Some atheists believe in life after death. Some believe there’s some sort of “energy” that we turn into, that we are reincarnated, or that we become ghosts or spirits, in addition to many other beliefs. There are varying opinions among atheists.

Some atheists do not believe in an afterlife and I am one of them. People are nonbelievers for different reasons. I am an atheist because there’s not enough solid evidence for me to believe in a god. The same thing goes for an afterlife or multiple lives. I think the closest thing there is to still living after death is to live on, in a sense, through what we’ve done. If our work and our words inspire others, then we are kind of still carrying on. If we continue to ‘live’ in the memories of people still alive, then what we’ve done still affects others. There are musicians who only lived until age 27, but their work and personas helped shaped the lives of countless others for years to come. So, while they are dead, part of them ‘lives on’.

So, when people ask, “What’s the inspiration to do good in this life if it’s there’s no heaven or hell?”, that’s part of it. There’s also making sure you meet your goals because this is probably the only shot we get. Also, just being and doing good for goodness’ sake and because you enjoy it in the moment.

The above was a question someone submitted on my tumblr blog. I will start cross-posting certain Q&As to my cherryteresa.com blog.

I was a fan of his work before he drew this back in 2009, so I feel privileged to have been one of his subjects.

Check him out on deviantart and tumblr*!

*some of his tumblr posts are mildly NSFW – not that there’s anything wrong with them, but I’m just mentioning that in case you are actually at work right now.

Let’s also please keep this in mind: Some of you who are jumping to judge other groups because of the Boston bombings may have been unfairly judged after Columbine (looking “goth”, being introverted, listening to rock music, etc). I know students who were unfairly harassed – sometimes even by their own teachers – simply because of their looks or artistic preferences, not based on any valid concerns. Some schools even put into place unjust rules targeting certain groups of students in the name of “security”. Let’s not have this happen after the tragedies that happened this week.

There’s also a disheartening trend of people making unfounded claims that certain victims were just plants or part of a conspiracy. It’s not based on any solid evidence, but just “feelings” that “something just doesn’t add up”. Things won’t add up for a while because information is still being learned and discovered. The victims are real people with emotions, hardships, thoughts, lives, and loved ones. Imagine having your limbs blown off unexpectedly. On top of that already brutal event you endured, there are photos of the most horrific moment of your life being circulated with commentary that you were part of the problem. Can you imagine the psychological suffering this adds to an already terrible situation? Think before you post or repost. If you don’t have time to factcheck something, you don’t have time to repost it. If you have a “hunch” that something may be true, wait for solid, verifiable evidence to come out before you state your case.

Let’s please remember lessons learned from the past and apply that rationale today and in the future.

I’m also thinking about how the Columbine victims have 14 years (and counting) of their lives that they can never get and their loved ones have gone all this time without them. My thoughts are also with the victims of the Boston bombing, as well as the people of that city, who are coping with the aftermath.

I hope that as psychology and neuroscience progress, so will our society as a whole. And maybe some of these tragedies can be prevented.

Huge thanks to everyone involved in helping out Boston, including first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement, and ‘ordinary’ civilians turned heroes.

“Unborn Ghosts”, featuring the spoken word of Richard Dawkins is now on YouTube.

Explanation of the song: http://cherryteresa.com/wp/2013/01/29/new-song-unborn-ghosts.

Runyon Canyon Helicopter Rescue, Feb 18, 2012


I couldn’t find any news stories about this. I did find some posts on LAFD’s Blogspot, which reported that park rangers treated a female hiker in distress, who was later treated by paramedics at the park. No word on why she was later sent by air ambulance, or if it was even the same person.

Here are some photos I took on my hike later that same day:

A big thank you to the emergency and park personnel, whom I think of as unsung heroes.

I mention this because I’ve seen somewhat similar questions asked, and they are immediately responded to in an attacking manner with accusations of ignorance and privilege. This is not to say that one should never point out another person’s privilege when valid, but I don’t like to see this done right off the bat when the person hasn’t been given a chance to hear the explanation.

Of course, with written online interaction, it can be hard to tell tone, so I’m never sure at first if someone is being sarcastic or will come back with an “AHA! Gotcha!” response, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt in these situations.

