An interesting aspect of skepticism is the apparent lack of diversity in skeptical circles. I love skeptic meetings, but it’s hard not to notice that I blend in like a chameleon there; I am white, 42, bearded, have a receding hairline, and I’m a man. There are lots of women at the meetings, which is great– in American society, it’s a common prejudice that women are less skeptical than men. It’s wonderful to see more younger people attending too.
But Blacks, Asians, Hispanics? Very few. I’m not sure why that is, and that’s because I’m white, 42, and an astronomer, and not a social psychologist or historian. But it seems logical that one place to start looking would be the broad cultural differences. In very general terms, cultures that are more religious may be less supportive of skeptical thinking. There are probably factors due to differences in educational opportunities, economics, and even population locations.
I don’t know, but I’m interested. Happily, there are some avenues of inquiry and discovery for people like me (White & Nerdy), like Masala Skeptic, a blog for Indian skeptics. It loosely focuses on that culture (which is in as dire a need of critical thinking as American culture), and, not surprisingly, religion, but there are other topics there too. It’s as group blog, so you can see different styles and opinions on Indian skepticism. It’s worth a look.
Are there other, similar blogs out there dealing with critical thinking among minorities? Pipe up! I bet you could attract the attention of a few other big skeptical blogs.
Skepticism is not the due of just one race, just one group. It is a critical, fundamental need across all cultures, all people. Let’s see if we can help achieve that goal of inclusiveness.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:04 am
It is as I have said in another connection. At least X fraction of the skepticism wars can be attributed to anthro/socio/psycho/emotional factors which include groupthink, orthodoxy, fandom and team sport rather than pure rational critical thinking. Certainly the hysterical response to that suggestion supports that view, and if there was a form of cooruption within that community that would be it. Do we not all bleed?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Surely you meant to link “White & Nerdy” to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw
July 17th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Phil, as a fellow skeptic… okay.. who happens to be white and nerdy too, I’d like to know if you might write a post about my rather new blog, which I have put tremendous work into and which isn’t actually as awesome as yours, but you have to start somewhere, right?
the address would be:
http://www.depletedcranium.com/
July 17th, 2007 at 10:27 am
I am white, 42, bearded, have a receding hairline, and I’m a man.
Who me. Ok 37 in a week but still….
July 17th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I’m going to guess that Blacks, Asians and Hispanics already deal with enough discrimination of their own without having to stand up and say “I think your god is a load of crap”. But us white middle-aged males have to work at being an oppressed and distrusted minority.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:38 am
This might seem like a petty point, but something in the article got me thinking: The article seems to be about skeptics anywhere and everywhere in the world. If that’s the case, why talk about “minorities”? The population of India (for example) hardly counts as a minority, does it?
Or is the article relating to skeptical thinking only within the United States of America?
July 17th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I live in Guadalajara, Mexico. I have a blog on skepticism and critical thinking… in Spanish, of course, so I think I can give something valuable.
There aren’t many active skeptic societies or activists in our region (Spain has the biggest and best connected groups; there are societies of some relevance in Brazil and Argentina), and there is an interesting number of skeptics in the Spanish-speaking Web (at least in Mexico and Spain, you can see self-organized national skeptic blogospheres).
Our relation with the rest of the (skeptic) world is mainly passive: we see Spanish-speaking skeptics referencing and translating resources in English (I’ve done it several times), but the opposite is very rare: I don’t know any skeptic resource in English from a Latin American / Iberian perspective, or about Latin American / Iberian skepticism or pseudoscience. And we have a lot. (What else would you expect for countries where Roman Catholic Church has merged with Amerindian societies during the last 500 years? And you must see what happens when Asian woo meets Latin American woo.)
I have been considering for some time the idea of creating a skeptic blog centered in Mexican themes. Reading your post I see it’s not a bad idea after all.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I almost forgot: most Spanish-speaking skeptics I know / I read are males. It seems it’s something worldwide.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Dave,
re: “minorities”
I remember seeing some blurb about South Africa years ago, something about the lingering social echos of Apartheid. The author (who could only have been American, I surmise) actually used the phrase “Over 90% of South Africa is populated by minorities”. No kidding.
I felt like throwing my monitor out the window.
July 17th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Hi Phil,
I would like to thank you for this blog submission. Although I can’t speak for Latino or Asian Americans, as an African American I’d like to reassure you that Black people are incredibly skeptical – yes very much so.
