Where are the African / Asian chasers?

[Tim Vasquez]

A question I received today from a UK production company got me thinking. They were looking for some chasers to profile, with the hopes of showing some diversity, with females and different ethnicities.

So I want to ask: where are all the non-Caucasians? Having seen the steady stream of people in the field I think it's gotten really, really "white" out there on the Plains.

Now the meteorology programs do have some ethnic diversity, but why doesn't chasing share this? Is there something about the storm chasing mindset that doesn't click with other cultures? Are other ethnicities more pragmatic about spare-time activities and spending time with family?

On the other hand, a lot of rural areas on the Plains are certainly known to be extremely conservative, maybe even xenophobic about other cultures, so I can understand some people having apprehension about breaking down or meeting the wrong people on those remote stretches.

Any thoughts here?

Tim

 

[Bill Hark]

Tim, that's a good question. I have wondered about that myself. I don't think that is because of worry about breaking down in rural Great Plains.
Storm chasing is expensive. That may rule out some people but it still doesn't explain the lack of other ethnic groups especially Asians. Occupations and studies that can be related to storm chasing (ie computer science, mathematics, journalism, meterology etc.) are all more diverse. I e-mailed a few of my non chase friends. I am looking forward to reading other responses.

Bill Hark
http://www.harkphoto.com

 

[Blake Michaleski]

We had a black guy in our major for a while and I was chatting with him one day about chasing and he said I was crazy. So I asked him why he wouldnt want to chase. and he told me this: "Black people are scared of bad weather". His words, not mine.

Every time a little storm would come through town he would call me from inside his bathroom asking if a tornado was coming. :lol:

I'd laugh and tell him all was good and even invited him to come out and shoot lightning with us at night downtown.

Again, those were his words, not mine. :wink:

 

[Jeff Wear]

I think the demographics of chasing might closely reflect the viewership of channels like PBS, Discovery, The Learning Channel, National Geographic, etc. I bring this up because most people who have begun chasing the past 20 years have developed an interest in chasing based on something they've seen on TV.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Actually... I saw an african-american chaser for the first time on May 11. He was driving a 4 door sedan solo with OU and MSU stickers on it. I forget what the license plate was, but it was definetly wx. At OU, I would say 95% of the undergrad are white, 5% latino/part latino. Grad student wise, it is pretty much whites and asians.

Aaron

 

[Warren Eckels]

Perception rules

The Great Plains are not particularly noted for anti-black racism, though vast stretches of chase country have very few African-Americans. But if I were black, I'd probably feel safer in rural Kansas than rural Indiana.

A random sample of people from the states that produce the most chasers would yield very few African-Americans. In the states where most chasers hail from, African-Americans tend to live in or near large cities, which bodes ill for chasing in itself. Factor in income disparities and the proportion of blacks falls again.

To this, add widespread suspicions among African-Americans that some cops are out to get them for DWB (driving while black). Even if only one rural cop in 100 is racist, travelling 4,000 miles is an excellent way to make that racist's acquaintance.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

From my experience in the southern plains (in the sticks), it is disturbing how many still have "race" issues. Stopping at gas stations etc, I've heard some interesting things that have simply appauled me.

Coming from N. IL where I went to a public school district that had a larger population of combined minorities than white, tolerance and equality was the norm. Most of the reading in classes centered on awareness of other cultures. Granted, people still hung out in their own groups, but I can never recall any racial issues... or people making racial slurs from the heart.

That said, I believe the main reason there aren't many black chasers out there is because of a general lack of interest in meteorology.

Aaron

 

[Gabe Garfield]

I definitely believe a lot of it is related to culture. My upbringing encouraged me to be interested in weather (not to mention the fact that I grew up in tornado alley)...many trips to the library on lazy summer days, the emphasis on science and math at my high school, etc.

I think, culturally speaking, a lot African Americans are encouraged (by their upbringing) to be involved in athletics or some form of the arts. I remember growing up with some black kids who would just run circles around us when we played outside...they were very talented athletically, so I imagine their gift greatly influenced their college/career choice (not to say they weren't smart--just to say they had unusual athletic talent). Of course, not all African Americans are athletes, but on the whole, their culture encourages athleticism (and their culture is different, political correctness aside).

So, really, I think people go in the direction of location/culture/talent, with an emphasis on location. I imagine I wouldn't have wanted to become a meteorologist (I am myself a white/Latino mix) if I had not grown up in Oklahoma. However, a tornado event in my hometown (Stillwater) piqued my curiosity...and since my environment was already favorable for pursuing an interest in science, that event became the catalyst to send me in the direction I am still going.

Gabe

 

[joel ewing]

Guys........we're all bombarded with politics and political correctness 24-7. So now some of you want to inject it into chasing. "Looking mighty white out there"...you say??
That statement makes me sick. It disgusts me to no end. Please.......keep politics out of this endeavor.

