Charlottesville Solidarity Vigil

On Sunday night (8/13/17) San Diego held a vigil for Heather Heyer, the victim of a white supremacist terror attack. Like many others I felt I needed to do *something* to show my support for her and for those that stood up against white nationalism. The vigil was attended by a couple hundred people of various backgrounds. There was a lot of comfort in seeing a community thousands of miles away from Charlottesville come together to express solidarity. There was singing, there was crying, and there was a lot of hugging. All these things are needed and are comforting

But.....

It isn't enough. If we are only coming together to mourn the loss of those fighting against Nazis and white nationalist, we will be doing a lot of mourning, a lot of singing. and a lot of hugging.

It is well past time that we (here I specifically mean white people) stop making our Black, Jewish, LGBTQ, Latinx, and Muslim friends be the front line against white nationalism. It is time to have uncomfortable conversations with your family and friends. It is time to call out those that propagate hate, it is time to recognize our complicity in allowing hate to prosper because it doesn't effect us.

I have often looked at images from the Selma march and wondered "if I was alive then where would I have stood?" Would I have stood with "law and order" or would I have stood with justice?

Would I have stood with the families of law enforcement as they watched their husbands/fathers beat the marchers? Would I have stood at home and ignored the whole thing, because it isn't about me?
I don't know where I would have stood then, but I know where I stand now.

Vigils are nice, but actions are better

Below are links to various groups that help fight against white nationalism (in varying ways)

SPLC

Redneck Revolt

Life After Hate

Things I Think I Think

I haven't made a real post in over 2 years and I know my thoughts on a lot of things have changed in that time. Looking back through some of my old posts and I find myself cringing a bit, but I think it is nice to be able to see my progress (or maybe some would say regress) into my current views. I'm writing this post as a way to document my current views (who knows what 2 more years will bring) and also to update anyone unlucky enough to stumble on this blog down the line. This will be a hodgepodge of ideas that I'm willing to defend.

Things I think I think

I understand and sympathize with calls for non violence in activism, I also think apathy/status quo is also in support of violence just violence they can more easily excuse

I think a secular society can and should make reasonable exceptions for religious beliefs, but also the religious must do the same. Example: a religious person whose beliefs forbid them from handling alcohol can still be hired at a supermarket with the understanding they would not have to handle alcohol. That same religious person must also understand that they are limited in the jobs they can promote into because of this restriction.

I think it can be (and is) true that HRC and Democrats ran a bad campaign and Trump and/or his campaign colluded with Russians to help win the 2016 election

I think Democrats need to do more to acknowledge that trade agreements can have a negative impact on people in America without appeasing the racism/xenophobia that is prevalent amongst Trump supporters

I think that there is some white supremacist like thoughts that ran deep in some of Bernie Sanders most ardent online supporters

I think that liberals/Democrats that are more concerned with "law and order" over justice would happily sacrifice PoC and LGBTQ people if it meant there lives didn't change

I think we all need to read more literature by black authors

I think the phrase "communism will win" is idealistic and foolish given the current state of leftist politics in the west

I think far too many leftist care more for disagreeing with the west than they do with caring for the marginalized

I think I'm a leftist, but I don't know what kind

I think the best political/social movements are rife with infighting and have many legit criticisms from the inside

I think the United States will no longer be united by the year 2050

I think optics matter when partaking in ground level activism


If anyone wants me to further expand  on any of these ideas send me a message on twitter @MWUnicorn

Thank you for reading

What Do We Do Now?

Like many of you I have been numb the last few days, and in fear. I am not scared for myself but for everyone that doesn't look like me. For those of you that don't know me, I'm a thirty something year old straight white male. I know I will be fine, with my line of work I might face some financial struggles, but my physical safety is not in jeopardy. Now I keep asking myself what do I do? What can I do to help anyone, who like me is scared, but because they don't have the same privileges I do. This is by no means an exhaustive list of things we can do but a few that came to mind. 

