why is it racist to say that white people might be a little smarter (on average) than black people?

Question

I know that black people have been hindered by the effects of slavery and from decades of suppression and discrimination.That surely explains why blacks were not getting the same quality education as whites. But some studies seem to show differences between the two races that could not be explained away easily by sociological differences in education and level of poverty.
And well, to be honest (and racist, I guess) to me some of the differences seem to be innate. For goodness sake, look at the ratio of blacks to whites in proffesional baseball, basketball, and football. It is a lot higher than the ratio of blacks to whites in regards to the U.S. population. If blacks can be a little more physically atheletic on average, why can't whites be a little smarter on average?

Answer 1

Hi there,

I know this probably won't be the 10 points answer, but that's okay. First, I'd like you to cite the studies that cannot be explained by sociology, and we can hash each one through individually. Education and poverty aren't the only aspects of race that can be affected by racism; the entire nature of a culture can be affected. Think about what might happen to a kid who is told from day one that he is inferior, unintelligent, or subhuman. Now, imagine that happening to an entire race. And then imagine this generation trying to raise kids!

In cultural studies and psychology, there's a term for this called "historical trauma" - when trauma is inflicted not on an individual basis, but on a huge group that then resonates throughout history as each generation passes on the feelings of trauma, shame, grief, fear, and rage. I think a great example of this is the long history of Jews being persecuted and hated, and now the state of insanity Israel is in (and inflicting on others). When a whole culture gets slapped with racism, it affects the psychology of the individuals in that culture - they can't function normally.

It's like the culture has been disabled - you can't expect someone in a wheelchair to jump up and starting dancing around just because the car accident that handicapped the person was several years prior. I'm not saying that the situation is hopeless, just that recuperation needs to be seen more realistically than just waiting for the day when 'everything's all better'. The sins of the past can't be undone and can't fade away. History sticks even if we don't want it to. The actions of our ancestors had consequences.

The expectation that decimated cultures should bounce back after awhile is the expectation that people who have been massively screwed over, quite recently, and are still be screwed in many respects, can somehow magically be on the same level as a culture that has been, for the most of history, entirely privileged.

As to your second question: I know how tempting this idea is. We all wonder this sometimes. The fact is, having a body which is genetically more conducive to sports - longer, taller, etc - is not the same as intelligence. Intelligence (this is coming from the perspective of psychology) is a notoriously sticky and tricky thing to measure. I mean, what do you consider intelligence? Knowing big words? Surviving in a tough neighbourhood by making keen observations about others? Being fluent in Shakespeare or skilled in algebra? Knowing how to instantly assess a situation and act in the way that will best ensure success? It's hard to say, and it's hard to measure - unlike body mass, height, or muscle.

It would be awesome if we could compare traits like physical athleticism and intelligence, but the truth is, one is much clearer than the other - and for the most part, physical attributes are more a product of biology - since that's inherently what they are - whereas most of what we consider intelligence is learned, and learning is a social process, which means it's the product of society - a society that hasn't been entirely friendly to blacks.

I guess what I want to say is that it seems a little coincidental that the race we deem to be innately less intelligent is the same race we put through hell, much like Hispanics or Aboriginals. And after all these years and saying "Hey, let's help you get back on your feet!" we finally give up and say, "Well, I guess it's pure coincidence that every race we once oppressed ends up with lower intelligence and higher poverty, it must have been genetic and they were like that all along. We sure know how to pick 'em!"

Finally, I really suggest you read this article. It's short, it's interesting, and it gets what I want to say about not just admitting to black disadvantage, but understanding white privilege.

http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html

Best of luck.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

There was a battle in NY a few years back concerning this same issue. A professor provided statistics naming the Asians as the smartest, whites came in second. A Black professor named Jeffries went through the roof!

They say statistics don't lie, but the people who compile them are not immune to lying. I believe that the statistics were accurate at the time considering the nature of IQ tests, but I am sure if the same study were done today, the statistics would be different considering the fact that there is a tremendous influx of Blacks into the middle class.

Answer 4

Pain is a physical feeling, like when you break a bone, or get a toothache, or when you go into labor to have a child, even your stomach, when you get hunger pains. This is all connected to your nerves, which act as sensors and send messages to your brain, and you have the physical reaction. Suffering is similar, but not the same thing. Say you have a toothache, that's the pain part of it, but the suffering would come when you can't go to the dentist to have it fixed, and you have to suffer with the pain, and possibly the infection. There are other levels of suffering as well, like when you lose someone you loved very much, the pain of that loss causes your heart to endure this, and it can take a long time to heal, or never heal at all. Suffering happens over a long period of time, or what can seem to be an eternity. Hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 5

Pointing out facts is racist if your facts are biased. If you say that blacks are better athletes than whites are, or that whites score higher on the SATs than blacks, that is just reporting facts and that is not racist. If you then make statement such as whites are smarter than blacks are based off those facts, you are giving a biased opinion. It is an opinion because it is based on what your view of smartness is. For example, one might say that the some primitive tribe in Africa is not smart because they do not use modern technology and they cannot read. However, what those people can do creatively use their minds. For instance, those people can memorize and recite hundreds of stories word for word. Does this mean that whites are less smart? This just means that we all have a different type of intelligence. We all have different areas in which we excel.

Facts are facts. It is how you skew the facts that turn them into racist statements.

Answer 6

If science proves that a people group is "smarter" than another people group than we should look at the reports and see if they are valid. Do you have a link to any of these supposed reports? We should investigate the validity of the experiment much the same as any other report offered by science, ie evolution, fetal stem cells, global warming. We should not be so ignorant as to believe that science has the most unbiased view on all matters. We see continually that there are questionable ethical issues that are being overlooked in research to secure funding, ie stem cell research, cloning, cancer treatments, AIDS vaccines. Consider all reports suspect until reproducible by all.

Answer 7

You ask a good question, honestly, and it sounds like you really aren't trying to be racist. I haven't read any reliable studies that show African Americans are less intelligent than Caucasians.
I think that trying to divide people based on race is fraught with complications. I'd hate to generalize a race's intelligence based on what a study or two says. You'd get a bunch of racist Caucasians who would take it as a license to discriminate. I really think that any lack of intelligence is based on the environment and the upbringing, not the person's race.
Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Black people so-called Negroes are Israelites. They have had their true nationality taken from them and have been taught complete lies. Israelites are superior in every way to the Gentile nations. So no, White people are not smarter.

Answer 9

Blacks are abusing the "racially correct" system that's in place today. If a black man gets insulted, it's a hate crime. If he gets pulled over by the police for speeding, it's racial profiling. If he doesn't get hired for a job, it's discrimination.

Liberal democrats are mostly responsible for this inbalance in society. Programs that should be obsolete by now like affirmitive action, are only getting stronger because a big part of the democrats base are blacks (80% vote dem).

Answer 10

its not racist to say that white people are smarter because they value education more then black people. But if you say white people are smarter because of genetics then that is racist.