Everyone knows Doug Stanhope for his offensive comedy, history of drug abuse and medical problems. But underneath all that is a man with a gold heart that gets off on pissing off Christians. Stanhope was inspired to raise money for Rebecca Vitsmun after confessing she was an atheist during her interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer while they were standing in front of her demolished home that was taken by a tornado.
Stanhope admired Vitsmn’s courage to openly admitting her lack of faith in a bible belt state on national television. “Saying ‘I’m an atheist’ in Oklahoma is like screaming ‘Jihad’ at airport security,” Stanhope said in the clip Charlie Brooker’s 2013 Wipe he posted Sunday. The outlandish Bisbee comedian started a IndieGogo campaign called “Atheist Unite.” After two months, Stanhope crowdfunded $125,760 for Oklahoman.
“I did it simply to be a prick to her Okie-Christian neighbors, hoping that they were still eating off of FEMA trucks when someone drove up and presented Rebecca with a giant cardboard check.”
Check out the entire Wreck’s candid annual analysis below:
(via: Gawker)
This article appears in Dec 26, 2013 – Jan 1, 2014.
I was pleased to be able to donate $25. May she use it, to use Stanhope’s words, to move out of the Bible Belt like Tom Joad with a trust fund!
Anyone else notice how hateful atheists are? So you do not believe in God, why attack those that do? Why spew vile and hatred?
markus_jim please do not think all atheists are hateful. That would be like if I decided all Christians are bigots and hypocrites based on the actions of the guy spewing hate at the 4th Avenue street fair, or the guy that preaches on campus, or the Christians who accost me at my home or on the street and inform me that i am going to hell. Or folks like the Duck Dynasty guy comparing homosexuality to bestiality. I do believe that many of the outspoken atheists give the rest of us a bad name, but personally I do my best to spread love and kindness.
Yeah, Jimbo – atheists are real hateful – unlike fundamentalist Christians who are so loving and tolerant – like the Westboro Baptist Church, all Pentecostals, Pat “Chickenhawk” Robertson, the high priesthood of the holy mother church, and the Bob Jones followers. What twisted alternate universe are YOU living in? Oh, never mind.
When Christians spew vile and hatred, they are just exercising their right to free speech, right Jimbo?
I’ve seen a number of interviews with Rebecca since the tornado. A brave, exceptional lady.
Stephen Weinberg once said, “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things, and evil people doing evil things. But in order for good people to do evil things, that usually takes religion.”
I believe that it is WE who decide what is good and just. And when we fail at that, as we have so consistently done, it is not god’s will, but our own. Until we take responsibility for that, nothing will change.
It takes a truly special person to offer aid to someone, not because they give a crap about that person but specifically to roil others. Does anyone else sense profound dysfunction here? SMH.
Judge Christians the same way all of us judge everything, by their actions. It is obvious the Westboro bunch and duck boy have nothing whatever to do with Jesus Christ. And for the record, everyone lives by faith one way or another.
Zealots of all capacities are dicks. I hope athiests the world over shun him for this.
Well I’ll be… people are arguing bitterly and sophomorically on the internet!
I’ll come back tomorrow to see if anyone managed to convince anyone else to change their opinion.