Christian privilege (Buddhist, atheism, Muslims, Baptist)
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I think the best evidence of Christian Privilege particularly in our part of the country is the inevitable "Have you found a church home" that you get from anybody you meet after you move to a new town.
Atheists don't get to go around saying "Have you figured out that God is just a figment of your imagination yet?"
It would be rude to do so. And any Christian would tell you that as would probably 99% of atheists.
But Christians don't see it as being rude when they ask about the "church home thing" even though it is really uncomfortable to deal with for non- believers. The funny thing is that Christians see it as a nice thing to do.
That's one of the first questions that come up after meeting a 'Christian' in Hickville, it's like a conversation starter because they always assume you are a Christian. "Where you go to church?" is pretty much the norm. It's like no other religion or non-religion exists in their little circle of denial. Oh my dog the horror on people's faces if I were to say I am an atheist.....best thing to say to that dumb question is simply "I don't".
I have a Brit coworker who said he was put off when he first joined us (around 30 years ago) and at our first holiday party, he was put out by the personal questions Americans ask, like where did you go to school and what did you do for a living.
In some parts of the world, these questions are designed to make a judgment about you. Think about the 1980s U2 song, "Where the Streets Have No Name". The song was written because in Belfast, "What street do you live on?" lets the questioner know if you are Catholic or Protestant with all that means in that place.
Similarly, where did you go to school, where are you from, etc., might mean a class judgment.
Interesting, I never thought of it in that respect. It's true, they are very invasive and personal questions that should not be asked of someone you just met. It is just nervous chatter sometimes, nothing better to say.
I thought the term “privilege” has been so overused that it’s lost its original meanings and that any conversation about it is a dead end unless we can talk about the harmful nature of jealousy and envy. There was a moment in 2013 where I think the “privilege check” started, and perhaps very quickly, across social media and colleges, some were made aware of their privilege for the first time, but soon it turned into a socially acceptable way to voice racial or cultural prejudice. While many have advantages and disadvantages, there is room here to take action and be responsible for the cards you’ve been dealt as opposed to victimizing oneself by the judgement of others
Glad to hear I’m not alone in being annoyed by the incessant “What do you do for a living?” It just feels so middle school. I guess it annoys me less from a romantic date, but even then, I’d prefer if they just flat-out asked if I had at least $1,000
Well it might, but in the US generally it doesn't as such, or at least I've never asked it for classist reasons. It is just a conversation starter to me. Nor do I regard where I work or where I went to school as "personal". It is public information, not a federal secret. Maybe I'd be interested in your work and like to ask you about it. Maybe you'd find my work interesting.
Still, in much of the world, these questions are considered impertinent and I will admit there was a awkward moment at my 10th high school reunion. By then I was already an independent software consultant and I asked the former basketball star of the school what he was doing these days and the answer was that he was a custodian for the state highway system, basically cleaning toilets in rest areas for a living. I didn't judge that at all, but I think he felt sheepish about it. So in certain situations maybe even in the US it's better not to go to those places. Or as I said, at least I no longer lead with it.
On the flip side of things I was at a social function once in this college town and had a delightful conversation with some random guy and only found out later that he was a nuclear physicist, a rather eminent one in fact. I have tremendous respect for anyone like that. He could have been anything or at any social level. He didn't even use big words.
That's what I was saying. In the USA, those are normal conversayion starters, while the Brit friend saw them as intrusive back then. He has been in the country for a long time now and is married to an American, so I think he is used to it now!
I sm.a person who overcame terrible shyness by learning to ask people about themselves and then found to my delight that it was a way of collecting stories. People are interesting.
My actual answer is, "I'm a humble agnostic." Then, if they seem curious, I explain that I am humble enough to know I don't have all the answers, and I don't believe anyone on earth possibly can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
That's good!
I find my answer to be well-received. It is a light answer that reassures the other person that I am not a
condescending, anti-religion atheist. I have many friends who are Christian; I accept them and they accept me.
That's one of the first questions that come up after meeting a 'Christian' in Hickville, it's like a conversation starter because they always assume you are a Christian. "Where you go to church?" is pretty much the norm. It's like no other religion or non-religion exists in their little circle of denial. Oh my dog the horror on people's faces if I were to say I am an atheist.....best thing to say to that dumb question is simply "I don't".
The supreme irony of the "I don't" answer... is that you get to see the painful awkwardness then fall upon the poor Christian's face. And that is really rough on some poor little old lady who thought she was doing the proper thing.
the structural advantages of a dominant religion in any society
That's the point.. It's always gonna be easier to be a member of any society's religious majority.. that's a common sense realization. To me, what distinguishes America is our commitment to protecting & welcoming religious minorities, etc. There's never going to be a perfectly fair society tho..
Full disclosure, I'm not even gonna read the OP's link because I assume it's just a(nother) hit piece on American Christians. This stuff is tiresome, gaslighting slander..
That's the point.. It's always gonna be easier to be a member of any society's religious majority.. that's a common sense realization. To me, what distinguishes America is our commitment to protecting & welcoming religious minorities, etc. There's never going to be a perfectly fair society tho..
Full disclosure, I'm not even gonna read the OP's link because I assume it's just a(nother) hit piece on American Christians. This stuff is tiresome, gaslighting slander..
No, it really isn't. And there are tens of thousands of articles about it, often from reliable sources. How you can say the two bolded sentences and not get it, I find rather amazing.
And to further add that we protect and welcome religious minorities shows a lack of understanding of American history and even current events.
The CDS in here is amazing. You folks are obsessed.
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