Feeding The Fish

BBC NEWS - British women ‘raped’ in Jordan.

This may be a symptom of the fact that this heading writer is unsure on when to use apostrophises or quote marks but what does that title say to you? I’m getting “It wasn’t rape really” or “well…that’s what they said”.

There are a million ways to do this heading better. I understand that as nothing has been proven as such yet so ‘British women raped by THESE SPECIFIC MEN’ might be pushing it, but what was wrong with ‘British women raped in Jordan’? What really are the chances they’d make it up? Hell, ‘British women claim rape in Jordan’ still sounds better. Another one: ‘Jordanian men charged with rape of British women.’ See? Factually accurate without being dismissing! ‘British women ‘raped’ in Jordan’ just conveys the impression that rape isn’t a real thing or that something happened, but no no, that wasn’t rape!

The article doesn’t say if they were drunk, but if they were that definitely excuses it. Everyone knows it’s not rape and entirely their fault if they were drinking. That’s practically law.

From the Lancashire Secular Humanist website:

As John Gummer came upon the British Humanist Association’s campaign stand in the exhibitors gallery at the Winter Gardens this afternoon he was clearly heard to say to his companion “Do you know there is nothing I hate more than these Humanists”.

He then launched into a loud abusive rant in which he complained that The British Humanist Association “had no right to be here” and, with spittle-filled passion, he pointed his finger at startled BHA members and declared “The Conservative Party is and always has been a Christian Party” (big emphasis on “Christian”) before turning on his heels and storming off without giving those volunteers (me included) an opportunity to respond.

It’s a pity he left so quickly; had he allowed himself a little more time to think he may well have thought to quote his party leader by adding: “Oh and we are a modern, compassionate Conservative Party”.

And the truly awful thing? This is the last I expect to hear about this. If an MP said “Do you know there is nothing I hate more than these Jews” and that they had no right to be at the party conference because “The Conservative Party is and always has been a Christian Party”, this would be an instant national story and his the country would be united in disgust. But this won’t happen here, who cares if someone hates Humanists? Who cares if an elected Member of Parliament wants to publically boast of his hate towards an increasingly large percentage of the British people? In truth, very few except ourselves.

That situation won’t change until we push the issue, and we absolutely must. We have to fight back until bigots like John Gummer feel too ashamed to spit their bile in public. We have to fight back against religious leaders who decry the whole notion of public atheism as an ‘intolerant faith position’ and cast figures like Dawkins as ‘militant’ atheists for writing books and giving speeches, utterly devaluing a word best reserved for those who actually kill and terrorise others.

Humanists have much common ground with believers of every ilk and many believers recognise that a secular state that doesn’t take sides is better for everyone. The privileged place for religion in our government and society needs to end.