Anyway… I am interested if anyone knows of any Asian-American/AAPI groups related to humanism, secularism, skepticism, or non-theism. As someone who is new to my city, has never started an organization, and who doesn’t know of many Asian-Americans in those communities, I feel like creating such a group would be very difficult at this point. But I am thinking about the possibility of creating an online community, unless someone can point me in the direction of one that exists already. Creating an online community would still be a challenge to me as well, but at least it would seem more feasible, given that it would include a much wider region than just Los Angeles. I’m mostly discouraged to do this, as I think I only know one Asian-American skeptic (though I haven’t keep a tally, so I could be wrong about that). And, at the same time, that’s part of why I want to do it. I’m guessing there must be more of us out there. I may not get any immediate responses to this post, but perhaps someone will stumble upon this later in a similar search and we can become online friends or collaborators.

Thanks to the American Humanist Association facebook page for the help and to the person who asked the question.

Before I was an all-around skeptic, I was a religious skeptic. I became an atheist while still in elementary school and told no one. I lived in a suburban Midwest town with little religious diversity. I didn’t know the word “atheist” existed. I always heard nonbelievers talked about as being evil, trashy people. It took a while for me to learn that I wasn’t alone in coming to my unbelief for logical reasons and that there are many intellectual freethinkers.

For a while, I felt alone. Then I bought “The Downward Spiral” album by Nine Inch Nails. There was a song that wasn’t a hit or a single, so I wasn’t aware of it ahead of time. It was “Heresy”. The song came on. I heard the lyrics and felt the darkness and anger of the music. It said everything I had been secretly thinking to myself. It got in your face, didn’t mince words, and called out Christianity for the lie that it is. It was angry. It expressed the frustration I had been feeling inside. I felt liberated hearing this. When I listened, I knew that I was “supposed” to feel guilty and scared and switch it off. I’d been taught that relating to something like this was blasphemy – an unforgivable sin that’d land me in hell. I listened to this not caring, knowing that I had really escaped the false belief in a god. Hearing this song made me realize I was no longer afraid, not even deep down inside. I wasn’t alone and I felt like I could connect and let out all of this when singing and moving along to the music. It changed me. I’ll never forget when I first heard it and how amazing that song made me feel. I didn’t know of any other religious doubters and had not talked to anyone about this. I felt like this song was my first atheist friend.

It is still sometimes played in “goth” clubs. Whenever it is, I see a lot of people run to the dance floor and passionately dance to it. I’ll then hear them tell a similar story about how it changed and moved them. It’s a pretty cool thing when that happens. “Heresy” really connects a lot of people to this day, even though it came out in 1994.

Nine Inch Nails “Heresy”

When I was a teenager, I moved on up to the big city (in comparison) of Baltimore. It was much more religiously and racially diverse than Dayton, OH. Along with other religions being represented than just Protestantism, there were more secular, nonreligious, and atheist students at my new schools than what I’d experienced before. I could be open. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t feel evil. It was wonderful.

I started listening to a DC/Bmore radio station called WHFS, which had a retro/flashback lunch hour. They played “Dear God” by XTC. It was another song questioning religion, but it moved me in a different way. It reminded me of being the young girl who wanted desperately to stay a good Christian, but could not because the evidence overwhelmingly pointed to it being untrue. This song still touches me.

XTC “Dear God”

“Jesus He Knows Me” was one that definitely made me think while I still believed in God. It made me question a lot of the problems of religious leaders. At the time, I saw it more as a criticism of the bad preachers and televangelists and not a criticism of Christianity overall. I think the song’s topics were a little ahead of its time. It’s a good one.

Genesis “Jesus He Knows Me”

A song in a similar vein is Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”.

Then along came Marilyn Manson. I think I appreciate MM even more now than I did back then. I was always a fan, but when I think about all the protestors and violent threats the band endured, and the fact that they still carried on and played in some of the most conservative parts of the U.S., I really have a lot of respect. There was especially a lot of controversy after the Columbine tragedy, as MM was a scapegoat, since it was falsely reported that the shooters were fans (as if that somehow would make the band responsible, even if it were true). Many other people would have understandably and justifiably canceled touring, or at least touring in the Bible Belt, but the band toured anyway. I think those parts of the country are where there was a need for that the most. The MM fans in those towns probably felt the most alone and outcasted and greatly appreciated the performance and the chance to meet other likeminded fans in the audience. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that those concerts were life changing for many of them.

