Barack Obama
For the first time in modern history, in front of a worldwide audience, and without missing a beat, the president of the United States acknowledged that nonbelievers are Americans, too. Obvious? Maybe. Politically-motivated? Possibly. Is it a plausible suspicion that Mr. Obama got wind of the statistics that say that unbelievers make up between 3 and 10 percent of the Unites States’ population, which makes them one of its largest “minorities,” and thus decided to include them in his speech? Yes, it is, just as it is a plausible suspicion that any number of other cynical and opportunistic motivations could be at work. But for those of us used to be ignored as a constituency, to not be recognized but in the most intimate of gatherings, to only be discussed negatively, and to be the group against which most other groups could be united in unconditional disdain, why he did it is secondary.
According to a University of Minnesota survey conducted in 2006, atheists are the most mistrusted minority America. More so than black, gays, lesbians, Muslims and recent immigrants, atheists are viewed as “the least American.” Almost half of respondents said they would disapprove of a child’s wish to marry an atheist. And when the most prominent mention of us ever uttered by a sitting president is the one below, an inaugural shoutout, no matter how brief, politically-correct (or politically-motivated), is a nice change.
No, I don’t know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
It is indeed a sad fact that the mere acknowledgment of our existence is the best we’ve ever heard, but there’s no denying that we’ve come a long way:
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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Obama many more references to God than I would’ve liked, but it was nice to actually be acknowledged (and not demonized) by a high-profile politician.
It was that little snippet that caught my attention most during his speech. The rest of his rhetoric, while very good, was expected and appropriate. I remember looking around to see if anyone else had noticed, and then quickly realized it probably didn’t strike the same chord with anyone else in the room but me.
I second the thanks! w00t!