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developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
The Psychological Science of StorytellingIt hit me about two years ago, sometime after I started this blog. Somewhere between the…
Islamic Blasphemy and the “Freedom” to Choose your Own ReligionIn the last few weeks, Muslims from Bangladesh have been going crazy trying to fight back…
Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible ViolinistIf a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? It…
Hamas-Israel Ceasefire Ends as Gaza Schools Drop Sports for Military TrainingI have been following the news regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza that…
Are Vocal Homophobes Really Just Homosexuals in the Closet?Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who…
Why Haven’t We Found the Missing Link in the Fossil Record? Science Answers!War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. -George Orwell If evolution is…
Bollywood Zombies and The Westernization of Indian Pop CultureGo Goa Gone, the first Western-style zombie flick to be made in Bollywood, was just…
Hungary Solves Homelessness by Finding Places for All… in Jail?The brilliant move of Hungary lawmakers to criminalize the act of being a homeless person…
The 2013 Pigasus AwardsEvery year, the James Randi Educational Foundation gives awards to recognize the special…
Did Jesus ‘Want’ to be Nailed to a Cross?I'm pretty sure the answer to the question in the title is "no," but there are many things…
Tag Archives: discrimination
Islamic Blasphemy and the “Freedom” to Choose your Own Religion
In the last few weeks, Muslims from Bangladesh have been going crazy trying to fight back against the critical words of bloggers and other online heretics by violent riots that have so far led to the death of over 30 people. Over 100,000 rioters have been taking to the streets, and the Muslims have been arguing that things have to change for their allegedly secular government. Men must not “mix” with women, and the word of Allah must be brought into the nation’s constitution. And from there… the law against blasphemy can be brought to Western countries. Does that sound about right? It does to them.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Legal Issues
Tagged atheism, Bangladesh, blasphemy, Christian, discrimination, God, Indonesia, Islam, law, Pakistan, religion, Saudi Arabia
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Are Vocal Homophobes Really Just Homosexuals in the Closet?
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. -Dr. Seuss
What is it about homophobes that make them so gay? If this questions sounds controversial to you, then you may need to hear the science behind the answer. New research is showing that there actually is a link between homophobic rhetoric and homosexual tendencies. This article is about the notion that if you’re homophobic, you might just be compensating.
Posted in Culture, Legal Issues, Psychology, Science, Sex and Sexuality, Social Psych
Tagged America, discrimination, homosexuality, Kenya, Libya, Nigeria, prostitution
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Power and Rape – Part 2: How to Create a Breeding Ground for Sex Offenders
As I mentioned in Part 1, rape is tolerated in the military because the acknowledgment of rape in a unit will make that unit look bad, not to mention the military as a whole. Therefore, officials try to sweep such information under the rug. In fact, reporting rape is seen as far worse than actually committing it. Now, let’s focus more on the military culture. Not only is it a culture of rape, but also one of partying – a drinking culture. In fact, no matter where the U.S. servicemen go in the world, it seems like they bring their trouble along with them.
Posted in Japan, Legal Issues, Psychology, Science, Sex and Sexuality
Tagged America, Canada, crime, discrimination, military, rape, sex, sexual harassment
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Power and Rape – Part 1: Rape in the Military is a Career Killer… for the Victim
If you ever wanted to know just how bad “blaming the victim” can get, look no further than the U.S. military. It’s clear that blaming and shaming has gone far beyond just making someone have to live with a stigma that they completely don’t deserve – which is bad enough. Rather, the problem is a systematic denial of justice, a protection of the perpetrator, and an outright pursuit of punishing the victim. If this type of discrimination happened in the public sphere, people would be completely outraged; but what is it about this military culture that allows such behavior to go unpunished?
Posted in Culture, Legal Issues, Medicine & Health, Psychology, Science, Sex and Sexuality
Tagged America, crime, discrimination, homosexuality, military, rape, sex, sexual harassment, stigma
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Iranian Woman Beats Up Cleric After Being Told to Cover Up
Don’t mess with Iranian women. Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Ali Beheshti was just doing his regular religious duties, politely telling an Iranian women to cover herself up. She brashly responded with “You should just close your eyes.” What happened next was a quick escalation. The woman began to insult the cleric, and when he told her to stop, she started threatening him. The woman soon pushed him to the ground and started kicking him while shouting insults at him. Evidently, this cleric picked the wrong ass-kicking Iranian woman to oppress.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Legal Issues, Sex and Sexuality
Tagged discrimination, fashion, Iran, sexism, violence
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Political Satire and Censorship in the Middle East
The Danish cartoons started cultural clashes; riots and embassies burned down to ashes. Still there is hope in the dissident voices; who see beyond jihad more civilized choices.
These words begin the chapter on the Middle East, in the book entitled “The Offensive Art – Political Satire and Censorship around the world, from Beerbohm to Borat.” The book can help us understand what’s happening in the Middle East, with the furor over the pathetically-made video that has gotten Muslims up in arms.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Featured, Legal Issues, Media
Tagged America, cartoons, Denmark, discrimination, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jewish studies, Jordan, newspapers, Saudi Arabia
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If You Study Islam, Be Careful in the U.S.
If you’re studying Islam and you’re going to America, you had better have a squeaky clean record – and even then, you still might get questioned more than a bit aggressively. This is the story of one man who went into the field of Islamic Studies for his PhD, and went through an ordeal that for no reason ended up with him having a permanent record. He was just a regular PhD student from McGill University, and the fact that he had dual American and French citizenship didn’t seem to matter – he was suspicious. Evidently, there’s something wrong with learning more about Islam in America, even when it’s done in Canada.
Posted in Biographical, Culture, Legal Issues
Tagged America, crime, discrimination, education, Islam
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Chaos in the Middle East – Muslims Up in Arms Over Anti-Islamic Film
I stop checking the internet for just a few days and what happens? The Middle East goes absolutely insane. Well, not simply the Middle East, but believers of Islamic persuasion who are up in arms. They’re violently opposing America and all that’s associated with it. Why are they so upset? Another episode of a satirical children’s cartoon, perhaps? Actually, it appears as though what caused this was actually a video that insults the prophet Muhammed. In truth, it’s not so different from a satirical children’s cartoon.
The Sky is Falling over the Rising Sun
If you read past the headline, you should know that I actually believe Japan will be okay, and this post is primarily to make a point. A lot has happened since my last articles regarding the situation here (over a month has passed), and there’s a lot to say (way too much for one post). I will explain more later, but the first thing I want to do is discuss the gravity of the disaster in the same way the foreign media has been doing since the start – focusing entirely on the negative.
Posted in Japan, Media
Tagged chile, discrimination, earthquake, haiti, natural disaster, new zealand
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