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Atheists on the left end of the spectrum have made various attempts to portray atheists as an oppressed minority, but this has not mitigated the low opinion and/or antipathy many theists holds towards atheists for multiple reasons.
First, the atheist population in the [[Western World]] is skewed towards white, atheist men in both adherents and positions of influence within the atheist community (see: [[Western atheism and race]] and [[Atheism and women]]). So it is difficult to portray atheists as an oppressed minority.
Secondly, historically atheists have often used oppressive governmental actions to promote their ideology/worldview (see: [[Militant atheism]] and [[Suppression of alternatives to evolution]] and [[Atheism and Mass Murder|Atheism and mass murder]]).
Furthermore, atheists have earned a reputation for arrogance (see: [[Atheism and arrogance]]).
In an March 6, 2012 article entitled ''[[God]] save us from atheist whining'', Natalie Rothschild wrote:
In an March 6, 2012 article entitled ''[[God]] save us from atheist whining'', Natalie Rothschild wrote:
{{cquote|This idea that closet atheists need to be coaxed out into the open, and that they need to claim the right to rally together as proud non-believers, has become a central tenet of the ‘[[New Atheism|new atheist]]’ movement. The approach comes across as a curious blend of therapeutic thinking and fearmongering, and it is expressed with a kind of fervour that would not be altogether alien to the deeply devout. [[David Silverman|Silverman]], for instance, believes that the Christian right ‘has unleashed an unparalleled slew of efforts aimed at [[American atheism|Christianising the country’]]. The same kind of shrillness is heard among those religious people who imagine that atheists are tearing down the social fabric of America and are conducting a ‘war on religion’.
{{cquote|This idea that closet atheists need to be coaxed out into the open, and that they need to claim the right to rally together as proud non-believers, has become a central tenet of the ‘[[New Atheism|new atheist]]’ movement. The approach comes across as a curious blend of therapeutic thinking and fearmongering, and it is expressed with a kind of fervour that would not be altogether alien to the deeply devout. [[David Silverman|Silverman]], for instance, believes that the Christian right ‘has unleashed an unparalleled slew of efforts aimed at [[American atheism|Christianising the country’]]. The same kind of shrillness is heard among those religious people who imagine that atheists are tearing down the social fabric of America and are conducting a ‘war on religion’.