They should have done something cool to look at and hear, instead of something tantamount to blowing kazoos. It takes zero talent. They should have also worn those cool tee shirts, black with capital A in red, the Dawkins shirt.
They should just have done something cool to look at, like some kind of song or something, a dance maybe. Roll someone on a float playing "imagine" on keyboards while singing it maybe. And have all of them wearing those cool black tee shirts with the capital letter A in black, hell I would cheer for that. I am an Atheist by the way.
It wasn't meant to mock anyone. We march again this year. Xtians don't own the holidays. And as far as the actual horn blowing...uh, we are not a real marching band. We participate for visibility, and because we like to celebrate too.
I guess atheist are allowed to mock a religious holiday and to even piss some people off, but why do it, unless the reason is do exactly that. To mock people of faith and piss them off? I wonder if a Christian church group would even be allowed at an atheist event celebrating what many have called Darwin day? If anyone has seen such a thing can you please let me know. Oh yeah, Concordance let me remind you since you seem to have mentioned the Christian groups. Its a Christmas parade.
Parades are for advertising that your organization or group exist. There's nothing wrong with saying, "hey, there's a group of us who may or may not share common thoughts and interest."
Personally I do not think this may have been the best way to get the message across... not that there is really any easy way to positively influence a religious crowd towards atheism... I think it possible that religious folk may find have found it offensive... perhaps almost blasphemous.. perhaps the intended effect, but not one I would have participated with.
If there was just some way to convey to spectators that there are many atheists who genuinely like and actively practice in the Christmas holidays, then it would be a good idea. We enjoy it for secular reasons.
But if that isn't known, then many may see this demonstration as mocking religious beliefs and belittling Christmas. Not good for community relations.
Like so many questions of this type -- it depends.
Looking like a gaggle cluster fuck with annoying instruments wasn't the best way to go. If they had put on a show that looked professional and impressed the local population, people may ask who they were, and when finding out what the organization was, it may have impacted their views on atheists.
It's important to maintain an image, otherwise people will stereotype a group as a whole.
As a musician who has performed at Christian, Jewish, Pagan and Native American religious festivals, I find the MVVAMB a bit appalling. First of all a vuvuzela is about on par with a kazoo in difficulty to play. They were basically humming “Jingle Bells” thru a long tube. You can see how well they “marched”. Although I'm technically an atheist myself (don't believe in a personal Supreme Being) I would never use a musical performance to beat my drum for it.
The Christian marching bands look eerily military, poor and ominous. The vuvezela band look like they all own I Pads and love a laugh. Very scary for repressed christians
In contrast to the marching bands, it just made them look disorganized, unprofessional, and lazy. If you're going to do something, do it right. What I saw isn't going to do anything other than reinforce negative misconceptions.
Why are we even judging this? Are you telling me that all the religious groups were impeccably dressed, rehearsed and unfailing in their showmanship? Really?
Why do a couple dozen atheists need to put their best face forward to represent all atheists? Why the double standard?
It wasn't so many decades ago that a similar situation would've caused the Christian authorities to knock some heads. Baby steps.
Not a good idea for anything other than making believers uncomfortable and giving a minor chuckle to atheists. Unlikely to inspire someone to begin the process of thinking rationally. Brave as hell though, I went to A&M and unless things have really changed fast, they took on a real risk of bodily harm IMO.
i say not bad of a first appearance in a Christmas parade especially for a band of people holding no religious and/or superstitious beliefs. We're expecting to see more improvement to the band , and to see more brave atheists next year.
If Christians so love to hear more & more news about people joining their cult, then why would it offend them to see some potential "cult-joiners" exposing themselves by marching in the street? Just couldn't handle their heads being hi-jacked by Reason.
I love how threatened you dumb christian fucks are by a funny little marching band. You should see the dumb people they interviewed who were offended by the atheists. Keep the hate coming, the more you christians act like bigots, the more it shows your true colours.
Not funny, not clever, not promoting a positive image of atheism.
Were I present and a theist I probably would have been thinking something to the effect of: "Look at those atheists they're a sloppy bunch of disorganised fashionable non-conformists that have nothing positive to contribute and just want to annoy everyone else."
ok, IMO it was a GREAT IDEAD as far as being funny as hell but realisticly, not really a very professional way to go about getting your point across. So yeah not great, funny as hell tho since it already happened.
Wouldn't have used the vuvuzelas, but I do think it was a good idea to make their presence known. The more visible atheism is, the more socially acceptable it will become.
@truckcompany I can't think of anything better for the 'image of atheists' than to be seen as playful, quirky participants in society. Which is exactly what this was.
Having grown up with Christian Fundamentalist family and friends. I just can't help thinking that Christians will think because of their average costumes and songs resemble satanists. I hope I'm wrong.
When you express your feeling towards certain ideals, organisations, etc, you need to make sure you get your message across. I feel like no one knew what they wanted to express. They just came off as "attention whores" or "trouble makers" to the conservative audience, I'm sure.
Good for the Atheists that they dare to be open about it in a religious backwater place like Texas but they should have done A) something more constructive or B) put more effort in the marching band and dazzle people instead of being a sizzle.
With a performance like that it looks more like a joke and only confirms people's negative preconceptions about Atheists.
1. Atheists don't shy away from Christians, creating factions
2. A holiday is for having fun - by everybody
3. Xmas is for everyone
4. Atheists are normal people and not some secret cult that needs to meet secretly
5. Atheists are a part of society and don't need to hide
6. The fact that it was tongue-in-cheek and disorganised only reflects on the personalties of the participants who don't necessarily enjoy organised and regulated fun.
"Wasn't exactly happy about the Christmas Parade this year, I spent many years teaching my children to love and respect other people and to love the fact that they were children of God and I don't feel that they should be influenced in any other way especially not at a Christmas parade"
If you have younger children they weren't going to understand but I have older children, a teenager, 8-year-old and they were curious and they asked questions..." - Tina Corgey
From what little I could see of the parade, it actually seemed that they were the only people performing anything "christmasy".
It's as good an idea as a group of blokes marching down the road, swinging rifles and the like.
I just wish they had put more polish in their presentation. But perhaps the lack of unity was the message -- atheists don't necessarily share anything except for what they lack.
lol the atheists look so pathetic after the other bands.. sorry..it's true..and no, I don't think it was a good idea at all...not because they don't have the right, but because the performance was so half-assed. It makes atheists look bad.
if they didnt have that "at the last minute" feel to them it would have been a good addition to the parade. you could barely hear them play the Vuvuzela, on the up side everyone going quite as they went past atleast let us hear them play.
they are part of the community so they should be allowed to, just next time take more then a week to get organized for it.
I agree with a lot of the comments that the presentation was sloppy. It gives the impression that atheists are not a well-collected group. In addition, I think the choice of the rather pathetic vuvuzela horn could almost be interpreted as mocking the event. Along with reason, atheists need a sort of ``appeal`` to make atheism attractive. It`s great to see that these groups exist, but I don`t think the unimpressive marching band was a good idea.
Yeah, it's a good idea. Shows these people that atheist aren't some kind of devil worshiping freaks or some strange others but just a bunch of normal people. That may seem stupid but for some deeply indoctrinated people it's a revelation.
I like that they did march in the parade, but I feel that there presentation was a little sloppy, and maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but it seemed like they decided to do this at the last min. learn to step in unison and went. They just looked lazy to me. I've been in marching bands in HS and college and it's a lot of work, that's not saying much in HS I had 22 in my graduating class and in college everyone in band had to march. I hope next year they participate again.
I think it would've been better had the musicianship been stronger (perhaps with different instruments). I think that, more than the fact that it was an atheist group, was the awkward "silence-inducing" part. People probably weren't sure whether it was a joke. (I say all this with a full understanding of the culture in southern United States.)
But their poor taste in musical instruments aside of course they had a right to be present at a community parade. After all they too are a part of that community.
Really you think, "No-one is arguing that they shouldn't be allowed to march in Christmas parades" Wow do you live in a cave cut off from the rest of America and all news? Go check out the hate fest on the local news site...kbtx dot com, turns out quite a few people are arguing that they shouldn't be allowed to march in Christmas parades and that Christmas is only for Christians.
