Atheists Send a Message, on 800 British Buses

[Synnical]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/world/europe/07london.html?_r=1&ref=business

> . .

And then she thought, how about putting some atheist messages on the bus, as a corrective to the religious ones?

And so were planted the seeds of the Atheist Bus Campaign, an effort to disseminate a godless message to the greater public. When the organizers announced the effort in October, they said they hoped to raise a modest $8,000 or so.

But something seized people’s imagination. Supported by the scientist and author Richard Dawkins, the philosopher A. C. Grayling and the British Humanist Association, among others, the campaign raised nearly $150,000 in four days. Now it has more than $200,000, and on Tuesday it unveiled its advertisements on 800 buses across Britain.

“There’s probably no God,” the advertisements say. “Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

[immoderate]

1. The Brits are so civilized.

Similar efforts here seem to always lead to feverish reactions. :hi:

--IMM

[Jokerman]

2. They know the dangers of religious intolerance.

Imagine being raised catholic and one day, because the king wants a divorce, you're told to become a protestant or die. Then when his daughter takes control, your told to go back to being a catholic or die.

Sometimes I think that the religious people in this country have had it too good for too long. They may scream "persecution" at any challenge to their authority but they have no idea how dangerous real persecution can be.

Maybe it's because the Brits have learned from history while many people here have not.

[phantom power]

3. I agree. The christianists are flirting with theocracy because...

they've never actually experienced what a theocracy is like. And they apparently lack either the imagination or comprehension of history to work it out for themselves.

[Synnical]

4. Oz: Atheist bus: 'Sleep in on Sunday morning' adverts banned

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/4159715/Atheist-bus-Sleep-in-on-Sunday-morning-adverts-banned.html

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Last Updated: 12:14PM GMT 07 Jan 2009

Secular groups in Australia wanted to put the posters on local public transport after being inspired by the campaign in Britain, which took to the streets this week after raising £140,000 in donations.

They hoped to put adverts on the back of buses with slogans stating "atheism – celebrate reason" or "atheism - sleep in on Sunday mornings".

But the proposed campaign was rejected by APN Outdoor, the country's biggest outdoor advertising company.

David Nicholls, president of the Atheist Foundation of Australia, said: "I am flabbergasted. This is extremely disappointing and a severe blow to freedom of expression in Australia.

"Australia is going to look provincial and narrow in outlook to the rest of the world because of this decision. The planet is moving to a more enlightened era but apparently, public transport advertising agents in Australia have missed the bus."

A similar plan for atheist bus adverts in Tasmania was thrown out by the state-owned bus company, Metro, which is set to lead to legal action on the grounds that it is discriminatory.

Metro has previously allowed adverts from religious groups including anti-abortion campaigners, but says it has now changed its policy to ban all material deemed controversial.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. Damn, and their slogans are even better than the Brits'. -nt

[moggie]

5. Next stop, the Vatican?

Apparently, Italy's Union of Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists are keen to have bus ads of their own. Atheist buses rolling around Rome: haw haw! Article here:

http://freethinker.co.uk/2009/01/08/atheist-buses-next-stop-the-vatican/

But what I really want to know is: where is Dawkins's right hand in the accompanying photo?

[awoke_in_2003]

8. I know where mine would be. nt

[moggie]

9. Atheists are teh HAWT! n/t

[charlie]

6. Anyone notice they're using the Dunkin' Donuts color scheme?

The snack with the God-shaped hole in its heart :)

[and-justice-for-all]

10. "Probably"??

why the hesitation?

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Several reasons

(a) it's an allusion to a well-known ad "probably the best lager in the world"
(b) it was meant to stop people saying "prove it" (but a publicity-hungry RWer has said that anyway - see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=191x25974 )
(c) it doesn't sound so arrogant, or unfriendly, as a bald statement.

[moggie]

12. Advertising regulations

Advertising in the UK is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority. Anyone who objects to an ad can complain to the ASA, who will investigate; if the ad is found to breach the relevant regulations, the ASA can compel the advertiser to change or withdraw the ad. For non-broadcast ads, the standards applied are those of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP); one of the principles of the CAP code is that claims made must be capable of being substantiated:

Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation.

Relevant evidence should be sent without delay if requested by the ASA or CAP. The adequacy of evidence will be judged on whether it supports both the detailed claims and the overall impression created by the marketing communication.

If an ad claimed that God does not exist, that's an assertion of an objective fact, and they could be asked to substantiate it. But adding "probably" supposedly moves it into the realm of subjective opinion, and advertisers are allowed to state such opinions without requiring substantiation. The UK audience will recognise the precedent: there's an advertising slogan for a particular beer which claims that it is "probably the best lager in the world", and that was ruled to be allowed, since the ad clearly allows for the possibility that it's not the best lager in the world.

[LeftishBrit]

13. 'Christian Voice' are crusading against this...

http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/Press/press121.html

They are our main loonytunes Christian-Right organization, though fortunately not nearly as influential as the American ones.

[cosmik debris]

14. That could set up a landmark court case

Where the probable existence of god is put on trial.

That ought to be fun.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Man refuses to drive 'No God' bus

Ron Heather, from Southampton, Hampshire, responded with "shock" and "horror" at the message and walked out of his shift on Saturday in protest.

First Bus said it would do everything in its power to ensure Mr Heather does not have to drive the buses.

No! Don't give in to this idiot! You don't get to refuse to drive a bus when it has a political advert on the side. This is no different.

Mr Heather told BBC Radio Solent: "I was just about to board and there it was staring me in the face, my first reaction was shock horror.

"I felt that I could not drive that bus, I told my managers and they said they haven't got another one and I thought I better go home, so I did.

"I think it was the starkness of this advert which implied there was no God."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7832647.stm

Seems it's about time the little bubble that he's lived his life in was popped. "Implied there was no God"? Oh, the horror. How could someone say something so cruel!

[moggie]

16. I wish I could get paid for refusing to do my job

Is this guy under the impression that driving a bus implies endorsement of what's on the side? This can't just be about him being offended by the sight of the advert: if the bus company has n buses with the advert, and he's driving one of them, he could potentially see n-1 others, whereas if he's driving a bus with a nice wholesome underwear advert on the side, he could potentially see all n of the atheist adverts, which would be n / (n-1) times as distressing to him. So he should prefer to drive one with the advert.

I wonder whether this is organised resistance? Will we see other bus drivers suddenly developing a conscience about advertising, leading to bus companies dropping the advert? If so, at least that will keep the campaign in the news!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

17. You know what nobody says anywhere?

This campaing was a response to a pro-religion campaign in the same media.

I don't even know what the religious message said. I read somewhere that it warned of Hell or something.

[charlie]

18. Yes

It was a pair of bus messages she saw that sparked the idea:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/20/transport.religion