# Another Africa thread hijacked

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 1, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767 "2011-04-01T13:04:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 24

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**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/461 "2011-04-10T20:59:55Z")

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I’m referring to the comments of olivesmarch4th, regarding Charles Murray & crime disparities.

In terms of psychometric scores in Africa, Richard Lynn quite explicitly mentions nutrition as a factor depressing scores.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/462 "2011-04-10T21:02:50Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> I’m referring to the comments of olivesmarch4th, regarding Charles Murray & crime disparities.
> 
> In terms of psychometric scores in Africa, Richard Lynn quite explicitly mentions nutrition as a factor depressing scores.

Isn’t strange that you are not then taking NDD to task for the conclusions and solutions he continues to propose here then?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/463 "2011-04-10T21:07:06Z")

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What solutions?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/464 "2011-04-10T21:12:50Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> What solutions?

Not paying attention?  
Must be the genes, 😃 he has proposed to get rid of affirmative action, No Child Left Behind and support for many countries with black populations thanks to his peculiar interpretations of research that more often than not is concentrating on medicine and forensic issues.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/465 "2011-04-10T21:24:33Z")

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> [@GIGObuster](#):
>
> Not paying attention?
> 
> Must be the genes, 😃 he has proposed to get rid of affirmative action, No Child Left Behind and support for many countries with black populations thanks to his peculiar interpretations of research that more often than not is concentrating on medicine and forensic issues.

Well, I think Chief Pedant has pointed out that if society wants lower scoring groups proportionally represented then you need to discriminate in favour of them. I think that discrimination will be never ending because there is no sign that gaps are going to disapear.

In terms of NCLB, I’m not familiar enough with that to comment.

In relation to support for countries with black populations, I think that this needs to be linked to contraceptive use. For instance, China adopted a one child policy to control population pressure and African birthrates are unsustainable.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/466 "2011-04-10T21:36:45Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> Well, I think Chief Pedant has pointed out that if society wants lower scoring groups proportionally represented then you need to discriminate in favour of them. I think that discrimination will be never ending because there is no sign that gaps are going to disapear.
> 
> In terms of NCLB, I’m not familiar enough with that to comment.
> 
> In relation to support for countries with black populations, I think that this needs to be linked to contraceptive use. For instance, China adopted a one child policy to control population pressure and African birthrates are unsustainable.

Sure, it is always hard to go against a supporter like NDD when he is wrong, no?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/467 "2011-04-10T21:54:14Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> 1. Can you point to Murray, Arthur Jensen, Linda Gottfredson or anyone else ignoring the impact of poor nutrition, environmental toxins or poverty? I suspect you’ve never read any of their published papers.

I thought I’d made it clear upthread that I read Murray’s book _Losing Ground._ The research on nutrition and poverty of which I speak was published far later than _The Bell Curve_, so I’m pretty sure his book didn’t address it.

> [@](#):
>
> 1. Would you describe Steven Pinker as a real scientist?

Any scientist who makes such bold statements as ‘‘the nature-nurture debate has been solved’’ loses credibility with me. Even more so if that scientist has no training in the area in which he makes the claims. The nature-nurture debate is far from over. In fact, epigenetics research indicates that environment affects genetic expression. The latest research on mental illness supports the diathesis stress model of mental illness. The more we learn about nature-nurture the more it’s clear that nature-nurture are intimately connected, rather than the dichotomy you presume them to be.

Of course, Steven Pinker didn’t say a word about the inferiority of black people, did he?

> [@](#):
>
> Your comment about disparities being explained by poverty is incorrect. Look at the data on [Jewish & Asian crime](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=vgHgNsmZ3vsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=walsh+race+%26+crime&source=bl&ots=PCUW7Y0Mp7&sig=zWsQK2WTJSSQAX277M49uuU_Wak&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false) (see p 32,33 & 63).

There is no way to access the pages you cited using the link you provided.

> [@](#):
>
> Adjusting for [family income](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1995-SAT-Income.png) and [education](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1995-SAT-vs-Income-Education.png) doesn’t remove group differences.

It is not clear at all where these charts came from. According to your link they were modeled by a wikipedia user but the data source is not clear.

I already offered a perfectly plausible explanation for this - the fact that randomized controlled experiments have shown that merely reminding someone of his/her race affects performance on standardized tests.