I don't like it. I think it makes atheists look like clowns. No one is going to look at that and go "oh, the atheists, haha, that was funny and cute, or 'that's nice'". No they'll go "how stupid". I mean the whole purpose of a vuvuzella is to be annoying. Poor taste. (i'm an atheist)
Yes, this was a good thing. Atheists make up a significant part of our society and they celebrate the holidays for the same reason most of us do: it's fun!
Vuvuzela's are hardly the instrument i would have chosen to represent atheism. I think an effort should be made to show atheists are regular Americans (or regular to which ever country they are in) except for their one difference. Using an annoying and noisy instrument of foreign origin is hardly going to convey this message.
Also, If I were in that town, I would feel a little awkward telling anyone I was an atheist after seeing that. It just seemed a little... silly.
Marching in the parade = good. Vuvuzelas = not so good. Otherwise, overall it was a cheerful and good-natured way for them to at least show that they exist and are members of the community.
Watch the new segment about it that shamartube upoaded. There is a woman on there complaining that she had to explain to her TEENAGE children that there are people in the world who actually don't believe in god. Growing up in an isolated place, one of the large ways of suppressing doubt is simply to give the impression that EVERYONE believes so it seems inconceivable to a child that everyone would believe a lie. I think this was frickin' great.
It looked fun. Parades are about fun. You aren't mocking a parade by being silly. Half of a parade is about being silly. I think the people being all pissy don't go and have not participated in parades.....seriously. If they showed up at a band CONCERT and played vuvuzelas, that might be a valid criticism.
@sinmantyx If they were shooting for silly, they weren't being silly enough, maybe the banner should've had something like "We don't believe in santa clause either, but we love Christmas" or something of the sort.
@JoesephKatana Actually, I have never heard a public official say Santa Clause is not real. I wonder if saying it out loud would make them unelectable - hilarious.
Well, it got their goals accomplished. Atheists are marginalized and among the most hated segments of society in recent polls. They wanted to show that there were atheists in the community and the attention they got helped them. Also, in the interest of absurdist parade events, look up the "Lawn Rangers". They march in parades with lawn mowers decked out in ridiculous decoration. So...my conclusion? quit being an up-tight prude.
@Gameon1979 The Vuvuzela is actually an instrument similar to a hunting horn, the reason it sounds terrible is because people don't play it right. They play it completely wrong and just blow down it rather than play it like a horn, as a result you just get an annoying BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
If it was taken more seriously they would have had my vote. It looked a little silly and like they were deliberatley mocking the event to stir controversy
First of all, their choice of instrument is more akin to parody than anything else, which doesn't lend itself well to any kind of statement. The vuvuzela make me think this might actually be a bunch of Christian jokers...
Second, they seemed poorly organized. If you're gonna go to the trouble of organizing a marching band, why not create a proper uniform and order in which the members march?
There's nothing wrong with advertising your atheistic beliefs, but this came off as a poor joke.
@Brianzilla2004 It was poorly organized because it was thought up a week before the parade. It was just enough time to get everyone to buy vuvuzelas and have a practice the day before. The only uniform that they had was to wear a black shirt and blue jeans. Fortunately the Texas A&M atheist and agnostic club's T-shirt fit this, so imagine most of the participants wore that.
It didn't seem they were getting much noise out of their vuvuzelas. Next time they should either practice or get real instruments. Putting on a half-arsed production looks bad on everyone.
In that Christmas is becoming evermore secular, I see absolutely nothing wrong with a Vuvuzela Atheist Marching Band in a Holiday Parade. Being from Austin as I am, my primary beef with it is that it happened in College Station, of all places. Hook 'em!
I think the choice of instrument was unfortunate, and more rehearsals are definitely a must. Go again next time (and with something more pleasing to the ear please!)
I thought it was funny. People need to lighten up. Not just religious people -- a lot of atheists too. It seems like every time anyone who would call themselves an atheist does something, they get bombarded with criticism for "making us all look bad". My opinion is that if people derive their opinions of entire, diverse, barely even connected "groups" from a handful of people then I don't give a rat's ass what their opinions are. They're being far sillier than these kids.
Christians are always proclaiming that atheists are against religion and want to see the end of things like religious holidays and events like this parade
Here we have self proclaimed atheists joining a xmas parade and joyfully performing a xmas song.
It may indeed seem like a slap in the face to some of the Christians in the crowd, but only because they are being exposed to their own ignorance and bigotry.
I think that was in really poor taste. It would be fine if they were playing real instraments. That makes a poor impression on people. "You attract more flies with honey." I love the idea of an atheis group joining a parade.
They seemed like they were attempting to make a mockery of the parade. I would expect that if they are trying to be legitimate as an organization they would get better... organized. What they do is increase hostility to their position. Public debate and intelligent conversation is a better position to make a statement or to question a position.
If I saw something like that I would just sit there and stare, I mean lol it looks like their instruments were plastic and I would assume its some kind of joke.
A marching band sounds lame for an atheist show in the parade though, it just does not sound like something I would want to do.
I think it's a good idea, but they need to put more flare into it. They look too much like a bunch of atheists marching but: a bunch of disorganized, unenthused people with no real sense of cohesion, bound by little more than a single shared idea.
If they'd put more flare into it, the crowd likely wouldn't have gotten as silent and it wouldn't have seemed as if they were proverbially raining on the literal parade.
Not enough of them. And why Vuvuzelas? Not a bad idea, just horribly done. Anything that publicly states that there are Atheists around isn't a bad idea. I've met too many people who don't believe we exist.
I agree with many of the most recent comments.. Agree with the message, but it was poorly executed. I was not impressed, and thus felt almost annoyed that they looked so bad. Ah, all black.. GREAT choice. And very poor synchronization.. thanks guys. Really making us look good out there.
Having participated in a couple of parades and been to my share of Do DA parades (Pasadena California), I have to say that you just can't take parades too seriously. Not everybody has talent and it's not a requirement to have fun.
There have been a comments concerning quality of performance. I'm curious as to whether there were other groups just as untalented?
I like the sort of LiberalViewer style, C0nc0rdance. And no, it wasn't a good idea. Obviously, they looked like idiots. Anarchists, even. Perpetuating the stereotype... I support the message, but not the execution.
Obviously they have the right, but my question would be was there anything comparable to this in the parade? A lot of these people put A LOT of effort into the parade, and I would argue that out of respect for this you might at least try to be... better prepared? Or maybe more professional? I'm an atheist, and TBH as atheists we know that we don't start off in the best light in a lot of peoples eyes, so if we are going to shine, we should be doing as brightly as we can. If that makes any sense.
I like the idea, but the execution left a lot to be desired. It really didn't sound like you were playing the vuvuzelas, which kinda defeats the purpose of having them. Perhaps having a float or something where you showed a theme of cooperation would've been a better idea.
For me it's a little embarrassing watching them, but if they feel as though they aren't being included in the community then they have the right to march if they want to. But if they're looking to be accepted by the community, they've broken the number one rule: Don't Use Vuvuzelas.
As you said, it was completely in their rights to do what they did. I will not condemn their act. That being said, I don't think they should have done it, for several reasons. If they had been an actual marching band, I would have no problem with them calling themselves "Brazos Valley Atheist Marching Band". The problem I have with them is that they seem out to offend, which again is completely within their right, but I don't think it is a good idea.
@Josan117 I guarantee you we weren't out to offend. Just by existing we would offend, but beyond that, we didn't want to. We simply wanted to get into the holiday spirit with everyone else!
Seemed kind of silly to me, but I guess they made their point that they should be included. In any case, I graduated from Texas A&M and I do recall a 'STRAIGHT PRIDE PARADE' put on by one of the student groups there. They carried around signs that said things like, "Straight as an arrow", "Adam + Eve, not Adam + Steve" etc. It was just about as silly as this showing by the atheist group, so that might give you some idea of the level of discourse around the campus.
