This is… it’s odd. I don’t really like responding to people. Sometimes though I think it’s worth doing. And today is one of those days. This is a response to statements made by Mr. Tyson about agnosticism, and atheism. Originally these statements appear on Big Think’s YouTube channel back in 2012, and they are beginning to appear again because of a relatively recent article on Big Think by Brandon Weber.

I personally found what he said intriguing and it motivated me to want to talk about it. If you haven’t seen his statements, check them out below! I hadn’t seen them until today so I’m sure that at least for a few people they’ll be new.

Before I begin, let me just say that I hope that whoever kept changing Neil’s wiki page has since then stopped. It sounds really annoying to have keep on changing that page.

“Atheists I know who proudly wear the badge are active atheists! They are like in your face atheists. And they want to change policies and they are having debates.”

This is the part that worries me. The whole reason I am writing this is because of this idea. This almost toxic stereotype about atheists. I hate it. I honestly just hate it.

I’m not going to write about why Neil deGrasse Tyson is an atheist. He’s not. If he doesn’t want to be, and considers himself an agnostic instead of being an atheist, that’s fine. What I will talk about is this is toxic generalization applied to atheists, by everyone apparently.

Not all atheists are the same. And it doesn’t matter who says we are, if it’s Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ray Comfort, or even if it was Richard Dawkins who said we were, we AREN’T. Part of why this annoys me is because I am one of the atheists that Neil described, but some of my best friends who are just as “atheistic” as I am are “chill” and don’t interact with other atheists, don’t write about atheism, don’t talk about it, or anything. And listening to Neil of all people talk about this tired and stupid stereotype is frustrating. I bet Neil knew atheists back in 2012 who hated being assigned all the “baggage” and all the “philosophy” of atheism (not that there is one, atheists don’t share a common philosophy or belief system) and because of that never told anyone about their lack of a belief. And I bet they were saddened to hear him of all people make such statements, and proceed to basically do JUST THAT to atheists. Neil talks about why he dislikes labels, but in an instant he does to a group of people what he said he hates being done to him which is; assign some sort of baggage to us. I see a really odd disconnect.

There is no “conduct of atheists” and it is sheer nonsense to act like there is. There are some atheists who enjoy the “community” that has been created and gather together to talk about atheism and life without God (or any other deities), because we are a minority. Worldwide. And there are many atheists who are not vocal. Many who’ve never knowingly met another atheist. Many who simply lack a belief in any deities. Even if they were raised theistically now they are just… not theists. And that’s fine. They are just as “atheistic” as I am. I am saddened to hear such silly statements from someone as genuinely intelligent as Mr. Tyson.

When I talk with other atheists, part of what I talk about is our shared experiences. I talk with other atheists because we are a minority, and we share something important ESPECIALLY if we are vocal. We don’t just talk about “How much everybody in the room doesn’t believe in God”. We learn from each other, and we exchange ideas. I also do this with Christians, Pagans, Wiccans, with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and all sorts of other people.

If you are an atheist, no other atheist will (rightfully anyway) demand that you be active in the “atheist community”. And Mr. Tyson of all people shouldn’t be spreading such silly stereotypes.

Also: What policies are we trying to change? All of the policies supported by politically active atheists that I know of are already existing policies that atheists just want the government to properly apply. From investigating churches to make sure they aren’t making moves which would cost them their tax-exempt status, to demanding the government not allow symbols which endorse a religion on public property, it seems to me (though I am biased and I freely admit that) that atheists just want the government to not allow certain groups to be, or feel like they are above the law.

Atheists and agnostics aren’t the same thing. Someone can be a theistic agnostic. That would be a believer in some religion who admits that they aren’t sure that their deity exists (and possibly couldn’t be sure), but personally believes that they do. So no. Atheists and agnostics aren’t the same thing, but the reason why isn’t what Neil said. If you don’t want people to conflate you with a religious (or irreligious) label just ask that they don’t. Don’t consider yourself something else just because you had “experiences” with members of that group and happen to think they are… zealous. And don’t make your experiences the reason why you make statements about an entire group.

I understand that others might disagree with me here. And I know that I sound annoyed. I am. In my opinion Neil did to atheists what he said he dislikes people doing. I get that he and others might not see it that way, but I do. And I know others do as well. What I really want to do with this post is remind people that not every atheist is “vocal”. Not every atheist “is in your face”. Or “holding debates”. And show that it isn’t just Christians who have this toxic idea, or at the very least SPREAD this image of atheists. Personally I am one of the atheists that Mr. Tyson talked about, but I dislike that he went and seemingly threw all of us, no matter how loud we happened to be, to the wolves. Statements like these are the sort of statements which theists use to fuel anger at atheists. Statements like this keep atheists quiet. And not just quiet, but SILENT. I find it frustrating to hear things like this, and in 2012 I was a Catholic. Had I heard this back then I almost certainly would have a picture of a “straw-atheist” in my head, exactly how Neil described.

What do you think? Let’s explore each others ideas.