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I think this point is worth exploring. The key phrase here is "[They] are in no position to help sustain us, let alone move us forward." Specific to science, I believe that the accumulation of evidence such as this test does show that the scientific burden is disproportionately carried by white males. (And Asian males too, though apparently their contribution wasn't recorded in this particular instance.)
But I don't see it as narrowly focused as this. There are many, many tasks that a society needs done in order to function, and non-scientific people certainly have their roles to play. One of the most important functions of a society is raising up the next generation, and this task is performed overwhelmingly by women, whether they are scientists or not. And even people without formal education or innate intelligence have their role to play. After all, as Judge Smails put it in the movie Caddyshack, "The world needs ditch-diggers too."
Yes, folks who lack an understanding of basic science can still be great people who make important contributions. But they cannot sustain the societies we have built.
Try a thought experiment. Imagine the quiz that is the topic of this thread was given to everyone in the world, and the all high scorers, those with 9 or more correct answers, were scooped up by aliens and transported off the planet. Left behind are lots of great moms, and many others with admirable traits. But how long would Amazon keep delivering stuff? How long would there continue to be an internet at all? How long before stores ran out of food. water stopped coming out of the faucet, and real life started looking like one of those apocalyptic TV shows?
This is nothing new. When I was in high school which was majority black American & Caribbean black immigrant. I had the entire classes who tried to cheat off of me in both biology and earth science NYS exams. It was real sad. And in the class room I would hear fellow students say that n#### looks smart. Let's ask him for answers. I can't forget it.
Sounds like a class from heaven. Try my class, the teacher couldn't even teach due to the constant class disruptions.
Sounds like a class from heaven. Try my class, the teacher couldn't even teach due to the constant class disruptions.
I had a class like that my freshman year of high school. My first period class for one semester. He had a hard time teaching because of the constant disruption, and the occasional fight in class. And this was not some inner city school. This was a suburban/exurban high school and I was the only Black kid in that class.
Yes, folks who lack an understanding of basic science can still be great people who make important contributions. But they cannot sustain the societies we have built.
Try a thought experiment. Imagine the quiz that is the topic of this thread was given to everyone in the world, and the all high scorers, those with 9 or more correct answers, were scooped up by aliens and transported off the planet. Left behind are lots of great moms, and many others with admirable traits. But how long would Amazon keep delivering stuff? How long would there continue to be an internet at all? How long before stores ran out of food. water stopped coming out of the faucet, and real life started looking like one of those apocalyptic TV shows?
They would also be in no position to destroy us. At any time now, we could have a biological, chemical or nuclear existential calamity that whips out life as we know it. People who don't have that knowledge are no threat to create things that destroy life on a massive scale.
I will say it again. What is the best or superior approach.....sprinting or running a marathon? The answer depends on where you draw the finish line. The speed of innovation may simply lead to exhausting the planet and life sooner....rather than later. Present generations get the benefits...while future generations pay the cost. Its the period in between getting the benefits of an action and paying the cost that we often confuse with growth or progress.
Yes, folks who lack an understanding of basic science can still be great people who make important contributions. But they cannot sustain the societies we have built.
Try a thought experiment. Imagine the quiz that is the topic of this thread was given to everyone in the world, and the all high scorers, those with 9 or more correct answers, were scooped up by aliens and transported off the planet. Left behind are lots of great moms, and many others with admirable traits. But how long would Amazon keep delivering stuff? How long would there continue to be an internet at all? How long before stores ran out of food. water stopped coming out of the faucet, and real life started looking like one of those apocalyptic TV shows?
I don't disagree with you. But you seem to be implying (apologies if I am interpreting your point incorrectly) that ONLY those with scientific knowledge can sustain our society.
To prove otherwise, let's take your thought experiment but apply it to the other end of the scale. Let's say that the aliens take away everyone who got 2 or fewer points on this quiz. On the bright side, we'd lose nearly all the deadbeats and most common criminals, so our society would instantly become a more pleasant place in which to live. At least in the short term. But then, who is going to deliver those Amazon packages? Who will deliver the food to the grocery stores? Who will maintain the pipes through which the water flows to our faucets? (It's probably a safe bet that most of the people who currently perform these tasks are not among the top scorers in this quiz.) Our only hope would be for some of us to step up, quickly learn how to do these things (and forego out comparatively lucrative scientific fields in the process), and get to it.
I agree that it would hurt our society more to lose the high scorers than to lose the low scorers. But losing the low scorers would hurt in its own way.
(Now, if we can convince the aliens to scarf up everyone who has ever committed a Class 1 Felony, plus everyone who has spent more than say 5 years on welfare not counting those mentally or physically incapable of working, then things will be looking much brighter.)
The statistics themselves aren't the problem. Yes there are alot of Black people who aren't science savvy. So what? Don't pay attention in class, you won't learn anything. Simple as that. I've met plenty of White people who were not science-inclined. Many of those who weren't literate in science, Black, White,Hispanic,etc, didn't care. Those who didn't know didn't care. I've been told, mainly by a few White persons, that I was "book smart, but lacking common sense or social skills".
Something else. I live in the South. I run into some very "anti-science" individuals at times. Many people do poorly on this particular science quiz because they don't care. They didn't care to learn when they should have, and they don't care now. You can learn science if you apply yourself and pay attention. This is why I say the premise of this thread was "Blacks are the dumbest of them all". That it what it was started for.
True story: I was the one of 2 Black kids in my high school biology class, out of about 12 or 13 kids in the class entirely. I got the highest grade in the class. I was one of the few kids, Black or White, who took the class seriously. Race had nothing to do with it.
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