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Tentacle porn + PSA
Dec. 15th, 2009 05:34 pmCheck out this awesome thread on Tor.com A bunch of artists—professionals and amateurs alike—are invited to post Lovecraft-inspired art. There's some really amazing work to fill you with squidly joy.
On a completely unrelated note, this is exactly the sort of thing that pisses me off about the so-called atheist movement. Hey guys, let's write an edgy article about atheists and Christmas! Only we'll mostly just interview atheists from the dominant culture who grew up with warm, fuzzy childhood memories of opening presents on Christmas Day.
I feel like I'm going to be saying this from now until New Year's, but here we go again:
I don't care how much you don't think it's about religion—for those who are not of your religion and were not raised within your religion, it's going to be about religion, or at the very least, about a cultural experience that we don't share. Stop pretending it's for everyone. It isn't.
I am not obligated to have any sort of "holiday spirit" whatsoever. I mean, I'm happy that I'm getting some time off—I need it. But I don't demand that people observe my religious holidays, and I should not be expected to observe anyone else's. Muslims aren't asking y'all to fast at Ramadan. And yeah, that includes wearing a goddamned Santa hat—it just isn't my tradition, it means nothing to me, and I find it silly. Nor will I sing songs that, however innocuous they may seem to lapsed Christians, are actually celebrations of the (inaccurate) birthday of a deity that I don't believe in.
Anyway, most self-described members of the atheist movement have not let go of a religious mindset. That's why they're a "movement." Not being from an evangelical religious background myself, I have utterly no desire to convert anyone to atheism or spend money on bus ads when it could be used to, say, feed the poor or something.
More on why I can't bloody stand this season later, I'm sure.
ETA: Just to clear up some misunderstandings, I am not saying that you are a bad person or a bad atheist if you celebrate Christmas. Just that I can't stand it when it's assumed to be the default or that people like me are expected to relate to it or participate in it somehow.
On a completely unrelated note, this is exactly the sort of thing that pisses me off about the so-called atheist movement. Hey guys, let's write an edgy article about atheists and Christmas! Only we'll mostly just interview atheists from the dominant culture who grew up with warm, fuzzy childhood memories of opening presents on Christmas Day.
I feel like I'm going to be saying this from now until New Year's, but here we go again:
I don't care how much you don't think it's about religion—for those who are not of your religion and were not raised within your religion, it's going to be about religion, or at the very least, about a cultural experience that we don't share. Stop pretending it's for everyone. It isn't.
I am not obligated to have any sort of "holiday spirit" whatsoever. I mean, I'm happy that I'm getting some time off—I need it. But I don't demand that people observe my religious holidays, and I should not be expected to observe anyone else's. Muslims aren't asking y'all to fast at Ramadan. And yeah, that includes wearing a goddamned Santa hat—it just isn't my tradition, it means nothing to me, and I find it silly. Nor will I sing songs that, however innocuous they may seem to lapsed Christians, are actually celebrations of the (inaccurate) birthday of a deity that I don't believe in.
Anyway, most self-described members of the atheist movement have not let go of a religious mindset. That's why they're a "movement." Not being from an evangelical religious background myself, I have utterly no desire to convert anyone to atheism or spend money on bus ads when it could be used to, say, feed the poor or something.
More on why I can't bloody stand this season later, I'm sure.
ETA: Just to clear up some misunderstandings, I am not saying that you are a bad person or a bad atheist if you celebrate Christmas. Just that I can't stand it when it's assumed to be the default or that people like me are expected to relate to it or participate in it somehow.