 (As a disclaimer when I say we in this post I'm specifically referring to people who look like me, if you're a person of color or LGBTQ you already have a good idea of what is happening)

1) Get in contact with your local Mosque, Synagogue, Sikh and/or Hindu Temple and see if anyone wants or needs a companion when they are out grocery shopping or running errands. Be a buffer between them and any person that may feel emboldened to act violently towards them

2) Volunteer with the ACLU, SPLC, or any other civil rights group that vows to fight for the marginalized. Especially if you have experience or expertise in relevant areas

3) If you have the means donate to groups that are protecting the people at the greatest risk please do

4) If for some reason you can't do any of the above it's time to really start challenging your family and friends that post the racist bullshit that we have been letting slide over the last forever years

Some of you may have seen this Facebook post or something very similar. Whether this particular story is true or not it is time that we (white people) are the ones that are getting spat on. Be a shield 

GCB vs Yahweh

This will be a relatively short post, I'm trying to flesh something out and as such would really appreciate feedback here

I want to use the biblical flood story to show that the Abrahamic God Yahweh is not the "philosphers God" or the Greatest Conceivable Being (GCB)

Instead using a flood to drown humans, God could have chosen to fill the lungs of humans with fluid. This accomplishes the same thing as a world wide flood in regards to killing all wicked humans but does not cause unnecessary suffering to non moral agents (non human animals).

Causing the lungs of humans to be filled with fluid allows for some suffering to humans (assuming this suffering is necessary) but reduces the amount of grotesque suffering that would be caused as people clamored for high ground and became separated from their families.

God could still have Noah build the ark as a test of faith (similar to the Abraham/Isaac story) so that technically God would not have lied about drowning the world.

It is my opinion that this is a better way to accomplish any goals the flood had, but done in a better way. Making Yahweh not the GCB

Thoughts welcomed and encouraged

thanks for reading

- MoonWalking Unicorn
@UnicornOnMoon

"God Is Not Dead" a Review

I went and saw the movie version of a terrible internet meme, God Is Not Dead I'll touch mainly on the message it tries to convey. (a synopsis of the film is here)

This movie is to philosophy what Religulous is to theology (except it isn't funny at all). Both movies are only concerned about winning over people already on their side, by using bad arguments that score "quick points".

God Is Not Dead is set in a world where the News Boys can sell out the Staples Center, but where Christianity is also somehow a minority. This is a common theme amongst evangelical Christians in general, and the film hits that point hard. The Evangelical Christians that see this film will eat up the messages portrayed even (maybe especially) the one's they didn't know where there. The not so hidden themes include racism, sexism, anti-intellectualism and fear/mistrust of anyone not like them.

Every non white character is the epitome of a stereotype. The Chinese student is an emotionless (until he finds Jesus) math major who's father is an uncaring, unloving, demanding figure. The Muslim family is ruled by a violent father. The African missionary is a happy go lucky fella that apparently has magic powers (he diagnoses a dying man by just being near him). Of course it isn't just non whites that get this stereotype characterization, every seemingly smart and attractive female is also a manipulative bitch that must have her way. Every non christian is either morally bankrupt or living an empty hopeless life. These are the (not so) subtle themes of the film the main points might be even more flawed.

The main character is Josh Wheaton who takes a philosophy course given by a (his words) "committed atheist" Professor Raddison. On the first day of class Raddison misinterprets a famous Nietzsche quote "God is dead" (full quote here) because he is apparently the worst philosophy professor ever (but good enough to be considered for chairman). Then like all bad professors do he demanded the students sign a paper that said "God is dead" so they can move on to more important things. Because the one thing you never do in philosophy courses is actual philosophy (I hope the sarcasm is evident). Of course our plucky hero Josh just can't compel himself to sign the paper so instead he is forced to defend his faith in a series of "debates". In which (spoiler alert) HE WINS! (because really Radisson is just mad at God for killing his mom) because again Radisson has never actually learned philosophy (theme here is professors are liars and are not as smart as they say they are). All while this is going on other side plots are being shown like the ministers that can't get to Disney World, a blogger gets cancer and Dean Cain doesn't care, secret christian Muslim girl gets disowned by her family, and Radisson's girlfriend dumbs down for Christ. This all culminates with the characters ending up at a News Boys concert. The now visibly shaken Radisson is also headed there to try and win back his girlfriend when suddenly he is hit by a car (then magically diagnosed as mentioned earlier). Of course like all atheists Radisson converts on his deathbed and everyone is happy!!!

