Alright, Christ, here goes:
I. Severity vs. Prevalence
- First we need to make a distinction between what I will term Severity and Prevalence. Discrimination against atheists is NOT more severe than against most other antagonized groups. What it is, however, is more prevalent than many.
- I'd argue that if you conducted a nationwide survey (in the US, this is) with the question "Do you trust {____}?" for various cultural groups, atheists would be trusted by less people than traditionally discriminated groups such as blacks or Jews. I am not guessing at this theory either, there are numerous studies to support this conclusion. I will discuss them further in future posts when I have the time.
II. Cultural Anecdotes
- Several states still have laws on the books preventing atheists from holding public office. And to put it into context, consider the state of voting and political rights for literally ANY other group of people...no parallel exists. It's doubtful these laws would be upheld if challenged, as many are simply old and not changed. But their existence is telling enough.
- Fox News recently ran a long piece on a man they villainized and linked to numerous scams and injustices throughout Washington and the world (Glen Beck actually made news because of the story recently for some inflammatory comments contained in it). By the end of the segment, the man was reduced to a level normally reserved for Hitler-level evil. And the very, very first thing we learn about this man in the segment was that he was an atheist. His atheism wasn't related to anything in the piece. Yet it was mentioned at the forefront. I wonder why?
...most will read that and say "Well, consider the source!" But that's my point. Fox News reflects and influences a huge chunk of the popular zeitgeist. It's an indication of a much larger sentiment.
III. Personal Anecdotes
- I've lost friends over my leaving religion, had girls break up with me upon finding out (no further than a month or so into the relationship, but still), and am on numerous prayer lists for me to find God again so that I'm not damned to Hell. The first and third of those don't bother me...such "friends" aren't worth having, and prayer lists are harmless, much like the attempted re-conversions that often accompany them. The second is a bit troubling, however. "Non-religious" make up roughly 12-20% of the population (depending on your source and definition of nonreligious). Atheism is considered at the extreme end of even that spectrum, and often associated with the aforementioned mistrust and misunderstanding. Many "spiritual but nonreligious" people will shun atheism as wholly as a Christian might, and certainly more than would be rebuffed by, say, an agnostic. Frankly, it's f*cking hard to date, and is an unfortunate consequence of my lack of religion. Hardships between different beliefs is nothing new in the world, but the stark contrast in terms of the percentages and perceptions means that atheist + {anything else} is about as difficult a pairing to make work as could exist in the country right now.
- Holidays are uncomfortable, as are things like my mother stressing 'God' in God Bless You when I sneeze, but only when she says it to me. I can't rag on my mom much, because for her very strict upbringing, she's been cool about the whole thing. But it's not easy on her, and it's a strain on me as a result because it's always something in the background of our relationship that I know she'll never be comfortable with.
....
Take from that what you will. Almost anyone can claim some sort of discriminatory status and have a chip on their shoulder as a result. I don't list any of this to pretend like my plight, or atheists' plight, is worse than that of any other. My financial, physical, and social well-being are much more intrinsic to my overall contentedness than anything having to do with religion. But it exists for many, and to pretend otherwise is laughably false.