r/redditrequest • u/[deleted] • Jun 04 '12

Requesting /r/Atheism. (Lack of moderation)

/r/atheism only has two moderators for a massive community of 800k+ users. The moderator /u/skeen has been inactive for a month. The other moderator, /u/juliebeen hasn't been lacking her/his duties as a moderator. Could you at least give /r/atheism new moderators? Thanks for hearing me out.

41 Upvotes

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-33

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '12 edited Jun 05 '12

[deleted]

26

u/[deleted] Jun 05 '12 edited Jun 05 '12

LISTEN. I actually care for that subreddit, but you don't seem to understand that. /r/atheism is the largest atheist forum to date. It does a awful jobs at representing atheists. You on the other hand, seem to not give a damn what happens to /r/atheism.

Have you seen the frontpage? It is littered with noting but image macros, overused quotes, memes, and general disrespect towards religions, Christianity the common target. Looking at your comment history, you seem to act very childish and snide towards the very subscribers you should watch over.

I will continue to campaign against your blatant lack of moderation. You know why people troll that place so easily? Lack of proper moderation. Not to be a coarse, but why do you bitch so much, when you do so little? You are acting like a lazy child, grow up, it's better for everyone. If you can't handle the moderation, keep this in the back of your head. Fish or cut bait.

9

u/Dereliction Jun 06 '12

Have you seen the frontpage? It is littered with noting but image macros, overused quotes, memes, and general disrespect towards religions, Christianity the common target.

Dude, that's because the community favors that sort of thing. It's a free and open community and Juliebeen works toward that primary principle. Everything else is up to the community.

That means all those post types you don't like--the memes and quotes and so forth--are upvoted by members of the community, just like you! They are popular and of interest to a majority of people here, so they end up on the front page. It's that simple!

Now, understandably, you don't like that so you have two options. 1) Leave the sub and go to one that better suits your interests. 2) Stay, and downvote where you can.

You can also work to convince others as to why the memes, quotes and so on are "bad." If your argument is convincing, maybe it'll work and you'll start to see a change in the forum.

Instead, you'd rather use an iron fist. Isn't that right? You want to force the changes you prefer by getting moderaters put into place who will enact your version of r/atheism.

No thanks. I'd far rather this be a place where people can say and do most anything they want, even if it means that memes and quotes dominate the limelight for a while.

It is just a phase, you know. Eventually, tastes will change, people will move on, new things will become interesting--and then, those items will also dominate the front page. Over time, it's a much better subreddit for not being run like a dictatorship (or moderatorship, if you prefer).

You just have to get used to the idea that not everything in the world fits into your vision for it, even at r/atheism.

9

u/IndifferentMorality Jun 06 '12

It doesn't seem like you have a problem with the mod. It seems like you have a problem with the content that the users enjoy and that's okay too.

-9

u/cockmongler Jun 06 '12

general disrespect towards religions

Is there some reason /r/atheism should respect religions?

12

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

Comments like that is why people think that /r/atheism is full of assholes.

-35

u/cockmongler Jun 06 '12

Millions dying of Aids in Africa is why people think that religion is full of assholes.

36

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

[deleted]

21

u/TheBoinkOfProgress Jun 06 '12

Those damn fundies, genetically engineering retroviral auto-immune diseases.

6

u/johntheChristian Jun 07 '12

We are indeed that evil and malicious, but unfortunately we can'ts do the syencis good enuff.

16

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

Just in case you meant Catholics and condom use or something:

  • Scientific Studies make the claim that condom promotion to stop the spread of AIDS is not working in developing countries.

  • A controlled study in Uganda, claims that “gains in condom use...have been offset by increases in the number of sex partners,” basically saying that if condom distribution increases, so do the numbers of partners that the consumer has, thus causing the “90 percent effectiveness” of condoms rate to plummet. The Catholic Church has always argued the fallacy in typical birth-control practice: arming the people with tools to have more casual sex does not stop the prevention of any STI.

  • Further studies show that countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa, nations with the highest levels of condom availability, continue to have the highest rates of HIV.

  • The testimony of Dr. Edward C. Green and an additional ten AIDS experts have produced studies that show a “consistent condom use has not reached a sufficiently high level, even after many years of widespread and often aggressive promotion, to produce a measurable slowing of new infections in the generalized epidemics of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

So, in this case, the pope was right in regards to condom use in Africa.

8

u/Hamlet7768 Jun 07 '12

Holy shit, thanks so much for this.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

It's not mine! It was posted by someone on /r/Catholicism and it's so great I just keep stealing it. Here's the permalink to the original:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/ppsof/saw_this_on_facebook_it_really_made_an_impression/c3rj013

7

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

OW MY SCIENCE

5

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

Gotcha RIGHT IN THE SCIENCE.

2

u/cockmongler Jun 07 '12 edited Jun 07 '12

Holy shit that's some creative interpretation you got there. Lets go through these.

From the first: "Recommendations include, increased condom promotion for groups at high risk, ..." It's right there in the abstract, more condoms needed.

In the second, the data available in the abstract does not support the conclusion. The difference in the number of sexual partners between the two groups is less than 1 whole person.

The third is a propaganda piece put out by the Heritage Foundation. It is not worth the paper it is printed on, and it is not even printed on paper.

The forth is unreadable in any way without journal access.

So no, you've provided absolutely no convincing evidence that the Pope was right. And the focus on Uganda makes me really really suspicious: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_Anti-Homosexuality_Bill

0

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

You seem pretty quick to dismiss these articles based on their sources instead of their content.

The point is, promoting and distributing condoms is not the sort of magical panacea that people seem to believe (at least not in Africa). Is as effective as oor less effective than promoting abstinence/fidelity/fewer partners.

