# Why have conservatives left this message board? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [April 14, 2025, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016 "2025-04-14T01:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/281 "2025-04-21T12:48:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Never forget barbecue. Us South Africans could teach you yanks how to braai (sorry, barbeque) and some of the most conservative are also the best at it. And we are pretty left leaning as a whole country. I mean, I am fucking hard-left liberal and even _I_ could show you around a barbeque… with my right hand tied behind my back! We have some far right groups but they are aging out. Who wants to join the AWB (our right wing Nazi-adjacent movement) these days? They are a sad joke. And their former [leader](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Terre'Blanche) famously could not even ride a horse, let alone make a braai. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/282 "2025-04-21T12:59:08Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Atheism isn’t a serious badge of shame in most major urban areas of the United States, i.e. the most populous parts of the country. It’s widely [believed](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/health/atheists-religion-study.html) - worldwide, not just in the US - that atheists are more likely to be serial killers. Just one example of how atheists are considered evil. As for it not being a badge of shame, I note that atheists have been thoroughly beaten into silence; I barely hear people even mention the word anymore. It’s treated like homosexuality in the 50s or even earlier; something innately evil that most people outright try to pretend doesn’t exist. “The crime that dares not speak its name”. Heck, on another board full of leftists - actual Communists - it was amazing to me that you could see literally hundreds of pages of talk about the theory, practice and history of Communism and be lucky to find a single mention of the official atheism of Communism, historically. People would defend Stalin’s mass killings and famines, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward and the resulting deaths; but they wouldn’t even _talk_ about atheism, much less defend it. After all, Stalin and Mao _merely_ killed millions of people; atheists don’t believe in God, which is _much_ worse. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/283 "2025-04-21T13:49:38Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m an atheist. That alone is enough to ensure that the _great majority_ of Americans hate and loath me. I’ve always known that I could walk out my door, look around and be _sure_ that nearly everyone I see hated me. They mostly don’t know I exist, but hate me all the same. This is the dumbest shit I read all day. Well, I actually read it first last night, and it was the dumbest thing I read all that day, too. It sounds like you basically go through life like this: [![](https://i.imgflip.com/9rglx9.jpg) ](https://i.imgflip.com/9rglx9.jpg) Sad 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/284 "2025-04-21T13:55:16Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > This is the dumbest shit I read all day. Well, I actually read it first last night, and it was the dumbest thing I read all that day, too. Sneering insults doesn’t change reality. And I’m pretty sure _you’d_ kill me if you could given how much of a genocide fan you are. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/285 "2025-04-21T14:02:37Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And I’m pretty sure _you’d_ kill me if you could given how much of a genocide fan you are. Maybe _you_ would murder people over an internet disagreement, or at least send them to a reeducation camp. Normal, well adjusted adult human beings are capable of disagreement without resorting to murder, though. Seriously dude, if that’s really how you think, you’re in _severe_ need of touching grass. Or therapy. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/286 "2025-04-21T14:04:23Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Maybe _you_ would murder people over an internet disagreement, or at least send them to a reeducation camp. You kind of prove my point about atheists being demonized. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/287 "2025-04-21T14:06:12Z")
If one reads everything _but_ the conclusion, I think **Der\_Trihs** is rational, thoughtful, insightful, informative, and interesting. Just … skip the very bottom line every single time. It’s a preordained, Stygian non-sequitur 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/288 "2025-04-21T14:07:56Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > You kind of prove my point about atheists being demonized It’s because you’re a fanatic, not because you’re an _atheist_. Why would I demonize people who don’t believe in God when I’m not a believer myself? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/289 "2025-04-21T14:09:55Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > It’s because you’re a fanatic, not because you’re an _atheist_. Why would I demonize people who don’t believe in God when I’m not a believer myself? Even atheists tend to demonize atheists, according to the polls. And _you’d_ do it because you’re the Genocide Guy. You calling me a fanatic who wants to kill everyone who disagrees with him is just you projecting _your_ own attitudes onto me. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/290 "2025-04-21T14:12:50Z")
