Jon Stewart: Welcome to my Shit List

So, in case you were unaware, people in America hates atheists. Google atheist discrimination or something if you doubt me. Of course, as with many forms of marginalization, the methods of discrimination have changed in recent years. Largely due to the influence of the advocacy of secular and humanist groups, most people seem to have stopped making open statements about how worthless atheists are as American citizens (*cough* Bush senior *cough*).

No, many people say that they accept atheists nowadays. I've heard the oft-repeated phrase that people can believe in whatever they please. While frequently people qualify this with "as long as they believe in something anyway", I've found that to be less and less common as time goes on. Most people would look at this and claim that this proves that there isn't any religious discrimination against atheists anymore. Well, they are wrong.

An insidious tactic that people seem to use to keep their hate alive is to say they accept (insert minority here), but they wish they didn't have to hear about the problems of said minority. I've seen this directed at almost every oppressed group you can name. Usually, though, there are other people willing to condemn this, as it's a clear attempt to suppress diverging opinions.

This is not at all the case with atheism.
EVERYBODY hates on the atheists when they dare to speak up about something. In fact, I have yet to meet anybody who isn't an atheist who is willing to defend us. Heck, even other atheists throw us under the bus. Time and time again, I've been with other social justice activists and almost none of them think this type of discrimination against atheists matters. Whenever atheists or freethinkers or humanists or whoever speaks up to point out that they are being excluded by some stupid religious practice being legitimized by a supposedly godless government, they get shit on.

The atheists in question are suddenly being assholes, or being overly critical, or making too big of a deal out of a minor issue. You know, the same kind of bullshit people pull with feminists. What's got me fired up about this right now? This shit right here.

Because how dare those atheists file a lawsuit against a clear promotion of Christianity in a museum largely funded by taxpayer dollars? How dare they challenge a clear endorsement of the Christian faith?! What assholes they are to point out that the separation of church and state is a thing! And David Silverman has the audacity to point out that it doesn't even make sense... what an asshole.

So thank you, Jon Stewart, for following in the footsteps of almost everybody else. I really appreciate what you do for politics and I am certain that many of us would be worse off without you. Not atheists, though. I've always been a bit wary of your middle-of-the-road-let's-compromise fetish, but till now it hasn't really rubbed me the wrong way. But this really shows me the folly in your particular approach to politics. The middle of the road isn't always the place to be. What you are doing, Jon, is pretending like you are superior because you are mature enough to compromise. I have seen enough false equivalences in my time (climate change "skeptics", anyone?) to see the danger of that line of thinking.

So, although I quite enjoy your show and even the aforementioned segment made me laugh, I'm putting you on my shit list. You can join the PA liquor control board, the American Family Association, and Herman Cain (fuck you forever and always, you miserable bastard).