Beyond Atheism ep2, The Next Step for Atheist Identity Politics
In the episode, we establish that we do have an identity, but there are problems on the horizon…
While I was doing the research for episode #2 of Beyond Atheism, my position on identity politics changed quite a bit. I think the discussion outlines my thoughts and the reasoning behind that. The thought experiments I posed to Nathan were designed to get that thought going, and thinking through them by pitting goals against assumptions and beliefs about group behavior. I found that the experiments really helped with self-clarification and in discussion with others helped find blind spots that could only be overcome from outside information. Standpoint, the subjective point of view that informs a personal understanding of the world, matters and the atheist perspective is going to become increasingly important as we move into the future.
In the episode, Nathan and I have only a rudimentary discussion about atheist identity. In the thought experiments I problematized group identity with issues of class. I didn’t do that with atheism. We also examined a very limited view of “politics.” This concept of politics might best be understood as electoral or policy politics and is really bound to a very small part of the human dynamic that is actual politics. Our discussion only really involved the people you vote for and the policies they implement, actions that require very little from individuals and only once a year. That is a very narrow definition, but served the purpose in that we really have to consider what policies atheists want and who they trust to get them. As a first step, that is incredibly important since it establishes identity and allows us to consider the broader implications of atheist politics.
A larger conception of politics needs to include class dynamics and daily interactions with other people and personal behavior. I recently started thinking about this because of pillow companies. The fact that I spent any time thinking about pillow companies suggested this was going to be a waste of time, but it brings in the elements that our atheist identity debate was lacking. David Hogg, an activist and Parkland shooting survivor, has promised to start a pillow company to bankrupt My Pillow, owned by the Fox-News-famous, decidedly right-wing Evangelical Christian Mike Lindell. Hogg’s company, still in the planning stages, plans to be left-wing, to hire union workers and to spend money in support of progressive causes. This is meant to be an alternative to Lindell who is a major Trump supporter. Lindell’s money, fame and outspokenness had granted him a lot of access to Trump. Last year, he spoke at a Rose Garden press briefing about the corona virus and used that time to claim Trump was a gift from God and to encourage Americans to read the bible and pray. This year, before the Biden inauguration, he again met then-President Trump at the White House to recommend using martial law to keep the president in office.
On the face of it, this is a simple left/right, secular/religious division, where identity can be helpful in choosing a position (or have the choice made for us by identity). Thankfully, for discussion sake, it is not that simple because of overlapping identities and potential consequences. First, why should anyone identify with a company? Why should I support one capitalist owner over another? Class interests matter a great deal. Furthermore, Lindell is the owner, not the company. The difference is distinct since Lindell and his voice exist separately from the company and he will still be rich and powerful and likely have plenty of opportunities even without My Pillow. The company employs 25,000 people in Minnesota to make their products; Lindell puts himself in the commercials and reaps the profit from workers’ labor. Putting the company out of business — Hogg’s literal goal — would lead to mass layoffs, presumably destroying the livelihood of the people who make its product as well. These are also people who are the primary targets of Lindell’s exploitation. They aren’t the same as Lindell, they have opposing class interests, and don’t necessarily support his political and religious positions. Class and atheist solidarity can and do come into conflict.
So, is buying the right pillow a good use of an atheist political identity? I don’t see how conspicuous consumption actually leads to atheist empowerment. I am pretty sure leftists don’t buy My Pillow already, and the real problems — the connection of wealth and power, the ease with which mass media can deceive, and the creeping vulgar authoritarianism — aren’t really addressed by atheist consumerism.
However, these are questions atheists need to address as we gain greater political power in society. This is what Nathan and I will continue to address on the podcast. Stay tuned.
