I recently wrote about not calling all Christians stupid[1]. I stand by that, but I'm not entirely opposed to use of the word "stupid".
More recently, I shared
a video by Steve Shives called "5 Stupid Things About the Men's Rights Movement"[2]. Given the subject matter, I thought
r/atheismplus[3] might appreciate it. Hell, it's stupid shit like Men's Rights Advocates that make much of what
Atheism Plus[4] aims to address necessary.
I was partially right, as the next day, the post was on the front page with a score of 7 (10 upvotes, 3 down). But I was also partially wrong, as the moderators didn't like it as much.
It was removed because it contained the word "stupid". The conversation that ensued didn't result in anything productive. They say their goal is to create a safe space for who are hurt by words like "stupid". I'm sure they think they're doing something good, but I'm not sure they're doing the good they think they are.
Just the use of the word "stupid" makes them think of the mentally disabled. In other words, they associate the mentally disabled with stupidity. They claim to not be attempting to protect them, but that's exactly what they're doing. They really are taking on the role of White Knight, despite their insistence otherwise.
A cafeteria I frequent employs some mentally disabled people in various roles. There are two kinds of ways I see people treat them. Some people treat them like they're anyone else, speaking to them as if they're capable of handling being treated like they're not stupid. Then there are others, who talk down to them, speaking to them as if they're five years old. Atheism Plus, or at least the moderators of their subreddit, are of the latter group.
They took offense on behalf of people who never asked for it. They attempt to defend people from things they do not need defending from. They're not helping anyone by getting offended at everything. If anything, they do more damage than good. They think they're fighting a culture that harms various types of people. But all they're doing creating a culture that keeps those people down. A culture that sees them as less than.
When you find
offense[5] around every corner, people get used to you being offended. When they get used to be offended, they tune you out.
Misogyny[6] is real.
Discrimination against the disabled[7] is real. Both must be fought. But focusing on words instead of actions doesn't fight either.
Treating people like they cannot handle the real world[8] does not help them. Plus, it's better to treat people like they're human beings. After all, human beings is exactly what they are.
This is something I've been gradually noticing, but still hoping wasn't the case, about them. I want to like Atheism Plus, but shit like this does make it difficult. Being that overly sensitive is stupid, and I don't think saying that makes me ableist. It makes me realistic. It makes me someone who doesn't associate the word "stupid" with the disabled.
This incident on Reddit, may not be representative of Atheism Plus. I certainly hope it's not, and I've had plenty of positive interactions with people who identify as Atheism Plussers. But the more direct interaction I have with people in leadership positions with Atheism Plus, the less I find myself wanting to defend them.
I'll continue to defend them when I see the irrational hatred they receive, as I still see an insane amount of obsessive hate aimed at them. My interactions with people who actively oppose Atheism Plus have been far less positive, mostly being reminiscent of conversations with conspiracy theorists & Creationists. But I don't see myself adopting the label anytime soon. And I'll definitely be criticizing them when I feel it's warranted.
If the haters are right, I'll be vilified for criticizing them. I don't expect that to happen though, even despite the unfortunate incident that prompted this post.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
