Luxurious Rage
Jan. 20th, 2010 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiderplanetWithin the last week, fourteen non-theist groups have joined up in order to collect donations for disaster relief in Haiti under the heading Non Believers Giving Aid. To ensure that all or nearly all of those donations will go to the organizations needing aid, Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins has agreed to cover all of the processing fees that Paypal charges, up to $10,000.
Awwww... Isn't that nice? My goodness, that's very nice.
Those participating are: Atheist Alliance International, Atheists Helping the Homeless, Atheists United, The British Humanist Association, James Randi Educational Foundation, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, New Humanist magazine, Pharyngula, Rationalist Association, Reasonable New York, The Reason Project, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, The Skeptics Society and Unreasonable Faith.
With all of those organizations reaching out to their members, Non Believers Giving Aid (NBGA) raised over $150,000 in the first 24 hours.
Again, isn't that nice? It's almost like all the Care Bears got together and sang a song while rainbows appeared in the Gumdrop Forest.
A person might think that there's nothing bad that could really be said about NBGA. Well, that person would be wrong.
The National Catholic Register sees this for the obvious ignorant treachery that it is.
First, to clarify, Dr. Dawkins hosted a TV program about religion called "The Root of all Evil." He didn't pick the title, the BBC did, and he has said that despite the title, though religion is the root of quite a bit of evil, it is not the root of *all* evil.
I expect that they went with that title anyway because it's clever, and memorable, even if it is a bit of hyperbole.
Second, and I mean this to be directed at the National Catholic Register for publishing such an offensive bit of bile, Fuck you, you fucking fucks.
The Catholic author asks several condescendingly phrased questions that are already answered at the NBGA page.
Here is the answer, written four days before the questions.
Third - Speaking only for myself, I have no desire to prove to anyone that I'm "as good as" any group that carries a history of heterosexism, child rape, anti-contraception ideology, or the belief in the infallibility of any human being. I don't need to prove it, I am, in fact, BETTER than that.
Fourth, Bite me.
Theism has volunteered up the most offensive responses to this disaster. In addition to Pat Robertson's sins against humanity, a church in Arizona is taking up valuable resources to ship in solar powered audio Bibles, and the Scientologists are shipping in John Travolta to hand out tracts on balancing emotional energy or some such bullshit.
Oh good. Just what they needed. The arrogance of privilege.
I am having trouble envisioning that anyone could be so devoid of the ability to imagine what it might be like to live in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and that anyone could consciously react so disturbingly unhelpfully. But, the proof is in the works and not the faith, as they say.
To be fair, in contrast with those offensively extremist actions, theist organizations are also sending necessary medical aid, food and water. HOWEVER, I have yet to see any theist aid that is not inclusive of some form of "Ministry."
I don't care how small and insignificant the percentage is, some percentage of the Haitian population is not Christian, and some percentage of them are not theist.
As an atheist, I can't imagine how truly unwelcome someone's "Ministry" would be to me if I had lived through a natural disaster. I'm pretty sure "Oh no motherfucker, not today" might be my less than gracious response to "ministry" under such circumstances, and I might even be driven to an act of violence involving a solar powered audio Bible and the uncomfortable orifice of a minister.
My vitriol is a privilege. I have always lived with enough resources to be able to walk away from any offering, and I understand that rage is a luxury not available to Haitian non-Christians, so they get to endure one more unwelcome imposition, this time in exchange for clean water.
It's just too fucking much, even if it's only to offer "Ministry."
On a more positive note, Jay Smooth has something to say about responsibility and Haiti's history.
Y'know what I think? Rage shouldn't be a luxury.
Awwww... Isn't that nice? My goodness, that's very nice.
Those participating are: Atheist Alliance International, Atheists Helping the Homeless, Atheists United, The British Humanist Association, James Randi Educational Foundation, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, New Humanist magazine, Pharyngula, Rationalist Association, Reasonable New York, The Reason Project, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, The Skeptics Society and Unreasonable Faith.
With all of those organizations reaching out to their members, Non Believers Giving Aid (NBGA) raised over $150,000 in the first 24 hours.
Again, isn't that nice? It's almost like all the Care Bears got together and sang a song while rainbows appeared in the Gumdrop Forest.
A person might think that there's nothing bad that could really be said about NBGA. Well, that person would be wrong.
The National Catholic Register sees this for the obvious ignorant treachery that it is.
"Dawkins, who has been saying for years that religion is the “root of all evil,” is now oddly intent on proving that atheists can be as good as Christians. Recently, atheists seem intent on proving they can be good without God.
I always get a kick out of evangelizing atheists and how they’re so desperate to prove that they’re as good (and usually better) than us religious types."
First, to clarify, Dr. Dawkins hosted a TV program about religion called "The Root of all Evil." He didn't pick the title, the BBC did, and he has said that despite the title, though religion is the root of quite a bit of evil, it is not the root of *all* evil.
I expect that they went with that title anyway because it's clever, and memorable, even if it is a bit of hyperbole.
Second, and I mean this to be directed at the National Catholic Register for publishing such an offensive bit of bile, Fuck you, you fucking fucks.
The Catholic author asks several condescendingly phrased questions that are already answered at the NBGA page.
"I have to wonder from what philosophical grounding does Dawkins’ altruism emanate? [sic] Why is other human life worth anything if there is no God? From what philosophical groundwork is he basing his good works on?"
Here is the answer, written four days before the questions.
...we do not hide behind the notion that earthly suffering will be rewarded in a heavenly paradise, nor do we expect a heavenly reward for our generosity: the understanding that this is the only life any of us have makes the need to alleviate suffering even more urgent.
Third - Speaking only for myself, I have no desire to prove to anyone that I'm "as good as" any group that carries a history of heterosexism, child rape, anti-contraception ideology, or the belief in the infallibility of any human being. I don't need to prove it, I am, in fact, BETTER than that.
Fourth, Bite me.
Theism has volunteered up the most offensive responses to this disaster. In addition to Pat Robertson's sins against humanity, a church in Arizona is taking up valuable resources to ship in solar powered audio Bibles, and the Scientologists are shipping in John Travolta to hand out tracts on balancing emotional energy or some such bullshit.
Oh good. Just what they needed. The arrogance of privilege.
I am having trouble envisioning that anyone could be so devoid of the ability to imagine what it might be like to live in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and that anyone could consciously react so disturbingly unhelpfully. But, the proof is in the works and not the faith, as they say.
To be fair, in contrast with those offensively extremist actions, theist organizations are also sending necessary medical aid, food and water. HOWEVER, I have yet to see any theist aid that is not inclusive of some form of "Ministry."
I don't care how small and insignificant the percentage is, some percentage of the Haitian population is not Christian, and some percentage of them are not theist.
As an atheist, I can't imagine how truly unwelcome someone's "Ministry" would be to me if I had lived through a natural disaster. I'm pretty sure "Oh no motherfucker, not today" might be my less than gracious response to "ministry" under such circumstances, and I might even be driven to an act of violence involving a solar powered audio Bible and the uncomfortable orifice of a minister.
My vitriol is a privilege. I have always lived with enough resources to be able to walk away from any offering, and I understand that rage is a luxury not available to Haitian non-Christians, so they get to endure one more unwelcome imposition, this time in exchange for clean water.
It's just too fucking much, even if it's only to offer "Ministry."
On a more positive note, Jay Smooth has something to say about responsibility and Haiti's history.
Y'know what I think? Rage shouldn't be a luxury.