Pretty pathetic display, if you ask me. I'm an atheist, but this was embarrassing beyond belief. If this happened in my town, and people around me knew I was an atheist, I'd feel like Earth opening before me and swallowing me would be a joy ride. You get the point. And judging by the title of this video, I have a feeling you share my opinion. Only thing I'd like to ask these jokers is what the hell they were thinking...
@mickeypopa Ask and ye shall receive. ;) We were thinking to show that we're a part of the community here too! We wanted to show atheists are decent human beings who also celebrate Christmas, just without the Jesus part. The reaction we've gotten is well beyond what we thought we would get. We knew we'd be heckled slightly at the parade, but that was about all we thought we'd get.
P.S. No one is questioning your willingness to show you're part of the community too and that you too celebrate winter solstice, but this could have been done WAY better and with much LESS embarrassment. This way, it sounds like a hack job on some poor homeless cat's vocal cords -.-
To have declared the freedom (of religion, etc) is not enough. The society has to accept it in order to be truly free. The America certainly lacks this part.
I remember sitting in the crowd during that part of the parade. A lady next to me got up in a hurry and rushed off with her kids, yelling, "G*dd*mn Atheists ruining my holiday!"
Crappy ACT! If they would of developed a float and just waved to folks a-ok. No need to feed into religious BS. They wont last and let them have their 15mins of fame. I would be embarrassed if I was an atheist that was apart of that. I say let it be, but next year they need to do better. BESIDES if they wouldnt of entered this, we wouldnt have something to discuss right now.. Amen for the NON Believer... They give us something to do!
Pretty pointless. Parades are based on reciprocation, groups entertain the crowd in exchange for a bit of exposure. If you aren't entertaining, you're just a group of attention whores.
I'd encourage them to attend in the future, provided they put together a decent act.
I agree with the participation part, if they are a local musical group even if they were just formed for this parade alone, it's normal to participate in such an event. And ideally this is how it should be seen by everyone (only in an ideal world of course).
On the other side I was expecting something very loud and funny, but instead it was just something meh, really quiet (I don't know if it was your phone that didn't catch the sound), so not too big of a deal.
I feel sorry for the poor, I feel sorry for the hungry, I feel sorry for tortured animals, I feel sorry for the rainforest, etc. BUT I HATE ACTIVISTS! Your cause might be right but don't overexagurate the situation, by spreading your paranoid rebel shit over on me which you have adopted because you're an outcast and in need of a social group, you're no better than a cult. If this activist shit applies to these atheists aswell then screw them, and yeah I'm an atheist
and yeah another thing. It might be that they are just having fun and it's no activist stuff behind it, but even so it is lame!(I won't say it's wrong) They can state as much as they want that their marching is totally serious, but it very much looks like it's for the laugh and the provocation(especially with the vuvez). It is just sorry to see. , It's like waging war during the Olympic armistice in Ancient greece.
Well I might be wrong as I don't know the traditions. But if it is anything like "activists", or they do it to offend people, oh don't get me wrong offending or at least criticize can be really good, but as I said earlier, offending on a day of happines and "armistice" is just lame, when you can do it any other day.
@Serethen We didn't intend to go out as activists. We simply wanted to be a part of the community. Obviously you don't live in the Bible belt, where you have Bible quotes all around you, classmates approaching you and telling you that you're going to hell, etc. For us, to be able to say we exist, we're a part of this community too, and actually be *vocal* in this part of Texas takes a lot of balls.
No I live in Norway, one of the most secularized societies in the world, likewise with all of Scandinavia. So yes it's hard for me to relate to your situation, we do have areas known for being christian but they are not taken very serious. The conservative christian culture don't go well with the modern day social pattern(imo).
Though using my country as an example it seems New Age is on the rise, which shows that people will always find something -_-.
Anyways thanks for enlightening me. I do know however how the situation is in the USA, if you hang around a lot on youtube and the net in general you can't avoid it, especially if you have an interest in science.
But as I said, I might be wrong, regarding the video. I stated a lot of "If"s, and with your comment I guess they aren't fulfilled:)
I'll say as the guy below me, the vuvuz were tacky, and makes it seem unserious, otherwise, participation was not inappropriate.
Well keep on fighting lad, Religion being a sensitive topic is just lame, worse thing I know is when people imply that you shouldn't criticize people's faith.
wtf? Sickness is a sensitive topic, it exists! faith is just that, faith, and it's a choice(to an extent) to believe in something with no basis in reality.
I might seem like a hypocrite here compared to my earlier comments, but i still hate activists/fanatics, even if I agree with them, but I bet you know what I mean.
I felt uneasy watching them. I felt like something bad may happen to one of them at any moment. I shouldn't feel this way. I am an atheist. I live in NC. I know exactly how it feels to be afraid to express my true disbelief in religion. It shouldn't be this way. I saw an interview about a billboard that read "Don't believe in god? You're not alone." The people being interviewed felt offended by it. OFFENDED! WTF? Close minded people are easy to sway. Religion is dangerous in my view.
Possible message from the atheist marching band: "Hey! IF you are a fellow non-believer, you are not alone in this area"
There may be less "in-your-face" ways for local atheists to make themselves known, but if it supports those who are afraid to speak out that they are atheists then I give them KUDOS!!!
I am member of the B/CS Atheist Vuvuzela Marching Band and also a Christian who supports atheism as well as many other forms of belief. I was quite shocked to see the amount of opposition that has arisen because of this ... what happened to Christianity being an accepting and loving religion?
I was an atheist marching in the parade, we were there for two reasons:
1) To say that atheists are a part of this community, we'r normal people, we support the community, and we believe in the save values of love, compassion, and sharing that this season is supposed to represent. And 2) for the "closeted" atheists out there to know that there are many more of us here in the community, and that it is okay to say that you don't believe in gods, that you don't have to stay in the closet.
@shamartube Point 1) This could've been done in much better taste, instead of plain annoyance; it gave the impression of a rebellious child. Also, normal people don't play vuvuzelas in a marching band. It's probably best to leave atheist representation to the ACA in this case. 2) I'm a staunch atheist and very vocal about it, but this made me cringe; as such I can see this would cause closet atheists to remain closeted.
To pick a side, i'd have to say no. As an atheist, if you're going to choose a fight, Christmas is probably the worst one. But, i say that because I took it as a sarcastic statement. On the other hand, it doesn't seem as though anyone really got it (i'm not sure i did), and the kids doing it probably had fun, so good for them.
Considering that Texas changing High-School history books to reflect a false and more Christian nation, I'd like to see more Atheists marching in many more parades.
I say no, but not because they explicitly called themselves atheists, although I hate the idea of any explicitly atheist organizations existing , as that presumes atheists have some sort of common code or creed. It's because it looked like they didn't even to to put on a good show. It makes atheists look like idiots who don't care about art. I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists, but considering the crowd, this was not a good idea.
@Madoculos "I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists", does anybody else's opinion matter?
Why pander to the illogically inept?
I agree however, that saying "I'm an atheist" does not really say much at all, but then these guy's weren't saying much either. Our conclusions about what they really meant (if anything) is purely speculative. Personally, I think it was a harmless raspberry.
@Madoculos "I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists", does anybody else's opinion matter?
Why pander to the illogically inept?
I agree however, that saying "I'm an atheist" does not really say much at all, but then these guy's weren't saying much either. Our conclusions about what they really meant (if anything) is purely speculative. Personally, I think it was a harmless raspberry.
This is equivalent to students who get dressed up in very poor Halloween costumes, drink too much, fuck a lot and wake up with a bad hangover. Not really keeping up with the age old tradition of Halloween but who cares; silliness deserves to be mocked. My apologies to all those druids out there who were offended.
Even if they had actually done something the least bit impressive, it muddies the waters and makes no sense. Why would a "NOT-theist" marching band need to exist? Why not have a "NOT a butler" marching band or "People who remain unconvinced that fairies exist" marching band? "Non-astrologers"? Etc etc.
..and it didn't even sound like vuvuzelas. It sounded like muffled humming.
