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brooklynite

(94,502 posts)
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:09 PM Jun 2014

Americans Will Tolerate a Variety of In-Laws. One Exception: Atheists.

Slate:

A new study from the Pew Research Center shows that political polarization in the United States has reached levels only seen during the Civil War, but when it comes to our own families, we're not quite as divided. One of the questions Pew asks to gauge how seriously people are taking their identity politics these days is how upset would you be if an immediate family member—say, a child or a sibling—married someone outside of your identity parameters. The good news: Americans are okay with their family members marrying someone who isn't in their "tribe."

There are all different kinds of tribes, of course. When it came, for instance, to the question of how you'd feel if your family member married someone with a different party affiliation, the vast majority of Americans responded that they'd feel either "happy" or that it "doesn't matter." Even for strict partisans, this was mostly true. Strong conservatives approved of a family member marrying a Democrat 70 percent of the time and strong liberals approved of marrying a Republican 78 percent of the time. Similar numbers turned up for identity markers like "gun ownership" or "went to college," with most people being indifferent to these factors when it comes to bringing new people to family holiday dinners.

Other good news is that opposition to interracial marriage, at least overt opposition, is also fairly low, with only 11 percent of Americans balking at the idea of a new family member of a different race. (How likely you are to bothered by racial mixing rose with levels of conservatism, with only one percent of strong liberals opposing interracial marriage and 23 percent of strong conservatives doing so.) And Americans are even more welcoming to foreigners, with only 7 percent of respondents opposing marriage to someone born and raised outside of the U.S.

There's one group, however, that continues to cause fear and loathing across the land: atheists. From Pew:



Good thing I married another one...
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Americans Will Tolerate a Variety of In-Laws. One Exception: Atheists. (Original Post) brooklynite Jun 2014 OP
Some of us noticed this years ago nadinbrzezinski Jun 2014 #1
So when will the atheists start jamming their religion down fundies throats Exposethefrauds Jun 2014 #2
I'm doubly screwed. Gay and Atheist. n/t BeeBee Jun 2014 #4
Unless you can jam it down your own throat then you would be blessed! Exposethefrauds Jun 2014 #7
Atheism isn't a religion wheniwasincongress Jun 2014 #8
Well duh but the Fundies think it is,........... idiots. Exposethefrauds Jun 2014 #9
Ha! Take that, Zen Buddhists! ZombieHorde Jun 2014 #3
But I'm a really nice athiest Bonx Jun 2014 #5
Santa has nothing to do with Jesus, Old Dude breaks into your house and GIVES you stuff how cool is Exposethefrauds Jun 2014 #10
Oddly, the more conservative members of my family are the atheists. Throd Jun 2014 #6
I'm sure parents would rather their kid bring home an atheist over a satanist NightWatcher Jun 2014 #11
Nice to know pscot Jun 2014 #12
 

nadinbrzezinski

(154,021 posts)
1. Some of us noticed this years ago
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:19 PM
Jun 2014
...political polarization in the United States has reached levels only seen during the Civil War,...


So now that Pew says it, we can?
 

Exposethefrauds

(531 posts)
2. So when will the atheists start jamming their religion down fundies throats
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:57 PM
Jun 2014

Or are oral references only applicable to the gays?

ZombieHorde

(29,047 posts)
3. Ha! Take that, Zen Buddhists!
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 03:59 PM
Jun 2014

And all you naughty Taoists! And most people with Autism. And people who like having some evidence before believing something about the nature of the universe. You godless rascals.

 

Exposethefrauds

(531 posts)
10. Santa has nothing to do with Jesus, Old Dude breaks into your house and GIVES you stuff how cool is
Fri Jun 13, 2014, 07:28 PM
Jun 2014

that!

Unless you don't like the whole holiday family thing or the family is really religious or something then it could be well, a nightmare.

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