Under Reporting Our Numbers
I know where I got my numbers from the Reason Rally, but I have no idea where everyone else is getting their numbers from. Some sources are reporting as little as 5000 people. My source said over 30k. Most sources are reporting 20k or 25k. Why is the media trying to under report our numbers?
While the numbers don’t really matter too much since everyone who came had an awesome time and atheists who couldn’t make it will be watching clips on YouTube or getting the DVD in the coming weeks, it does seem like the narrative that the media wants to paint is that the Reason Rally was a failure. It wasn’t!
I have never been to a rally like this before, so I have no idea how to judge crowd size. But the National Mall Park Service does and they were telling people in the organization tent that it looked like more than 30k people. I also asked some friends who have been to huge rallies before and they told me that it looked like about 25k to 30k to them.
Does the media just make up these numbers? Where are they getting their information from? Interestingly enough, the more religious the media outlet, the less people apparently showed up for the Reason Rally. The smallest numbers came from the most religious outlets with the Religious News Service reporting 8 to 10 thousand people.
The Religious News Service is pretty liberal too, so this isn’t conservative spin, it is religious spin. The religious (even the liberal religious) are afraid of us. They are afraid that they are losing ground and that atheism is on the rise. They see it, every poll and survey shows it, but they still want to pretend that it isn’t happening.
Religion is dying! They know it too. The Reason Rally is a sign that atheist is on the rise and that it is only a matter of time. But we have to keep the pressure on. We have to keep spreading doubt and getting people to think. We have to continue to push for more critical thinking and give people the tools of logic. We have to continue to be outspoken about our lack of belief in ridiculous ideas. The time is now!
Related articles
- Reason Rally: 30k godless undeterred by rain (examiner.com)
- Reason Rally Was Awesome! (dangeroustalk.net)
- Thousands of U.S. atheists turn out for ‘Reason Rally’ (mnn.com)
- Atheist rally billed as ‘coming out’ moment for nonbelievers (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
Filed under: Argument by Popularity, atheism, People of Reason, Reason Rally