Skeptical Volunteerism
Like many others, I am just returning from The Amazing Meeting 7 – TAM has evolved over the last few years into the premiere meeting of the skeptical movement. I know there are many people who wanted to attend but could not, so for you I will point out that this year the JREF experimented with Ustreaming part of the conference. So you can get a dose of TAM skeptical goodness from the comfort of your computer screen.
But, I must say, for me the best part of these meetings is just being in a room with a thousand skeptics, some of whom are friends that I only get to see once or twice a year, including my fellow Skeptologists. There is also an energy to live meetings that, in my opinion, cannot be matched online.
It also struck me this year that many attendees approached me to ask what they can do to contribute to our efforts and the skeptical movement as a whole. They feel the energy of this growing movement and want to be part of it.
Fortunately, Daniel Loxton, editor of Junior Skeptic, has already taken the time to answer this question. He wrote a book called “What Do I Do Next?” which includes 101 ways to contribute to the skeptical movement. He interviewed many activist skeptics and included their answers in his list of what skeptics can do. They include many obvious answers – like organize a local skeptical meet-up group or help an existing one, start a blog or (if you are ambitious) a podcast, investigate some local paranormal claims and report on them, and you can send an e-mail of support to skeptologists@newrule.com saying you want this kind of skeptical content on the air.
There are also some not-so-obvious answers – like organize a group tour of a science museum. Perhaps the most challenging answer Daniel gives is to explore new frontiers for skepticism. Find new ways that no one has thought of yet to spread appreciation for science and critical thinking.
I think it is important to consider what it is you enjoy doing and where your skills and talents lie. If you can do anything, chances are there is someone or some organization in the skeptical movement that can use your skills. We need computer programmers, graphic designers, artists, writers, experts in every scholarly field, journalists, teachers, marketing and PR experts, fundraisers, grant writers – any many more. This blog and The Skeptologists only exist because Ryan Johnson decided to contribute his time and video production expertise to skepticism.
We also need volunteers who do not have to have anything but an interest in skepticism. There is a ton of online and local activism that anyone can do. The media and our politicians need skeptical feedback, and if you are reading this blog you can send an e-mail (although some argue that a handwritten letter or phone call has more impact).
One TAM attendee came up to me this weekend to tell me that we inspired him to join his local school board. He lives in Alabama, and in his town there are evolution disclaimer stickers in the textbooks and corporal punishment of students is accepted. Because of the skeptical movement, he is now fighting in the trenches for science and reason.
The best thing about TAM and similar meetings is that they remind me of how much energy there is in grassroots skepticism. We may be an intellectual minority, but we are increasingly having an impact. And any individual can contribute.
Four months ago Derek Bartholomaus decided he wanted to contribute to the skeptical movement. He found a niche – an issue that he cared about, and started the Jenny McCarthy Body Count website. He brought no special skills to this project, just his passion. Three days ago he sat on a panel at TAM7 in front of a thousand people to discuss the anti-vaccine movement and received the loudest applause from the audience when introduced.
It does make one wonder where this community and the things it does will end up, and what it could achieve and change.
I too feel that it is spreading in some way or another.
It could be confirmation bias but… when paranormal things happen and people talk to me about them, like the Michael Jackson ghost, I’m not afraid of looking at them with a “C’mon, really?” anymore. Before, it was just “hmm…really?” *raises eyeborws*.
it was precisely the SGU that made me do a presentation on crop circles and paintings with ufos for my class. We could pick any subject and my group went ahead with paranormal. Two of them tackled their parts in a “oooh, spooky, huh?” way. Another was sort of in between me and them. And I was the one who tried to tell people to be careful about these things before they jump into believing them.
I picked the aliens and given my recent (at the time) discovery of the SGU and the skeptical mindset, I tried to put seeds of doubt in my classmates.
I would do it much better now, simply due to experience with these things since then.
And I’m constantly telling people “You should be more skeptical of that” and I’m always talking about the lack of critical thinking, because I really do think it underlies a LOT of things.
I’m a young skeptic and what I’m currently not sure about is how active I should be. Paranormal claims are always coming up, and as a future doctor I never know how to respond. Each time this happens I want to unload an arsenal of skepticism on my victims, but I don’t want to be seen as some sort of skeptic-winged wack job out to get any non-scientist.
Pertaining to you’re blog post, though, I still think it’s ok to be skeptical towards the person claiming the paranormal or pseudoscienctific each time. But like you said, it’s better to plant seeds and refrain from being overly aggressive.
Skeptologists face the crumudgeon label in today’s PC world where the respect for diversity and other peoples “beliefs” have come to be interpretted as a license to disregard facts. Hard to count the number of times that some version of “it’s a free country and I can believe what I want” is thrown up when one, even gently, points out the flaw in a particular position. Pyramid building aliens, biblical end times, miracle cures, or vast conspiracy, it’s so much easier just to sit at the dinner table with your mouth shut and smile. “Saw it on Oprah”, or “read it in the paper”, or even was “taught it in the classroom” so it must be true. The clebrity authority outweighs what one’s own brain might be saying. So and so is on TV, so they must be right.
The skeptic movment needs to be about teaching our fellows to think, critically, for themselves. Go ahead and start an argument at dinner.
I agree. I started a Skeptical movement in my city. It is the Minot Skeptical Society. And we have a blog. We cite all the good skeptic sites. We have monthly meetings. We have gotten op-ed published in our local paper. The interesting thing to note, that since we have been doing this (1 year in september) the amount of BS in the paper has gone down. We have found a great number of like thinking people in the community. More people say lets do more. We sell t-shirts and mugs to raise money for goodies at meetings and to help in the future, hopefully bring skeptical heros to town to give talks. We have simply said enough is enough BS, it needs to be exposed.
I felt somewhat isolated in everyday life. Surrounded by believers, one must bite their tongue often so as not to ostracize colleagues and those around you. Most people know me as a skeptic, but do not really grasp the entire concept. Let’s face it, the skeptical movement often treads on the toes of the beliefs that many cling to to get through the day (I am paraphrasing one of the TAM speakers).
Being at an event like this allows for networking with like-minded people. The reception on Thursday night allowed for some of this to happen. We all had name tags that stated our home towns. While mingling with fellow skeptics, I just happened to meet 2 guys from my area. Turns out, we work in the same field and know the same people. They, also, were pleased to find out that there was at least someone else in their local community with similar world views. We exchanged e-mails and will likely start a meet-up group in the local area. I know someone, not at TAM, and they knew someone, again not at TAM, who likely would want to join as well.
Suddenly, the local community seems a bit larger.
I encourage the ‘isolated skeptics’ out there to attend TAM in the future.
“We are not alone” (cue X-files music).
I will be seeking you out at NECSS to talk to you about this. Great post. I live in a hyper-Christian area; we even have the KKK in town. Even my political signs only last a day on my lawn. I’m venturing out of my area (Berks County, PA) to NYC this weekend, though, to meet some other skeptics for the first time. Don’t know where I’d be without the online world/podcasts. See you there!