He is also a great speaker. Some of his interviews had a positive influence on many people. I worked at a CD store in high school and talked to customers. Many of them were parents who asked my musical advice. We got to know each other more and more over the months and years and I remember some parents not only changing their minds about their kids’ musical choices, but also about their philosophical and religious views, thanks largely to Marilyn Manson’s interviews. I remember a mother who refused to let her child listen to Manson because of his “shocking” appearance and his lyrics that questioned religion. I then remember her saying she saw an interview with him on a news program. She couldn’t believe how well-spoken and intelligent he was and that he was a journalism major. She said his explanation of why he was no longer a Christian opened her eyes. While she was still a believer herself, she understood that her kids listening to this music wasn’t because they were bad people. His interview with Bill O’Reilly is an example of how he can communicate with those of opposing views in a respectful manner.

I was also a big fan of the music coming out of the Pacific Northwest rock scene. Bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, 7 Year Bitch, and Team Dresch had songs related to feminist issues and LGBT issues and some were activists.

7 Year Bitch “Dead Men Don’t Rape”

Liking these bands, along with other punk, indie, and riot grrrl bands led me to reading political literature. The internet wasn’t what it is now and before there were blogs, there were zines that were part of the merged musical and political scenes. I read zines from the Pacific Northwest, along with some European ones, and local ones in DC and Bmore. Some of the topics weren’t so skeptical, like conspiracy theories, but most of what I read was very logical and informational and mostly had pro-science and pro-justice slants to them. They informed me and made me want to get involved and make a change.

Explanation of Privilege – a sociological concept – from Bikini Kill zine:

My point in sharing this is to explain that everyone’s story is different and that each of our journeys begin in different ways. There are different ways to reach out to others, to make a difference, and to express oneself. There are a lot of skeptics who want to get involved somehow, but feel like they have nothing to contribute that hasn’t already been done, or that they don’t have the right credentials to give a lecture or write a book. But not everyone learns or is reached out to in the same way. Some learn through books and academia. Some people like blogs and podcasts. Others like online discussions. Many of us like some sort of combination. But art is a real way to communicate to people and to reach out to those who don’t have others speaking their language to them. I also think it can convey feelings in ways that other forms of media cannot. And it’s not always about convincing new people of new ideas. Expressing oneself through art is an important outlet and helps people who already have certain views because they can relate and feel connected.

I remember when Christopher Hitchens died over a year ago. I reread some of his works and watched some videos. But I found myself listening to this song a lot, as it helped me cope and celebrate his life in ways the other forms of media could not.

IAMX “I Salute You Christopher”

Some artists that are very popular within the skeptical community are George Hrab, Gary Stockdale, and comedian/musician Tim Minchin. They are very talented musicians and quite witty.

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences and let me know the other free-thinking artists I missed.

Firstly, I’m not sure what the message is. Is it that the Vietnamese are aggressive because of their own doing? Is it that things are getting better because of Western influence? I’ve reread this dozens of times and still can’t figure it out. Perhaps he’s trying to state a little of both, but he doesn’t make a clear case for either.

Secondly, there are factual inaccuracies in his article. There are parts of the world, such as northern Vietnam, with some who eat dogs or rats, but they’re not typically a common staple and are often eaten due to hunger and poverty. Brinkley points out that Vietnam has increasing prosperity, but I wonder what his diet would be if he made $1,130 US per year, which was the per capita income of Vietnam in 2010. He states in the article that their per capita income is around $3,400, but I think he may have gotten their GDP confused with their income. Even still, I think most Americans, myself included, would have to alter their diets at that income level. Overall, the Vietnamese are earning more money than in previous decades, but it’s still not even close to what we enjoy. And I’m skeptical of his account that there aren’t animals to be found because they’re going around eating most of them, or that lost dogs are at high risk of never coming home because they’ll be caught and cooked. If so, he should at least cite solid reports that show this to be true.

Thirdly, there are some cultural differences that aren’t necessarily bad things and he’s writing from an Americentric viewpoint. Let’s say that eating certain animals actually does become extremely common in a future Vietnam where they have a very high income level. It would still be hypocritical of me to criticize someone eating one type of animal when I eat poultry and seafood myself. If eating something with a central nervous system is wrong, then it should be wrong across the board, unless valid scientific studies prove otherwise. There are certain animals that those of us in the United States eat which other cultures may find taboo. My mother told me how the younger version of herself living in South Korea would be surprised that she now eats and enjoys turkey here in the U.S. She explained how turkeys are regarded as intelligent, beautiful animals with their majestic feathers. But she realizes that it’s just cultural differences and that many in the U.S. would look at some of her childhood customs as strange as well. There aren’t good explanations of why we feel one animal should be off-limits while others are okay, aside from our cultural upbringings. These cultural differences aren’t necessarily always right or wrong but based on our yardstick. It’s disappointing that a journalist with previous travel experience seems unaware of this.