The only difference between you and probably many of your readers is that the focus of most skeptical Black people is that our critical thinking points in other more immediate issues that affect our daily lives: we’re skeptical of most inner-city police officers, we’re skeptical of predatory credit unions, we’re skeptical of politicians who swing into inner-city neighborhoods take a few photos and give speeches around election time only to disappear after the ballots have been counted. And mixed in with that skepticism is the frustration of walking home through more affluent neighborhoods but noticing that people feel nervous walking near you; or being frustrated when HipHop rappers get more acting roles than classically trained Black actors who went to acting school; or being frustrated when people call you articulate (even though I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in political science).
Beyond that type of cultural-specific skepticism: I also believe in natural selection, disbelieve in intelligent design, need tough evidence when it comes to UFO claims, and a hatred of faith healers and psychics. I tip my hat to you Phil and James Randi as well.
Regards,
Corey
July 17th, 2007 at 11:13 am
[...] Phil, but there’ll be no debunking of this, your skeptism won’t serve you here. No Siree, [...]
July 17th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Reggie Finlay of the Infidel Guy and The Debate Hour podcasts (http://www.infidelguy.com/) has been leading a portion of the skeptical community for over eight years now. He’s both black and an Army Vet which has to put him in a couple minority positions
July 17th, 2007 at 11:48 am
“I am white, 42, bearded, have a receding hairline, and I’m a man.”
How can you see me through my monitor? That’s spooky.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I think what aiabx said “…But us white middle-aged males have to work at being an oppressed and distrusted minority” hits the spot! As I don’t live in USA (I live in Greece and I am a white male btw) I don’t know what sceptics have to face there but sceptic circles and sceptic meetings? I always being sceptical about terms and groups like these! Are all the people attending them truly sceptical or you can find a minority that just nods and says “u-huh, yeah, that must be it!”? Because one can sefely assume that these groups can potentialy attract people not truly sceptical but anti-creationists, anti-psychics or anti-whatever. I really don’t know if this may be the case, but I am curious to find out…
July 17th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
If you were 42, bearded, and a woman, you could have a carnival job.
Virtually all the skeptics I know (this includes me) are bearded males
in their 40′s. I guess it’s a kind of uniform…at least in Western Canada.
Cheers!
July 17th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I am female and Asian and dropped science subjects like physics and chemistry the soonest I can. Guess that makes me a minority here? Nonetheless, I am from an Asian country where religion (of all types – Christianity, Islam, Buddhism etc etc) are taken very seriously. Atheists like us often joke that we are the ones who are discriminated against! But I don’t think we have any skeptic society or organisation around though I must say.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I knew it, I’m a freak. White middle aged man, but I don’t have a beard! Oh, the shame.
July 17th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I am currently a white male skeptic who has just turned 30 which means that I was a twenty-something skeptic. Sorry, old guys, but you’re not the only ones out there
.
Phil: What is your exposure to the skeptical public at large? Is it only at these conferences? Maybe the more accurate question would be why do white men seem to dominate conferences?
Would a reader poll strictly for scientific purpose as to the ethnicity of the body of your readers be hugely inappropriate?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I’m male, 42, have also a receding hairline but I’m not bearded. I live in México and like MartÃn Pereyra I have a skeptic blog. I’ve known MartÃn for a long time, although not personaly, but now that he talks about it, I would really like to contribute with something far more elaborate that just a blog, I think he speaks for most of the skeptics in México in this thread at least.
And yes, there’s a lot of cultural and religious resistance in my country against skepticism… I, for one, try to spread a little skeptic thinking all around me, with friends, parents, and colleagues. But that’s not enough. We should organize in some way. Way to go Phill! I hope that something good comes out of this post.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Ops! I meant “Phil” :S
July 17th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
I’m a man. But – no beard, not white, and in my 60′s. Guess its time to go to church, buy “The Secret,” and start investing in free energy….
July 17th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
o.k. I’m going to shave now!
July 17th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
I turn 42 on Friday. Other than that, I seem to fit the model well.
Perhaps it’s because, statistically, a sort of average young to middle-aged white man is sufficiently comfortable in his life that he can spend time thinking about such things?
July 17th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
What about Reggie Finley, a.k.a. the Infidel Guy? He’s got a blog at http://www.theinfidelguy.com, but he’s also go his internet show.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
How did a conversation about the ethnic homogeneity of the skeptical movement drift to whether or not a poster has a beard and a receding hairline?
