"Why Aren't Their More Minorities?" - An Idea

[Jeff Wagg]

At TAM 2 it didn't occur to me that there weren't many people of minority status present. At TAM 3, I did notice. This is probably because of Girl 6's thoughtful comments and the fact that I'm enrolled in a grad program that is constantly hammering into my skull concepts such as "white privelege" and "institutional racism." Those are topics for another thread.

Here, I'd like to pose a simple idea. I would like to see a paper presented to answer this question: Why don't we see more minorities at skeptic events?

Let's gather some data, talk to some people and present our finidngs to the TAM 4 committee for consideration. I don't think I'm the proper person to prepare such a paper, but I'm very interested in helping someone who might be. (Girl 6 perhaps?)

Thoughts?

 

[Jeff Wagg]

arrggh...THERE not their.

The typos that are there are not their fault. They're mine.

So there.

 

[HarryKeogh]

I'm a minority (Puerto Rican) who didn't attend due to work obligations and couldnt really swing the $$$. If I lived within driving distance I definitely would have been there.

Most hispanics are raised Christian and they never seem to question it. My family is Catholic and even though most of them are non-practicing they don't tend to make waves when it comes to challenging the Catholic belief system. And it seems a disproportianate amount believe in fortune tellers and other "psychics". If you think there's too many psychics on TV it's nothing compared to the Spanish stations.

Also, I think a lot of people become skeptics because of an interest in certain fields that teach or require critical thinking skills (science, mathematics et al). Of my parents' generation very few of them went to college or got degrees beyond high school. There is very little interest in the science fields. Hopefully with more educational opportunities my generation (most of my cousins are college grads) will find a greater interest in the activities that lead to a skeptical way of thinking (I was introduced to it by reading SciAm which led to Shermer which lead to JREF). Also I find my cousins are teaching their children right and wrong in more productive ways than threatening eternal hellfire like our parents often did.

Hopefully it's just a matter of time until we catch up. Or maybe Randi could marry Jennifer Lopez (she's married everyone else) and the skeptic's message will reach the hispanic community overnight.

 

[exarch]

Originally posted by HarryKeogh
Or maybe Randi could marry Jennifer Lopez (she's married everyone else) and the skeptic's message will reach the hispanic community overnight.

Sophia Loren. I think she's not hispanic, but I'm sure she's played one on TV

 

[DanishDynamite]

At TAM 2 it didn't occur to me that there weren't many people of minority status present. At TAM 3, I did notice. This is probably because of Girl 6's thoughtful comments and the fact that I'm enrolled in a grad program that is constantly hammering into my skull concepts such as "white privelege" and "institutional racism." Those are topics for another thread.

Here, I'd like to pose a simple idea. I would like to see a paper presented to answer this question: Why don't we see more minorities at skeptic events?

Let's gather some data, talk to some people and present our finidngs to the TAM 4 committee for consideration. I don't think I'm the proper person to prepare such a paper, but I'm very interested in helping someone who might be. (Girl 6 perhaps?)

Thoughts?

Although getting minorities involved is something of an Americentrism thing, I think you have a very good idea. I suggest you PM G6 about it.

 

[kittynh]

well, for one thing, let's not try recruiting in Vermont or NH!

Just kidding!

I have to say the minority that is the biggest in my school is Thai.

I've talked to my Thai friends, they are all Buddhists. It's a case for a lot of them that they agree with me, but their parents would KILL them (and their parents are in their 80's). So they do the whole Buddhist thing, with white strings and such.

I will say a good thing is that TAM has a lot more women attending than most other skeptic conferences. That is a real plus.

I have to admit inclusion is an American thing. But hey, as Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

 

[DanishDynamite]

I will say a good thing is that TAM has a lot more women attending than most other skeptic conferences. That is a real plus.

Truer words were never spoken!

(I suspect though that my reasons for agreeing with you aren't the same reasons you wote it. )

I have to admit inclusion is an American thing. But hey, as Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

Now, there you go getting all Americentric

Inclusion is not an American thing.

The reason I said that getting minorities involved was probably Americentric (I keep mentioning this word, don't I?) was that we don't have all that much minority to speak of here. Much less any kind of skeptic movement. The reason (for not much of a skeptic movement) is probably that we don't have much of a problem with Creationists. IMO.

 

[H3LL]

Is JREF a USA organisation? Yes. As I understand it.

Is its influence intended to be global? Yes. As I understand it.

Not being there, I can only comment from posts I have seen. The claim of minorities being poorly represented is a very parochial view and indicative of the victim and lable culture that seems to be endemic in the American mindset.

What minorities? Neither standard gender (M/F) is a minority, so I assume either race or religion. I would not expect TAM3 to be well attended by the religious, so I can only assume it is a race issue. If that is the case, then one of the smallest "minorities" was extremely well represented. It was the majority races that were poorly represented.

It makes the argument a little odd when there is a complaint about the majority groups being excluded.

The USA is not the whole world, however much one believes or wants it to be so and does not represent the same mix of people that can be found elsewhere nor the manner in which those peoples mix and are educated.

If you want a better mix, hold the meeting elsewhere. Birmingham or Manchester in the UK would give you attendees of an enormous racial and cultural mix, but probably a bit short on Native Americans and less 'glitz' than its current location. Other members from different countries may know cities of their own that would offer similar diversity.

TAM3 was held in Lost Wages for certain reasons. Those reasons are not particularly wrong and alternatives can be argued, but when you hold a meeting in a pond don't be surprised when it's only the fishes that attend.