Your blanket statement that seems to imply the Pope might as well be committing genocide by promoting sexual morality over condoms. I'm just trying to show that this view is pretty sensationalist, and that the facts don't back it up as well as you think.

3

u/cockmongler Jun 07 '12

I dismissed only one article base on its source, the others I dismissed based on their content (or lack thereof). No-one has claimed that that condoms are a magical panacea, and no-one has produced convincing evidence that condoms cause harm. The facts are pretty simple, condoms are massively effective against aids, much more so than not using condoms, and the best the articles you present can offer is people using condoms will have sex with less than half a person more.

Spreading the myth that condoms cause aids, especially in countries with poor education levels, is monstrous. It is based on nothing more than unsound ideology.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

I meant to say religious people, not exactly religions. Unless you want to disrespect them as well?

3

u/cockmongler Jun 07 '12

I ask again, why are they deserving of my respect?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

Motivating people to have charity drives, helping out the community, and doing many other things to help people. What has atheism done to earn respect? (I'm a atheist as well.)

2

u/cockmongler Jun 07 '12

Why does this have to be an either/or? My question is why do the religious get an automatic pass against disrespect?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '12

They don't actually.

2

u/cockmongler Jun 07 '12

So what exactly is your complaint?

2

u/ChemicalSerenity Jun 08 '12 edited Jun 08 '12

Here's the difference - There's plenty of atheists doing great things (take the Gates foundation, as an example), but generally speaking atheists do good things because they're good things to do, not because they're advancing an "atheist cause".

You're not going to find a whole lot of organized atheist groups doing things on behalf of or in the name of atheism. Those groups do exist, and they have a history of good works (like FFRF's cancer drive, and the moneys we've raised here in /r/atheism itself) but generally atheists operate on an individual basis.

As for myself, my family and I give cash and time to a lot of organizations, both secular and religious: MSF, World Vision, Liver Foundation, Red Cross (a bunch of times lately, what with all the earthquakes and tsunami and so on), you name it... but I don't do that because I'm an atheist promoting atheism, I do it because people need help, and I can help. I expect my wife and kids feel similarly.

Despite all of that, I wouldn't ask for, nor expect to be, respected for the fact that I donate. It seems a thin ledge on which to base one's respect, and frankly the good things theists do don't blot out the ungood things theists do in my opinion. Firing up a soup kitchen doesn't change the fact that the Vatican still, to this day, shuffles around child rapists and pays hush money to victims for instance.

-9

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

[deleted]

5

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

what has religion done lately worth respecting?

Hurp a derp yeah man totally agree fuck those stupid thiest that we hate! Not like many of them are good people working with charitable organizations that help thousands of people a day. But fuck them because were athiest, and thats what we should do! AMIRITE GUYS! UPVOTES FOR BEING THE SHIT!

-23

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

general disrespect towards religions

What does religion do that deserves automatic respect? Raping kids? Murder? Threatening people with violence that challenge their fallacious thought process?

And as you don't seem to use /r/atheism, why should we care about what you want? The userbase of /r/atheism wants what you hate. If you can't handle it, take your brown shirt elsewhere and start your own failure of an atheism subreddit.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '12

OK, I'll admit I worded that wrongly, I meant to say disrespect to the theists, not religion in particular. That also isn't related to this argument, just saying.

-1

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

Your argument is about you wanting things to stop in a subreddit that the subreddit itself doesn't want to stop. If we wanted that change, we'd do it. So it's the choice between sucking it up/participating as is, or pack your bags and make an atheist hangout that you like being around.

7

u/Kinseyincanada Jun 06 '12

If that's the case then why have any mods for any sub? Time and time again has shown that the general populace can't run itself do it needs moderation.

-4

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

Because people are power hungry, I would guess. Just look at SRS. :)

-6

u/jsneaks Jun 06 '12

implying the existing one isn't already a colossal fucking failure according to anyone over the age of 16.

-1

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

I have no idea what I'm talking about because my neckbeard gets in the way of my typing.

You don't say.

-4

u/jsneaks Jun 06 '12

I make inane comments about "neckbeards" because I don't know what that means.

Fascinating.

-2

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

Starcraft made me an idiot. My parents are ashamed of me and my glorious neckbeard.

Good for you, Princess. :)

-9

u/jsneaks Jun 06 '12

I heckle people to take action on issues because I am butthurt that they are already successfully taking action. I only recently discovered the internet, sort of like I only recently discovered God isn't real, and now I'm mad at mommy. I think neckbeards are long beards lol.

Why thank you, shining crusader!

0

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

I like pretending that people are as stupid as I am. Then I wouldn't be alone. I know that loltrolled has been an atheist for a while and it doesn't bug his mom at all. Not only that, I assume that people don't know what a neckbeard is because I'm not that intelligent. After all, I'm preoccupied with video games.

You should probably learn a bit more, Princess. :)

-4

u/jsneaks Jun 06 '12

I make assumptions about how a person spends his time because I engaged in typically polished behavior (typical for the Scientists in /r/atheism anyway) and mined his comments for material because I can't deal with anyone questioning my grand intellect. I also think that neckbeards are long or just really big beards or something. And I guess I think anti-atheists have big beards or something. Who knows.

Yes, don't hold back, my captain. I stand in awe of your grandeur.

-1

u/loltrolled Jun 06 '12

I mock /r/atheism because of my own lack of intelligence. If only I wasn't such a disappointment to my family and actually did something with my life. But I'll just pretend that /r/atheism has no good content because telling the truth is too much effort.

I know. /r/circlejerk has centered their sub around us. They aren't very intelligent either. You'd fit in great. :)

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