(sigh)
The point is this: the potential for critical thinking can be found in all ethnic groups. Having an honest and open discussion about ways of expanding or including those folks typically missing from the traditional skeptical movement can be a healthy and productive thing. Despite visual or cultural differences, you would be surprised how curious the rest of the world can be.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I should have mentioned: Reggie blogs at Masala Skeptics as well.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Thanks for the plug, Phil! I guess I better start blogging more now – oh the pressure!
Trying to learn more about diversity in skepticism has been an interesting challenge. You’re right about Reggie Finley – he’s contributed as a guest blogger on my blog and has been spreading skepticism in the African American community for many years.
Oh, also, if anyone is interested in contributing to my blog, please contact me via the website – I’m always looking for guest bloggers!
July 17th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
White female in my 40s (we don’t need to get precise here), definitely geeky. I don’t have a skeptics blog but I like to follow the good ones and I often link to them in my blog. Will be checking out the ones listed above. Thanks.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Yep, it’s the same demographic in Australia as well, generally white retired males with beards. I can usually pick which people walking down the street will turn into the Skeptics event.
In my state in the last 10 years I’ve been involved, there have been no regulars at our events who have not been white. Every blue moon someone asian or middle eastern will attend, but despite their interest, they rarely return. I think this is because for the main part people attend Skeptics events, not entirely for “The Glorious Cause” but to find some sense of community with like-minded people. It’s a lot harder to feel a sense of community when you are blatantly different.
From my experiences travelling and having friends in South East Asia, that region certainly seems steeped in *multiple* religions and superstition, so I’d think that would be a factor, but I don’t feel that totally explains the issue.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I have a very cursorial exposure to the Hispanic subculture, but it seems to me it is very much Roman Catholic dominated, and it has a high work ethic but doesn’t value education as much as say the Asian or White cultures do. Along with larger family sizes (which doesn’t give much time for lazy pursuits like skepticism) the education factor and religious zealotry probably go a long way to stifling any skeptical movements in the immigrant population and more so abroad.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:34 am
Does a goatee count as bearded?
Seriously though, although I am white; coming from an Armenian ethnic background, I could honestly say that even though there are many non-religious Armenians, very few will openly admit to atheism. It comes down to a cultural taboo of atheism being associated with immorality. Skepticism, although heavily leaning towards authority and social systems, very rarely translates to empirical thinking and scientific reasoning. Ultimately, my guess is that it will take time for certain ethnic groups to experience the zeitgeist of those of us in the skeptical community. With educational opportunities and the erosion of social stigmas, most people will come around. We will soon have a cornucopia of skeptical, follicularly challenged and geeky rationalists spearheading a new social revolution.
July 18th, 2007 at 1:44 am
CQT: Regarding those politicians, some don’t even come to make those election speeches…or debates I should say. from Mike
Brian T: I am an American living here in South Africa (for 9 years now), and yes white male. If it was an American who made that comment, it surprises me, because I feel very much like the minority here. Whoever wrote does sound extremely arrogant, huh?
I must say this country desperately needs a huge dose of skepticism. I have met only a few skeptics of any color, but the black cultures are still extremely superstitious/religious. Please don’t take that to mean all people here are. There are some extremely intelligent and gifted people here that are world class thinkers in many fields. While I am on the subject of brilliant people, I would like to wish Nelson Mandela a happy 89th birthday today.
(Phil may be intersted in this)
We also have SALT, the largest telescope in the southern hemisphere (just google it, there is too much to link to). I caught a bit of the launch speech of SALT by President Thabo Mbeki on the radio. I desperately tried to find a particular part of the speech later because it filled me with hope. Since I did not find it, I will summarize. President Mbeki mentioned that the telescope represented a scientific victory and we should turn away from fantastical thinking and trust in science. Sorry, that is very loose, but I can’t remember his words. I will look again, because it was a real gem.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:19 am
>>> “Over 90% of South Africa is populated by minoritiesâ€.
Maybe he was talking about tribal/ethnic divisions? That would make the Zulus the majority, I think. But that doesn’t jive with the 90%.
I think “minority” has almost taken on a generic meaning in the USA as “of non European decent”.
A black engineer I work with likes to call himself a “Chicago-American”.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:31 am
Another white 42-year-old bearded receeding-hairline male here. Scary.
