The OUT Campaign

Happy Sunday! In honor of the day, I give you my take on the Out Campaign. For those of you who think of religion the same way you do atomic theory- it's around, you have some hazy details about it from your childhood and it's critically important to someone, somewhere but not really to you- the  Out Campaign is a way for Atheists to stand up and be counted. I find it pretty fascinating because of the risk. That same risk has kept a number of Atheists silent or at least quiet about their beliefs for a number of years, to the point where a lot of people don't realize their friends and neighbors are - gasp- 'one of them.'
I grew up in Cincinnati, a normal Midwestern town with two rather odd quirks. The first is a very vocal conservative wing making waves wherever possible: I give you the Maplethorpe exhibition of the 80s and the vice squad raids on convenience stores in the 70's. My personal favorite was the watch-group Citizens For Community Decency/Citizens For Decency Through Law, started by no less an ethical personage than Charles Keating of the Keating 5. Remember, it's ok to steal the life savings of the elderly and leave people homeless as long as no one shows a breast.
The second quirk about my hometown is that Cincinnati has a HUGE gay population. I'd bet cold, hard cash that most of the people living in the area (at least the straight ones) don't know that. But the numbers are there. The community's just in the closet. In an area where you can't even keep a job at Cracker Barrel for the sin of being attracted to the same gender, is it any wonder why it's such a quiet segment of society? I always found that tragic. But I also understood. It's hard to stand up when there are people just waiting to shoot you down. And don't for a minute think there aren't- those so called morality guardians are nothing but hate groups willing to do almost anything to spread fear, because fear breeds obedience. It's a sad truth that hate and fear is power- hate to keep the population divided and fear to keep them docile. I mean, look at the US in the wake of 911. The same motives drive the fundamentalist groups.
Which is why I applaud the OUT campaign. If you are Atheist and can afford to take the hit or if you're in a less volatile area, stand up and be counted for those who can't. This is not without precedent. Gay and lesbian groups have used it with success in aware parts of the country. German women used it to press for reproductive rights.
Do I think it will work? Hrrrm. I have no answer to that. But maybe it will help. I think it will become a fashion statement in places like the west coast. Possibly, it will do more in the Midwestern areas where, let's face it, people care more about SOP than they do politics of any sort. Those in the know will recognize the symbol and get a little support from it. Those who aren't will probably assume its bearer works in a bookstore or as a teacher because of the typeface. I think most of the impact will be on the aforementioned hate groups. They'll be on the lookout for it too, of course, because they're always looking for one more person or thing they can revile. If I lived in Cincinnati, I'd have the shirt in every color they make even though I'm not truly an Atheist. (As discussed previously, I sit somewhere in the Agnostic range, although neither Atheist nor Unitarian would be an incorrect with a modifier attached.) But I have no problem wearing a target on my chest if it takes attention off of someone else or gives that person a little outside support for their beliefs. It's fine with me because I'm a patriot and I love all the freedoms that were supposed to come with being a citizen of my country. I also live for giving hate groups something to hate. So everybody wins, even the bad guys. I may have to buy a shirt for my next trip back to Ohio.

Comments

[lila]

You don't know Citizens Concerned for Community Values like I do...

Jefferson assumed that eventually everyone in the USA would be a Unitarian. Silly Enlightenment thinkers. That's what optimism gets you.

[Stephanie]

I don't know them as well because I like my rap sheets clean, my dear. [And before you make the obligatory funny retort, please remember my dad-in-law reads this. :)]

Ah, yes. Those bloody optimists who thought the entire voting pool would think, then set up a constitution that enabled giving regular people the right to vote...
That's just not good planning.

[lila]

I was never arrested, unfortunately because the jr lawyer was a cutie pie.

"The People" generally get the sort of government they deserve. Maybe if we had the presidential candidates on American Idol people would pay more attention.

[Kimiakane]

Cheez, Lila, it's been like 12 or 13 years and yer still goin' on about how cute that lawyer was?!? I'll bet he's 300 pounds and bald now (snicker)!