# Are you a white, liberal, atheist man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420 "2021-09-10T03:14:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/101 "2021-09-16T00:35:38Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Assuming that most of the people who clicked on my blunder “Are you a…” voting button meant to say “Yes,” then indeed, the slight majority (51% or so) of people who’ve voted thus far are a white, liberal, atheist man. Whoa, that’s a huge assumption there, and you’ve just skewed the results (let’s assume not intentionally…).Are you really going to count every neutral response as a “YES”? I’m not a WLAM, and I clicked “Are you…” because I felt it was a simplistic black-or-white\* poll. \*_rimshot, please…_ . > [@DemonTree](#): > > It’s quite impressive that there are more white, liberal, atheist men than all the rest of us put together. This is one lopsided board. I would not go by this poll to make that determination. I agree that it sounds like a thread for white, liberal, atheist men. If I were a brown, libertarian, Sikh woman, I’d roll my eyes and not even open this thread to see that it’s a poll. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/102 "2021-09-16T11:10:25Z")
White - yes Liberal - no. Left even by UK standards, commie by US standards Atheist - yes Male - no. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/103 "2021-09-16T12:01:12Z")
It’s complicated. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/104 "2021-09-16T12:39:34Z")
I’m a liberal man. I’m deist rather than atheist, but functionally that works out to the same thing. I’m Latino, but could pass for Southern European. A DNA analysis revealed my ancestry to be about 2/3 European and 1/3 Native American. Make of that what you will in terms of whether or not I fight the criteria set out in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/105 "2021-09-16T12:45:32Z")
Not white. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2021, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/106 "2021-09-16T19:45:02Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I would not go by this poll to make that determination. I agree that it sounds like a thread for white, liberal, atheist men. If I were a brown, libertarian, Sikh woman, I’d roll my eyes and not even open this thread to see that it’s a poll. I’m not a WLAM and I clicked on it straight away. Maybe I’m just contrary. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/107 "2021-09-17T07:38:57Z")
I’m a man, but I’m not: White (I’m Coloured), liberal (I’m far-left), or atheist (I’m theological non-cognitivist). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/108 "2021-09-17T07:48:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m a man, but I’m not: > […] > atheist (I’m theological non-cognitivist). I would argue that, if you argue a concept is meaningless, you are by implication arguing that it does not exist. Hence I would put you under the “atheist” umbrella, even if that is not the most precise term. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/109 "2021-09-17T07:52:13Z")
Not this shit again. I’m _telling_ you that I don’t accept the label or designation of atheist. Who are you to tell me what I am? And this: > [@BigT](#): > > if you argue a concept is meaningless, you are by implication arguing that it does not exist is not true. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/110 "2021-09-17T08:53:15Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I’m _telling_ you that I don’t accept the label or designation of atheist. Does that matter? (well, for the sake of you voting in the poll, I guess it does) Theological non-cognitivism is by definition a subset of atheism. Maybe you think the label isn’t specific enough or you just don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean your position isn’t atheist. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/111 "2021-09-17T09:09:35Z")
No Non-cognitivism makes no judgement on whether or not god exists, but simply that it makes no difference in our daily lives. Many will say that if you don’t actively believe in god, you must then be an atheist. But that is not true for non-cognitivism. NC’s do not believe that god doesn’t exist. They are not atheists. Whether or not god exists is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/112 "2021-09-17T10:20:04Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Does that matter? Of course it does. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Theological non-cognitivism is by definition a subset of atheism. No, it isn’t. It is a subset of irreligion or non-theism, but it is not a kind of atheism, neither soft nor hard. Atheists need to get over their ridiculous notion that atheism is the ground state of the universe. Atheism and non-theism are not the same thing to me, and I do not agree with being labeled with atheism. For one thing, it violates my right to freedom of religion. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Maybe you think the label isn’t specific enough or you just don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean your position isn’t atheist. Once more, with feeling - who are you to tell me what _my own beliefs_ are? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/113 "2021-09-17T12:48:40Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Once more, with feeling - who are you to tell me what _my own beliefs_ are? Nobody’s trying to tell you what your own beliefs are. They’re trying to tell you, rightly or wrongly, that a commonly used label applies to those beliefs as you describe them. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/114 "2021-09-17T13:09:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Nobody’s trying to tell you what your own beliefs are. Yes, they are. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > They’re trying to tell you, rightly or wrongly, that a commonly used label applies to those beliefs as you describe them. That commonly-used label describes _a set of beliefs_ which I do not hold. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/115 "2021-09-17T13:10:55Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > That commonly-used label describes _a set of beliefs_ which I do not hold. You’ve been here long enough to know that people love to argue over what that commonly-used label actually describes. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/116 "2021-09-17T13:25:22Z")
I prefer to cal myself a “shrugnostic”, i.e. someone for whom the question of god’s existence is irrelevant and of no interest. That is, after decades of debating the issue as an atheist, the debate is over for me. For all practical matters, I’m an atheist. ---
**Author:** ![Hellestal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ab097/32.png) [@Hellestal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hellestal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/117 "2021-09-17T13:29:48Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Does that matter? (well, for the sake of you voting in the poll, I guess it does) Theological non-cognitivism is by definition a subset of atheism. Maybe you think the label isn’t specific enough or you just don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean your position isn’t atheist. Your mistake here is thinking that these words are to be used as a way to convey particular meanings, rather than as a fashion accessory. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/118 "2021-09-17T13:34:20Z")
Don’t know what that’s got to do with anything, since the issue is how _I_ describe _myself_. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/119 "2021-09-17T13:37:52Z")
As we’re off on this tangent, I described myself as “agnostic” above, but a more accurate description of my position is: _I believe that there is an infinitessimal but non-zero probability of some sort of deity, deities or other sentient supernatural forces existing, but as this existence cannot be demonstrated through conventional means and as this existence is not required to explain the various workings of the universe it seems sensible to assume the non-existence of such force or forces for all practical purposes without requiring a position of absolute non-existence._ “Agnostic” is a lot simpler to say, really. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420/120 "2021-09-17T13:39:25Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > “Agnostic” This is my position. I’ve not got absolute proof there’s no God, so it’s got to be this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-white-liberal-atheist-man/950420.md?page=7)