So, this is a question I've seen asked online today, and I felt like I should discuss it here.
First of all, I think the impact of this is very overstated. The atheist community is among the most progressive out there. In terms of religious affiliation, the less religious you are, the more left wing you typically are. I honestly believe a humanist worldview lends itself to progressive politics on the whole, and the people mentioned were minorities.
However, as some have pointed out, there was a backlash to the rise of wokeism. You had elevator gate, which caused a bit of a schism in the community, with a lot of people turning on the weirdo feminists who tried to push their stuff within the community. Gamergate and the like amplified this too. And of course, the 2016 election probably played a role because, well, wokeism was a huge aspect of the centrist wing of the democratic party's mentality.
And what is it about wokeism that didn't mesh well with new atheism? I think it's the brash and authoritarian approach to politics. The new atheist community is about free thought, and while most of the community remained aligned with left wing goals, some people really dont like being told what to do by these woke people who come in and...tend to do that. They dont like the tribalism, the emotional manipulation, and the "with us or against us" mentality that these guys bring to the table.
After all, while critical theory is compatible with humanists, the "woke" people tend to hyperemphasize wokeism like a religion, and that doesn't necessarily mix well. For example on some issues like, say, trans issues, the woke community will come in and just assert that "trans women are women" while demonizing everyone who disagrees with that, ignoring all actual nuance to be had in that debate. For a lot of the atheist community, facts matter, but for a lot of the woke people, they don't. It's all about feels and narratives and bullying people. It kind of reminds a lot of us of religious persecution and how religious groups just throw out dogmas and then tell us anyone who questions them is committing blasphemy. You know?
And let's face it, again, while the goals of a lot of woke people arent inherently at odds with humanism as a whole, the militant approach is abrasive and offputting. A lot of atheist men dont like being told by woke people how to act around women (see elevator gate), they don't like being told to vote blue no matter who, which the clinton people tried with us (I mean, I'd argue on economics, humanism is far more aligned with the sanders wing of the party, the clinton wing's moral worldview is more based on liberal forms of protestant christianity like methodism). And yeah. I just feel like the democrats made a lot of unforced tactical errors in alienating white men in general from 2015 onward.
Given my roots in this community, I can understand why wokeism is annoying, but to be honest, i never really went alt right. Honestly, I still believe if we don't miss the forest for the trees, we can honestly say that humanism at its highest level is socially moderate to progressive with some wokeism infused in it, without it being abrasive or annoying. I would also argue that it's also very economically progressive and forward thinking.
After all, even though I believe in something again, i still embrace that worldview generally. I think a worldview based on pluralism and libertarianism on social issues is best. No one should tell anyone what to do unless it actually directly impacts others. And on economics, I think it's left leaning. And I dont mean in a democratic party way. You're still practicing a softer version of right wing capitalism with the protestant work ethic with the "moderate" folks. And even on social issues, moderates seem to just be...wishy washy. Like, they're conservatives, but not as radical. Conservative lite. Diet conservative. yeah. An actual secular worldview should be actually opposed to conservative values. And that's where my own politics are.
Sure, woke people can be annoying, and if they get in my way, I'll throw down with them, but we should NEVER side with the right over them. Seriously. Never forget the modern right is the real enemy. We should try to work with the woke when we can. We just shouldn't take crap off of them either. Like, they're "frenemies". Friends, but also kinda enemies. Dont trust them, but seriously, if we end up in the trenches next to them in fighting fascism and christian nationalism, well, accept their help when it is given, and help them too. Ya know?
And ultimately, that's why i think the idea of new atheists becoming right wing is so overstated. Sure, I guess it happens. I know people point to notable youtubers like thunderf00t in this regard. But in the grand spectrum of things. I'd argue new atheists are the vanguard of the left. Their opposition is to religious fundamentalism. They just dont like woke people because they represent this weird brand of quasi religious fundamentalism on the left. And yeah, that's my view on this.
No comments:
Post a Comment