I'm somewhat baffled by responses by atheists concerning these types of occurrences (see NJ tunnel atheist billboard). As though overtly making fun of religion is so different from subtly making fun of religion... That being said, I wouldn't participate in a vuvuzela marching band if you paid me, the idea is just stupid. It would be just as stupid if it was any other group's vuvuzela marching band.
@Dissent1 Universe governed by logic? As I see it, the universe is governed by physics. Logic plays no role. Logic is a human construct. Sadly, humans as a whole are poor at logic. Vuvuzelas are evidence of this.
Lame is lame whether it's religious, cultural or economical. If that bunch had put on a real show, I'd give 'em a thumbs up. As it is, they were room temperature hamburger.
Well, honestly, it looks like they were just doing it to troll. The likely should have taken the time to put together something a little more artistic than a Vuvuzela. Maybe put together a better piece than the other bands, but whatever. They can do whatever they feel like, their way of expressing the message was just ... as the Bhuddists say of Christians, "unskillful."
@SinistralEpoch I guarantee you we did not go out there to troll. We didn't have enough time with the end of the semester approaching to practice a whole lot, which is why we weren't that great.
@bishiehunterenya Well, thank you for taking the time to come here and respond! I'm glad that you weren't doing it to troll, but .. given the response of people that very likely support your opinions, I would say the message was definitely lost on people that don't. I hope if you do it again next year, that you guys have more time to practice!
I'm so sick of the words "offense" and "inappropriate/appropriate"
Every imaginable presentation seems welcome at parades, public displays or billboards and yet offer a firm statement of an absence of belief and somehow . . . well see above.
Have any of you seen the kind of silly things that, well "parade around" at parades?
Great idea though, simply because it conveys the message really well. "We're here, we're atheist, deal with it."
If atheists have to deal with a Christmas parade through their town they can deal with an atheist entry. They don't care if we're offended and the feeling is mutual. It's all about having a good time.
I DONT SEE how it would be a bad idea because it was just some dudes blowing on an annoying instrument and they didnt do anything offensive...i mean i would have gone quiet too because their shit looked boring
Childish and rude. They had a chance to really contribute to a nice parade and instead they pissed all over it. It certainly won't help the Atheistic image at all.
@TheScandinavianOne Agreed. Not only was it very childish, it was in extremely poor taste. Really, the last thing we need is to give theists ammunition with which to ostracise us further, by doing stupid shit like that. Sure, they have every right to have a marching band there, but what they did just wasn't appropriate.
They should have done something cool to look at and hear, instead of something tantamount to blowing kazoos. It takes zero talent. They should have also worn those cool tee shirts, black with capital A in red, the Dawkins shirt.
lessevdoolbretsim 1 month ago
They should just have done something cool to look at, like some kind of song or something, a dance maybe. Roll someone on a float playing "imagine" on keyboards while singing it maybe. And have all of them wearing those cool black tee shirts with the capital letter A in black, hell I would cheer for that. I am an Atheist by the way.
lessevdoolbretsim 1 month ago in playlist More videos from C0nc0rdance
It wasn't meant to mock anyone. We march again this year. Xtians don't own the holidays. And as far as the actual horn blowing...uh, we are not a real marching band. We participate for visibility, and because we like to celebrate too.
doctrixie 3 months ago
Guy at the back. Bad horn angle.
Yellowcardfan1 6 months ago
I guess atheist are allowed to mock a religious holiday and to even piss some people off, but why do it, unless the reason is do exactly that. To mock people of faith and piss them off? I wonder if a Christian church group would even be allowed at an atheist event celebrating what many have called Darwin day? If anyone has seen such a thing can you please let me know. Oh yeah, Concordance let me remind you since you seem to have mentioned the Christian groups. Its a Christmas parade.
benthemiester 7 months ago
Parades are for advertising that your organization or group exist. There's nothing wrong with saying, "hey, there's a group of us who may or may not share common thoughts and interest."
So, why are you hiding behind a tree?
thisisaguy 9 months ago 3
bad idea for 2 reasons. 1. they suck 2. do non-stamp collectors show up to a stamp convention with signs proclaiming they're don't like stamps?
kyebean 10 months ago
I would have felt like a jack ass doing this...
Personally I do not think this may have been the best way to get the message across... not that there is really any easy way to positively influence a religious crowd towards atheism... I think it possible that religious folk may find have found it offensive... perhaps almost blasphemous.. perhaps the intended effect, but not one I would have participated with.
purplegumibear 11 months ago
I can't remember if I commented before.
If there was just some way to convey to spectators that there are many atheists who genuinely like and actively practice in the Christmas holidays, then it would be a good idea. We enjoy it for secular reasons.
But if that isn't known, then many may see this demonstration as mocking religious beliefs and belittling Christmas. Not good for community relations.
Like so many questions of this type -- it depends.
Astrobrant2 1 year ago
Haha, amazingly funny idea.
And a good one. It's not mean, it's not poking fun, it's just saying: we're here too, we're part of the community too.
We have just as much place in this march as others do.
daddyleon 1 year ago 2
Looking like a gaggle cluster fuck with annoying instruments wasn't the best way to go. If they had put on a show that looked professional and impressed the local population, people may ask who they were, and when finding out what the organization was, it may have impacted their views on atheists.
It's important to maintain an image, otherwise people will stereotype a group as a whole.
1heersond 1 year ago 3
Brave people to expose themselves in a country where atheists are routinely discriminated against.
TheTomtompiper 1 year ago
As a musician who has performed at Christian, Jewish, Pagan and Native American religious festivals, I find the MVVAMB a bit appalling. First of all a vuvuzela is about on par with a kazoo in difficulty to play. They were basically humming “Jingle Bells” thru a long tube. You can see how well they “marched”. Although I'm technically an atheist myself (don't believe in a personal Supreme Being) I would never use a musical performance to beat my drum for it.
JonMoody47 1 year ago
NEVER apologise for poor audio on a video about vuvuzelas.
bluenoserr 1 year ago 4
Whoever invented the vuvuzula needs a prompt waterboarding/genital sandpapering.
mmmmmarcus 1 year ago
The Christian marching bands look eerily military, poor and ominous. The vuvezela band look like they all own I Pads and love a laugh. Very scary for repressed christians
mikontisott 1 year ago 11
@mikontisott Um... the "military" ones were part of the Texas A&M Corp... not religious at all...
PooingCavy 2 months ago
In contrast to the marching bands, it just made them look disorganized, unprofessional, and lazy. If you're going to do something, do it right. What I saw isn't going to do anything other than reinforce negative misconceptions.
TheNeverborn 1 year ago
I don't think they were atheist. I think this was a joke against atheists.
christoph2005 1 year ago
Why are we even judging this? Are you telling me that all the religious groups were impeccably dressed, rehearsed and unfailing in their showmanship? Really?
Why do a couple dozen atheists need to put their best face forward to represent all atheists? Why the double standard?
It wasn't so many decades ago that a similar situation would've caused the Christian authorities to knock some heads. Baby steps.
eshamlin 1 year ago 5
If Christians can have fun with the pagan holidays, so can we. At least we won't kill them.
SQuiRR3LM0nk3y 1 year ago
that was actually really nice of them to do that, since they dont believe in this stuff, that was sweet that they wanted to wish u that
VivaLaVieBoheme49 1 year ago
Not a good idea for anything other than making believers uncomfortable and giving a minor chuckle to atheists. Unlikely to inspire someone to begin the process of thinking rationally. Brave as hell though, I went to A&M and unless things have really changed fast, they took on a real risk of bodily harm IMO.
jradxit 1 year ago
i say not bad of a first appearance in a Christmas parade especially for a band of people holding no religious and/or superstitious beliefs. We're expecting to see more improvement to the band , and to see more brave atheists next year.
If Christians so love to hear more & more news about people joining their cult, then why would it offend them to see some potential "cult-joiners" exposing themselves by marching in the street? Just couldn't handle their heads being hi-jacked by Reason.
Nevule 1 year ago
I love how threatened you dumb christian fucks are by a funny little marching band. You should see the dumb people they interviewed who were offended by the atheists. Keep the hate coming, the more you christians act like bigots, the more it shows your true colours.
