Reasons why you’re probably not a humanist:
1. If you’re in anyway using your religion as a reason to limit another person’s rights, or belittle their problems, you’re not a humanist.
2. If you’re using the term humanism as a way to belittle any other group’s problems in general, then you’re not a humanist. A humanist seeks to satisfy all human needs, and solve all problems.
3. If you think the majority of humans suck and those that advocate for a “safe space” for everybody are ridiculous whiners then you’re not a humanist. Humanists actually strongly believe in the goodness of human beings, and think they have the potential to become better.
4.If you find yourself belittling one human need over another, instead of fully considering that group’s needs because there are “bigger problems,” you’re not a humanist.
5. If you’re belittling a group’s needs because another group has similar needs, you’re not a humanist.
6. If you group a person’s needs into contemptuous metaphors in order to dismiss their problems (examples: “Race card,” “Gender card,” “Woman card”), you’re not a humanist.
In reality, it’s very hard to be a humanist. It’s strange how a word that is meant to define a person who sees value in all human beings and wants to fix all human problems has become a way to dismiss other humans' problems, a way to sweep other problems under a rug because “all people have problems.”
Poverty, racism, sexism, famine, greed, violence--all of these things need fixing in the eyes of a humanist. Therefore, being a humanist requires you to care about all of these problems, not pick and choose which ones are the most important in your opinion and dismiss the rest.
Besides, if we can’t fix the “small ones,” why do we think we can fix the “big ones?”
*Side Note: For More information on humanism, you should visit the American Humanist Association page!
