Blacks do tend to score lower on standardized tests, including intelligence tests. The reasons for this aren’t known (I suspect that they’re almost totally social, especially since African-Americans aren’t a genetically distinct group).
I think that’s what OWD was really trying to say.
In case, I’d always side with knowledge over ignorance, which is one reason why I’m not particularly fond of doctors.
No, “African Americans” are probably not a “genetically distinct group.” I don’t see how they are different from “African Brits”, “African Germans” or “African French.”
Just curious, you don’t really believe there are no genetic differences among the races, do you?
…
I think what the Aide meant is that there is nothing that genetically that makes someone “African”. Nor is there any genetic concept of race.
But thank you for bringing the topic up. We never ever debate differences between the races here!
Ah, Dan Quayle is in the house! Please explain how a marraige license makes me a better parent.
From The Atlantic, April 1993: Dan Quayle Was Right.:
“The social-science evidence is in: though it may benefit the adults involved, the dissolution of intact two-parent families is harmful to large numbers of children. Moreover, the author argues, family diversity in the form of increasing numbers of single-parent and stepparent families does not strengthen the social fabric but, rather, dramatically weakens and undermines society.”
That is, if you care about the issue and weren’t simply trying to work in a cheap shot about Dan Quayle.
I’ve alwyas been mildly curious if any study has ever contrasted parents who were present vs. parents who were married, i.e. is it more important that your parents have undergone the marriage ritual or that they are both present in the child’s life.
If a child has unmarried parents who nevertheless live together (with the child), is that child better or worse off on average than one whose Daddy (legally married to Mommy) is in the Navy and is gone for six months at a time?
According to the article, i come from a weakened and undermined family (two divorces, whoo-hoo!). But, i would be even more &#^$ed up if my parents had stayed together in an unloving relationship. Granted, this is nowhere near on topic, so i will stop, but if you want to open a new thread, feel free.
The thing is, sometimes saying something is true makes it even more true.
Just imagine that I was some kind of god-like omnisicent being who could see into the future.
If somebody asked me on what day they might die, If I told him the “truth” which is that he is going to die tomorrow, he would take action in order to prevent his death and, the consequences of those actions would kill him.
Instead, if I were to say Octo ber 5th 2043, he would be set on a different chain of events which would eventually have him die happy on January 7th 2065. In this instance, would it be more preferable to tell the man the truth or a lie that would improve his life?
The same thing could be applied to a whole lot of sociological problems. It may be true that blacks are inherently more stupid that whites but proclaiming that as a truth may cause many blacks to give up hope and sink even further into despair whereas claiming that blacks are every bit as intelligent will prompt the few blacks who can suceed to try as hard as they can.
I fell that truth is a very dangerous proposition and should be handled carefully.
Your example might be turned around easily, btw.
Say Blacks were reconciled with the view, that they were inferior to Asians and live a nice life that way. Why should you hand them the truth that some of them might succeed. It would result in a lot of them butting their heads against a wall, hoping they were among the lucky few. Resulting only in a lot of unhappy people.
And who is to establish what truths or lies should be handed out to the masses, please enlighten me.
The truth MUST ALWAYS be told.
Ignorance is most definitely NOT bliss. Ignorance is scary. Ignorance is dangerous. Ignorance can never and will never benefit anyone - the non-ignorant will always outperform the ignorant.
Hear, hear!
Unless the ignorant outnumber the non-ignorant significally.