Happy Blasphemy Day!

Back on the main issue, my only problem with the Blasphemy day is its name. It seems unnecessarily passive-aggressive to me.

I don't see what's passive-aggressive about it. To me the name is aggression served straight.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

@Drunk has a point.

After seeing those picture, what would you name this holiday?

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016

I saw it as if someone was saying "If you feel offended by the name then you will be proving me right", which seems passive-aggressive to me. It is also just plain aggressive as well, of course.

Anyway, I am not exactly against the name as in I think it is something that shouldn't be allowed. I just find unnecessary. I think the message will be better received if one wasn't deliberately trying to antagonize.

I am very bad at naming things so I will pass.

edited 1st Oct '12 9:20:34 PM by Heatth

@Heatth: I saw it as "Well, yes I'm being blasphemous, what now?" Which struck me as a naked challenge rather than passive aggression. To my mind passive-aggressive behavior would have been something like "Well, I don't want to be blasphemous but I believe <thing that is blasphemous>"

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

To be honest, I can't take this day seriously. The way that people are celebrating make it seem like "Be Sexually Inappropriate To Your Best Friend Day". I mean, how's a silly "Me so Thorny" Jesus macro going to spread the idea that criticizing religion should be allowed? That combined with an over-the-top name makes the whole thing like a joke.

edited 1st Oct '12 9:39:47 PM by IraTheSquire

@Ira: Blasphemy ought to be a joke, just like religion ought to be a joke. On occasion we need to laugh at this sort of thing.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

I don't have any problem with joking about religion; but 'blasphemy day' just seems like it's going to be a mean-spirited and ultimately not even very funny joke. It's like burning a country's flag and thinking that it was some sort of deeply meaningful and effective form of social commentary, and everybody will be so impressed at how brave you are for doing it. All it will achieve is to enrage and prove right the extremists, and make the moderates think you're a bunch of immature anti-theists who hate them.

Its only effect seems to be to insult people. Indiscriminantly insult them, too, because you're insulting the friendly local religious person just as much as the extremists who make blasphemy laws. Probably more so, because the extremists are in another country and can't hear you anyway.

Be not afraid...

I know that it is a joke. Which is why using it to tackle serious issues like free speech and the right to "blaspheme" is a bad idea. I have no idea that was the idea behind it until now. Before I thought that it was just a joke.

That about sums up my own feelings about this.

Final Fantasy, Foreign Policy, and Bollywood. Helluva combo, that...

Happy day (or two) after Blasphemy Day!

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016

Maybe I am being too cynical; but I suspect that at least for some (I don't think that is the case for any of the atheists here, however), the very point is to get "friendly local religious persons" annoyed. In that way, they can go "See? You get angry at blasphemy too! You are just like < person in a third-world country who murders messily anybody who disagrees with them >!"

edited 1st Oct '12 11:28:38 PM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

I'm recontemplating this holiday after reading a blog entry on losing your temper/being impolite re: social justice issues.

edited 2nd Oct '12 5:39:11 AM by RadicalTaoist

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Yup. Says everything you need to know, right?

The danger with the whole Blasphemy Day concept is to entrench the "religious people are dangerous rage machines we can ridicule at will to the point they'll prove it: bwhahahaha!" attitude. AKA — it's fine to bully believers in anything I disagree with, 'cos I see better!

What a crap way to talk to other people.

The context of the name, people. I've said it twice.

It garners and gathers the people who pretend they aim for what atheists aim for.

What profit is it to a man, when he gains his money, but loses his internet? Anonymous 16:26 I believe...

That cuts both ways, Euo; I'm seeing a lot of the Angry/Nasty Atheist meme on this very thread.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

To be fair, Angry Religious People are about as damaging to the religious cause(s) as Angry Atheist People are towards the atheist one.

edited 2nd Oct '12 7:49:34 AM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

That's true. The hidden knife in the in-group/ out-group kitchen draw.

Angry People are just damaging and self-defeating, full-stop. <wince> Regardless about what they rage about. <sighs> And, finding humour in pushing buttons to provoke without, yourself, getting angry? Is just as damaging.

edited 2nd Oct '12 7:52:11 AM by Euodiachloris

Isn't it worth asking if there's something worth getting angry about, though?

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

Eh? Sorry, either I need more caffeine or sugar. Didn't follow you there, mate.

It certainly is. However, (although I will admit, I have occasionally failed to follow this rule myself), angry ranting is generally not very helpful in convincing others of the validity of one's opinions. And insults, even less so.

Not making sufficient use of civility is one of the surest ways for convincing others that one has nothing interesting to say, I think.

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

The problem has nothing to do with angry people, it's about stupid people.

Dawkins has said many things that would be deemed blasphemous by most religions, and he would undoubtedly agree that there's plenty to be angry about here. The difference between him and these people is that he makes logical arguments while these guys make sex jokes. The result is that he is taken seriously, while all these guys have as a credit to their name is some obscure celebration that most people haven't heard of.

edited 2nd Oct '12 11:41:29 AM by HilarityEnsues

That sounds like a reason to teach atheists to be effective communicators and deliver their rage at the appropriate targets. Maybe a "if you don't support [insert bullshit censorship attempts] here, this isn't aimed at you" disclaimer at the beginning?

I kinda have a problem with a default of "always civil all the time". Some people and ideas do not deserve civility.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.

I am not. The problem with this day is that it's a day of tradition like April Fools Day, only that the tradition is easily taken seriously. If it's supposed to be a light-hearted day of parody, then maybe. But this day is actually telling each person to go insult another belief. That's not a very nice or productive thing to do.

I supposed you missed the memo about how this isn't an atheist day...

Some ideas should be criticized, but you should not lose your mind in the process. You should keep yourself reasonable and use your reasoning properly.

People, you should be civil at least when you first approach them with such reasoning. If they react in threatening and hostile ways, then maybe you should consider backing away from the talk or something.

Hell, even though they're not a religion, why not make fun of atheists too? We can't be the only people on Earth willing to take the piss out of ourselves. You should be neutral at first; if neutrality entails civility, then be civil. But there are consequences for making it a social norm to always be polite first.

Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.