Ok buddy. I think if you ever get over your crippling fear of other human beings and realize they _don’t_ all want to kill you for being an atheist - and then you get over your crippling fear of being around women for fear that they’ll accuse you of rape (you’re the idiot who said you should record every sexual encounter with a woman in case she pretends there was no consent after the fact, aren’t you?) - then maybe you’ll be able to be a happy member of society rather than a miserable misanthrope who can’t wait for the nuclear apocalypse because life among other people is so difficult. But I’m not holding my breath. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/291 "2025-04-21T14:54:43Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > So there’s a base of fact in that. OTOH DemonTree, ma’am, you do understand this is Der\_Trihs, as in, “conservatives will exterminate us all for pleasure” you are arguing with. Yeah, I was wondering how he got that way. @Der_Trihs , maybe it would be hard for you to move to a more secular country like the UK (I sure hope so), but it wouldn’t be hard to move to a coastal city where no one cares if you believe in 30 gods or none. And then when religion comes up, try mentioning you are an atheist rather than avoiding the subject. Once you find most people around you don’t actually care, you won’t feel so bad about it. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/292 "2025-04-21T15:00:13Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > and then you get over your crippling fear of being around women for fear that they’ll accuse you of rape (you’re the idiot who said you should record every sexual encounter with a woman in case she pretends there was no consent after the fact, aren’t you? 😨 ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/293 "2025-04-21T15:20:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I think if you ever get over your crippling fear of other human beings and realize they _don’t_ all want to kill you for being an atheist - and then you get over your crippling fear of being around women for fear that they’ll accuse you of rape (you’re the idiot who said you should record every sexual encounter with a woman in case she pretends there was no consent after the fact, aren’t you?) - then maybe you’ll be able to be a happy member of society rather than a miserable misanthrope who can’t wait for the nuclear apocalypse because life among other people is so difficult. I have to figure that after a while, a persecution complex gets to be a thing of comfort, like a psychic security blanket. Don’t take that away from a person! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/294 "2025-04-21T16:57:30Z")
I would offer the latest discussion on Atheism as evidence of how there is a lot of diversity in opinion still over here. This peculiar site is what it is because we were attracted from different backgrounds to a site that checks for facts and good citations. As I pointed before, the current leaders of the conservatives are fighting to see who gets control of the idiot ball. Not a very good situation for the followers of conservatives to then get many **quality** citations to defend their points of view. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/295 "2025-04-21T17:20:30Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I’ll believe the board isn’t biased in this area when I get to take part in a debate and not be heavily outnumbered. Why should anyone care about convincing you of that? I’m really sick and tired of conservatives throwing around “bias” like it’s a pre-existing flaw in any conversation. If we’re talking about flat-earth beliefs, the conversation ought to be biased against the flat-earth ideology. This doesn’t at all mean that people are irrationally opposing new beliefs or new information, it’s because the information is in fact not new, it’s well-trodden ground. It doesn’t deserve a new hearing just because a new person has drifted into the conversation. Sure there will be people who say “the reason I lost this debate isn’t because my ideals were flawed, it’s because I was drowned out by all the opposing voices”. People who think that being outnumbered _in itself_ is evidence of unfair bias, which is evidence that a belief is unpopular, which is evidence that it’s being unfairly suppressed, which is evidence that people are afraid to the truth. Obsession with bias is _in itself_ evidence of a kind of conspiracy thinking, and shouldn’t be dignified with any kind of reasoned response. Bias in itself is neither good nor bad, it’s just a possible signal that some information\_might\_ be overweighted in some particular direction, and not a determination that it’s overweighted in an _invalid_ direction. Right-wingers are biased against reality. This board is biased in favor of reality. It’s not a sign of persecution or unfairness. ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/296 "2025-04-21T17:27:58Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I’ve been an atheist since my teens, and haven’t met one person who cared at all. I haven’t kept it a secret, it’s just… normal. There’s far more stigma against being a religious person in UK politics. I’ve been out as an atheist in both US and UK contexts, and there is a very real difference. I don’t think the US as a whole is as anti-atheist as some other posters indicate, but it’s much more so than the UK. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/297 "2025-04-21T17:30:26Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > There are many (MANY) parts of the country where a normal part of the conversation when meeting someone new is “which church do you attend?”. In such areas admitting to atheism will (usually quietly) provoke a negative response and potentially trigger a social backlash. But that’s not an issue for tourists, right? We were thinking of coming to visit again, provided Trump doesn’t start arresting visitors at the boarder or something equally crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/298 "2025-04-21T17:33:26Z")
I doubt being an atheist would matter as a tourist, but they are in fact arresting people at the border. I wouldn’t visit the US right now if I lived outside of it. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/299 "2025-04-21T17:34:21Z")
> [@Frilly\_Heck](#): > > I’ve been out as an atheist in both US and UK contexts, and there is a very real difference. I don’t think the US as a whole is as anti-atheist as some other posters indicate, but it’s much more so than the UK. From everything I’ve been seeing, the US has been following in the footsteps of European countries with declining religiosity. Like maybe they aren’t actual atheists, but I heard regular attendance at churches and other places of worship has fallen dramatically in the last few decades. So I’m surprised to see someone bring up atheism as an issue now. ---
**Author:** ![Frilly\_Heck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/90ced4/32.png) [@Frilly\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frilly_Heck)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016/300 "2025-04-21T17:36:22Z")
It really depends on where you are in the country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-conservatives-left-this-message-board/1017016.md?page=16)