Secular/Skeptical/Science Organizations : My Judgement

Yesterday I was very lucky to be able to interview my friends, the Rational Response Squad leaders Brian Sapient and his sweetheart Kelly.

I love the Rational Response Squad and think they provide a very important service that was needed, is needed, and will continue to be needed until the day finally arrives that the United States is a secular country. Even then, the Rational Response Squad has been lovingly embraced in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, so if anything I am underestimating the service that they provide.

The thing about the Rational Response Squad is that they are unique. Another word for unique, which is used in business, is niche.

I have heard a story about Malcom X and Martin Luther King. I don't know if the story is true, but it makes my point nicely.

I am told that Martin Luther King had a regular practice of telling the establishment of a city (which would not have even met with Malcom X) that they could deal with him now or have to deal with Malcom X later.

This is a wonderful strategy, and has been the reality of countless political movements since time immemorial.

In this example I am likening the Rational Response Squad to Malcom X.

Malcom X told black people, in a time in which they were being lynched on a regular basis, "If a man puts his hand on you send him to the graveyard!"

Malcom X encouraged black people to form rifle clubs.

Malcom X created environments in which black people could feel proud and empowered, and gave countless blacks who did not have the stomach for dealing so closesly with the enemy or people who were on the fence, and outlet for their feelings and energy.

Yet none of us could deny that Martin Luther King Jr. represented the flagship of the Civil Rights movement.

The hindsight of history shows us that Martin Luther King's patience, tireless work, and sacrifice to deal effectively with mainstream society is what actually got the Civil Rights movement as far as it did. A movement which is not yet won.

The term I used was carefully chosen. The term is FLAGSHIP.

F-L-A-G-S-H-I-P

Get that word clearly in your mind.

I know its easy to scan blogs and miss something important, so here, just one more time:

FLAGSHIP.

What do I mean by flagship, I mean one organization, which is effective with the mainstream, government, academia, and business.

There are a lot of contenders for that, let me list some:

1.) Secular Student Allience

2.) Freedom From Religion Foundation

3.) American Humanist Association

4.) Atheist Allience International

5.) American Atheists

6.) Institute for Humanist Studies

7.) Americans United for the Seperation of Church and State

8.) Union of Concerned Scientists

9.) Scientists and Engineers for America

10.) National Center for Science Education

11.) Skeptic Society

12.) James Randi Educational Foundation

13.) Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason

14.) The Unitarian Church

15.) Institute for the Secularization of Islamic Society

16.) International Humanist and Ethical Union

17.) World Pantheist Movement

18.) World Union of Deists

19.) The Brights Net

20.) American Secular Union

21.) The Atheist Agenda

22.) Chruch of Reality

23.) The Humanist Institute

24.) Secular Coalition for America

25.) The Center for Inquiry

I have focused this list to the United States and International Organizations which are active in the United States.

If I extended this list to all countries it would more than  double.

I have also excluded countless local organizations like the ones in my area which I am active with.

My friends at the Rational Response Squad would probably ( though I am just guessing) say this is great! The more the merrier.  Thats right! The RRS loves all you guys, you should consider returning the sentiment.

Thats because they are very kind, and cool, and they are doing something that none of these other groups are doing, which is serving a section of the population which is for all intents and purposes out of the reach of those above groups. It is the only reason that I did not include them in that grotesquely long list.

I think that list is a problem.

I think there are groups like the Rational Response Squad which fill a niche, and those groups are awesome and deserve nothing but our support.

I think the groups on that list are, for the most part, doing the same exact thing with varying concentration.

Most of the above organizations compete for the same sector of the populace for donations, volunteers, and general support.

This is a problem.

Now,

, I do not believe that we should have some kind of arena fight in which all these wonderful organizations try to kill teach other until only the best one is left and all others are soaked in their own blood and tears.

I think we probably need more than one of the above organizations. For example the James Randi Educational Foundation, has gotten extremely good at what they do and no one wants to take over some of the tasks they have perfected in their public service. Likewise, the National Center for Science Education focuses primarily on the battlefield of the classroon as pseudoscientists pass legislation for "equal time" for their nonsense.

While other organizations above also attack woo and poor education, these two are probably the best at it.  Most would probably agree.

I also think all skeptical, secular, or science activists are heroes. I think they are living life as it should be lived, and that their virtue is comming out their pores.

But I do think that the list is just too fucking long!

What I suggest is a great movement of consolidation of the above organizations into a giant flagship. Where we concentrate support to win major victories in the mainstream.

Organizations like the Rational Response Squad, who are doing intellectual guerilla warfare in the parts of society normally out of reach need their more mainstream counterparts to win in the greater society.

If there is anything that I have become convinced of it is that there are many, many, many more of us than I ever imagined.

The people who are already giving money should think very hard about the argument that I have presented. The people who are already volunteering should think very hard about the argument that I have presented.

For the rest of us I only ask, why are you not active?

If you are someone who has a strong libertine streak and needs to be free to be profane and proud and strong, allow me to recommend the Rational Response Squad, they are the only home that many of us could ever have.  My punk rock tendencies definitely have found a home among these wonderful people. As I said in the interview, only the Rational Response Squad could have given us Greydon Square.

However, for the rest of you, those of you who prefer NPR to the local rap and rock stations. Those of you who know the difference between the opera and the symphony. Those of you who probably make above $50,000 per year. Those of you who have to wear a tie every day, you need to take some responsibility for the society you live in. You need to pull out your check book, scan the above list, find which of these groups you most like, and give them some motherfucking money.

Thats it.

Thats my judgement.