ARatNamedMilo 1 year ago 4
Not funny, not clever, not promoting a positive image of atheism.
Were I present and a theist I probably would have been thinking something to the effect of: "Look at those atheists they're a sloppy bunch of disorganised fashionable non-conformists that have nothing positive to contribute and just want to annoy everyone else."
FuckYouYouFuck 1 year ago
ok, IMO it was a GREAT IDEAD as far as being funny as hell but realisticly, not really a very professional way to go about getting your point across. So yeah not great, funny as hell tho since it already happened.
rrrandommman 1 year ago
It was neither a good nor bad idea. Just funny.
bighugejake 1 year ago
IMO stunts like this make atheists look ridiculous.
UmbrellaAl 1 year ago
It hink it was a really good idea. They had fun while doing it. And it was a brake in the rest of the strict military march.
Terje1337 1 year ago
The performance was certainly a little weak, but the news report said they plan to return next year. I'm sure they'll improve :)
jeffdee 1 year ago
Yes, it was a very good idea. I'd have gone for kazoos, though. :)
Talzhemir1 1 year ago
Wouldn't have used the vuvuzelas, but I do think it was a good idea to make their presence known. The more visible atheism is, the more socially acceptable it will become.
ionz75 1 year ago
Thats a little embarrassing. I love how they marched, but they didn't do much for the 'image' of atheists.
truckcompany 1 year ago
@truckcompany I can't think of anything better for the 'image of atheists' than to be seen as playful, quirky participants in society. Which is exactly what this was.
jeffdee 1 year ago
@jeffdee
Having grown up with Christian Fundamentalist family and friends. I just can't help thinking that Christians will think because of their average costumes and songs resemble satanists. I hope I'm wrong.
truckcompany 1 year ago
Atheist have no absolute guide of morality and therefore, cannot be moral... Hence... you evil atheists are gonna burn!!! muah hahhahhaa!
SavageDogg38 1 year ago
Wasn't that Jingle Bells?
MonsterEnergyMan 1 year ago
They're funny, I think. Well, no tradition of christmas parades where I come from, but they'd surely be welcome in our carnival season.
Was it a good idea?
Well actually I wouldn't take my kids to a place where there's such a display of weapons. I prefer Vuvuzelas and that says a lot
giliellthesecond 1 year ago
When you express your feeling towards certain ideals, organisations, etc, you need to make sure you get your message across. I feel like no one knew what they wanted to express. They just came off as "attention whores" or "trouble makers" to the conservative audience, I'm sure.
Akhotnik 1 year ago
Good for the Atheists that they dare to be open about it in a religious backwater place like Texas but they should have done A) something more constructive or B) put more effort in the marching band and dazzle people instead of being a sizzle.
With a performance like that it looks more like a joke and only confirms people's negative preconceptions about Atheists.
Phyrexious 1 year ago 20
It was a bizzare thing to do and I think the use of vuvuzela's was stupid.
KnightTemplar108 1 year ago
I thought it was great.
1. Atheists don't shy away from Christians, creating factions
2. A holiday is for having fun - by everybody
3. Xmas is for everyone
4. Atheists are normal people and not some secret cult that needs to meet secretly
5. Atheists are a part of society and don't need to hide
6. The fact that it was tongue-in-cheek and disorganised only reflects on the personalties of the participants who don't necessarily enjoy organised and regulated fun.
I would've blown the atheist trumpet
StopSpamming1 1 year ago
I can't believe they used this footage for KTBX news. hahaha
twaallen32 1 year ago
There's always this fun response:
"Wasn't exactly happy about the Christmas Parade this year, I spent many years teaching my children to love and respect other people and to love the fact that they were children of God and I don't feel that they should be influenced in any other way especially not at a Christmas parade"
If you have younger children they weren't going to understand but I have older children, a teenager, 8-year-old and they were curious and they asked questions..." - Tina Corgey
borrofburi 1 year ago
From what little I could see of the parade, it actually seemed that they were the only people performing anything "christmasy".
It's as good an idea as a group of blokes marching down the road, swinging rifles and the like.
I just wish they had put more polish in their presentation. But perhaps the lack of unity was the message -- atheists don't necessarily share anything except for what they lack.
CodeSculptor 1 year ago
lol the atheists look so pathetic after the other bands.. sorry..it's true..and no, I don't think it was a good idea at all...not because they don't have the right, but because the performance was so half-assed. It makes atheists look bad.
bdwilson1000 1 year ago
if they didnt have that "at the last minute" feel to them it would have been a good addition to the parade. you could barely hear them play the Vuvuzela, on the up side everyone going quite as they went past atleast let us hear them play.
they are part of the community so they should be allowed to, just next time take more then a week to get organized for it.
ecnayonnA 1 year ago
I agree with a lot of the comments that the presentation was sloppy. It gives the impression that atheists are not a well-collected group. In addition, I think the choice of the rather pathetic vuvuzela horn could almost be interpreted as mocking the event. Along with reason, atheists need a sort of ``appeal`` to make atheism attractive. It`s great to see that these groups exist, but I don`t think the unimpressive marching band was a good idea.
pasyk12 1 year ago
I like it!
Samuria11 1 year ago
Yeah, it's a good idea. Shows these people that atheist aren't some kind of devil worshiping freaks or some strange others but just a bunch of normal people. That may seem stupid but for some deeply indoctrinated people it's a revelation.
ArchNME 1 year ago
Wow... I'm an Aggie and I was almost a part of the vuvuzela band! Are you an A&M student/grad?
D3PyroGS 1 year ago
I like that they did march in the parade, but I feel that there presentation was a little sloppy, and maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way but it seemed like they decided to do this at the last min. learn to step in unison and went. They just looked lazy to me. I've been in marching bands in HS and college and it's a lot of work, that's not saying much in HS I had 22 in my graduating class and in college everyone in band had to march. I hope next year they participate again.
num1otori143 1 year ago
I think it would've been better had the musicianship been stronger (perhaps with different instruments). I think that, more than the fact that it was an atheist group, was the awkward "silence-inducing" part. People probably weren't sure whether it was a joke. (I say all this with a full understanding of the culture in southern United States.)
36Thoughtless 1 year ago
This makes me happy in the same kind of way that those atheist bus ads make me happy, it is a sign that we are progressing as a culture.
CMO999 1 year ago
I'd say it was a bad idea.
But just because of the vuvuzellas.
Such a poor choice in instrument.
Should have used Tubas.
flamei11usion 1 year ago
They are part of the community, and they weren't shoving their philosophical view on anyone......they were spreading cheer.
Its good to let people know we exist.
FreeThinkingCrusader 1 year ago
They should be burned.
The vuvuzelas not the marchers.
But their poor taste in musical instruments aside of course they had a right to be present at a community parade. After all they too are a part of that community.
Cowinspace 1 year ago 2
Really you think, "No-one is arguing that they shouldn't be allowed to march in Christmas parades" Wow do you live in a cave cut off from the rest of America and all news? Go check out the hate fest on the local news site...kbtx dot com, turns out quite a few people are arguing that they shouldn't be allowed to march in Christmas parades and that Christmas is only for Christians.
Rubberspaz 1 year ago 2
i wished i could've taken part in this thing :(
shran2009 1 year ago
I don't like it. I think it makes atheists look like clowns. No one is going to look at that and go "oh, the atheists, haha, that was funny and cute, or 'that's nice'". No they'll go "how stupid". I mean the whole purpose of a vuvuzella is to be annoying. Poor taste. (i'm an atheist)
Raxarax 1 year ago
I think it's wonderful. Merry Christmas to all!
AAL 1 year ago
Yes, this was a good thing. Atheists make up a significant part of our society and they celebrate the holidays for the same reason most of us do: it's fun!
DickyHertz 1 year ago
Vuvuzela's are hardly the instrument i would have chosen to represent atheism. I think an effort should be made to show atheists are regular Americans (or regular to which ever country they are in) except for their one difference. Using an annoying and noisy instrument of foreign origin is hardly going to convey this message.
