BLOCK ATHEISTS?

I might be entirely mistaken ...

I was extremely pleased and flattered when one or two quite well-known and highly educated persons became my followers on Twitter. I was particularly pleased because they are people I greatly admire and respect - persons I started following immediately when I started off on Twitter not so long ago.

It is to be expected (I certainly do) that persons of that caliber would be tolerant and even critical of others' views which do not entirely correspond with their own and that with their academic backgrounds, they would evaluate and consider such views, if not simply ignore them if they chose to do so, and at least co-exist with fellow tweeters who hold those views.

I receive tweets from people who are clearly racist, gay, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, vegetarian, foreign, poor, rich, conservative, liberal, ANC, FFP, DA and of a whole host of other persuasions and characteristics. I often agree with their statements and very often do not. The purpose of utilizing social media is after all, and certainly is for me, to share and hear the views of others out there, to evaluate them and to react if deemed appropriate.

The very reason I follow people is in the hope of learning from them, sharing with them and possibly being influenced and tested by their views. I thought that highly educated and influential people would have the objective of sharing their views on Twitter exactly so that, inter alia, others might learn from them and be influenced by them.

Great was my astonishment when I discovered that at least two of those tweeters I so greatly admire, have blocked me.

Why, I do not know. I am NOT rude, racist, homophobic or foul-mouthed. I don't attack people, but sometimes attack issues. The only possible reason I could think of is that I am open about being an atheist. I have retweeted some tweets emanating from a conference held in Melbourne and have mentioned in my bio that I am an atheist. I am convinced that that is the reason. But I might be wrong ...

Nevertheless, I am saddened that people of the caliber of the two I have mentioned have chosen to block me. I am no longer able to read their wise and oftentimes profound tweets and blogs and articles. They no longer have an opportunity of sharing their wisdom with a follower and the others that follow her in turn.

And that in modern day South Africa, where freedom of speech and freedom of belief are enshrined in our Constitution ...

I sincerely hope I am mistaken ...