I have seen not only religious bigots, but also other atheists make the ridiculous claim that atheists who speak out against bigotry have a persecution/victim complex. These “Uncle Tom atheists” (a term I didn’t coin, but love because it describes them perfectly) have internalized the societal view that atheists simply should not speak out, even when they have a legitimate complaint. One cannot have a victim complex if they are in fact victims of persecution, and atheists clearly are worldwide.
Such persecution may not be as bad as what other groups have gone through physically, as I have discussed in the differences between our movement and the black civil rights movement, but it is horrible culturally. For social beings, is such social ostracizing not one of the worst forms of persecution possible? Just being truthful about one’s lack of belief will commonly make others immediately think worse about you, and therefore treat you differently. Speaking out or “complaining” about such ingrained bigotry is not expressing a persecution complex, but is necessary if this will ever change. As clearly shown by other movements, such as the gay rights movement, the only path to social change is forcing the issue into the public consciousness. This is impossible without calling out bigotry, discrimination, ostracizing, and persecutions against atheists wherever we see it.