what their "group" has done) and those who do not think of themselves as feminists (and I'm not referring only to men here) are often uncomfortable talking about sexism. In either case, there is sometimes a tendency to pretend that the problem does not exist anymore.
And a lot of people get very upset if someone else uses the "wrong" term to describe themselves. That is true with both feminism and atheism. Certain Christians and theists get mad or correct people if "atheists" say that they simply lack a belief in God, and people who are against "feminism" especially become upset if a "feminist" states that s/he is merely for gender equality.
But why? Why does it matter so much how someone describes themselves? Is it not more important to focus on what people actually believe and stand for? By some people's definitions, I am not a feminist, because I don't believe that women are superior and that we should have "more" rights (though even feminists often don't agree on what exactly equality looks like). Likewise, by some people's definitions, I am not an atheist, because I don't claim to know for a fact that God doesn't exist.
And yet if I use the "wrong" term to describe myself, why is it a big deal? Why are some people offended? If we both stand for the same things, why does it matter? And if we don't, shouldn't we be focused on the issues instead of labels?
See also:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/lovejoyfeminism/ (Anything by author Libbey Ann regarding feminism is probably pretty good.)
http://www.secularwoman.org/bias_against_feminists
*(I wanted to provide links to all of these videos, but
unfortunately can't stand to see them again. They are readily available
on Youtube with a simple search.)
What do you think of this? Leave a comment below, or send me an email at: atheistjourneysblog@gmail.com
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