Comments on: Alabama Atheists and Agnostics Get Publicity for Chalking Incident

By: muggle

muggle — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:37:00 +0000

If this chalking is against school policy, then what’s the gripe about it’s being erased? Really, I think it was wrong to make an issue of it.

Yes, publicity, but, frankly, pubicity that taints our images and reinforces certain negative stereotypes…

Not a good thing. Seriously, I don’t think they thought this one through.

By: Oscar Gecko

Oscar Gecko — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:10:52 +0000

@Edmond
Chalking is not permanent, but it was against school policy. (Or at least, that was what the university web site said…)

Right or wrong, it was a publicity stunt that worked.

By: Mark C.

Mark C. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:26:58 +0000

The Kansas State University freethought group, of which I’m a member, has also had some vandalism of our chalkings. It’s a shame… we don’t go around doing the same to those of other groups.

As far as guest speakers go, we had Dan Barker last semester, and for sometime this school year, I and maybe a couple other members are going to try to generate interest in having Matt Dillahunty, of the Atheist Community of Austin, come.

By: Edmond

Edmond — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:00:39 +0000

What the…? Oscar Gecko, how is chalking anything like defacing a billboard? Vandalism does not wash away in the next rain!

By: Oscar Gecko

Oscar Gecko — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:53:20 +0000

Freedom to express yourself is a good thing. So long as it is done right. The chalking was a publicity stunt to begin with. It was not allowed by the university. However, it worked.. it has gotten them on the news.

But, is this any worse than the “hard core Christians” (for lack of a better word) that defaced the FFRF’s billboards? I think, in both cases, they were wrong for their actions. But, kudos goes out for the publicity stunt working.

The chalking was erased the second time by Ferguson Center housekeeping, according to Donna Lake, the event coordinator for the Ferguson Center.

Lake said the chalking was erased the second time because of failure to follow the chalking rules outlined on the Ferguson Center Web site.

“Every day somebody chalks out on the plaza, and we have to hunt them down and tell them to come and clean it up,” Lake said. “No chalking is allowed on that area, not at all.”

By: Ferk

Ferk — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:37:46 +0000

Real life example of the Streisand effect.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:08:53 +0000

So.. if someone who wants to say something about an upcoming religious event gets their info erased, it’s religious discrimination. But if someone who wants to publish something about an atheist event does the same thing, it can be erased and no one can protest..
Who would say.. in the land of the free..