Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/ ... 067222.ece

Discuss.

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You know, I thought about that once.

It would certainly be possible for geographically separated groups of the same species to evolve as more or less intelligent than others, but that simply isn't what happened. Many great strides have been made by people of all colors.

And there are no tests to back up this theory that African-Americans are less intelligent, nor are there any that might show them or another racial group to be MORE intelligent.

Actually, African-Americans DO, on average, score lower on IQ tests.

However, this has about a thousand explanations besides "Whites are smarter" including childhood malnutrition, culture emphasis, fallacies and bias within the tests, etc.

The thing is, a lot of Africans living in third-world nations, in addition to virtually no education and outside experience, have a really poor diet. If your diet is primarily influenced by solely stale bread, you're not exactly going to be Einstein Jr.

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Science is RACIST.

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The process itself isn't, but some major voices in science such as James Watson might follow that philosophy....

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And besides all that, it's not as if the tests for every demographic were going to turn out EXACTLY the same results. If there were fewer Africans with acceptable IQ scores than there were people of other races, there could also be more heads than tails when flipping a coin multiple times. Doesn't mean the coin is weighted.

Yes, but with that many trials, probability would demonstrate them being almost exactly the same. Many tests have shown Africans scoring as much as 15 points lower on IQ tests on average.


(Note: I'm not trying to defend racism at all; I'm completely against the thought process. I'm just saying what Watson based his data off of.)

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I've thought about this before... first off, I think intelligence is overrated. Yes, I'd rather be intelligent than unintelligent, but I don't have any contempt for less intelligent people. (Stupid people, on the other hand, are a different thing entirely. You can even be a genius and still be stupid.)

I think if evidence is pointing to "members of X race are less intelligent; members of Y race are more intelligent", then that idea is worth consideration. Yes, I do strongly urge caution in this area, and we must indeed look for things such as bias and other possible factors. But, at the same time, we shouldn't bend over backwards to try to make the data fit our expectations or our wishes. That is not science.

It also strikes me as a bit odd that black people aren't particularly resistant to the idea that they, on the whole, might be stronger or more athletic, but recoil at the idea that they might be less intelligent. I understand why they recoil, of course... the idea that black people are less intelligent is a favorite argument of white supremacists. But I think, looking at this as objectively as I can, trading intelligence for strength wouldn't be a bad tradeoff.

Even if it is true, though, one must not apply the characteristics of one's race to its individuals. It would be fallacious and wrong to reason that, "If black people are less intelligent than average, then [name of black person] must be less intelligent than average." It is valid to extrapolate from characteristics of individuals to characteristics of a group; it is not valid to do it the other way around. Which is why I hate that auto insurance companies would charge me more because I'm a young male...

- Kef

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Why do I think you wouldn't hate it if they charged you less for the same fact? Same idea as black people not recoiling at the idea of athletic superiority. But the question remains: Are Watson's claims verified by scientific consensus?

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I'd still hate it. I'm not the kind of guy who shrugs off injustice unless it's happening to him. I wouldn't hate it as much, since it wouldn't hit as close to home, but I still would.



I'm not sure about that. I was talking about an apparent trade-off, where it would even out. With insurance companies, I'm charged more and that's the end of it.



Mm, I'm not that interested in Watson's claims in particular.

- Kef

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Really? I thought they weren't allowed to discriminate on sex anymore. Maybe it's just a state thing.

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It was a few years ago that I had last heard anything about it, so it might have changed since then. I don't really know anything about it.

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The ERA was never ratified, but I think it does vary from state to state.

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Amazing.

Welp, you heard the Nobel Prize winning scientist, BRING OUT YER BLACKS!


In all seriousness, this is something I believe everyone feels deep down inside and tries to suppress. I mean, seriously, aside from the ones that contribute to society, and don't flunk out of the fifth grade, we all expected this to come sometime, we just never thought it would be scientifically proven in our lifetime.

You know, i was just thinking about this sort of thing the other day, except it wasn't as scientific as it was a comparative.

I'll post it later,I just gotta type it up.

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The guy who writes Toothpaste for Dinner did a blog about this. (language) I pretty much agree with him. If anyone is granted with the same education and upbringing, they'll usually be just as smart.

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That turned from not showing reasons for which the NOBEL PRIZE WINNING SCIENTIST is wrong, to why he hated his old job.

Seriously, what the crap? You either attempt to prove or disprove someones theory, not use it as another reason to hate your old job.
Henceforth, the term NOBEL PRIZE WINNING SCIENTIST will be typed using all caps.

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It has been said that the typical human being uses about 5 - 10% of their brain. Except in cases of severe learning disability, this pretty much suggests to me that any person who applies themselves and has access to learning materials can become a highly educated person, regardless of racial, ethnic, or national background.

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Yeah, but who applies themselves the most?

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http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp

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Oh, well. Never mind then.

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WHA???
This is the most racist bunch of BS I've ever read on this board. Who is this "everyone" you are talking about that feels this deep down?

"aside from the ones that contribute to society, and don't flunk out of the fifth grade"

Are those the exception? Is it the norm for blacks to be a bunch of criminals and lowlifes?

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Listen to the Black Crowes.

Well, I have to agree with COLA somewhat... a lot of people (though certainly not "everyone") who aren't really racists do have subconscious racist thoughts that are difficult to suppress. Including me. I don't want them, but they come to me nonetheless. Fortunately, actions count much more than thoughts, and I don't do anything racist. I think my biggest problem right now is that I find it difficult to keep it in my mind that black people are still "one of us", because I so rarely interact with them anymore, and -- there's no use denying facts -- most black people do act differently than white people. There's no "hip hop" gene, of course, but due to societal factors, they have formed their own subculture, and their culture has different norms than "white" culture. And, to be frank, I don't like that culture. I don't think I'm racist for that. Nobody would say I'm a racist for not liking French culture, right? If I didn't like African-American culture because I don't like black people, that would be racist, but I'm pretty sure that's not what's going on in my mind. In any case, I do try my best to forget these negative associations and judge every black person the way I would judge any other person: "by the content of their character, not the color of their skin".

As for the "criminals and lowlifes" thing... again, I don't think black people are genetically predisposed towards that sort of thing. But given their position in society, where a great many of them are still poor, it would not be surprising to find a higher proportion of criminals and lowlifes. And people do have a very bad habit of generalizing from patterns like that, and then judging individual people based on those generalizations. We shouldn't do it, but nevertheless, it's hard not to do. The instinct is built into us and the pressure to do it is everywhere. Even if we aren't consciously aware of the pressure, it's there. It's really insidious. I guess human nature often is, really...

- Kef

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And there you go.

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No, what he said was the he disliked the culture and that everyone had a racist subconscious.

You said that Watson scientifically proved in our lifetime that blacks were inferior.

Two completely different concepts.

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Surgeon General's Warning: Taking COLA too seriously may be hazardous to your health. Whether or not he's actually being serious.

- Kef. I mean, Surgeon General.

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I think Kef's thoughts sum up mine well.

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Dude, we bassically said the same thing, except I put it more bluntly by saying "Its what we all thought but tried to suppress."

Its been scientifically proven now, and once I finnish my report of an analysis between the two cultures based on two Reality TV shows, you may agree.

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I don't think one report constitutes scientific proof.

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Thats why I'm working on mine, durr. Many will follow suite, and prety soon, the scientific community can demean all races and prove that the only true race is the race of the East philipino tribe of Pyong-pei sow.

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And that pretty much substantiates my Surgeon General's Warning above.

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