Vandals Put Atheist Message on Utah Construction Sign

I thought it was hilarious – and you’re welcome Hemant!

Also, not noted here but noted in the article – the sign was very near an LDS Church.

Probably the handiwork of some smart-*ss teenage atheists with more enthusiasm than common sense. Next time, guys, hold a car wash to rent a billboard for FFRF or something positive like that.

This isn’t the way to get our message across. It’s not funny and it doesn’t help.

We know how to get bus ads and billboards and we’ve been doing a great job of putting them up in cities everywhere. There’s no reason to resort to such lowbrow (and illegal) tactics.

Well said, Hemant. This sort of stunt just backfires and makes our side look bad.

~David D.G.

it certainly makes us looks bad, and it’s not nearly as funny as the zombie warning

Oh… and I already look bad, so this actually makes me look good! Win/Win.

I think its FUNNY, and I wold have been so happy to see this sign- it would have made my whole month!

If it said “God exists” some idiot would think it was a sign from “above”………

People need to learn how to relax a little, and take a joke.

Atheists are almost TOO uptight about doing the “right thing”- when it comes to innocuous things anyway. We are so worried about our image, and about proving that we are not just moral but SUPER well behaved, that we don’t even want to laugh at obviously funny things. RELAX- we are HUMAN, and can act as such.

I’m not into criminal behavior, but this was not permanent or anything.

Staceyjw

Besides, how necessary was the sign with all of the other markers in the road, including the giant arrows that scream “move the f*** over” and a gazillion cones? It’s not all that dangerous.

Also, this hack was so last season.

“If you’re going to do this kind of stuff kids, make sure it looks like xians did it.”

The irony, it burns. I hope you were joking.

Well it made me laugh. I think “disturbing” is a bit of an overeaction to an obvious prank.

I agree with it going over the line because stunts like this could be potentially dangerous though it is a bit funny.

Admittedly it did bring to mind the joke about a priest and a rabbi holding up signs by the road saying “The end is near”. Cars roared by, many speeding up. After some time the rabbi turns to the priest and says, “Perhaps we should have written, ‘Bridge out ahead'”.

I think it was funny.

I don’t see how this makes ‘us’ look bad. I didn’t join any ‘us’. I have nothing to do with the individuals who did this.

I also think it’s funny, hardly a conspiracy material. Posing as an atheist to cause real harm would have to be something way more serious, IMHO.

I’m saying its good for the proverbial ‘us’, even though I agree with Jay when he said he didn’t join any group.

When we talk about us, I assume were meaning ‘people who would like to see more atheism, and recognition of atheism in the public sphere’. If that’s the ‘us’, then this stunt is a good thing. It shows that atheism isn’t a thing just for ivory tower eggheads. Its not just for black wearing goths to rebel with. It extends to malicious pranksters too! Anyone can be an atheist. You don’t have to be smart, honest, educated, wealthy, or anything else! There are no requirements, other than a lack of belief in any deity.

I would report anyone I saw doing this. Just as I would report anyone I saw vandalizing, regardless of the message. Yes this was a stupid stunt. Yes I would distance myself from the actions of these individuals.

Is it good for atheism in general? Yes. Anything that gets people talking about godlessness is a good thing for atheism. Deities tend to vanish when people turn on the lights.

The christians this pisses off won’t think any less of non believers because of this. Those that don’t care one way or another, won’t care about this either.

I have to say, I’d rather see a road sign hacked than an LDS church spray-painted. THAT would have been completely uncalled-for. This is just hilarious, harmless–and reversible.

I’m sorry, but that is quite funny.

This is hilarious!
Yes, it’s juvenile, and yes it’s illegal, and if I happened to know the perps, I’d sternly lecture them about their future, the law, and traffic safety. And then I’d go beat myself up for not thinking of that myself. And if they were adult, I’d tell them to grow up and use their faculties to the level of their abilities.
It doesn’t matter how well or adult or perfect I behave, extreme christians will accuse me of idiocy, immoral behavior and blame me for all the ills of the world. I have no delusions of changing their mind by changing my behavior to fit their idea of perfection.

So, first off, as I didn’t commit this misdemeanor, I don’t need to feel any responsibility for this, and am under no obligation to apologize on behalf of all atheists.
And second, we (as in the readers of this blog) are not doing “the movement” any favors condemning non-violent expression of non-theism, just because we’re too adult to do it this way. Trying to appease the fundies is not our job, living a good life and doing good things in spite of the best efforts of the bible thumpers to undermine us at every turn is.
In fact, I think the kids who did it should be commended for using their talents to write a meaningful message instead of something vulgar or hateful.

Wow. For once, “hackers” aren’t blamed. Calling it “a message that’s anti-religion” is going a bit too far, though.

In addition to putting “bigger locks” on the sign boxes, they should probably think about changing the default passwords for such devices (if that was a factor in this case, at least). That would be a start towards basic layered security.

And I also like Richard’s suggestions.

I love pranks but a construction zone is not the place to do it. Think how many people took their eyes off the road to see if they read it right the first time. And then turned all the way around as they zipped by to see it again. It’s a classic first link in an accident chain. If one of the road crew got killed because of this it would have made national news and you know it would not be fair and balanced reporting. Not a harmless prank, a really dumb thing to do.

This happens somewhere in Utah every few years. (Or maybe KSL is recycling news. They’ve done that before.)

Are liberal Christians blamed by some atheists for what conservative Christians say and do?

“malicious attack on someone’s theology”

This isn’t even a story on local radio for any European country.

So Christians can shoot abortion doctors, try to have atheist teachers fired, have crosses all over the place etc. but saying god doesn’t exist is a MALICIOUS attack on someone’s theology?

