[icegreentea]

This article doesn't actually make it to be all that hard.

I mean, let's be reasonable. You are part of a community that strongly identifies with a set of beliefs and activities. You become disillusioned with said set of beliefs and activities. How are you going to stay part of that community? Doesn't matter if its NASCAR, hacking around in python, DIY bioengineering, whatever.

What happens is that there are situations where entire physical communities (in the sense of the set of people you will likely run into) also form a single actual community (in the sense of some sort of in-group), which is really unfortunate. I mean, no matter how welcoming and polite that ingroup is, your going to feel left out and somewhat alienated.

[pekk]

It really goes beyond this, because taking on some labels gets you labeled as a walking blasphemy, an immoral person who subscribes to a philosophy of mass murder. Atheism is understood as opposition to God (Satanism) in much of rural America. One area where Western Europeans really can be smug with justification.

[cpursley]

Exactly. It's hard enough to be a male and not a sports fan in America.

"Ok, so you're an atheist. Wait, you're not a {local team here} fan!!!"

[arethuza]

I presume you don't have a strong connection between particular football teams and religion and therefore particular community allegiances?

Rangers/Celtic, Hearts/Hibs etc.

[cpursley]

Well, I don't mean both at the same time. What I'm saying is, it's more difficult socially and in terms of community if you are not a sports fan (at all, of any type) than it is to be an atheist. Most people are smart enough to avoid religion and politics so that leaves sports for the small talk.