August 5, 2007

Is Youtube Really Atheist Tube?

I've noticed a big trend on Youtube: When an atheist video comes out, the video is usually highly rated and has many views, but when a creationist bs video comes out, it get a very low rating and usually a lot less views, unless it is ridiculously funny as well as just ridiculous.
Here is an example of what I'm talkin bout. Pat Condell, the British comedian, has been gaining a large following. His latest video, "God Bless Atheism" was released on August 3rd and now (as of 7 am EST on Aug 5th) has received close to 20,000 views and almost 1500 ratings, mostly 5 out of 5's:

H/T God Is For Suckers

He is funny and charming and very likable overall, but 20,000 views in two days? Either Youtube has become taken over by us atheists, or there are a lot more atheists in the world and especially the USA than what the surveys have to offer.

Theory one is plausible, since it is a well known fact that many Jews and gays took off to Hollywood to both escape persecution and be with their own kind almost since the birth of Hollywood. It was a place that didn't judge a Jew or gay for being a Jew or gay, as long as the Jews changed their names and gays didn't come out in the media. So it makes sense that atheists have congregated to Youtube, though we are often judged by the theist minority there.

Theory two is also plausible. I think there a lot more people who have figured out that there is no evidence of God and that it is highly probable that God does not exist (the true definition of an atheist). There is still a stigma attached to admitting to someone doing a poll that one is an atheist. Though the stigma is starting to disappear thanks to the likes of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens, oh and YOUTUBE.

Check out Youtube Atheists.

13 comments:

  1. I think it's a combination of the two-- there are more atheists with every generation (belief in a god is easier to lose than to find), and those atheists tend to be the kind of people who check out YouTube.

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  2. Honestly, I don't think it is easy to let go of God. I think we have evolved a susceptibility to believe in the supernatural and a tendency to believe we are immortal.

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  3. "it is highly probable that God does not exist "____This sentence means nothing unless there are agreed definitions of "God" and "exist". If you define "God" as "a feeling in somebody's brain that there is something big out there", the sentence means one thing. If you define it as "an omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent being", it means something quite different. As for "exist" - I haven't a clue what it means. Do you?

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  4. OK Don, it is highly improbable that there is such a thing/being/whatever as God, regardless of anyones definition of God.
    Unless you substitute God for nature.
    Then you are not really talking about God, you are talking about nature.

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  5. While the younger generation enjoys technology, they also tend to be more irreligious than they're parents' and grandparents' generations.

    Now that the internet is common-place anyone can find someone who agrees with them. That is to say that once one finds other atheists, doubters and freethinkers, one feels more confident in sharing his/her opinions.

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  6. Or it could simply mean that Atheist videos are just more interesting to watch. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

    Sensationalism sells.

    That was an interesting point you made there, beaj. What if God is defined as Nature? Can science explain nature? While the theory of evolution may explain how we came about, no one is capable of explaining why evolution takes place....or to be more precise, why tiny random genetic mutations take place all the time. There is always a point at which the scientist has to say..."well, that's the way it's always been...that's nature!!" And that my friend, is the big cop out no one ever talks about.

    Thank you for reading.

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  7. Hussy, I think atheists have become more comfortable in sharing their views and it improves over time as science continues to fill in the God in the Gaps holes.

    Archangel, watch the video in my previous post. No, there is no motive for why evolution happens, but there is a scientific reason for why it happens.
    And atheism is not sensationalism. Believing in the supernatural would be sensationalism to any rational being.

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  8. I never said Atheism is sensationalism. It is important to appreciate the value of a counter thesis. However, Atheism can be disseminated in a sensationalist manner...and that certainly could explain the 20,000 views.

    You didn't answer my question.
    What is the scientific explanation for why tiny random genetic mutations take place all the time? Or is that just a natural occurrence?

    Thank you for reading.

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  9. Simple answer:
    Random genetic mutations happen all the time, because reproduction is not a perfect copying act, because environments change. More likely, as the environment changed, reproduction where mutations occurred were more beneficial to survival of the species when it came to adapting to the new environments.

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  10. Beaj, just to inform you that I have no grudge about what happened. I suppose you were merely safeguarding your interests.

    But I have some questions and I would like to invite you to respond to them when you have the time.

    1. Suppose we agree that morality plays a vital role in ensuring survival of the species:
    a. Then is behaving in a morally right manner more likely to enhance one’s chances of survival?
    b. Even if this was true, why hasn’t the human species, through a process of natural selection, evolved into more morally right beings?

    2. Suppose your original argument that being overall morally right enhances our chances of survival is to be rejected:
    a. Then what value does morality have in the first place?
    b. How does the balance between morally right and wrong acts get achieved to ensure a perfect amoral scenario best suited to ensure survival?

    3. Suppose morality has no nexus to survival:
    a. Then what is the purpose of morality and why are we obliged to adhere to such standards?
    b. From where do we acquire our morality?

    Answering these questions would surely clarify certain issues and bring my worries to an end.

    Thank you for reading.

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  11. Archangel, worries to an end? I'll gladly answer your questions, but first define morals and morally right. I'm not trying to be difficult, but both those terms have subjective meanings. It is necessary for you to define them as clearly as possible so that we are comparing apples to apples.

    The decision was made, not to protect our interests. It is simple, an atheist blogroll ONLY has atheist blogs in it. Could I be part of the Catholic blogroll?

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  12. Atheists don't get special treatment on YouTube. I subscribe to a lot of atheist youtubers and have seen a number of videos taken from them and some accounts banned. The latest worry is that YouTube is the more famous atheists off of the Most Discussed, Most Viewed lists (and others) which people use to find out what's hot. Check out the latest videos from CapnOAwesome, TheAmazingAtheist and RapidApe for more info. PatCondell is also being kept from the Most Subscribed Comedian list I hear.

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