Fourthly, he doesn’t prove that correlation equals causation. He writes that the Vietnamese are aggressive due to their high protein diets. I question whether their culture is truly aggressive, as he doesn’t make a good case for that. Even if true, I’d like to see the science behind any correlation of protein and aggression. A study was conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation a few years ago showing meat consumption per capita in countries. A version showing the data in order from greatest to least is available here. This does show that Vietnam consumes more meat than some of the neighboring countries he mentioned, but this just shows recent data. The U.S. is number 2 on this list, so I wonder what Brinkley thinks this says about us. Vietnam is 92. And, since this list does not specifically show protein consumption, I looked for studies showing that. The FAO also studied protein consumption from livestock and I have created a worksheet with certain countries and regions.
I have also created a worksheet showing overall protein consumption. The data from these studies do not clearly show a correlation of diet and aggression. Even if they did, they only go as far back as the 1990s, which does not span the full time of Vietnam’s supposed history of aggression, nor would it alone prove cause and effect.

Brinkley was contacted by Jim Romenesko, and his response wasn’t much better. Here’s an excerpt:

…Eating a diet rich in protein will make you more robust than others, in Laos, Cambodia and other Southeast Asian states who eat rice and very little else. After all half of Laotian children grow up stunted, even today. In Cambodia the rate is 40 percent. That means they grow up short and not so smart. Would it also follow that they would be less aggressive than Vietnamese? I think so.

I do believe that one thing he mentions has some validity, but was brought up in an abstruse manner. Using animal parts that have not been scientifically shown to provide any medical value is a waste, and I speak out against pseudoscience, but he doesn’t really go into detail about his opinion on this. Killing rhinos for their horns, which is without benefit, is a waste. It not only unnecessarily kills living animals, but telling people to take it instead of real treatments does harm. But this isn’t practiced in conventional medicine in Asia, and the ones who believe in it often lack proper education or income. This isn’t to say that the whole population is poor and uneducated, but we are afforded opportunities that many others are not. Also, there are Americans and Europeans guilty of believing in all sorts of unproven and disproven alternative medicine, in spite of many of them being educated and having access to quality healthcare and information. I speak out against the harm in this, but I wouldn’t use this as an example of how terrible we are, since it doesn’t reflect us as a whole. And, while it’s easy for me to say that I’d never kill rhinos for their horns, I’m not living in their country, at their income level, with their opportunities. If I were in their shoes, I can’t say I wouldn’t at least consider doing the same thing for purely financial reasons or because I might be misinformed about the supposed benefits. I hope I wouldn’t, but I just don’t know. There are privileges I have that many others do not.

A valid point was made by Pamela McElwee in an interview with Mercury News.

While the World Wildlife Fund has criticized Vietnam’s conservation policies around tigers, rhinos and elephants, weak government enforcement efforts has nothing to do with the consumption of animals like rats and dogs, said Pamela McElwee, an assistant professor of human ecology at Rutgers University and an expert on Vietnam’s wildlife conservation. Animal trafficking, she added, is a problem in many countries.

Brinkley also said in the Mercury News article that the “Vietnamese seem to be particularly sensitive to criticism, like a lot of people around the world”. But it wasn’t just about being offended. It was factually inaccurate and didn’t clearly state an opinion or correlation between diet and behavior. I don’t believe that criticisms of other countries should be completely off-limits but they should be constructive and based on reality. He also seems to imply that since these were things he claims to have seen with his own eyes, that it is proof enough of the accuracy of his reports.

It’s disappointing that he teaches journalism at any accredited educational institution, let alone the highly regarded Stanford. It’s not merely because I disagree with him, but because he isn’t following basic journalistic rules. I’m glad Tribune Media Services kept this article up but added an editor’s note.

Here is my new song, “Unborn Ghosts”, featuring the spoken word of Richard Dawkins. I did this as both a tribute to and a way to share the beautiful words of Dawkins from
Unweaving the Rainbow. As I’ve written about before, I want these words said at my funeral. Actually, now that this song exists, I’d like the song to be played.

