The great Aussie patriot

[wide eyed and legless]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=12f_1420783034

 

[Airgead]

OK... so a bunch of hardline Muslim protesters picket the global atheist conference. Never going to end well. Mind you there were also hardcore god botherers from all sides picketing that conference so picking on the muslim ones is a little one sided.

So far so ordinary. What gives me trouble is the description of the crowd shouting back as "great aussie patriots". In this context, clearly meaning aussie patriots are or should be anti muslim.

They weren't aussie patriots, there were hardcore atheists. At an atheist convention. Do you have to be an atheist to be an aussie patriot? I don't think that's the message the poster of the video is trying to get across do you?

Tellingly, one of the crowd said to the protesters "we're not in your country". Well actually, they were. The Muslim protesters were also Australian. They just happen to have a deep religious faith. The correct response would have been "we don't share your faith..."

You can be an aussie patriot as an atheist, christian or muslim or anything else. What counts is love for the country, not the faith you follow. Let's not conflate aussie patriotism with hatred of muslims.

Edit: NAd for the record, I identify myself as as lapsed neo-pagan and pastafarian.

 

[pcmfisher]

I think there is a fine line between patriotism and racism.

 

[Airgead]

It is indeed a fine line between "we love our country" and "we hate everyone who isn't from our country"

From there it tends to slip into "I hate everyone who doesn't look like me..... F-Off...we're full"

 

[Mardoo]

"We hate everyone who isn't from our country." = xenophobia

"We hate everyone who doesn't look like us." = racism

 

[Dave70]

I feel proud to live in a country that tolerates intolerance.

 

[BadSeed]

OK... so a bunch of hardline Muslim protesters picket the global atheist conference. Never going to end well. Mind you there were also hardcore god botherers from all sides picketing that conference so picking on the muslim ones is a little one sided.

So far so ordinary. What gives me trouble is the description of the crowd shouting back as "great aussie patriots". In this context, clearly meaning aussie patriots are or should be anti muslim.

They weren't aussie patriots, there were hardcore atheists. At an atheist convention. Do you have to be an atheist to be an aussie patriot? I don't think that's the message the poster of the video is trying to get across do you?

Tellingly, one of the crowd said to the protesters "we're not in your country". Well actually, they were. The Muslim protesters were also Australian. They just happen to have a deep religious faith. The correct response would have been "we don't share your faith..."

You can be an aussie patriot as an atheist, christian or muslim or anything else. What counts is love for the country, not the faith you follow. Let's not conflate aussie patriotism with hatred of muslims.

Edit: NAd for the record, I identify myself as as lapsed neo-pagan and pastafarian.

Not much to disagree with there.

We moved to Australia 15 years ago and all aspects of our life improved hugely.
Lifestyle, career etc etc. Everything.

We got married in Australia and or children were born here, they got to Aus schools and we pay taxes here.
I love Australia, this is the greatest country on the planet and I consider myself Australian and a real patriot, depite being an immigrant.

In the eyes of some people I couldn't possibly be as I "flew here and didn't grew here" (fully sic)

This chest beating jingoism is not patriotism, it's intolerance and thinly veiled fascism.
The mainstream adaptation and endorsement (love it or leave it t-shirts, car stickers, **** off we're full etc) is almost indoctrination.
School age kids being tricked into intolerance by catchy slogans, they don't even think about what the messsage is saying. It's ******* sad to see.

People are being duped by hate groups and distracted from real problems (our "Liberal" government for one) I saw and heard all this exact type of **** in England in the 1980's

Sometimes anti-social; always anti-fascist. You bet you are. You bet I am.

 

[Toper]

Someone posted the article on my FSM Facebook page the other night,I looked at this so called "patriot",he's a dickwad,his description was just for his own agenda."Athiests fight back" would have been a much more accurate description.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Anyone notice the lone Jehovah's Witness in the video ?

 

[welly2]

I'm sure this happened last year. Not sure if it's the same video but I have seen this or another one before. Where they (the atheists) lost is giving them any kind of recognition. If the muslim protestors had been completely ignored by everyone, their message would have gone nowhere. Same with the westborough baptist church lunatics in the US, although they're a real nasty bunch of *******s. But giving them attention and recognition by responding doesn't do anything but encourage them.

 

[Feldon]

I think there is a fine line between patriotism and racism.

Very true. There is a finer line between 'patriotism' and 'nationalism'. It can sneek up on you, and you don't realise until you are fighting wars that years later you know were wrong.

Worries me the rise of nationalism in Europe.

 

[malt and barley blues]

Watched it twice, never saw a Jehovah's Witness :unsure:

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Me neither, never saw any other religion protesting against atheists, even though Chris Hitchens lambasts all religions.
I wouldn't try to change anyones religious beliefs no matter what they are, as long as they respect human rights, and if anyone believes a meeting of a few atheists is a threat to their religion then I would assume that their belief would be very shallow.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Tittle should be

The great Aussie *******

 

[Airgead]

Me neither, never saw any other religion protesting against atheists, in this one particular clip that is pushing a particular message

FTFY

 

[Mardoo]

Anyone notice the lone Jehovah's Witness in the video ?

He was the disfellowshipped one. Ba-doom pish!

OK, that's a stretch.

 

[Mardoo]

You'd think picketing atheists might draw all the religions together in a moment of brotherly love. Ewww, AWKWARD!!!

 

[manticle]

I hate anyone who isn't me.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I hate anyone who isn't me.

I hate everyone equally

 

[Camo6]

I loved the placard "The only monotheistic religion."
Once more presents the age old question: "Are spaghetti and meatballs two separate deities or one omnipotent being?"