“[W]hen you leave the cult of Christianity like I did and you become an atheist, instead of being born again, you become untarded... I don’t know about you guys, but I would much rather be a once-born untard than a twice-born retard. Seriously.” - Dusty [via CultOfDusty]
It's been said that there's no such thing as bad publicity, and it's also been said that sometimes our protesting is the very thing that gives the thing we're trying to stop the notoriety to push forward. My thought is that I'd rather speak openly and clearly in defense of what's right than be silent. After all, they won't be silent. And I don't want my silence to be misinterpreted as consent. Maybe a few people will come to my blog, see this quote from YouTuber Dusty, and run over to his page to buy their very own "untarded" shirt. Even if that happens, I think it's worth it for me to speak out against the idea of atheists who are former believers referring to themselves as "untarded."
The "untarded" logo, featuring the Scarlet "A" of atheism, with its obvious implication that religious people are "retards," further reinforces the stereotype that atheists are arrogant jerks with an elitist attitude and/or a superiority complex. Sure, we've been down this road before with the "Brights," but what's worse about the "untarded" label is now we have atheists using bigoted slurs to show their intellectual superiority. The word "retarded" is used to insult others by comparing them to the mentally disabled, which in turn insults those who are mentally disabled. The word "gay" is used the same way. "That's gay, bro" means "that's stupid" or "that's not cool." Why? Because they see being gay as bad. This to me isn't a matter of merely offending someone. I don't care whether people get offended. This is a matter of being accepting and showing compassion towards people who are different from us. The sad irony of Dusty's choice of words is that he, as an atheist, is part of a group of people who are often discriminated against. How can we overcome prejudice in the world if we ourselves are advocates of prejudice?
And it is in the spirit of overcoming prejudice and promoting acceptance and compassion that I tell you that neither Dusty nor his "untarded" label represents me in any way.
— Bud