Richard Dawkins has so profoundly changed the way that I look at the world – from applying skepticism broadly (not just to religion, like I had done before), to having a much deeper understanding and appreciation of evolution – that he’s actually changed my life.

Barack Obama is of African and European descent. His mother was European-American, his father from Kenya. Some say that since his mother was the one who raised him, he’s “just another White President”. But why do we point out when someone is the first minority of their profession or rank? For example, why did we celebrate when Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman in space? Is it because we think women are physically and intellectually less capable of being astronauts? Unlikely. I celebrate such achievements because they were able to succeed, despite barriers, such as personal and institutionalized prejudices. They were who they were despite probably having more obstacles than their majority peers. They went against what most people would’ve expected from them in a positive way.

Before Barack Obama became famous, when most people saw him, they likely did not see a “White male”. Depending upon one’s perspective, they might’ve seen him as African-American, multiracial, “Black and White”, “other”, “some type of minority”, and many other labels (including races he isn’t), but I doubt many saw him as fully European-American. Of course, perception doesn’t define one’s ancestry. Facts do. But would a racist person give him a pass? Probably not if they’re racist against one of these groups. When he was called racial epithets, did only half of him hear it? Was only half of him hurt by this? If he had been denied opportunities because of his race, did only half of him get rejected, or did all of him? Did society only discourage half of him from running for political office? There are probably some people who did not vote for Obama solely because of his race but may have otherwise supported him. Did they only not vote for half of him?

I’m asking these questions not only to point out that it’s not about whether being any certain race makes one less intellectually or physically capable of being President, but to point out an issue faced by those who are multiracial: Facing the hardships of multiple ethnicities but not fully reaping the ‘rewards’ of any.

I’m multiracial. I’m of Asian, Native American, and European descent. I’m half Korean-American. (I know some people don’t like breaking people’s ethnicities into percentages and fractions, but for the sake of explanation, I’m letting you know). I’ve been subject to racial slurs, physical violence, hate crimes, discrimination, etc. As a kid, I was physically attacked while having racist names and threats yelled at me. It wasn’t only half of me that was emotionally, mentally, and physically affected by this. It wasn’t only half of me who was scared to go to school on some days because of the abuse I’d surely face. When friends told me we had to keep our friendship secret because their parents disapproved of being friends with an Asian-American, it was all of me who felt subhuman. As a teenager, when teachers implied they expected me to be less argumentative, less “punk rock”, and more subdued, it wasn’t only half of me who fought back. People saw me as Asian. Whether they saw me as “full Asian” or “part Asian”, they saw me as part of this ethnic group. If they were racist against Asians, they were racist against all of me. As an adult in the workplace, I’ve even faced some comments that I didn’t meet certain expectations “for an Asian”. (People’s perceptions of my ethnicity in Los Angeles are different, but I’ll get into that another time).

When I was a child, I said I wanted to be President. I was told that it wouldn’t happen. The reasons I was told never mentioned being female. The explanations had to do with being Asian-American. I don’t actually want to be President anymore. It wasn’t a real dream, just something I briefly fantasized about years ago. But if I did become one, and I then didn’t get to become the first Asian-American President because I’m “only half”, I think I’d be upset.

I look at Barack Obama’s triumphs, despite what he likely faced in life and the racist things people to this day call him. On top of all this, I’ve seen comments from some African-Americans who do not accept him as “one of them”. I’m not a public figure, but I can relate. I have faced the hardships of being a minority, yet I’ve met Asian-Americans who do not accept me as “one of them”. And my European-American friends don’t think of me as part of their racial group, either. People sometimes look at being a mix of a minority with European ancestry as an advantage. But, from what I’ve seen, we often get the same disadvantages of being a “full minority” along with not being truly accepted by any ethnic group. We are outcast from the outcasts. No one group really accepts us as ethnically being one of them. All this being said, I wouldn’t change a thing about who I am. I won’t say I’m “proud” of my ethnic background, since it’s just a chance of birth, but I’m surely not ashamed and I like it.

Barack Obama isn’t “just Black”. He’s African-American and European-American. But, to me, he is our first African-American President. This is my opinion, and maybe history will think differently, but regardless of labels, I admire the triumphs he earned despite the obstacles. I also think he’s made other historical firsts in his presidency that have nothing to do with his race. I may not always agree with his actions, but I admire him overall and think he’s a great example of a compassionate and intelligent person of the human race. May he have an amazing second term.