Also, If I were in that town, I would feel a little awkward telling anyone I was an atheist after seeing that. It just seemed a little... silly.
spenceII 1 year ago
@spenceII You just hate vuvuzela's because you hate Africa. lmao
sinmantyx 1 year ago
@sinmantyx My house of cards has come tumbling down. No longer can I hide my racism behind my false... instrumentism(?)
spenceII 1 year ago
@spenceII Glad to be of service! PS: I wonder what interesting instruments Brazil is going to think up for 2014.
sinmantyx 1 year ago
Marching in the parade = good. Vuvuzelas = not so good. Otherwise, overall it was a cheerful and good-natured way for them to at least show that they exist and are members of the community.
scribe999 1 year ago
Brilliant, hahah!
cheescaeks 1 year ago
...and it is Jiggle Bells! :)
sinmantyx 1 year ago
Watch the new segment about it that shamartube upoaded. There is a woman on there complaining that she had to explain to her TEENAGE children that there are people in the world who actually don't believe in god. Growing up in an isolated place, one of the large ways of suppressing doubt is simply to give the impression that EVERYONE believes so it seems inconceivable to a child that everyone would believe a lie. I think this was frickin' great.
sinmantyx 1 year ago
It looked fun. Parades are about fun. You aren't mocking a parade by being silly. Half of a parade is about being silly. I think the people being all pissy don't go and have not participated in parades.....seriously. If they showed up at a band CONCERT and played vuvuzelas, that might be a valid criticism.
sinmantyx 1 year ago
@sinmantyx If they were shooting for silly, they weren't being silly enough, maybe the banner should've had something like "We don't believe in santa clause either, but we love Christmas" or something of the sort.
JoesephKatana 1 year ago
@JoesephKatana Ironically, I think telling children that Santa doesn't exist would be more upsetting to many people. :)
sinmantyx 1 year ago
@sinmantyx Well at least a-santa-ists can be elected to public office.
JoesephKatana 1 year ago
@JoesephKatana Actually, I have never heard a public official say Santa Clause is not real. I wonder if saying it out loud would make them unelectable - hilarious.
sinmantyx 1 year ago
Well, it got their goals accomplished. Atheists are marginalized and among the most hated segments of society in recent polls. They wanted to show that there were atheists in the community and the attention they got helped them. Also, in the interest of absurdist parade events, look up the "Lawn Rangers". They march in parades with lawn mowers decked out in ridiculous decoration. So...my conclusion? quit being an up-tight prude.
apsonge 1 year ago
@apsonge Please link these "recent polls" showing atheists are "marginalized" and "among the most hated segment of society". Thanks in advance.
mikey3k 1 year ago
As you said, they have the right to do it. But it kinda stood up negatively musicwise so in that respect it wasn't a good idea.
I'd say the same thing about any organization playing the vuvuzelas.
Gameon1979 1 year ago
@Gameon1979 The Vuvuzela is actually an instrument similar to a hunting horn, the reason it sounds terrible is because people don't play it right. They play it completely wrong and just blow down it rather than play it like a horn, as a result you just get an annoying BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Rather than some kind of musical tune
ScienceGaveMeAHadron 1 year ago
If it was taken more seriously they would have had my vote. It looked a little silly and like they were deliberatley mocking the event to stir controversy
neilswann80 1 year ago 2
First of all, their choice of instrument is more akin to parody than anything else, which doesn't lend itself well to any kind of statement. The vuvuzela make me think this might actually be a bunch of Christian jokers...
Second, they seemed poorly organized. If you're gonna go to the trouble of organizing a marching band, why not create a proper uniform and order in which the members march?
There's nothing wrong with advertising your atheistic beliefs, but this came off as a poor joke.
Brianzilla2004 1 year ago 4
@Brianzilla2004 I assure you I was the only Christian in the band and I am no joker.
DualingForces 1 year ago
@DualingForces You rock.
sinmantyx 1 year ago
@Brianzilla2004 It was poorly organized because it was thought up a week before the parade. It was just enough time to get everyone to buy vuvuzelas and have a practice the day before. The only uniform that they had was to wear a black shirt and blue jeans. Fortunately the Texas A&M atheist and agnostic club's T-shirt fit this, so imagine most of the participants wore that.
banmenow16 1 year ago
It didn't seem they were getting much noise out of their vuvuzelas. Next time they should either practice or get real instruments. Putting on a half-arsed production looks bad on everyone.
kievthegreat 1 year ago 3
In that Christmas is becoming evermore secular, I see absolutely nothing wrong with a Vuvuzela Atheist Marching Band in a Holiday Parade. Being from Austin as I am, my primary beef with it is that it happened in College Station, of all places. Hook 'em!
TimCubUAkbar 1 year ago
I think the choice of instrument was unfortunate, and more rehearsals are definitely a must. Go again next time (and with something more pleasing to the ear please!)
archapmangcmg 1 year ago
I thought it was funny. People need to lighten up. Not just religious people -- a lot of atheists too. It seems like every time anyone who would call themselves an atheist does something, they get bombarded with criticism for "making us all look bad". My opinion is that if people derive their opinions of entire, diverse, barely even connected "groups" from a handful of people then I don't give a rat's ass what their opinions are. They're being far sillier than these kids.
anarrei 1 year ago
I think it was disrespectful to the serious, skilled musicians, and as such further tarnishes the image of atheists.
blurglide 1 year ago
@blurglide If you think they were unskilled, I dare you to try to play Jingle Bells on a vuvuzela.
TimCubUAkbar 1 year ago
@blurglide Being a True Scotsman, of course, you could probably dazzle everyone at next year's parade with your serious bagpipe skills.
Setar 1 year ago
what a great idea.....
Christians are always proclaiming that atheists are against religion and want to see the end of things like religious holidays and events like this parade
Here we have self proclaimed atheists joining a xmas parade and joyfully performing a xmas song.
It may indeed seem like a slap in the face to some of the Christians in the crowd, but only because they are being exposed to their own ignorance and bigotry.
scottpastry 1 year ago 2
I think that was in really poor taste. It would be fine if they were playing real instraments. That makes a poor impression on people. "You attract more flies with honey." I love the idea of an atheis group joining a parade.
iiiiblaze 1 year ago
They seemed like they were attempting to make a mockery of the parade. I would expect that if they are trying to be legitimate as an organization they would get better... organized. What they do is increase hostility to their position. Public debate and intelligent conversation is a better position to make a statement or to question a position.
It was the wrong forum to make a statement.
AndrzejWLipski 1 year ago
If I saw something like that I would just sit there and stare, I mean lol it looks like their instruments were plastic and I would assume its some kind of joke.
A marching band sounds lame for an atheist show in the parade though, it just does not sound like something I would want to do.
flammamancer 1 year ago
I think it's a good idea, but they need to put more flare into it. They look too much like a bunch of atheists marching but: a bunch of disorganized, unenthused people with no real sense of cohesion, bound by little more than a single shared idea.
If they'd put more flare into it, the crowd likely wouldn't have gotten as silent and it wouldn't have seemed as if they were proverbially raining on the literal parade.
luccaskunk 1 year ago
Not enough of them. And why Vuvuzelas? Not a bad idea, just horribly done. Anything that publicly states that there are Atheists around isn't a bad idea. I've met too many people who don't believe we exist.
di739 1 year ago
You can't go wrong with Vuvuzela - and ANYONE talking about their musicianship is taking LIFE too seriously. Have you NO sense of HUMOR?! Seriously?
sinmantyx 1 year ago
Agreed. Great idea. Get the message out. Poor implementation. "Why would I join them?".
noonespecia2007 1 year ago
I agree with many of the most recent comments.. Agree with the message, but it was poorly executed. I was not impressed, and thus felt almost annoyed that they looked so bad. Ah, all black.. GREAT choice. And very poor synchronization.. thanks guys. Really making us look good out there.
