Episode 5. Mark Stickney
As voters in the United States have increasingly elected candidates from a wider range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender and sexuality expressions, and religious identifications, Atheists are a group that have yet to break into the mainstream of American politics. A recent Gallup poll conducted in early 2020 concluded that only about 60% of Americans would be comfortable voting for someone who identifies as an atheist. While this is up leaps and bounds from the levels of support illustrated for atheist candidates in Gallup polls conducted back in the late 1950s, it stands in stark contrast to voter comfort with candidates of other religious identifications like Judaism, Catholicism, and Evangelical Christians.
In this episode we hear from a remarkably complex and fascinating voter who also happens to be an avowed atheist. Mark Stickney is an HVAC / plumbing sales engineer, musician, and actor from Chicago, Illinois. He tells us his story about growing up in a conservative southern town and his transition from this socialization to his now active role in progressive politics. Triggered at a young age to “question everything,” as he puts it, Mark explains how his journey to progressive politics and voting is inextricably tied with his embrace of atheism. While he began his time as an active voter feeling more or less apathetic during the 2004 elections, his passion for learning and epistemology brought him to the political activism he engages in today. He and I muse about the impossibility of religious freedom, and Mark clarifies that being an atheist does not mean one hates religion. We argue for the imperative of self-reflection in today’s politics, and Mark shares how his vote is tied back to how it might impact others. “Voting for me,” he shares, “means doing my part to make life better for somebody else… it’s about the active effort of thinking of others and putting them above myself.” Ultimately, Mark hopes that his activism—and vote—will leave the world a better place for his children and all who will come after them.
