Update: Brian has posted a response to this at the JREF’s Swift blog.
Last week’s Virtually Drinking Skeptically featured a sort of rolling interview with JREF Field Coordinator, former Mexican wrestler, and disgraced notary public Brian “El Boomboom” Thompson. VDS is always fun, and this session was no exception.
Right before I signed off, the conversation shifted to Boomboom talking about Onanism the JREF’s plans to attract a more diverse group to skepticism. I almost stuck around, but I had to get up early to go to the Auburn game. A man has to set his priorities. Plus, I couldn’t focus on diversity when looking into host Brian Gregory’s sad puppydog eyes. He also has an ass that won’t quit.
So I’m going to drop my opinions here. I’ve set my desktop to display pictures of people named Brian to set the mood.
The JREF cannot significantly increase diversity in skepticism
This is a hard thought on which to focus when looking into Brian Dennehy’s cold-yet-somehow-passionate face.
Wouldn't YOU step into his cocoon?
For the last few years, diversity has been a main topic at TAM. There will be a panel talking about how well-represented women are in skepticism, but how there aren’t a lot of minorities. And there are even fewer poor people, since we haven’t convinced them to fly out to join us in a Vegas casino for four days in our $400+ per-person conference.
A shitload of Brians, though. And a lot of Daves. There is something going on there. Best to leave that unsolved, I think…
It is good to see all the ladies there. Gender diversity has dramatically improved since I started attending these things five years ago. I haven’t seen any actual data, but there seem to be more openly gay folks around, including among the JREF leadership. We’re also up to our parkas in goddamn Canadians, so it’s clear we aren’t turning anyone away at the door.
Actually, I take that back — TAM sucks at religious diversity. There’s a big passo-aggro push to make TAM an atheist-only club; not by turning religious people away as much as just browbeating them until they abandon their faiths. I wonder how often that works? But that’s really another discussion. I will save it until I want to get pissed off.
We don’t have a lot of black people. How is it that TAM has more Australians than African-Americans, and that Yahoo Serious isn’t among them? We have very few Asians scattered around too. These absences are obvious and the JREF is right to want that changed.
But what can the JREF do? In what medium can they promote skepticism to an audience largely ignorant of what it means and of the organized skepticism thing? Where does the JREF obviously intersect with the challenges of life as a minority or an economically disadvantaged person?
I believe it can be done, but it’s a hard road for the JREF to walk.
“Grassroots” skepticism — more than just getting drunk
If those of us in these so-called “grassroots” skeptics groups want to do more than gather in a bar once a month, here’s an activity for you.
Let’s pick a minority group that’s woefully underrepresented at TAM. Hispanics, for example. It is nonsensical to ask why aren’t there more Hispanics at TAM when we don’t have a significant number of them attending local group meetings. Here in Atlanta, we have a large Hispanic community, but you wouldn’t know it from the Skeptics in the Pub meetings.
Why is that? There could be a lot of reasons. Maybe there don’t happen to be a lot of skeptics in that group. Maybe our meeting topics are boring to people not already invested. Maybe there’s a language barrier (a distinct possibility in this case).
Maybe they don’t know what skepticism is, or don’t know that our group exists.
My god, people -- look at it
I’m betting that last one is a big part of it, no matter how many other reasons are out there. That’s what we should be working on changing, and that’s where we can be much more effective than a large international group like the JREF.
I’ll tell you how when I’m done gazing at Brian May’s amazing hair helmet.
Vaccine Clinics – Not Just for Rich Nerds Any More
The last two Dragon*Cons and the most recent TAM included a free vaccine clinic, where anyone could get vaccinated with the flu shot and TDAP. Those three events were thanks to the work of Maria and the Skepchicks and the Women Thinking Free Foundation. And they were great — much needed, and I hope they continue for a long time, long after the idiot anti-vaxxers have died during a seizure brought on by a prolonged coughing fit.
But we’re giving these shots to other skeptics at TAM. And we’re sticking needles into middle-class white nerds at Dragon*Con.
