Positive, Upbeat Protest

Put off by the image of a protest as one with angry people carrying pickets? Well, then this event may be for you. I've tried the angry-atheist thing before and, believe me, it doesn't work. So, this time, having learned from speakers at the Beyond Belief Convention, especially science authors Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris Mooney, I think we should focus more on trying to improve the public image of science than on education and criticism of creationism (although education will certainly be a part of it). Science has a PR problem and it's our job to do what we can to fix it, locally anyway.

That said, come join me in a "positive, upbeat protest" of the creation museum on their "museum day" event. Bring whatever literature you'd like to distribute. Personally, I'll be recommending my favorite books and documentaries and passing out flyers and booklets on our group, evolution, and science in general. I'm also considering bringing a few science toys/gadgets. Here's what I'll mainly be talking about:

1. Science has saved billions of lives through better crop yields and medicines. Science is also good for the economy.

2. Evolution is just as much a part of science as anything else.

3. Even many conservative Christian authorities believe in evolution and it really shouldn't be offensive to think of yourself as being connected to all life on the planet.

4. Science is cool!

Please think of other things to discuss or pass out and I hope to see all of you science lovers there!

Update: I will bring a sport umbrella for my pickup in case it gets hot. Also, of course the museum will be air conditioned and they won't kick us out if we're nice. Check out the following video and let's see if we can entertain people with cool, safe science demonstrations like Prof. Gizmo does:

http://www.videojug.com/interview/fun-science-demonstrations

Or, Steve Spangler:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gopu5-z38Co&feature=relmfu

Please think of other ways to engage people in science and to get them to understand and appreciate it. Thanks!

Note:

1. I've worked with many creationists and I can honestly say that most of them are not ignorant about science. In fact, Mr. Cantor, the founder of the ministry that runs the museum, started a successful biotech company out of his garage and recently built a state-of-the-art plasma donation center. They're just delusional when it comes to creationism. Let's try to remember that. However, as Sheril Kirshenbaum and Chris Mooney point out, most of the people in this country cannot even name a single, living scientist. So, to sum it up: ignorance certainly plays a role, but there is more variety among even young-Earth creationists than one might think.