Atheist Revolution: The Idiot of the Week Series

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Idiot of the Week Series

I am a little more than two weeks into the Idiot of the Week series here at Atheist Revolution, and I have a couple of quick observations to share. You may recall that the idea behind this simple series is for me to feature an idiot of the week each Saturday. I am happy to report that the series seems to be quite popular so far and that I am looking forward to continuing it. Here are just a few quick observations about reactions to the series:

First, there has been quite a bit of disagreement expressed over my first two selections: Joe the Plumber and Carrie Prejean (Miss California). This tells me that readers are having the same experience I am in finding that this is a crowded field and it is extremely difficult to pick just one idiot. I know I won't please everybody, and I am determined not to do the lazy thing and just make Michele Bachmann the permanent winner. In the future, I may experiment with ways to solicit reader input through Twitter or even a poll.

Second, some of those commenting are taking this series way too seriously. This is supposed to be fun, so have fun with it. I've been accused of "demonizing" the winners. All I'm doing is providing a showcase for their idiocy. They've done the hard work themselves. Others seem to want to debate whether a winner's level of idiocy is really sufficient for such recognition. Debate away, but remember that this is all in fun.

Finally, the comment threads for the first two posts have been outstanding. I've really enjoyed readers' thoughts on the first two winners. They've made me laugh, they've made me think. Much appreciated, so keep it up.