What if we were to find a large church in a Hispanic neighborhood? From my own informal survey, they aren’t hard to find. What is the worst that could happen if we were to meet with the pastor and ask about holding a vax clinic at the church some Sunday after the services? In your poorer neighborhoods or your projects, I’m guessing there are plenty of people who aren’t updated on their vaccines.
(I’m suggesting a church not out of some protest against the strident atheists among us, but because it’s a place where a lot of people gather regularly and have an emotional connection in a way they don’t have with, say, a public school.)
If it comes off, you have built a connection in that community — something the JREF doesn’t have. You have provided them with a valuable service they may have not had the time or money to attend to themselves. You have (presumably) answered their questions about what you’re doing there, and given them a pamphlet or two for them to learn about the importance of vaccines… AND about your goals as a skeptical organization. If you do this in a church, you will appear to be less of a threat to their religious beliefs.
If you prevent a child from dying of whooping cough, you are going to earn the good will of their parents, even if you don’t speak the same language. Do that for enough people, and eventually a couple of them will be curious about your group. If I’m wrong about that last part, then you can comfort yourself knowing that you gave people a TDAP shot.
Conclusion
Of course it doesn’t have to be vax clinics. Anything that will reach into the community. The goal should not be getting these folks to come to TAM or to the Skeptrack at Dragon*Con. The goal should be to plant a seed, to expose them to the idea of critical thinking as an ethical way to live, to make them allow for the possibility that science has an immediate positive effect on their lives. How incredible would it be if we gave a vaccine to a kid this weekend and 20 years from now he’s an epidemiologist? Pretty awesome, I’d say. Not quite as awesome as giving a kid a vaccine and 20 years from now he’s not dead from the measles, but we can do both with the same shot.
I don’t believe this is possible for the JREF. I believe it may be quite possible locally.
Fortunately, I’ll get the chance to put my money where my mouth is. I’m stepping into a leadership position with the Atlanta Skeptics, and something like this is one of the things I want to try.
I think the JREF can have a role here, but they have to be a supporting player. They can help the local groups make contact with the health organizations that can supply the vaccines, maybe help designing some pamphlets so we’re all spreading the right message, help build a database of people who can talk a skeptic group through the inevitable questions and hurdles. But if we’re serious about diversity or about making a positive impact on people’s lives, we can’t sit back and wait for people like D. J. Grothe or Boomboom Thompson to do it, then tell us about it in a vast air-conditioned room in a Vegas casino right before they bring in the cookies.
I’d be interested to hear any other ideas you guys have. Especially all the Brians out there.
One of the problems that I believe we’re still fighting is the public perception of what, exactly, a ‘skeptic’ is.
When I was at TAM 9 (my first TAM), I met up with a former high school classmate I have not seen or talked to since we graduated high school in prehistoric times when H. erectus was riding velociraptors (1983).
After we caught up for a little while, he asked me what I was doing in Vegas, where he lives. I told him I was there with TAM, The Amazing Meeting.
I got a blank stare. “It’s a conference of skeptics from all over the world,” I explained. “There are talks and–”
“So, what, you think 9/11 was an inside job?”
“Oh, GOD, no, not at all. That’s–”
“So you all think the moon landing was a hoax?”
It took me quite a while to explain, and he lost interest before I got the point across. We moved on to other topics. We parted for the evening with him thinking I was in Vegas with 1500+ other ‘debunkers,’ which was the only word I said that gave him something to latch onto. It’s not the right word, but I was desperate to explain it in simple, quick terms without using the word ‘skeptic,’ which has been co-opted.
The whole experience left me with a sour taste in my mouth at having been lumped with all those kooks. They’ve stolen the very definition of the word and turned it around so that when we use it, there is nearly instant dismissal, even from the very people who are probably on “our side” of the issues they think we’re skeptical of.
Yes, but can we at least agree that we should call Brian Thompson “Boomboom” from here on out? I think he’d want it that way.
