Crowdfunding an Atheist Shoe bus to crisscross America

Sandals with socks?

2 Likes

In my experience down there, the only social invitations you ever got were to go to some church event.

4 Likes

Where were you?

But yeah, churches were often (historically and in some places still) the center of social life in many rural, southern communities.

2 Likes

They’ll just vandalize it.

And considering they public signage in some of the areas, I could see it getting some bulletholes along the way.

5 Likes

Sorry - I was talking about Savannah, GA - not AL

But we had it a few times, we’d invite people to our house or the park, and the return invite was always for a church social. Le sigh.


I quite like the shoes - as long as I could get some without the writing on the soles.
(not sure if “kitten testicle grey” is my colour, though).

2 Likes

I was talking about the whole SE region, actually, so it’s all good.

But I’m not surprised… again, this is the most religious region of the country, AFAIK… Those of us who aren’t religious sort of have to figure out a way to deal with it and not be totally excluded in the process, I guess.

2 Likes

My SO’s dad lives in rural Alabama. It’s pretty much the last place on Earth I would feel safe telling people I don’t share their enthusiasm for Bronze Age mythology. Of course, that would involve speaking to local people, which would either out me as a damned Yankee or dirty ferr’un Canuck.

@Daneel: I kinda like the kitten testical grey, and I say that as a person who definitely prefers black shoes.

5 Likes

Wait, does this shoe company not make any money? Why are they asking for crowdfunding for a successful business?

3 Likes

Publicity stuntception.

2 Likes

Much of my fam. moved to AL (in Talledega, the NASCAR Holy Land) so I visit. Talking about The Lord with anything but reverence will make things instantly horrifying, as would supporting the wrong college football team, but if you really want to see the locals get vicious, just say NASCAR sucks (and it does, it’s just a sporting event dedicated to the cars driving in a loop with the one with the best fuel economy winning).

Top Gear managed to hit every note when they drove through Alabama with painted up cars that were pro-Hillary, pro Man-love, anti-NASCAR, and slagging Country and Western.

8 Likes

I really like Mojo Nixon’s description… Four and half hours of Kentucky rednecks making left turns.

9 Likes

Yes, most people are religious here. And there likely is an element of self-definition at work. But the continual railing at and mockery of religious gets so tiresome. I sometimes want to grab people by the collars and yell “It’s time to move on!” The feeling I get is that most “out” or vociferously self-identifying atheists down here feel that they were heavily scarred or even betrayed by religion, and it’s typically some form of evangelical protestantism from which they’re escaping. They’re more apostate than atheist.

(NB: I’m from rural Tennessee, and was brought up in a hellfire-and-brimstone Baptist church, in which there were Klan members, and in which the deacons tended to come to church, in the 70s!, strapped. I was having doubts before I hit puberty, and the Baptist doctrine quickly succumbed, when I hit high school, to a deadly combo of hormones and American Transcendentalism.)

5 Likes

Motorsports:

Europe: interesting and varied
Japan: weird and with impenetrable rules
America: boring
Australia: post-apocalyptic

12 Likes

Yeah, if you want to see America’s horrifying religion in true form, college sports is good for that.

My wife’s friend has ha ha only serious joked that she’d sacrifice her beloved kittycat if her alma mater asked.

3 Likes

Sure, it often delves into a certain level of self-righteousness. As you say, I think much of that comes from a place where the individual who left the faith was probably hurt in some way by their upbringing and that’s not nothing, I think. But it tends to be pretty sweeping in tone, none the less - treating all faiths and all people of faith in the same way. Many of the most vocal atheists are all too similar to recent religious converts, I think.

6 Likes

My dad loved to troll the locals while he was alive. The town was pure Crimson Tide, so he’d bring his Auburn sweatshirt to church, put it on when he got inside, then take it off as he left. He pulled it out when the brother-in-law visited as well, just too watch him languish.

5 Likes

thatsthejokedotgif

1 Like

I own 4 pairs of shoes from Atheist Berlin.

Durable, comfortable and quite good looking … for a decent price, at least over here - they’re handmade in Europe after all.

1 Like

14 Likes

Funny enough, the cat sacrifice would have been to appease the Auburn gods. We just stared at her as we would any zealot. Nice woman, but yeesh.

1 Like