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.

[B4Ranch]

Not at the age those girls are! Bounced yes, flopped, no.

[William Terrell]

I'm prejudice against libs.

I certainly could be called a "bigot" when it's about liberals.

[dwd1]

Glad to see you back on the block...

Please remember there is no shame in taking advil... :-)

[dwd1]

You have no superiors and few equals... :-)

[dwd1]

Times are changing. Remember the expression, "The sun never sets on the British Empire!" I tend to think however, that ideas from Europe have flourished and caused those from that part of the world to be successful... Someone once said that no legal or government action is taken to preserve the language of Shakespeare... There is a lot of truth to that....

You have to admit, though.... Life is better with that Kama Sutra thing.... I don't think William the Conqueror could have come up with that one...

With regard to the anti-white/European thing, you have to remember that European Culture has not always been spread by polite means. Christianity and Islam are at odds and have a long and painful past also. Systems of Education, ideas Hobbes and Locke, science from many others, all very commendable....

I think we do have to be careful with this because we have to recognize that Europeans and Anglos from that part of the world have gotten use to having their way in the world...

It is a hard balance to strike in stating that you believe in the law and the sovereignty of nations but you park an aircraft carrier off their coast....


In the history of the world, we have to remember that India, Africa, the Americas did not have a lot of blondes with blue eyes... I am not saying the world is a bad place because of the European/Christian/Anglo influence around the world but I would never presume to think that my opinion is not shared by all...


You will find Native Americans that do not think much of Andrew Jackson... You will find Africans that do not think much of Spaniards, Dutch, or the French....


You will find the Vietnamese who do not like the French... Australians who don't like anyone that not Australian....

The primary reason is a long history of cultural imposition....

Not saying that European Culture is bad but I can at least understand how there may be animosity from those who feel they have lost themselves in the tide of European Colonialism...

It reminds me of the Korean Runner who won the Marathon in 1936 who had to run under the Japanese Flag....

You could see the pride he felt when he was able to light the torch under his own nation's flag...

It is a long and painful history...

The truth is being on the receiving end of bad press, people disliking or excluding you because of your race, and hostile nationalism against your ethnic or racial group is not as pleasant as when you are dishing it out....

:-)

[Bluntpoint]

Life is better with that Kama Sutra thing

Ben Gay sales have gone up to!

Please stretch before hand!

[William Terrell]

The truth is being on the receiving end of bad press, people disliking or excluding you because of your race, and hostile nationalism against your ethnic or racial group is not as pleasant as when you are dishing it out....

The reception is different depending on if the dishing out be done truthfully or falsely. Pride has nothing to do with reality. Painful though it is to face harsh truths, all receipts are more pleasurable if done falsely, because one learns he is better than he thought, if he has evaluated himself truthfully.

Mother Nature is not kind, not sweet, not fair. Gifts to some but not to others, but always different gifts are given to the others that aren't given to the some.

In my opinion, the focus on technical achievements is dwelling on a symptom. The focus should be on civilization and self-governance. Out of that grows any achievements we might make.

[dwd1]

True enough but this sounds a little like the plot they had in that movie "Trading Places" where they were arguing over what a person could become based on their environment...

We will never know what the Indians would have become had they been left to themselves with all the resources available in North America... Of course, I would not be crazy about that human sacrifice thing but if Creasy was correct about his 15 decisive battles, we would have to admit that military force and the quality of the leadership has played a greater role than intellectual prowess...

We are a result of our past military and educational history as well as the intellectual achievements of various groups...

Italy would be a completely different place if not for the defeat of the Carthaginians and that charming fellow, Garibaldi...

Imagine if we had not discovered the gold at Sutter's Mill and that money went into the Mexican instead of the US Treasury... There are way too many examples....

Imagine if Africa were united in it's opposition to colonialism and still ruled today by a descendant of Shaka Zulu or Hannibal...(I would hope that impaling thing would no longer be fashionable)...

The other thing that can be said about Europe is that while they have made contributions, all of these contributions were not good....

The one thing that no one can dispute however is that the social contract theory that serves as a basis for our self governance is the best thing to come out of that part of the world. We do have to remember however, that monarchies have existed in Europe for quite some time and constitutional monarchies versus autocratic monarchies are not that new...
The ideas of English Common Law is a wonderful thing....

Let us also remember, however, that the implementation of the higher ideals has not reached all parts of the world...

As I stated before, one has to take the good with the bad...

[William Terrell]

Let us also remember, however, that the implementation of the higher ideals has not reached all parts of the world...

Let's do. And let's remember where they started and where they are now. Just luck, like the lottery of life, as Mr. Daschle calls it.

[biblewonk]

Jesus is a Jew. I think he also is the first Christian. His liniage is given in the Bible. It is not a mystery.

Duh, but to many bigots Arabs are called Sand Niggers and they would certainly lump Jews into that category. So it's a series question.