Does this mean that the atheist bus ad campaign has reached iconic status? I am impressed.

I’m guessing not. My guess is some Greenpeace PR wank came up with it and loved the pun so much that they wouldn’t let go, despite the facts that the ads haven’t run here in Nova Scotia, and the ruckus outside the blogosphere is minimal. I don’t think those coattails are as long as they think.

We’re supposedly going to get the real bus ads here, but haven’t. The ads were originally rejected, then, after a landmark case in Calgary in the heathens’ favour, the regulatory body mentioned they will allow the ads if another application is filed. I remember reading that somebody or other said they would reapply, but haven’t heard anything past that point.

In Ottawa, I only saw the ad a couple times while it was running. And that’s not because I didn’t spend much time around buses. But all the coverage while they were rejected and then approved (where the letters to the editor and such from religious folks were generally supportive) and then when the ads were actually running (where there were more “I’m offended” letters) makes sure people know about them.

And hey, “think of the future” is actually an implicit atheistic slogan anyway, we ain’t going to be spirited off the planet any minute now…

And it’s an excellent sign of our progress. If we’re in the public consciousness enough to be parodied, it means we’ve arrived. (That’s more or less what Madonna said about being parodied by Weird Al Yankovic.)