Posted on 01/04/2019 6:27:34 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
The Nobel-winning biologist has drawn global criticism with unfounded pronouncements on genetics, race and intelligence. He still thinks he’s right, a new documentary finds.
It has been more than a decade since James D. Watson, a founder of modern genetics, landed in a kind of professional exile by suggesting that black people are intrinsically less intelligent than whites.
In 2007, Dr. Watson, who shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for describing the double-helix structure of DNA, told a British journalist that he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours, whereas all the testing says, not really.”
Moreover, he added, although he wished everyone were equal, “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true.”
Dr. Watson’s comments reverberated around the world, and he was forced to retire from his job as chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, although he retains an office there.
He apologized publicly and “unreservedly,’’ and in later interviews he sometimes suggested that he had been playing the provocateur — his trademark role — or had not understood that his comments would be made public.
Ever since, Dr. Watson, 90, has been largely absent from the public eye. His speaking invitations evaporated. In 2014, he became the first living Nobelist to sell his medal, citing a depleted income from having been designated a “nonperson.’’
But his remarks have lingered. They have been invoked to support white supremacist views, and scientists routinely excoriate Dr. Watson when his name surfaces on social media.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Facts are racist.
The bell curve explains pretty much everything about our racial realities.
You don’t even have to do that. Simply open your eyes to the world, anywhere in the world.
Sure you can
If Ben Carson can be accused of being a White Supremacist...
Yup - they ruined one scientist for telling the truth, and the rest fell into line.
Shockley said the same thing. It’s politicl correctness that makes it impossible to discuss whether the results are correct. His statement that “anyone with black employees knows” is tellIng.
Leftists only approve their feel good science...they are the ultimate flat earthers....
The Jameson factor . . .
“Shockley said the same thing. It’s politicl correctness that makes it impossible to discuss whether the results are correct. His statement that “anyone with black employees knows” is tellIng.”
Shockley apparently believed that any other human being, period, living or dead, was inferior to Shockley. Whether or not he “invented” the transistor is an iffy subject; the best thing that he ever did was to assemble a dream team of incredible scientists and engineers, and then chase them all away, seeding every great US semiconductor manufacturer in the 1960’s and 70’s with tremendous talent.
Dr. Gad Saad says that there are evolutionary biologists getting told in science class that there is no such thing as biological gender, to say animals are male and female and not on a spectrum is sexist.
To discuss sex differences unless to say women are superior or men are inferior in some way is forbidden, too, as sexism.
The “IQ” measurement system itself is a mere human guess at ascribing one number to a list (one dimensional vector) of characteristics. This is not a fair measure of all the things a human brain is good for. It can even leave out important things like a sense of kinesthetics. Did Negro peoples adapt to what it took to live in Africa? Probably so, and probably better than white peoples could. Watson could have included a giant caveat about the entire “IQ” measurement system in his comments.
Under the bootheel of Leftism, telling the truth is THE unforgivable sin.
I think most folks know that.
Did Negro peoples adapt to what it took to live in Africa? Probably so, and probably better than white peoples could.
Did white peoples adapt to what it took to live in Europe and (parts of) Asia? Probably so, and probably better than negro peoples could.
Very curious, as it is well known that musicians, for one, gain in brilliance even as seen by the flawed “IQ” system.
I watched it. Scientists objecting to Watson’s claims weren’t denying that blacks score lower on IQ tests. But they were saying that it happens for cultural and socioeconomic reasons, not for genetic reasons.
It is undeniable scientific fact that, on average, African people score lower on standard IQ tests than the other races. It’s stupid to even argue about it - it just is.
It’s also quite debatable as to what the IQ number really says about intelligence. Early childhood teachers I have talked to say that there is no racial difference in learning ability in the early years - some kids that get more support at home learn faster, but all are capable. I have also talked to high school teachers that see a huge gap between the races.
Let’s face it, you don’t have to be a genius to do well in America’s public schools - just stay awake and try a bit and you got it knocked. The racial gap is more of a cultural thing than IQ - so many of the black kids aren’t interested and put forth no effort to learn, therefore they don’t.
Thee truth is racist! Send the truth to a re education camp!
Stereotypes often exist for a valid reason. Applying one to a specific instance without any other validation is problematic, not the observed statistical tendency.
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