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I think intelligence and education can make people more aware of the prejudices they have about other people, but not necessarily resolve those prejudices. Racism to me is rooted in fear, rather than ignorance. It involves a sense of entitlement, and if the person is a good as you, as deserving as you, as worthy as you, then you would not be entitled to more. Racism is about fearing that the "more" you expect will be going elsewhere.
How do we know in today's complex world with so much certainty that something is right or wrong. No matter what the topic we have to make an informed decision. The greatest minds in America supported discrimination and outright slavery until just recently.
Well let's see...
The waterboarding is torture argument comes to mind.
I think it's perfectly o.k. to waterboard someone to gather information from them.
Others believe it's torture. Is it right or wrong to waterboard?
Slavery is about human dignity - it's not right to inhibit someone of their freedom.
We also can't torture animals - Michael Vick comes to mind here. He saw nothing wrong with what he was doing. Some torture animals and put their lives below that of a human. Some see the torture of any living creature as wrong and consider all life to be equal.
The media is always telling us about the evils of racism and how only the ill informed, naive, stupid and obscene of us are admitted racist. The media likes to show racists in the worst possible light and usually they are people that look like they are one inch away from complete insanity.
Maybe there is a different way at looking at it. There has been some very intelligent and educated people through the years that have believed some real out of the mainstream ideas. They have thought about it long and hard and researched the topic indepth and came up with a conclusion that is far removed from the mainstream.
In the topic of racism is it possible for someone to be an admitted racist but is highly intelligent, accomplished and sincere? That just how they see the world.
So, can there be a sincere highly educated and intelligent racist? And will you accept them for their analysis of the topic?
First define "racist."
what's the point of this thread? to discuss whether discrimination by race can be construed as respectable and acceptable, somehow? "Hey, David Duke has a PhD!"
I think intelligence and education can make people more aware of the prejudices they have about other people, but not necessarily resolve those prejudices. Racism to me is rooted in fear, rather than ignorance. It involves a sense of entitlement, and if the person is a good as you, as deserving as you, as worthy as you, then you would not be entitled to more. Racism is about fearing that the "more" you expect will be going elsewhere.
Education and racism aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Intelligence and racism most certainly are. There is nothing that suggests that environment, parental and societal influences don't color any number of abhorrent beliefs. Racism, chauvinism, and xenophobia are prime examples. People that are raised to adhere to a certain standard are going to react to certain stimuli, and in the same ways. That's why delinquency, crime, and anti-social behaviors can be determined based upon a number of key factors, race being the very last. Socioeconomic conditions predetermine criminal behavior, and nothing else. Let go of the stigma, encourage children to succeed, and the criminal element vanishes, save the few true "crooks."
There is no difference in the "races" aside from generic physical traits. Conditioning, beliefs, and worldviews are colored by human interaction. The very concept of race consciousness is a product of social conditioning. Children are acutely aware of physical differences, but race is a societal construct. The "feelers" that people put out with regard to "racial issues" are nothing more than red herrings. They are individual attempts to confirm their beliefs in people that don't look like them. That goes for black, white, blue, purple, and sometimes green.
Last edited by adventist; 05-22-2009 at 05:53 PM..
Reason: Clarification.
Interesting article. This comment is worthy of noting...
In the newspaper interview, he said there was no reason to think that races which had grown up in separate geographical locations should have evolved identically.
The world does make the assumption that every human (on average) are completely the same and have equal capability. This is a religious assumption not a scientific one. The day that every human is undoubtedly and truly equal is many many many centuries away when all races have coalesced into one.
As for his overall opinion... well, I would like to see a thorough study that has been done on the matter. However I think this is a very "ignorance is bliss" type of situation.
The world does make the assumption that every human (on average) are completely the same and have equal capability. This is a religious assumption not a scientific one. The day that every human is undoubtedly and truly equal is many many many centuries away when all races have coalesced into one.
Interesting observation. Unfortunately, many people can't handle the truth.
"A British museum has canceled a lecture by Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix, after he claimed black people are less intelligent than whites in a recent newspaper interview."
Blacks in the United States have an average IQ of about 85. White people in the United States have an average IQ of about 100. This is based on an incredible amount of testing over many years. Tests have also been devised to remove any culteral bias including tests involving shapes and reaction times. The results have always been the same.
Just because you don't know something or you disagree with it does not make it untrue. Many very intelligent people have spent a lot of time studying this issue. Then you come along and call them idiots because of their findings. This is not just what these people think as is the case with you. This is what they have proven through study using scientific methods.
Indeed! Absolutely! The reverse is also true. Being less intelligent is not in itself a character flaw.
- Reel
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