What did we learn? We learned that traumatic life events are a bad reason to become an atheists, but are really good reasons to believe in God. We learned that Christians, especially the white male variety, are the most persecuted people in America. That converting atheists is super easy just yell at them for a bit then either give them cancer or hit them with a car. That beliefs are choice so why won't you just believe in God it's super easy. Lastly that the only people in the world that are truly happy are Christians.

I can't imagine anyone with any sort of knowledge of philosophy has many good things to say about this film regardless of their beliefs about God (as I was writing this I did a search for Christian philosophers reviews)
Chris Attaway
God of evolution (guest post)

This film will probably do more harm then good for the evangelical community because now they are equipped with really really poor arguments for God, but you may be annoyed by the number of texts you start to receive saying "God's Not Dead"

I have a lot more to say about this movie and will probably continue to tweet about it

follow me on twitter
@UnicornOnMoon 
or my new public FB account
Kyle MWU

Thanks for reading this now go read some real philosophy!

Why Would God Lie?

In this post I'm going to borrow some from people I admire greatly Justin Schieber and Dan Carlin, for the sake of this post I will also be assuming a monotheistic god of some kind exists and (hopefully) give reasons for why that god would want to lie to us

If we adopt skeptical theism, that is that god has reasons to allow suffering to happen. Then we must also adopt that god could have reasons to lie to us even if those reasons are unknown. I'm not convinced that those reasons are necessarily unknown or at least I can conceive of good reasons for a god to lie to us.

Why would a god allow books like the Bible and Qur'an be written about him if those books are not true? IF the believers of those religions think that their religions have helped mankind more than they have hurt AND that the good would not have happened without the influence of those books. Just like god allowing suffering to happen because some greater good only he would know about came from it, god could very well have lied to the authors of the holy books for very similar reasons.

A second but just as valid reason for god to lie to us would be very similar to reasons the Catholic Church did not want to Bible translated into languages the common person could read. That is god does not want to give us information that is beyond our current level of reasoning. Imagine an alien race coming down with superior technology and the "correct" version of god's word. The catch is that it's written in an alien language that no one on earth can read. We must rely on the word of the alien priests to tell us, until one rogue alien decides to translate this new holy book. What are the consequences to the religious here on earth? If you believe that they could be very detrimental than you have accepted a viable reason for god to lie to us. We are only given what he knows we can absorb even knowing we can, at times, only absorb a lie.


If you would like to listen to the audio files that helped inspire this go here for Divine lies and here for Common Language Problem

questions or comments welcome

@UnicornOnMoon

untitled

For whatever reason I'm sitting here inspired by the memories of loss
 inspired to tell you a story of pain.
 The holiday season is coming near and it brings about a time that I fear.
 The pain of loss doesn't go away but we move on
away from the pain but also away from the memories we hold so dear.
 Like an old picture that has faded.
The corners are frayed the memories are strained
 and I'm trying to remember just what I had lost.
One moment in time changed so many lives, I think of the moments now lost.
One moment took three but three carry on in memories and tears
sometimes joy sometimes fear but it's never enough

Their winter came too soon
we sit here with pain in our hearts
amongst family and friends that know
just how hard it is to alone in a crowd surrounded by love
engulfed in guilt we put memories on skin with pain
for the last memory to be a wreck that's now trees
it isn't enough it isn't enough