On some other points here, this thread went into directions I'm not at all happy about, and I'm not going to hide that. But anyone who thinks I want to ban people or try to get them in trouble for what they've posted doesn't know me — I believe in debating people when I disagree, not shutting down discussions. I think free discussion of ideas is usually how we move forward as a society. I don't remember ever hitting the abuse button on any thread on Free Republic, you won't hear calls for banning coming from me, and that is precisely why I didn't want to get into the details of defining the meaning of something like “racism” which is specifically forbidden by the posting rules.
I have major concerns with the Atlantic's attack on Free Republic because I believe it is both false and dangerous. Fortunately some of that seems to have been shot down on the Atlantic's own comment board by a number of different people saying the truth, namely, that Free Republic isn't racist.
I asked for a response from Free Republic's management, not to what is being said here on this thread, but to what was said about Free Republic on the Atlantic. It's been made clear over on the other Derbyshire thread that there won't be an official response to the Atlantic. That's their call, not mine. End of issue regarding responding to the Atlantic, as far as I'm concerned.
Back on track: I wouldn't be surprised if John Derbyshire and possibly Charles Murray are reading and perhaps posting here. Discussing these issues with them might be interesting. It's the old nature-nurture debate, and that's been going on for a very long time. They can do and should be able to do any research they want and write about it in any publication that wants to print their views. That's what the First Amendment is for.
It's difficult for me to think how discovering indisputable scientific evidence that ethnic groups differ in average intelligence, and that this difference is rooted in genetics will somehow improve race relations. I wouldn't be surprised if it made them worse.
That said, I think it's like putting the nuclear genie back in the ignorance bottle. If something can be done, sooner or later someone will do it. Can't be prevented without a system of control that would require a truly all-powerful government, which would be a cure a great deal worse than the disease.
What I find most interesting is the implication of thinking that fewer legal and political rights for blacks would be proper if they were shown indisputably to have lower average intelligence. What does this say about our attitudes towards those, of any race, who realy do have less intelligence? Lincoln had a highly applicable quote as to this point, but I haven't been able to find it.
” On some other points here, this thread went into directions I’m not at all happy about, and I’m not going to hide that. But anyone who thinks I want to ban people or try to get them in trouble for what they’ve posted doesn’t know me “
We only know what you post, and pinging Jim Rob to every disagreement you have with a given FReeper is not my idea of “not trying to get people in trouble”
“I asked for a response from Free Republic’s management, not to what is being said here on this thread, but to what was said about Free Republic on the Atlantic. It’s been made clear over on the other Derbyshire thread that there won’t be an official response to the Atlantic. That’s their call, not mine “
Thank you for your magnaminity. Who cares what The Atlantic writes about anything?