> [@](#):
>
> I suppose you think it must be racism that explains the common trend for some groups to be overrepresented in academic achievement around the world? The east asians, in Brazil (Japanese were brought out as indentured labour), Canada, US, Australia, NZ, UK, wherever, seem to be overrepresented.

No. I think every country and ethnic enclaves within each country have unique cultural and environmental circumstances that contribute to the success of some groups over others. It’s not a very radical proposition.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/468 "2011-04-10T22:06:31Z")

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[QUOTE=Chen019]  
Would you describe Steven Pinker as a real scientist?  
[/QUOTE]

Oh, look what I found.

[QUOTE=your own cite]  
Penke, Denissen and Miller argue that a mutation-selection standoff is the explanation for why we differ in intelligence. Unlike personality, where it takes all kinds to make a world, with intelligence, smarter is simply better, so balancing selection is unlikely. **But intelligence depends on a large network of brain areas, and it thrives in a body that is properly nourished and free of diseases and defects. Many genes are engaged in keeping this system going, and so there are many genes that, when mutated, can make us a little bit stupider.**

The search for I.Q. genes calls to mind the cartoon in which a scientist with a smoldering test tube asks a colleague, “What’s the opposite of Eureka?” Though we know that genes for intelligence must exist, each is likely to be small in effect, found in only a few people, or both. **In a recent study of 6,000 children, the gene with the biggest effect accounted for less than one-quarter of an I.Q. point.**  
[/QUOTE]

Bolding mine.

You obviously consider this guy a real authority, so would you mind explaining why his position doesn’t contradict yours?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/469 "2011-04-10T22:07:20Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I thought I’d made it clear upthread that I read Murray’s book _Losing Ground._ The research on nutrition and poverty of which I speak was published far later than _The Bell Curve_, so I’m pretty sure his book didn’t address it.

Well, I can assure you that these authors do refer to factors such as nutrition.

> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> Any scientist who makes such bold statements as ‘‘the nature-nurture debate has been solved’’ loses credibility with me. Even more so if that scientist has no training in the area in which he makes the claims. The nature-nurture debate is far from over. In fact, epigenetics research indicates that environment affects genetic expression. The latest research on mental illness supports the diathesis stress model of mental illness. The more we learn about nature-nurture the more it’s clear that nature-nurture are intimately connected, rather than the dichotomy you presume them to be.
> 
> Of course, Steven Pinker didn’t say a word about the inferiority of black people, did he?

Again, it’s not news to any of these authors that nature and nurture interact.

> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> There is no way to access the pages you cited using the link you provided.

Did you do a search for East Asian, or Jewish crime rates? I’m not sure why the link isn’t allowing you to access those pages.

> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> It is not clear at all where these charts came from. According to your link they were modeled by a wikipedia user but the data source is not clear.

[America in Black and White](http://books.simonandschuster.com/America-in-Black-and-White/Abigail-Thernstrom/9780684844978/excerpt_with_id/13697).

> [@](#):
>
> There are some discouraging – as well as many encouraging – signs on the educational front. Today’s typical black twelfth-grader scores no better on a reading test than the average white in the eighth grade, and is 5.4 years behind the typical white in science. Blacks from families earning over $70,000 a year have lower average SAT scores than whites from families taking in less than $10,000; blacks with a parent who graduated from college on average score below whites whose parents never finished high school. In a 1992 test of adult literacy and numeracy, the typical black college graduate performed only a shade better than the typical white high school graduate with no college, and far below white college dropouts.

> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I already offered a perfectly plausible explanation for this - the fact that randomized controlled experiments have shown that merely reminding someone of his/her race affects performance on standardized tests.

There was a recent meta-analysis that found publication bias in terms of these studies. Overall, the effect was generally small and did not generalize to non-adapted standardized tests or high-stakes settings.

[http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/program2009.pdf](http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/program2009.pdf)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/470 "2011-04-10T22:11:48Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> Oh, look what I found.
> 
> Bolding mine.
> 
> You obviously consider this guy a real authority, so would you mind explaining why his position doesn’t contradict yours?

How does that contradict what I’ve said? I said that you were incorrect to suggest that the likes of Murray & Jensen are unaware that environmental factors can depress cognitive development.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/471 "2011-04-10T22:14:22Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> [http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/program2009.pdf](http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/program2009.pdf)

Linky no worky.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/472 "2011-04-10T22:18:30Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> Linky no worky.

