The science of bigotry: how only dead white males did it all

The Australian ^ | February 04, 2004 | EMMA TOM

[presidio9]

AMERICAN academic Charles Murray is a real trooper. It doesn't matter how many people call him a racist, Nazi-esque brain-weigher.

He keeps churning out books that aren't afraid to call a spade a spade and a nigger a nigger.

Oh, I'm sorry. Did I just say nigger? How scientifically incorrect of me. What I meant to say was "biologically inferior".

This was the thesis of The Bell Curve, which was co-written by Murray in 1994. In it he scientifically "proved" that African Americans were dumber than whites or Asians for genetic reasons.

So what if the IQ testing he used to measure intrinsic intelligence included questions on trigonometry? Knowing about computational geometry is something you're either born with or you aren't. It has absolutely nothing to do with your level of education. In fact the word on the street is that Murray's first words as a little white infant were "cosine ratio".

Back in 1984, meanwhile, the academic shock jock caused a similar outcry with Losing Ground, in which he argued that the US government should abolish social security payments to poor adults because it encouraged intellectually inferior single mothers to reproduce.

Welfare schmelfare. Let them eat crack.

Chuck's new book, catchily entitled Human Accomplishment: The Pursuit of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences, 800BC to 1950, unites his low opinion of women and non-whites into a single mighty raspberry.

In it, he proves – once again completely scientifically – that the only people to have ever achieved anything of significant artistic and scientific worth are dead white males.

While it's a bold (and no doubt unit moving) thesis, critics who have accused Murray of repeatedly parading ugly old prejudices in pseudo-scientific drag will have a field day with this one. Human Accomplishment relies on a geriatric 19th century statistical method known as historiometry, which involves counting words in reference books to see who gets the most mentions.

As a result, 97 per cent of Murray's Top 4002 are male Europeans and North Americans.

What he refuses to acknowledge is that history tends to be written by the victors: as long as deadish white males rule the world, their lives will be over-recorded at the expense of their underlings.

An SBS documentary on the clitoris that screened last Friday night offered a fascinating insight into the political exclusion of the clitoris from medical and scientific manuals right up until 1948 when it was excised from Gray's Anatomy, the surgeon's bible.

Anyone for a textual clitorectomy? Given our combined interest in competitive events and extreme prejudice, it's not surprising people are pitting genders and races against each other in order to make a quick buck.

But even the tackiest reality TV programs offer a level-ish playing field. In Bumfights, for instance, desperate hobos are only filmed fighting other desperate hobos.

Murray, however, doesn't care that some sectors of society might have had trouble curing diseases, inventing polyphonic music or writing Macbeth because they weren't allowed out of their kitchens or their leg-irons.

White men are the winners, he trumpets, followed closely by a cackled "na na na na na naa".

It's telling that his survey stops at 1950 – just before feminism and civil rights gave non-dead, white males more room to flex their scientific and creative muscle.

Also intriguing is the notion that coverage automatically equals accomplishment.

While coverage might mean you are genuinely accomplished, it could also mean you have a good spin merchant, own the publishing company or happen to be Kylie Minogue's bum. As Iraq's gigantic stockpile of WMD shows, column inches are not necessarily the best indicator of substance.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to use historiometry to prove that Charles Murray doesn't exist. I'm only going to use resource material written by Pakistani separatist lesbians, but I will make sure they're all familiar with the sine rule.

[StopGlobalWhining]

I wonder how Egyptians will feel about not getting credit for their contributions to Mathematics and Physics.

They already have received credit. Didn't you attend the Million Man March? Never heard of the mysterious number 19 eh?

[B4Ranch]

Anyone for a textual clitorectomy?

I thought of Clinton

[Travis McGee]

Which one?

Cheers.

[Bluntpoint]

Rosseta was a fine cryptologist and fairly good actress, without the trashy baggage of that of her sister, Sharon Stone.

[longtermmemmory]

are mediterainian people white?

I though the human races were broken down into three: black (african), asian, and caucasian (white)

the PC keeps changing the particular name.

[wardaddy]

lol

[muawiyah]

I go strictly by the symbols for each tribe. There are 12 such symbols. People can construe 13 tribes all they want. Then there's Moses himself. He has an Egyptian name ~ didn't change it either!

[muawiyah]

Just among the "whites" you have folks with translucent skin, jet black skin, and every tone in between.

Then there's the problem with the Asiatic people ~ there are at least two different kinds, plus every "mix" possible. You have to be a dentist to tell the differences though.

Probably a better way to differentiate one group from the other is to check out their "y chromosomes". Europeans have three broad areas. Asians have Ghengis Khan (and a couple of other guys). I haven't seen anything about the Africans, but you just gotta' believe their working on something along that line, leastwise wherever it was King Shaka went back in the good old days, you could count on him checking it out.

[Bluntpoint]

How ya feeling?

[dwd1]

Es tut mir leid. Du Hast Recht....

Thank you...

[dwd1]

How are you feeling?

[dwd1]

Funny...

I am also wondering when women are going to get upset because of the fact that their achievements are made to seem insignificant...

[Bluntpoint]

Without women, that whole "Girls Gone Wild" video series would have just flopped!

[dwd1]

Not saying the adult film industry is better off without women at all but I do think that sexism and racism that is espoused while "hiding behind a book" is not worthy this nation...

And we all know that women, minorities, and others have kept it together in many areas while others are out "achieving".... You may find that women may have been right in the mix at times....

Women and minorities have spied, worked, killed, and taught in sufficient measure that their achievements and contributions should not be minimized...

Women died in the settlement of this country... Minorities definitely contributed in building it....

I just think that none of the great achievements in anyone's history has been done by a few....

And correct me if I am wrong but the more complicated a research and discovery environment is, is there not a greater need for support to keep the "discoverer" from being distracted so they can achieve and "discover"?

The whole problem with this entire thread is that everyone is trying to use this book to justify looking down their nose at someone else.... What is that?

I can easily say that many things that I enjoy today are because of European Men but I also know that life would not be so good were it not for the women and minorities who have discovered, provided support and a moderating influence to nations and leaders all around the world...

[Bluntpoint]

Show me a person who says that a certain race, culture or religion is better than another and I will show you that that person is a member of that certain race, culture or religion he or she claims is superior.

[dwd1]

I have children who are part Italian and part Black... I try to teach them that one race is no better than the other...Just different...

And the world would not be what it is today without the contributions of people from all different places and races....

As I said before, I can acknowledge the achievements and contributions of all but I would never go around hiding behind a book to do it...

However, you are correct in stating the ego and belonging issue which all humans feel deep inside...

It is the divisive rhetoric which I tire of...

I must be getting old...

[Bluntpoint]

I grew up in a home where the word "nigger" was not unfamiliar.

I hated it then and I hate it today.

[dwd1]

When you are in an environment like that, just like me being raised in a place where some anti-caucasian views were expressed, you decide what you want to be or what you don't want to be...

And when word "nigger" was used in "Blazing Saddles", I have to admit I laughed...


Other than that, the word does nothing for me...

I appreciate your willingness to discuss it with me...

[Bluntpoint]

I'm just trying to find some angle to prove that I am somehow superior to you.

Kidding..............

[Snerfling]

Not in San Fran - there, they have a special edition called 'Boys Gone Wild'.