So. I’ve encountered a few people in the recent past who identify with the ‘free thought’ movement. It took me a while to even understand what that was supposed to be about. Imagine my surprise when I realized that this was about atheism more than anything else.

The rebranding of atheism as the ‘free thought’ movement has all the problems I’ve mentioned before about rationality (see the first one and the second). Generally, the call by white activists of any movement for rationality is racist. For all the ways that rationality and logic have been constantly weaponized as tools to oppress PoC.

So. It is unsurprising that a movement paradoxically based on not believing something and known for its un-nuanced and, frankly racist, critiques of PoC religion, decides that not believing something is insufficient and needs to be based on white supremacy. Or, sorry, I meant ‘free thought.’

Whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean.

Especially given that almost every advocate of ‘free thought’ i’ve ever had the displeasure of talking to has been just as closed minded as any christian fundamentalist i’ve ever spoken too (possible even less).

But. Seriously. The way they’ve framed their movement is de-facto racist. Because. It clearly implies that anyone who isn’t an atheist, is incapable of free thought. And since, with the exception of the usa, most of the very religious countries are PoC, raaaaccciiiisssstttt.

It always amuses me, though, when talking with ‘free thought’ advocates to see how little they actually understand about either science or scientific reasoning. I still chuckle at the biologist who stormed out of a room because she couldn’t handle the simple notion that evolution is less true that the Pythagorean theorem.