Sorry try this [http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/old/program2009.pdf](http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/old/program2009.pdf). Wicherts and de Han (2009) presented at a meeting the results of a meta-analysis where they found publication bias and concluded that “Stereotype threat cannot explain the difference in mean cognitive test performance between African Americans and European Americans”. This has not yet been published though. There is a discussion of the various papers on the subject here. [http://statsquatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/stereotype-threat-and-measurement.html](http://statsquatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/stereotype-threat-and-measurement.html)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/473 "2011-04-10T22:19:31Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> How does that contradict what I’ve said? I said that you were incorrect to suggest that the likes of Murray & Jensen are unaware that environmental factors can depress cognitive development.

I’m sorry, I assumed you were siding with **NDD** on the notion that some races are more intelligent than others. The cite you linked to indicates that we’re not even close to having evidence that genetics makes a meaningful difference in the distribution of intelligence.

I accept that _The Bell Curve_ talks about environment. You would know.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/474 "2011-04-10T22:31:56Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> Sorry try this [http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/old/program2009.pdf](http://www.isironline.org/meeting/pdfs/old/program2009.pdf). Wicherts and de Han (2009) presented at a meeting the results of a meta-analysis where they found publication bias and concluded that “Stereotype threat cannot explain the difference in mean cognitive test performance between African Americans and European Americans”. This has not yet been published though. There is a discussion of the various papers on the subject here. [http://statsquatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/stereotype-threat-and-measurement.html](http://statsquatch.blogspot.com/2011/01/stereotype-threat-and-measurement.html)

Given the claims here, I’d be curious to see a breakdown of IQ/test performance based on family wealth, not family income. Do you know if such a thing exists?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/475 "2011-04-10T22:51:07Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I’m sorry, I assumed you were siding with **NDD** on the notion that some races are more intelligent than others. The cite you linked to indicates that we’re not even close to having evidence that genetics makes a meaningful difference in the distribution of intelligence.
> 
> I accept that _The Bell Curve_ talks about environment. You would know.

Certainly little progress has been made to date in identifying specific genes linked to cognitive abilities. Researchers like Robert Plomin suggest there could be thousands of genes involved, of small effect.

Behavioural genetics research though does indicate that a substantial portion of the variation within a population is due to genetic variation. There is some interesting research on this, including this by UCLA neuroscientist [Paul Thompson](http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22333/page2/) & also this research from [Melbourne](http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/4129/full).

The amount of variance attributable to the environment increases if you have a particularly bad environment. For instance, someone who is exposed to high levels of alcohol in utero is going to have their development stifled. In that case, the variation with the rest of the population is largely due to their environment.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/476 "2011-04-10T23:08:04Z")

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> [@Chen019](#):
>
> Certainly little progress has been made to date in identifying specific genes linked to cognitive abilities. Researchers like Robert Plomin suggest there could be thousands of genes involved, of small effect.
> 
> Behavioural genetics research though does indicate that a substantial portion of the variation within a population is due to genetic variation. There is some interesting research on this, including this by UCLA neuroscientist [Paul Thompson](http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22333/page2/) & also this research from [Melbourne](http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/4129/full).
> 
> The amount of variance attributable to the environment increases if you have a particularly bad environment. For instance, someone who is exposed to high levels of alcohol in utero is going to have their development stifled. In that case, the variation with the rest of the population is largely due to their environment.

I feel like there are two different issues at stake here.

1. **Are the racial disparities in standardized/IQ tests explained by SES, poverty, malnutrition and other environmental factors such as stereotype threat?** Based on the information provided and my own knowledge base I would still say the answer is yes, but the stereotype threat research gives me something to chew on. I would have liked to take a look at that in detail.

Let’s assume for a moment that all of the social research done on this issue were nonexistent.

We still have this question:  
\*\*  
2. Is it true that intelligence is a racially inherited trait?\*\*

I have seen no evidence to support this. I don’t understand how we get ‘‘If not X, Y, Z, then Q,’’ when Q is just one among thousands of possibilities and we have no evidence of Q.