You’re absolutely right, Gary. And maybe that’s another issue we could address by pounding the pavement and getting involved in the lives of other communities. I had some similar experiences at Dragon*Con — not really in conversation, because I don’t do that with the filthy furries you meet there, but with overhearing people passing by the skeptrack room. I’d be walking past or going through the door or something, and someone would pass by me asking someone with them what the hell this was about. It never happened at a time where I could stop and explain. Maybe in addition to the posted schedule, we could put up a poster labeled “What Is Skepticism?” or “How Star Trek Made Me a Skeptic” or something.
I had the pleasure of meeting Eternal Good Sport Emily Finke at Dragon*Con (you may have seen her in a convincing Batgirl costume). She had a very good post on her blog on the whole skeptical elevator speech thing. http://www.thisview.org/?p=27
I think this sort of thing that the Grassroots Skeptics were hoping to help (http://ohioskeptic.com/grassrootsskeptics/). As I understand it, they were trying to create a network of local skeptical groups so we could stay in touch and share ideas and resources. The group has been less active lately, probably because K. O. got deported to Iowa or someplace. But something similar might be worth exploring.
If the Brian Thompson you’re talking about is the one I think it is, I’ll call him whatever he tells me to. He’s rather imposing. And I’m…well, not.
It must be the same one. The one I’m talking about is this burly beast of a man who could drop-kick a raccoon across an eight-lane highway.
I think this is a great post and your ideas are excellent.
You said ” If you do this in a church, you will appear to be less of a threat to their religious belief” and I think that is very important, especially with attracting new people to skepticism.
Thanks, Tim! May I call you Brian?
I’m a big fan of letting people ease into these things. The groups we’re talking about here either have no idea what we’re about at all, or like Gary’s friend, have the wrong idea. The last thing we need to do is lunge at them with a needle while shouting YOUR BIBLE IS A LIE! Or “Hi, we’re here to fuck up Christmas for you. Wanna come to Vegas this summer?”
I don’t care if we never convert anyone to atheism. What matters to me is lubing their brains up to get used to some critical thinking. If we can succeed in that, we win, even if they cling to some deeply held, deeply loved beliefs.
And a church is an excellent place for a vax clinic. Maybe we can do it during a potluck lunch.
I completely agree.
Lunging at them yelling “Your Bible is a Lie” will only make them defensive and then they’ll never listen to anything you say. Religion is deeply personal and emotional…if someone is going to give that up, it has to be on their own decision, something that come to on their own in their own time. Plus skepticism is WAY more than atheism; it’s a process, a way of thinking. What I’m believe is wanted is more people thinking this way in their everyday lives, with Politics, Science, Climate Change, Education, etc etc etc. I am sure their are plenty of people who are both religious and skeptics.
In fact, I believe I remember something from my Catholic upbringing. Something about teaching a man to fish and he’ll eat for life…this is similar…you want to teach a person how to think like a skeptic, so he can do it on his own from that point forward.
I remember one TAM a large amount of money was raised, enough to sponsor several vaccination clinics in the Vegas area. The thing that I found shocking is that there just isn’t money to vaccinate poor children. Just covering the cost of nurses and other people to administer the vaccinations is expensive. Most skeptics that can afford to fly in somewhere can afford a vaccination at the doctors office or the local drug store. I think the vaccination clinics are great as they raise awareness (I’ve had my updates because I work with young children).
I’d also say it’s great to reach out to minorities locally. Sadly for us here in NH that means, yes MORE Canadians!
Yeah, I haven’t included the cost information in this. I’m not actually sure what’s involved. Those of us in Atlanta are somewhat spoiled by having the CDC here, but your mileage in other areas may vary. And I have NO IDEA what’s involved in other countries, or if such things are necessary in faraway alien lands like England and their socialist commie-fascist Muslim NHS.
But there’s always something. If a vaccine clinic isn’t feasible, find something else. There’s got to be an issue facing the minority communities that could be improved with the application of some logic, critical thinking, science, and common sense. The important part is finding the in-roads and making the connections, so we’re not just a bunch of rich white people talking down to others for not reading the labels on their mac’n'cheese.
