I'm increasingly convinced that the reason that movement atheism is so dominated by white men is because there is no other way they can experience oppression.

December 28, 2011

I’m increasingly convinced that the reason that movement atheism is so dominated by white men is because there is no other way they can experience oppression.

kateinalabcoat:

greaterthanlapsed:

Which is not to downplay the marginalization of atheists, which is very real, but it does create a problem, especially for women. The outright hostility and blatant misogyny I see among (predominantly white, male) atheists is disheartening, and the internalized misogyny among so many atheist women who are trying to fit in and be taken seriously is just heartbreaking.

This is complete and utter bullshit for several reasons:

1) Men do not become atheists so they can be called marginalized, they become atheists because they, like women, have a brain and can use it.

That’s not even remotely what I said. If I wasn’t clear before, what I mean is that I think that men (especially white, upper-class men) tend to attach to atheist activism (this is why I specified movement atheism which is something different than simple philosophical atheism) because it’s basically the only way that they experience oppression. They don’t experience marginalization based on race or gender, and are, indeed, at the top of the kyriarchy in most ways.

2) Atheism only implies one thing: the lack of a belief in god. There are, of course, deeper things such as an appreciation for science and skeptical scrutiny, but atheists are as much a part of this society as anybody else. They are just as susceptible to the internalized misogyny of their culture. I’m almost positive their atheism has little to do with it.

I never said it did, only that it sure is off-putting as a woman atheist to see rampant misogyny in groups that I (and others) might otherwise be interested in participating in.

3) How are atheist women unable to fit in?

25 Most Influential Atheists - Only 3 women and zero people of color.

50 Top Atheists - 9 women, 5 POC, and there is some overlap.

Interestingly, the first list was just touted as a better list by John Loftus over at Debunking Christianity although it’s far less inclusive than the second one.

Tell me again how women fit into movement atheism? Tell me again that women are taken seriously and accorded the same level of attention and respect that is received by white men, because it sure looks to me as if women are tokens and afterthoughts.

4) Can you even give me some examples of atheist men saying misogynistic things, and then provide evidence that the remarks apply to the entire “movement?”

Christopher Hitchens

Bill Maher (with some bonus Hitchens)

Additionally, when I say “movement atheism,” I do not mean all atheists everywhere. I do not mean everyone who identifies as an atheist. I mean, specifically, movement atheism as a political/social identity used as the foundation for building communities and activist organizations.

This shit makes ME, a very strongly atheistic woman, pissed off.

As an atheist myself, the sexist bullshit I’ve seen/experienced in atheist groups makes me pissed off.

Do you mean to tell me that all the men I have an intellectual connection with are just dismissing what I say because I am a woman, and that they learned their sexism from the atheist movement in particular, and that I’m just too naive or autistic or blazed to realize it?

Nope, I don’t mean to tell you that at all. I am, however, pointing out that within movement atheism, women are not taken as seriously as men and that there have been and continue to be serious issues with misogyny in atheist communities. It’s possible that your particular atheist community (if you are part of one) doesn’t have this problem, or that it isn’t a big problem.

It’s also possible that you have been lucky, that you are yourself privileged, or that you are indeed naive. I don’t know you, so it’s hard to say.

I don’t recall ever having a single discussion with an atheist male where I felt like an intellectual inferior.

And TRUST me. I am VERY sensitive to the way people perceive me on an intellectual level.

It’s not about you personally feeling like an intellectual inferior. It’s about the status and treatment of women in general within movement atheism. Even if you personally have not experienced sexism does not mean that it doesn’t exist.