 

[Glen Romine]

Yeah - this is a hot button issue - but one that I think is reflected both professionally and recreationally. The field of Meteorology is dominated by male caucasians, chasing even more so. I would agree that there is probably some reason for minorities to be hesitant to cruise around rural America west of the Mississippi River - certainly there are a number of locales where diversity is lacking, and they may find themselves quite unwelcome even in this day and age. I recall stopping in a small town in Arizona once where the locals there made it crystal clear it was a 'whites only' community. I'm sure there are many others. Also, I'd agree that there is likely a cultural aspect, science is historically a 'white' and 'Asian' activity in our society. For those who watch Storm Stories, is there much diversity there? It's pretty tough to find diverse role models in this field or any science. I would, however, disagree that it is monetary 'class' separation - in fact most chasers I suspect are generally poor. Expensive hobby - but not many well-to-do chasers that I have met (I know, there are a few). My feeling is that this also stems from the hobby of chasing emerging from deep personal experiences with severe weather - and that impact is likely strongest if you live in a small community, and if that community is in the plains where severe weather is more frequent - you are probably a caucasian.

Glen

 

[nickgrillo]

I haven't seen many black people in meteorology... And NONE in chasing, so far. Why aren't there more black people in chasing? I dunno, maybe it's because for some reason this hobby doesn't appeal to many black people. I mean, why aren't there more white rappers, etc.? :lol:

I have indeed seen a few Mexican people, and I saw a couple Asian people on the road, as well, this year...

 

[fplowman]

I have chased a couple of times with a chaser from Mizzou whom is black. He is a pretty nice guy. I remember thinking "Hey there arent alot of black chasers" and thought to myself he may be the only one, that I know of anyways.

 

[joel ewing]

Glenn......where in Arizona did you experience this "whites only" attitude? And approx. what year was it??
From all the years I've been chasing...I've found most chasers to be a good bunch of people overall. Yes, there are some over-inflated egos...but I've found that this is exhibited generally by younger guys, who will probably mellow as they gather more age and life experiences. There are also a whole lot of fun people....and the type of fun folks that I really enjoy....guys and gals willing to push the envelope a bit in pursuit of their passion. To me.....nothing's more rewarding than after a chase to run into a group of other chasers in a dingy little bar next to the motel and swap chase stories while swilling a few beers. It's the best!
All this being said...I plead with you all on bended knee....please consider keeping the politics / political correctness out of chasing. Let this forum die a natural death...then run a stake thru it's heart.
I believe that experiencing a severe thunderstorm grow from infancy to maturity, with all it's attendant sounds, smells, and sights, provides more than enough visual stimuli to keep a person occupied. It's too bad though, that some folks watching this incredible opera also feel the need to take a racial headcount of the others around him / her.

 

[Darren Addy]

Would it be fair to say that most of us were introduced to storm chasing by a friend? (There seems to be a fair amount of "can I ride along and learn" among us newbies.) So perhaps the answer is that caucasian storm chasers are not talking about or inviting friends of other ethnicity to the activity (perhaps because they don't HAVE any/many). I think THAT is where it starts.

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

 

[Jesal Patel]

I'm a newbie chaser and about to go on my first chase vacation to the plains this Monday. I also am an ethnic minority in this country being east Indian. At the same time I was born and raised in Indiana and refer to myself as an American when I am abroad.

I have only been through the plains once. It was last year when I was driving through Kansas on I-70 to go backpacking in Colordao. Unfortunately, my experience driving through was not so pleasant. I was pulled over twice in Western Kansas within two hours of each other. The first time I admit was purely justifiable since i was driving 10 miles/hour over speed limit. The officer was cordial and gave me the ticket which I deserved. Having got one ticket already I was making sure that I was driving under the speed limit the rest of the trip. About two hours later farther into western Kansas a polic car comes up next to my car, the officer looks at me and my friend who also happens to be Indian and then pulls us over. He comes up to us and tells us we were swerving our car (which I do not believe we were) and wanted to make sure we weren't intoxicated. Meanwhile another cop car comes as well to the scene. Both officers converse and then ask us if we have any drugs or weapons in our car and then make us step out and search us and the vehicle. It was quite an intimidating situation. After going through our bags in the trunk and looking through the car they let us drive on without incident.

I think one can make many conjectures on why we were stopped and searched. Was it because we were both two 24-year olds driving a nice car? Was it because we looked different than most people who live in west Kansas? Did they think we were potential terrorists? Or maybe the police officer really beileved we were swerving the vehicle? Regardless the reason, I'm not sure I would want to chase in the plains byself, especially in backroads. Its a very unnerving feeling to be powerless and at the mercy of a police officer for no obvious reason especailly when you are far from home and know nobody nearby to help if the situation were to get worse.

I definitely don't think that everyone in the plains are suspicious of minorities and I imagine that most people are very friendly; but at the same time my experience has left me a little apprehensive. However, my fascination with severe weather is stronger than any mild apprehension I have. I'm lucky enough to have other more experieced chasers let me join them and teach me next week. I am looking forward to chasing supercells which we don't see to often in Indiana, and hopefully seeing my first tornado.

Just out of curiostiy, I wouild like to know if any chasers have had their cars searched in the past.