AcidRain64 1 year ago
would have been a fine idea...if they weren't such horrible musicians!
braydenbeautiful 1 year ago
Having participated in a couple of parades and been to my share of Do DA parades (Pasadena California), I have to say that you just can't take parades too seriously. Not everybody has talent and it's not a requirement to have fun.
There have been a comments concerning quality of performance. I'm curious as to whether there were other groups just as untalented?
jufulu 1 year ago
BTW, C0nc0rdance, when will you be making an update video, stating your opinion. Seriously!!!
pdblouin33 1 year ago
I like the sort of LiberalViewer style, C0nc0rdance. And no, it wasn't a good idea. Obviously, they looked like idiots. Anarchists, even. Perpetuating the stereotype... I support the message, but not the execution.
pdblouin33 1 year ago
Obviously they have the right, but my question would be was there anything comparable to this in the parade? A lot of these people put A LOT of effort into the parade, and I would argue that out of respect for this you might at least try to be... better prepared? Or maybe more professional? I'm an atheist, and TBH as atheists we know that we don't start off in the best light in a lot of peoples eyes, so if we are going to shine, we should be doing as brightly as we can. If that makes any sense.
Ammdar 1 year ago
they have the right but they clearly didnt display a lot of taste. If they want to represent atheists in a good light they were of little help.
gromgromeson 1 year ago
i don't think there was anything wrong with it.
pacman529 1 year ago
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I like the idea, but the execution left a lot to be desired. It really didn't sound like you were playing the vuvuzelas, which kinda defeats the purpose of having them. Perhaps having a float or something where you showed a theme of cooperation would've been a better idea.
AuraHero 1 year ago
That . . . . didn't sound like a christmas song . . . any christmas song . . .
crocoshocker 1 year ago
@crocoshocker I heard 'Jingle Bells'...
makzukun 1 year ago
For me it's a little embarrassing watching them, but if they feel as though they aren't being included in the community then they have the right to march if they want to. But if they're looking to be accepted by the community, they've broken the number one rule: Don't Use Vuvuzelas.
camydoger 1 year ago 2
As you said, it was completely in their rights to do what they did. I will not condemn their act. That being said, I don't think they should have done it, for several reasons. If they had been an actual marching band, I would have no problem with them calling themselves "Brazos Valley Atheist Marching Band". The problem I have with them is that they seem out to offend, which again is completely within their right, but I don't think it is a good idea.
Josan117 1 year ago
@Josan117 I guarantee you we weren't out to offend. Just by existing we would offend, but beyond that, we didn't want to. We simply wanted to get into the holiday spirit with everyone else!
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago
Well, the fact that you said it grew eerily quiet is funny enough to me that it was worth it :) I find it all to hard to imagine.
007dings007 1 year ago
Seemed kind of silly to me, but I guess they made their point that they should be included. In any case, I graduated from Texas A&M and I do recall a 'STRAIGHT PRIDE PARADE' put on by one of the student groups there. They carried around signs that said things like, "Straight as an arrow", "Adam + Eve, not Adam + Steve" etc. It was just about as silly as this showing by the atheist group, so that might give you some idea of the level of discourse around the campus.
themishkin 1 year ago 2
Pretty pathetic display, if you ask me. I'm an atheist, but this was embarrassing beyond belief. If this happened in my town, and people around me knew I was an atheist, I'd feel like Earth opening before me and swallowing me would be a joy ride. You get the point. And judging by the title of this video, I have a feeling you share my opinion. Only thing I'd like to ask these jokers is what the hell they were thinking...
Btw, is that a cold I hear in your voice? :)
mickeypopa 1 year ago
@mickeypopa Ask and ye shall receive. ;) We were thinking to show that we're a part of the community here too! We wanted to show atheists are decent human beings who also celebrate Christmas, just without the Jesus part. The reaction we've gotten is well beyond what we thought we would get. We knew we'd be heckled slightly at the parade, but that was about all we thought we'd get.
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago
@bishiehunterenya
Ever heard of something called "good taste"?
This vuvuzela display had none. :P
P.S. No one is questioning your willingness to show you're part of the community too and that you too celebrate winter solstice, but this could have been done WAY better and with much LESS embarrassment. This way, it sounds like a hack job on some poor homeless cat's vocal cords -.-
mickeypopa 1 year ago
@mickeypopa Well, we only had a week to prepare. What do you expect? :P
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago
To have declared the freedom (of religion, etc) is not enough. The society has to accept it in order to be truly free. The America certainly lacks this part.
SG1guru 1 year ago
I remember sitting in the crowd during that part of the parade. A lady next to me got up in a hurry and rushed off with her kids, yelling, "G*dd*mn Atheists ruining my holiday!"
thecatandthefiddle 1 year ago 3
Crappy ACT! If they would of developed a float and just waved to folks a-ok. No need to feed into religious BS. They wont last and let them have their 15mins of fame. I would be embarrassed if I was an atheist that was apart of that. I say let it be, but next year they need to do better. BESIDES if they wouldnt of entered this, we wouldnt have something to discuss right now.. Amen for the NON Believer... They give us something to do!
kyhoelscher 1 year ago
@kyhoelscher We definitely plan to be better next year! I also would like to say we had a Christian participating with us.
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago
Pretty pointless. Parades are based on reciprocation, groups entertain the crowd in exchange for a bit of exposure. If you aren't entertaining, you're just a group of attention whores.
I'd encourage them to attend in the future, provided they put together a decent act.
RexFordVII 1 year ago
I agree with the participation part, if they are a local musical group even if they were just formed for this parade alone, it's normal to participate in such an event. And ideally this is how it should be seen by everyone (only in an ideal world of course).
On the other side I was expecting something very loud and funny, but instead it was just something meh, really quiet (I don't know if it was your phone that didn't catch the sound), so not too big of a deal.
juditK2007 1 year ago
I feel sorry for the poor, I feel sorry for the hungry, I feel sorry for tortured animals, I feel sorry for the rainforest, etc. BUT I HATE ACTIVISTS! Your cause might be right but don't overexagurate the situation, by spreading your paranoid rebel shit over on me which you have adopted because you're an outcast and in need of a social group, you're no better than a cult. If this activist shit applies to these atheists aswell then screw them, and yeah I'm an atheist
Serethen 1 year ago
and yeah another thing. It might be that they are just having fun and it's no activist stuff behind it, but even so it is lame!(I won't say it's wrong) They can state as much as they want that their marching is totally serious, but it very much looks like it's for the laugh and the provocation(especially with the vuvez). It is just sorry to see. , It's like waging war during the Olympic armistice in Ancient greece.
This just seems, immature.. (?)
Serethen 1 year ago
@Serethen
Well I might be wrong as I don't know the traditions. But if it is anything like "activists", or they do it to offend people, oh don't get me wrong offending or at least criticize can be really good, but as I said earlier, offending on a day of happines and "armistice" is just lame, when you can do it any other day.
Serethen 1 year ago
I agree with @Serethen
Johnb88x 1 year ago
@Serethen We didn't intend to go out as activists. We simply wanted to be a part of the community. Obviously you don't live in the Bible belt, where you have Bible quotes all around you, classmates approaching you and telling you that you're going to hell, etc. For us, to be able to say we exist, we're a part of this community too, and actually be *vocal* in this part of Texas takes a lot of balls.
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago 2
@bishiehunterenya
No I live in Norway, one of the most secularized societies in the world, likewise with all of Scandinavia. So yes it's hard for me to relate to your situation, we do have areas known for being christian but they are not taken very serious. The conservative christian culture don't go well with the modern day social pattern(imo).
Though using my country as an example it seems New Age is on the rise, which shows that people will always find something -_-.
Serethen 1 year ago
@bishiehunterenya
Anyways thanks for enlightening me. I do know however how the situation is in the USA, if you hang around a lot on youtube and the net in general you can't avoid it, especially if you have an interest in science.
But as I said, I might be wrong, regarding the video. I stated a lot of "If"s, and with your comment I guess they aren't fulfilled:)
I'll say as the guy below me, the vuvuz were tacky, and makes it seem unserious, otherwise, participation was not inappropriate.