Malicious: Of, pertaining to, or as a result of malice or spite; Deliberately harmful; spiteful

This was spiteful? But saying we are going to hell for eternity is not? More Christian double standards.

I think it’s funny. Almost as funny as when hackers put “Raptors Ahead” on a road sign!

Also, you did say, “A construction sign in Utah that normally warns drivers of delays on the roads “UDOT is considering putting bigger locks on the signs and displaying them in well-lit areas to deter this from happening again.”

So how vital is the message if they can just move it somewhere else?
And the article states, “

Those signs are notoriously easy to hack. I’ve seen pictures of them warning about velociraptor crossings and such. As an aside, apparently velociraptors might have dropped onto their prey from the trees above rather than chase them down.

Keddaw, it’s ‘malicious’ in that you have to hack government property to change the display. Also, these signs are used to warn of accidents and traffic snarls – changing it could potentially cause more traffic problems and injuries from further accidents.

That isn’t “vandalism”. To be vandalism there would have to be some damage done to property.

It is a harmless and funny hack.

The article says the sign simply warned to expect delays so there was no safety issue in changing the message.

I agree that it’s not a constructive way to get a message across, and I’m sure there are a bunch of religious conservatives that will get their knickers in a bunch because all their beliefs about the evil atheists have just been confirmed. Still… It’s a little funny.

I doubt, given its position, that this could have been truly regarded as a safety sign. An information sign perhaps, like “Construction next 2 miles” or something, but if it has anything safety-related to say it’s in the wrong place anyway – drivers are too busy coping with the lane reduction at that point.

Any outbreak of justified indignation would require knowledge of what the sign said before it was altered. Given the prevalance of active signboards in distracting roadside locations, I hardly think this is the worst offender, and some church signs are much worse in that regard.

So on balance I wouldn’t temper my mild amusement at this techno-grafitti, but I would say that it’s only funny once.

Hmm most here so serious. Very disappointed in most of the posts here. I think Defiantnonbeliever & medussa have hit nail on the head.

I think it’s great & I’m sure it put a smile on many peoples faces that night seeing that sign. I don’t have any sympathy for the making ‘US’ look bad, or not the way to get ‘OUR’ message across comments. ‘OUR’ & ‘US’ …… It’s a joke, It’s funny, It makes a point. I once passed a gas station that said YOU ARE GAY, instead of the prices & that had me giggling for days.

Next step = Oooo Bill Maher is not getting ‘OUR’ message across & is making ‘US’ look bad
Next step = Oooo Christopher Hitchens……..

Also It REALLY makes me cringe people making a big thing about it being dangerous. What is the world coming to. Try living in Asia for a while, where you get to live in a modern society, without all this over the top nanny state health and safety non-sense. Take some responsibility in you lives people. Life goes on and works very well without all that ‘nothing is my fault’ attitude & EVEN IF some1 had crashed from looking at the sign….. It WOULD BE THEIR FAULT, & they would be a seriously crap driver & shouldn’t be on the road. 1000’s of others managed to pass it without crashing just fine.

I agree to a point. Vandalism is illegal, yes, but I think it was pretty funny and although I wouldn’t encourage similar acts, I think it’s fine to say that it was probably some kids just being kids and we should have a good laugh and leave it at that. Apologize for the vandalism but enjoy the creativity…

*pulls stick out of RobL’s behind*

it absolutely funny. and it absolutely shows that atheists are just like everyone else.

i don’t understand when people talk about atheists as a “people” that need to “get their message out”.

i’m not a people. i’m not in a group. atheism is a lack of a group. so please don’t count me in yours.

theists vandalize. atheists vandalize. the world continues to rotate.

To RobL

Simple question.

If someone had crashed the car would it be their fault?

Your personal example is kind of meaningless. We are not taking about that, I’m taking about this case. I, and everyone here could litter this tread with examples of health and safety/ nanny state nonsense that is way over the top, but it has no baring on this incident .

You hit the nail on the head, btw

“I employ 70 people in the electrical construction trade and have seen first hand what happens when someone is careless – they don’t go home after work ever again. Pretty serious business especially if that person was working for you – I really cant joke about it. If I operated as your attitude suggests I should and one of my employees got killed I would be (and should be) held criminally negligent.”

Let me have a go at clarifying what you are implying here.
If some is careless at work, doing a dangerous job, the boss would/should be negligent
Even if you took my attitude at what you think I meant…

Someone else is CARELESS!!! (Your choice of word) & you think the blame should be yours????

L O L

You are covering your own ass because you have to by law, & you live in fear of being sued. I bet you could own up to tones of pointless things you have to put your staff & yourself through to legally cover you own ass, because if some employee does something stupid and hurt themselves….. It’s your fault. Blame culture.

Or course there is a balance, but common sense left this arena a long time ago.

You will not get me to agree that someone who crashes a car after reading that sign is not 100% responsible for crashing the car. (See I’m not sure if you disagree with that, but that was the ONLY point I was making.) They should have there licence taken off them if they are driving a dangerous weapon like a car and can crash and injure themselves or others because of…….. A potentially upsetting message on a road sign.

Also where did I say it was ok to monkey with a road sign.

READ WHAT I WROTE…..

“Also It REALLY makes me cringe people making a big thing about it being dangerous”

Of course its not ok to monkey with road construction signs, it was just not in this case, what I consider dangerous.

Read the article:

“The sign on Foothill typically displays a warning to drivers to expect delays”

Are you going to tell me that this sign is vital for road safety?

It is funny, but not a smart idea. Leave safety equipment alone.