So, let me just ask: Do you believe that blacks are genetically inferior to whites? On the basis of what evidence? Because proving that it’s not just poverty doesn’t prove that it _is_ genetics.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/477 "2011-04-10T23:23:20Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I feel like there are two different issues at stake here.
> 
> 1. **Are the racial disparities in standardized/IQ tests explained by SES, poverty, malnutrition and other environmental factors such as stereotype threat?** Based on the information provided and my own knowledge base I would still say the answer is yes, but the stereotype threat research gives me something to chew on. I would have liked to take a look at that in detail.
> 
> Let’s assume for a moment that all of the social research done on this issue were nonexistent.
> 
> We still have this question:  
> \*\*  
> 2. Is it true that intelligence is a racially inherited trait?\*\*
> 
> I have seen no evidence to support this. I don’t understand how we get ‘‘If not X, Y, Z, then Q,’’ when Q is just one among thousands of possibilities and we have no evidence of Q.
> 
> So, let me just ask: Do you believe that blacks are genetically inferior to whites? On the basis of what evidence? Because proving that it’s not just poverty doesn’t prove that it _is_ genetics.

I don’t know anyone who says it is a “racially inherited trait”. My understanding of Jensen’s position is that he says that individual differences are due to both environmental and genetic variation. And if you aggregate individuals into groups, part of the statistical differences are due to environmental and genetic factors. If you want to go through the various arguments for/against, the issue of [June 2005 issue of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law](http://www.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/30years/) is dedicated to that debate.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\
**Post date:** [April 10, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/478 "2011-04-10T23:32:07Z")

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More generally, for a discussion of why it’s not implausible for statistical group differences to arise, see [here](http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2007/01/metric-on-space-of-genomes-and.html#) or this discussion of Greg Clark’s [data](http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2008/12/recent-natural-selection-in-humans.html).

> [@](#):
>
> Finally, it is important to note that group differences are statistical in nature and do not imply anything about particular individuals. Rather than rely on the scientifically unsupported claim that we are all equal, it would be better to emphasize that we all have inalienable human rights regardless of our abilities or genetic makeup.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\
**Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/479 "2011-04-13T13:14:46Z")

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> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#):
>
> From 1932 to 1968 the Democrats dominated the country. Then they went out on a limb to help the blacks. Blacks cut off the limb.

The Nonsense and Twaddle side has exhausted its time. [And now, the response from the Facts and Reality side:](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/150-years-later-were-still-fighting-the-civil-war/2011/04/12/AFFLFeSD_story.html?hpid=z5)

> [@](#):
>
> In the private-sector economy, the Southern labor system — in which workers are paid less and have fewer rights — has been winning for decades. Despite their huge growth in members during the 1930s and 1940s, unions never succeeded in penetrating the South, where white racial animosity toward blacks thwarted efforts to build working-class solidarity. The gap between Northern and Southern wages remained vast — so vast that many Northern companies began relocating facilities there, particularly after the civil rights revolution of the ’60s made the South seem less culturally foreign.

Thank you, Facts and Reality side. So, the observed outcomes are the same, but the chain of cause and effect is actually racism causing problems, not vice versa as asserted by the Nonsense and Twaddle side?

Yes, I’d say that sums it up neatly.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2011, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-africa-thread-hijacked/576767/480 "2011-04-15T09:32:56Z")

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> [@Steve\_MB](#):
>
> The Nonsense and Twaddle side has exhausted its time. [And now, the response from the Facts and Reality side:](http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/150-years-later-were-still-fighting-the-civil-war/2011/04/12/AFFLFeSD_story.html?hpid=z5)
> 
> Thank you, Facts and Reality side. So, the observed outcomes are the same, but the chain of cause and effect is actually racism causing problems, not vice versa as asserted by the Nonsense and Twaddle side?
> 
> Yes, I’d say that sums it up neatly.

Harold Meyerson’s column, which you linked to, is excellent. It in no way counters what I have written in this this and other threads.

Meyerson’s point is that the Republican Party helps the corporate elite enrich itself by pauperizing the middle and working classes.

My point is that this is possible because white blue collar workers have legitimate concerns about black social pathology, which Democrats find excuses for. In addition, Hispanic immigration, which the Democrat Party promotes, places downward pressure on wages. The Hispanic crime rate, while lower than the black crime rate, is higher than the white crime rate. Because they live closer to to blacks and Hispanics, white blue collar workers are more threatened by crime.

In The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx wrote, “The working men have no country.” In the United States the white working class has no party. The Republican Party is the Party of the rich. The Democrat Party is the party for third world minorities that are less evolved because they are closer in number of generations to the stone age.

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