FLASH!
How Do We Get Politicians to Stop Ignoring Nonbelievers?
We Helped Obama Win...But Now,
Politicos Are Forgetting We Exist
“We Atheists want to be recognized as an important voting bloc,” says Kenneth Bronstein, president of NYC Atheists. “We want to be courted by candidates for elected office in the same way that many religious voters are!”
That is, we want to be given the same attention and respect that other voting blocs get--but it appears that mainstream politics is still barely on board with us. The politicos, who cozy-ed up to us in the heat of the election, have now moved on to check things out with those they consider more influential in America--namely, the church-affiliated, the believers, the conservatives. We Atheists are as forgotten as Kim Kardashian’s last boyfriend.
And this, despite the fact that the Pew Report revealed, just before the presidential election campaign, that nonbelievers--including the “Unaffiliated” and the “Nones” (those who, when asked to put down their religion, put “none”)--are now between 18 to 25 percent of America’s population, or nearly one-fourth. In fact, nonbelievers are a larger slice of the American scene than Blacks (13%) and Latinos (10%) combined.
We’re Here--and We Vote!
As one-fourth of the voting public, “We want to share our concerns about separation of church and state with our representatives in government,” says Bronstein. “We want to make our opinions known about new legislation being considered in Congress. We want to influence laws and those who make them!”
But it looks like we’re the wallflower at the prom, the football player sitting out the game on the bench. What can we do? What should we do to wake up America to the fact that, Hey, we’re here and we vote! In fact, we’re everywhere--we’re professors and scientists and lawyers and artists and working people.
Don’t we count? Don’t we matter? Why are we the Cinderellas of the nation, left unnoticed and ignored while the wicked rich sisters go to the party?
Our Input Important
Come on Tuesday, November 20--to commiserate, to bemoan the perfidy of the American electoral process and, yes, to figure out how to overcome the bias against a whole sector of the voter population. What are your ideas? Where do we go from here? How do we prove that our input to our government is important?
Leader of the Tuesday Discussion group is Michael Dorian, documentary filmmaker extraordinaire, (his wonderful documentary film, “Pizza, The Movie” shown on Channel 31, is now available online) and hot-blooded advocate for secular rights.
Come, share your ideas with us among friendly, like-minded people who understand where you are coming from.
EVENT SUMMARY
WHAT: NYC Atheists Discussion Group
led by Michael Dorian, documentary
filmmaker, on “HOW DO WE GET
POLITICIANS TO STOP
IGNORING ATHEISTS?”
WHEN: Tuesday, November 20, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: STONE CREEK Bar and Pub
140 East 27th St. (3rd/Lex)
COST: FREE but you’re expected to buy food
or drink to compensate Stone Creek.
The knoshies are tasty and a good
selection of beers