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Is religion separate from macho culture?

I was reading Why Men in Southern States Are More Likely to Die in Accidents and wondered if Secular Humanists and other Atheists are less likely to die in auto accidents in southern states. Does the capacity to free yourself from religious memeplexes transfer to freeing yourself from Dominator culture memeplexes too?

How many of us believe “a real man doesn’t let other people push him around”? Are there two flavors of manly atheism, one humanist and the other macho? I've certainly met pushy atheist men who treat women as second class citizens, and use their skepticism to assert intellectual superiority over believers. What do you think?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paula Michelle C. on June 19, 2011 at 4:27pm

hehehe Perhaps! I hear Darwin works in mysterious ways! Who are we to understand how he works!? (crap! did I get him mixed up with that crackpot gawd?)

Permalink Reply by Clarence Dember on June 19, 2011 at 9:33pm

It seems bad gender scripts are loaded up early on in family systems. Practitioners. must debug them when and if They can ever see what's under heir noses.

Permalink Reply by Steph S. on June 20, 2011 at 8:15am

I unfortunately have met many sexist men. Growing up in a religious family I went to private school where I met these sexist men. I was told such things as "Your a woman, your supposed to have babies", "Women can't be pastors", "Women can't be engineers", etc. I could write pages on the sexist remarks I was told. It is my opinion that atheist men are free from the bible and it's sexism toward women and they are more open minded to equality for women. Atheist men don't have the Adam and Eve story that religious men always cite to "put women in their place". Additionally, they don't believe in those passages in the bible from Paul that say "women should not teach or have authority over men". These passages were always used against me when I would try to debate with these sexist men. Being that Atheist men have broken free from the sexist bible -- they are able to think more critically and therefore are able to see that this bible was written by men thousands of years ago and does not need to be held in high esteem.

Permalink Reply by Michael Brodie on June 20, 2011 at 3:41pm

I can't speak for all atheist men, but I know that a woman's place is - - where ever SHE wants to be.

Permalink Reply by Grinning Cat on June 25, 2011 at 10:41am

"You're a woman, you're supposed to have babies"...

That reminded me of this Alternet article from April about the "slut shaming" aspect of sexism:

“In the past, most of the comments directed at me had been about selfishness or not doing my ‘duty’ as a woman by having kids... But the responses to the Post article claimed I was a loose woman or that my desire not to have kids meant that I was sleeping around.” The assumption that women “owe” our bodies for procreation and that if we use them for pleasure instead (or in addition), we are somehow going against nature is part of the backdrop that encourages this type of thinking.

"Slut Shame: Attacking Women for Their Sex Lives"

Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on June 25, 2011 at 11:09am

Sexist atheist men? Meh, there are a few. Mostly some who snidely assert that they're more logical than you are. Women do this too, but I've seen some people imply that men have a corner on rationality (the scientific community used to believe this was a reason women shouldn't get into science; "they're too emotional" which by itself is an opinionated and not objective statement). I've also known one man on A/N who didn't like being proven wrong and would act like I pussy-whipped him or some accusations of hysterics that were pretty ridiculous; I know this person wouldn't react the same way toward a man and actually he was pretty hysterical himself.

Permalink Reply by Earther on June 25, 2011 at 11:40am

"they're too emotional" - I would like to comment about this. I disagree that women should not be involved in science or any other part of life. In fact it is this group of women on A/N that gives me hope for the future, being that I am a man. It is because we are men and women that we have a future as an atheist society. We need to socialize in every area of expertise to survive, that is what educates us away from disaster. So what if men and women are a little different in how we deal with life. The corner stone of success is respect by men and women alike. With out respect there is only war, actually or rhetorically, physically or mentally... Have respect for the sexes and sex :) Have respect for yourselves. Isn't that what we are always learning anyway is to respect ourselves enough to keep living?

Permalink Reply by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on June 25, 2011 at 12:12pm