But really? Canadians?
One effective approach is indirect. Science teachers are obliged to teach critical thinking but often don’t know how to go about it. About ten years ago my local skeptics’ group rented a booth at the national science teachers’ convention. We had a wall of skeptical quotations, a table of not-for-sale skeptical books and a secret weapon, boxes of back numbers of the Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptic to give away.
We were amazed how many teachers said to us, “I had no idea this stuff was available.” We had to ration the magazines, they went so fast. We probably gained some members for our group but, more importantly, we encouraged the teaching of skepticism on a national scale. (We did have to clamp down on one of our volunteers who wanted to promote atheism.)
I would encourage other groups to look out for local and national teachers’ conventions in your neighborhood. It may not be as “hands-on” as vaccinating people but it greatly multiplies your effort.
An excellent suggestion. Thanks or sharing that.
I’ll have to poll the local group to learn how many people we have in the public school system. I don’t know anything about teacher’s conferences or their frequency or where they’re held. Surely some big ones must occasionally come through Atlanta.
And we don’t have to choose between doing something like a vax clinics or canvassing a teacher’s conference. There’s no reason we can’t do both.
The National Science Teachers Association can be found at http://www.nsta.org. Its next area conference in Atlanta is November 1-3, 2012. As well as speakers, these conferences have an exhibit area, primarily for suppliers of educational materials to show their wares. As a non-profit, our skeptics’ group got a discount rate on our booth.
For general interest, there are three area conferences before the end of this year. (Seattle, New Orleans and I forget the third.)
Hi Christian – great post. As a somewhat frequent attendee of TAMs, who happens to be a gay Brian with a Canadian passport, your article rings true on several levels.
I have no idea what the costs are to set up a vax clinic – I don’t know if Maria & co could (or already have) put together a short ‘how to’ guide with a sense for number of volunteers required / number of hours required, cash required, sourcing for the vaccine & supplies, potential sponsors, pitfalls to avoid etc… But I think that the vax clinic as a main source of ‘outreach’ is definitely one of the most positive and easily palatable means of talking to people.
And sure, while using churches may be one possible venue, there are countless others – town fairs, shopping mall promotions, ‘health’ fairs (which tend to attract a number of whackadoodle alt-medicine nutters anyways), College & University recruitment/orientation sessions, sporting events – ANY time is a good time for a vax clinic.
Oke! I had no idea you were a Brian. You don’t look it.
I don’t know of a how-to guide for a vax clinic. I asked Maria and she’s going to check with the Women Thinking Freely Foundation. That would be a good thing to exist if it doesn’t already. Honestly, we’re luckier than most because Atlanta is home to the Centers for Disease Control and we’ve had a willing contact there.
Of course you’re right about not having to do something like this in a church. For all I know, it might cause more problems than it’s worth
But since we’re talking about specific communities (Hispanic people, in this case) getting a community leader like a pastor on board would be a huge help. And doing it in “their house” would be more of an extended open hand than just setting up at a mall. Getting the vaccines into them is the important part, but trying to create in-roads into the community is a secondary goal.
Good to hear from you
I don’t see how religion is a diversity issue. Religion isn’t something you’re born with, like ethnicity, skin color, or gender. It’s something you choose.
I imagine people who believe in astrology are also sometimes uncomfortable at skeptic meetings. Should they also be included on the diversity panel? I wouldn’t want them to not feel welcome.
I think we’re using different definitions for “diversity.” I’m using it to simply mean a broad mix of certain relevant traits. TAM likely has excellent diversity if you’re talking about height or eye color. But we don’t have much of a blend of religions.
I agree that astrologers and astrology adherents would probably be uncomfortable at a skeptic meeting. I don’t know what diversity panel you’re talking about though.
If you agree that astrology adherents would probably be uncomfortable at a skeptic meeting – what do you propose we should do to make them feel more welcome? After all, we want a broad mix of relevant traits.
I propose that I should not waste time on trolls who think they’re clever. Thanks for playing.