Serethen 1 year ago
@bishiehunterenya
Well keep on fighting lad, Religion being a sensitive topic is just lame, worse thing I know is when people imply that you shouldn't criticize people's faith.
wtf? Sickness is a sensitive topic, it exists! faith is just that, faith, and it's a choice(to an extent) to believe in something with no basis in reality.
I might seem like a hypocrite here compared to my earlier comments, but i still hate activists/fanatics, even if I agree with them, but I bet you know what I mean.
Serethen 1 year ago
I think going with vuvuzelas was tacky, due to the poor musicality, but otherwise their participation was not inappropriate.
endergt 1 year ago
I felt uneasy watching them. I felt like something bad may happen to one of them at any moment. I shouldn't feel this way. I am an atheist. I live in NC. I know exactly how it feels to be afraid to express my true disbelief in religion. It shouldn't be this way. I saw an interview about a billboard that read "Don't believe in god? You're not alone." The people being interviewed felt offended by it. OFFENDED! WTF? Close minded people are easy to sway. Religion is dangerous in my view.
jab0805 1 year ago
Possible message from the atheist marching band: "Hey! IF you are a fellow non-believer, you are not alone in this area"
There may be less "in-your-face" ways for local atheists to make themselves known, but if it supports those who are afraid to speak out that they are atheists then I give them KUDOS!!!
jmdnarri 1 year ago
I am member of the B/CS Atheist Vuvuzela Marching Band and also a Christian who supports atheism as well as many other forms of belief. I was quite shocked to see the amount of opposition that has arisen because of this ... what happened to Christianity being an accepting and loving religion?
DualingForces 1 year ago
I think it's a good choice simply because people need to know that atheists are just normal everyday people and that we do exist.
awake323 1 year ago
I was an atheist marching in the parade, we were there for two reasons:
1) To say that atheists are a part of this community, we'r normal people, we support the community, and we believe in the save values of love, compassion, and sharing that this season is supposed to represent. And 2) for the "closeted" atheists out there to know that there are many more of us here in the community, and that it is okay to say that you don't believe in gods, that you don't have to stay in the closet.
shamartube 1 year ago 3
@shamartube Point 1) This could've been done in much better taste, instead of plain annoyance; it gave the impression of a rebellious child. Also, normal people don't play vuvuzelas in a marching band. It's probably best to leave atheist representation to the ACA in this case. 2) I'm a staunch atheist and very vocal about it, but this made me cringe; as such I can see this would cause closet atheists to remain closeted.
Direkin 1 year ago
To pick a side, i'd have to say no. As an atheist, if you're going to choose a fight, Christmas is probably the worst one. But, i say that because I took it as a sarcastic statement. On the other hand, it doesn't seem as though anyone really got it (i'm not sure i did), and the kids doing it probably had fun, so good for them.
NTROPYK 1 year ago
Considering that Texas changing High-School history books to reflect a false and more Christian nation, I'd like to see more Atheists marching in many more parades.
bigboy45454545 1 year ago 3
I think it was awesome! Good for them!
serrya69 1 year ago
I say no, but not because they explicitly called themselves atheists, although I hate the idea of any explicitly atheist organizations existing , as that presumes atheists have some sort of common code or creed. It's because it looked like they didn't even to to put on a good show. It makes atheists look like idiots who don't care about art. I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists, but considering the crowd, this was not a good idea.
Madoculos 1 year ago
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@Madoculos "I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists", does anybody else's opinion matter?
Why pander to the illogically inept?
I agree however, that saying "I'm an atheist" does not really say much at all, but then these guy's weren't saying much either. Our conclusions about what they really meant (if anything) is purely speculative. Personally, I think it was a harmless raspberry.
Bravowon 1 year ago
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@Madoculos "I guess any rational person would know that they aren't representative of all atheists", does anybody else's opinion matter?
Why pander to the illogically inept?
I agree however, that saying "I'm an atheist" does not really say much at all, but then these guy's weren't saying much either. Our conclusions about what they really meant (if anything) is purely speculative. Personally, I think it was a harmless raspberry.
Bravowon 1 year ago
This is equivalent to students who get dressed up in very poor Halloween costumes, drink too much, fuck a lot and wake up with a bad hangover. Not really keeping up with the age old tradition of Halloween but who cares; silliness deserves to be mocked. My apologies to all those druids out there who were offended.
Bravowon 1 year ago 3
It seemed pointless at best, harmful at worst.
Even if they had actually done something the least bit impressive, it muddies the waters and makes no sense. Why would a "NOT-theist" marching band need to exist? Why not have a "NOT a butler" marching band or "People who remain unconvinced that fairies exist" marching band? "Non-astrologers"? Etc etc.
..and it didn't even sound like vuvuzelas. It sounded like muffled humming.
Flyborg 1 year ago
I'm somewhat baffled by responses by atheists concerning these types of occurrences (see NJ tunnel atheist billboard). As though overtly making fun of religion is so different from subtly making fun of religion... That being said, I wouldn't participate in a vuvuzela marching band if you paid me, the idea is just stupid. It would be just as stupid if it was any other group's vuvuzela marching band.
FlightIsLife 1 year ago
Vuvuzelas give reason to question the existence of a loving creator. Then again, they also cast doubt on a universe governed by logic. Net loss.
Dissent1 1 year ago 3
@Dissent1 Universe governed by logic? As I see it, the universe is governed by physics. Logic plays no role. Logic is a human construct. Sadly, humans as a whole are poor at logic. Vuvuzelas are evidence of this.
keithrockerboblewis 1 year ago
Vuvuzelas give reaso
Dissent1 1 year ago
Lame is lame whether it's religious, cultural or economical. If that bunch had put on a real show, I'd give 'em a thumbs up. As it is, they were room temperature hamburger.
amazingbollweevil 1 year ago
they should have been louder and more organized but other than that it's a great concept we need more out and out atheist...
and not to mention it took balls to do that in texas :P
Leadman1989 1 year ago
Well, honestly, it looks like they were just doing it to troll. The likely should have taken the time to put together something a little more artistic than a Vuvuzela. Maybe put together a better piece than the other bands, but whatever. They can do whatever they feel like, their way of expressing the message was just ... as the Bhuddists say of Christians, "unskillful."
SinistralEpoch 1 year ago
@SinistralEpoch I guarantee you we did not go out there to troll. We didn't have enough time with the end of the semester approaching to practice a whole lot, which is why we weren't that great.
bishiehunterenya 1 year ago
@bishiehunterenya Well, thank you for taking the time to come here and respond! I'm glad that you weren't doing it to troll, but .. given the response of people that very likely support your opinions, I would say the message was definitely lost on people that don't. I hope if you do it again next year, that you guys have more time to practice!
SinistralEpoch 1 year ago
I'm so sick of the words "offense" and "inappropriate/appropriate"
Every imaginable presentation seems welcome at parades, public displays or billboards and yet offer a firm statement of an absence of belief and somehow . . . well see above.
Have any of you seen the kind of silly things that, well "parade around" at parades?
gabed13 1 year ago
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gabed13 1 year ago
Trolls be trollin' and haters be hatin'
Great idea though, simply because it conveys the message really well. "We're here, we're atheist, deal with it."
If atheists have to deal with a Christmas parade through their town they can deal with an atheist entry. They don't care if we're offended and the feeling is mutual. It's all about having a good time.
ScaryGuy255 1 year ago
I DONT SEE how it would be a bad idea because it was just some dudes blowing on an annoying instrument and they didnt do anything offensive...i mean i would have gone quiet too because their shit looked boring
ivannattor 1 year ago
Childish and rude. They had a chance to really contribute to a nice parade and instead they pissed all over it. It certainly won't help the Atheistic image at all.
TheScandinavianOne 1 year ago
@TheScandinavianOne i dont see how it was rude
ivannattor 1 year ago
@TheScandinavianOne Agreed. Not only was it very childish, it was in extremely poor taste. Really, the last thing we need is to give theists ammunition with which to ostracise us further, by doing stupid shit like that. Sure, they have every right to have a marching band there, but what they did just wasn't appropriate.
Direkin 1 year ago