Quizzes & Puzzles1 min ago
Human Differences.
47 Answers
Is it racist to recognise the differing strengths and weaknesses of different races of human beings?
Kenyans are generally supreme at long distance running. Jamaicans are generally supreme at sprinting.
Afro Americans are generally bigger and stronger than other races.
Indians / Pakistanis are as a race, generally more intelligent than white west European people.
Well documented.
So just stating the facts, is it racist? Should we turn a blind eye in the interest of Political Correctness?
Kenyans are generally supreme at long distance running. Jamaicans are generally supreme at sprinting.
Afro Americans are generally bigger and stronger than other races.
Indians / Pakistanis are as a race, generally more intelligent than white west European people.
Well documented.
So just stating the facts, is it racist? Should we turn a blind eye in the interest of Political Correctness?
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//So it seems the "facts" were just cobblers//
Presumably the assertion that there are genetic differences is not in dispute, that is to say "cobblers".
The contentious bit comes when you suggest that factors like intelligence may have a genetic base. (I remember the Jensen and Eysenck riots in the sixties).
The suggestion may be true; and it may be false. But it is not a priori an unreasonable question. Neither is asking it a proof of bigotry or hatred.
Presumably the assertion that there are genetic differences is not in dispute, that is to say "cobblers".
The contentious bit comes when you suggest that factors like intelligence may have a genetic base. (I remember the Jensen and Eysenck riots in the sixties).
The suggestion may be true; and it may be false. But it is not a priori an unreasonable question. Neither is asking it a proof of bigotry or hatred.
Take the Kenyan (or more generally Central/Eastern African) success at long-distance running. This is certainly not in dispute: they've dominated the sport for quite some time now. But the reasons behind this are very poorly-understood. Here is a review from 2000 that presents an (admittedly out-of-date) review of the research, for example:
https:/
In particular, the following passage is worth noting:
"However, irrespective of the existence or otherwise of any physiological advantage, it is possible that the attribution of caucasian running “failures” to anecdotal stable external factors disempowers caucasians. Similarly, this attribution style empowers the East African, just as it did the Scandinavians in the early 20th century and Australasians in the 1950s and 1960s, with a psychological advantage, the importance of which cannot be overestimated."
Or, in short, it is worth asking, "Are this stereotypes self-fulfilling prophecies?" Especially in sports, there's a great deal of importance that can be attached to, say, funding, or facilities, or inspiration: the choice of which sport a budding athlete pursues is not arbitrary, and owes a lot to the opportunities available to them. You don't see many Kenyans competing at the top level in track cycling, but then again, how many velodromes are there in Kenya? None, apparently, so of course no-one enters that sport.
Success begets success, anyway, is the point. It becomes difficult to prove that African long-distance runners are just going to be naturally good at that for factors outside their control, when you have to disentangle various social and cultural factors.
I could go on. But it's just common sense not to make the statement that "Central/Eastern Africans are good long-distance runners" without adding a tonne of massive caveats and small print.
https:/
In particular, the following passage is worth noting:
"However, irrespective of the existence or otherwise of any physiological advantage, it is possible that the attribution of caucasian running “failures” to anecdotal stable external factors disempowers caucasians. Similarly, this attribution style empowers the East African, just as it did the Scandinavians in the early 20th century and Australasians in the 1950s and 1960s, with a psychological advantage, the importance of which cannot be overestimated."
Or, in short, it is worth asking, "Are this stereotypes self-fulfilling prophecies?" Especially in sports, there's a great deal of importance that can be attached to, say, funding, or facilities, or inspiration: the choice of which sport a budding athlete pursues is not arbitrary, and owes a lot to the opportunities available to them. You don't see many Kenyans competing at the top level in track cycling, but then again, how many velodromes are there in Kenya? None, apparently, so of course no-one enters that sport.
Success begets success, anyway, is the point. It becomes difficult to prove that African long-distance runners are just going to be naturally good at that for factors outside their control, when you have to disentangle various social and cultural factors.
I could go on. But it's just common sense not to make the statement that "Central/Eastern Africans are good long-distance runners" without adding a tonne of massive caveats and small print.
yes - most of your facts are racist
and rubbish....
In 1980 a senior person said to me - The Indians are a very peaceful law abiding nation - you never hear of this and that .....
and I could not resist commenting as my family was stuffed with ICS: yes their peaceful demeanour accounts for only half a million deaths in 1947 during partition - because if they were warlike - there would have been many more.....
he kept quiet abnout our glorious Indian EMpire after that ....
Jamaicans can run and shoot but they cant read or write
god help us - this must be AB at night
and rubbish....
In 1980 a senior person said to me - The Indians are a very peaceful law abiding nation - you never hear of this and that .....
and I could not resist commenting as my family was stuffed with ICS: yes their peaceful demeanour accounts for only half a million deaths in 1947 during partition - because if they were warlike - there would have been many more.....
he kept quiet abnout our glorious Indian EMpire after that ....
Jamaicans can run and shoot but they cant read or write
god help us - this must be AB at night
// but it's considered too dangerous to allow that sort of thing to be stated.//
[DNA]
Most of those on AB are vegetables -
90% of DNA we share with plants and single celled animals and all that means is that it takes that amount of DNA to run a cell
the rest is icing
This observation led to the widespread quotations that we were 98.5% similar to chimps in our DNA, sometimes, mistakenly, that we had 98.5% gene similarity.
it has gone down to 95%
but you know hell the differences are very small
I am not sure if the 'races' have any disjoint markers ....
but I cant say I lie awake at night....
[DNA]
Most of those on AB are vegetables -
90% of DNA we share with plants and single celled animals and all that means is that it takes that amount of DNA to run a cell
the rest is icing
This observation led to the widespread quotations that we were 98.5% similar to chimps in our DNA, sometimes, mistakenly, that we had 98.5% gene similarity.
it has gone down to 95%
but you know hell the differences are very small
I am not sure if the 'races' have any disjoint markers ....
but I cant say I lie awake at night....
// Why say in one sentence what you can say in 50? :P//
boredom
here we actually have a 'serious' thread discussing things that have been debunked in primary school 50 y ago - which you know Jim
what you didnt know was my little story about Partition which I decided to share with you - and now you know ( were reminded) of something which was true - that there were up to a million deaths during Partition in 1947,
with accusatory fingers pointing at the main players - Gandhi, Jinna and Mountbatten
boredom
here we actually have a 'serious' thread discussing things that have been debunked in primary school 50 y ago - which you know Jim
what you didnt know was my little story about Partition which I decided to share with you - and now you know ( were reminded) of something which was true - that there were up to a million deaths during Partition in 1947,
with accusatory fingers pointing at the main players - Gandhi, Jinna and Mountbatten
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