# Why Are the Swedish Democrats Considered Racists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 12, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-swedish-democrats-considered-racists/567313 "2011-01-12T05:45:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chen019](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f19dbf/32.png) [@Chen019](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chen019)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-swedish-democrats-considered-racists/567313/21 "2011-01-19T03:56:47Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Please. Sarrazin is a publicity-hound, an @sshole out for a quick buck, and a proven incompetent, bribed ex-public official. There was a furor over his book not because he “dared to say” something controversial, but because he spewed forth stupid, idiotic nonsense (biologic determination, including a jewish gene) without any basis in facts or reality, offending a lot of people along the way, with the sole motivation of hogging the spotlight, making loads of money from the book sales and the following talk show appeareances. > > He didn’t contribute anything worthwile, new or enlightening to a charged debate. How familiar are you with behavioural genetics or psychometrics? From what has been reported Sarrazin’s points are pretty uncontroversial, namely: - Cognitive ability is significantly heritable (don’t rely on me, ask Steven Pinker) > [@](#): > > The most prominent finding of behavioral genetics has been summarized by the psychologist Eric Turkheimer: “The nature-nurture debate is over. . . . All human behavioral traits are heritable.” By this he meant that a substantial fraction of the variation among individuals within a culture can be linked to variation in their genes. Whether you measure intelligence or personality, religiosity or political orientation, television watching or cigarette smoking, the outcome is the same. Identical twins (who share all their genes) are more similar than fraternal twins (who share half their genes that vary among people). Biological siblings (who share half those genes too) are more similar than adopted siblings (who share no more genes than do strangers). And identical twins separated at birth and raised in different adoptive homes (who share their genes but not their environments) are uncannily similar. > **[My Genome, My Self (Published 2009)](https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/magazine/11Genome-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2)** > > In the coming era of consumer genetics, your DNA will have much to tell you about the biological bases of your health, your physique and even your personality. But will this knowledge really amount to self-knowledge? - At a macro-level there is a robust relationship between population cognitive ability and economic productivity. [Redirect Notice](http://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http://mason.gmu.edu/~gjonesb/Immigrant%2520IQ&sa=U&ei=hl82TcXuMYG4sAPW0fy-AQ&ved=0CBMQFjAC&sig2=_amYVHiRJC9am4PMaXtk0w&usg=AFQjCNEB-laTDMrgxuVu6c0405JVArDoLw) - If over time the more educated & intelligent women have fewer children a population becomes less intelligent. (this is something even left wing academic Jim Flynn - of ‘Flynn effect’ fame - has noted. [New Paltz Preschool – NYS Licensed Preschool, New Paltz](http://www.buildingblocksplaygroup.com/blog/brainier-mums-needed-to-maintain-future-generations-intelligence-says-professor/) - In relation to a Jewish gene, I think you’ll find that Sarrazin clarified that he was referring to a population genetics paper that was reported in the New York Times in June last year. Sarrazin has pointed out that Germany would be much better off if it had more jewish migrants, and noted they have a higher average iq. Again, he is correct - ashkenazi jews average 2/3 of a standard deviation above other europeans. > **[Redirect Notice](http://www.google.co.nz/url?q=http:%2F%2Fharpending.humanevo.utah.edu%2FDocuments%2Fashkiq.webpub.pdf&sa=U&ei=2mA2Tci1FoaWsgPjzICQAg&ved=0CBgQFjAC&sig2=HuZemyZr7IEM7sGH-OXCeg&usg=AFQjCNFqSg0yusVCOQSOHxBn--Lf-0dyfw)** ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-swedish-democrats-considered-racists/567313/22 "2011-01-19T04:11:21Z")
As an American, it’s hard to read past the part about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights being “a fundamental component of its politics” and think of them as a “far right” party. Our “left” party (never mind the other) doesn’t in principle embrace all the articles of the UDHR. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2011, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-swedish-democrats-considered-racists/567313/23 "2011-01-19T07:30:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, Limbaugh wouldn’t be considered a radical (or a reactionary) here, although he’s had choice things to say about women and gays. He’s very careful not to say anything that can be interpreted as racist. [Not that careful.](http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/top-10-racist-limbaugh-quotes/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-swedish-democrats-considered-racists/567313.md?page=1)