On diversity, my wife grew up in China where media and news were all controlled by the central government. As a result, she and virtually all of her college friends back in China are raving skeptics about everything they hear from any media source! So, China and countries with similar governments are spilling over the brim with highly skilled critical thinkers.
In my wife’s case, her skepticism is so inate that she would never consider it a conscious thought process, nor would she explicitly identify herself as a skeptic. She finds it very liberating to be able to conduct her own thoughts in this country without anyone telling her what she is supposed to think (recruitment efforts from local chinese language churches notwithstanding).
The ability not to be legally required to entertain thoughts she is skeptical of is her liberation, and that’s all she needs. She would never feel the personal need to show up at a skeptic meeting. (I would likely have a blast at such a thing myself. Oh, well — maybe I’ll “bach.” it someday if they ever have one in Portland.)
July 18th, 2007 at 3:36 am
“An interesting aspect of skepticism is the apparent lack of diversity in skeptical circles. … Blacks, Asians, Hispanics? Very few. I’m not sure why that is … it seems logical that one place to start looking would be the broad cultural differences. ” (BA)
From Europe’s point of view it is shocking how the American (US) culture is so un-skeptic. Whenever we look for examples about people with foolish believes (I mean UFOs, Big Foot, etc…) it is always the credulity of a big chunck of the US population that shocks us. When we are told that there are school boards even considering teaching creationism or other religious pseudo science in the schools… I mean, that only can happen in the US.
I’m Spanish, I’m an atheist but most my friends and family are believers. In Spain most people consider themselves religious (Catholic) but very few believe in the virginity of Maria, and none that I have never met would say that Adam and Eve is something else but a tale, for example (although I’m sure there must be some).
So rather than asking why there are so few black, hispanic, indian… skepticals, you could ask your self what is in the US society that makes most of its citizens believe in Creationism for example.
By the way, I’m 42, white… and yep, haven’t shaved in two weeeks
July 18th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I am married to a Filipina and have lived in those islands and my observations of the third world reduce this question to its utmost simplicity. When you are very, very poor, you do not try to stand out in your community. You struggle to get along. Hunger is the dominant concern. A relative of ours recently died of hydrophobia because the money he was given for treatment of the dog’s bite went for food instead. As for the more educated, who are about as skeptical as any well-educated strata, they will often appear to be very religious for reasons having to do with business, profit, and politics, not necessarily because they sincerly believe the unbelievable. Skepticism is a luxury that we can enjoy because we do not have to worry nearly so much about our condition or status.
July 20th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I’m white, male, bearded in my late 40′s and atheist. However, I’m blue-collar,
an Army vet and have no degree. Does that put me in a skeptic minority?
July 24th, 2007 at 7:33 am
Oops…
BA: “not the due of just one race”
Huh? Race? You mean that socially develloped concept of categorizing humans without any scientific evidence* whatsoever?
That from your mouth… sorry: keyboard… I am puzzled.
(39, “white”, beard and hair [and skin, occasionally] shaped and coloured according to performance needs)
*AFAIK…
August 4th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Just checking wikipedia, I notice that the most widely-spoken first language in South Africa is Zulu, spoken by just over 20% of the population. So if language is a useful proxy for ethnicity then I would guess that considerably over 90% of the population of SA is from ethnic minorities. I would even hazard a guess that the exact figure is 100%.
August 21st, 2007 at 7:33 pm
I’d say a lack of interest in science amongst those minorities.
Black intellectuals for example tend to almost invariably be historians and sociologists and things like that. Quite often from a black perspective too rather then a general one. Whilst I am sure there are black astronomers, on the whole astronomy doesn’t seem to have much of a role in african-american culture. I think that to many blacks because of the socioeconomic position many of them have, it wouldn’t occur to seriously to many of them to become scientists to begin with.
I do really think they should though. I think black america needs to have scientist representatives as succesful rolemodels.
No asians baffles me. That I don’t understand at all. I’d expect them to be there. I can’t see why not. Sure, there’s differences between whites and asians, but they are smaller I think then between whites and other minorities. Unless maybe their like… very traditionalistic asians. Either way though. I dunno… maybe they have their own skeptic meetings or something?
As for the hispanics… Again the socioeconomic thing. But also the strong catholic influence on hispanic culture. And the extended family bonds they have. Skeptics there would not want to speak up so as not to offend heavily religious family patriarchs and matriarchs and get ostracized from their families.