Is it racist to say blacks can run faster and jump higher than whites?

Question

I don't think there can be much of an argument. When I say outrun I'm referring to the short races. A white man will never win the one hundred yard dash. Blacks can jump almost four feet in the air. Whites can only jump about 1.5 feet.

Answer 1

no..
but if i were to say blacks cant swim (which is true never win any medals at international swimming events)
i bet every one would say thats racist...

Answer 2

We need to define racism first.

If there is an attribute that one race of people has that others don't then it's NOT racism to point it out. As an example, when I am at the beach I don't sunburn nearly as quickly as my white skinned friends do. I'm from the California but my heritage is classified as "Pacific Islander" (I'm Samoan).

A lot of Samoans are large people and very strong (I'm not). They have been called fat and stuff, but it's just how the culture has made them. They excel in football by the way. The difference is that my skin is more resistant to the sun. This is a fact and not a slam on lighter skinned people.

In Africa there is a group (from Kenya I think) that produce fantastic long distance runners. I saw on the Discovery Channel that this is because they live far from water, or hunting ground, or something like that. So they have been doing it for centuries. It's not racist to point out their obvious talent for this.

Those are some examples where I think it's just fine to say what seems to be the truth as it's been proven through the years.

Now to your example: It is most definitely racist to say that blacks can ALWAYS run faster than whites. That's dumb. If I take some Fat Albert look-alike and put him up against a trained white athlete you don't seriously think Fat Albert is going to win do you?

I admire the training that black sprinters put in and they excel in the sprints to be sure. I'm proud of the gold medals that they have won for the US. But not every race was won by huge margins. At top speed these men can finish ten feet ahead and be just a fraction ahead of some guy from Russia or someplace like that.

As for vertical leap this is definitely a mistake to say that all blacks can jump four feet in the air and whites only 1-1/2. This amounts to racism if you mean it as a put down. I have friends that are black and some that are white. Most of them can't get 6" off the ground. I've seen pickup games where the white guys are dunking as much as the black guys.

Here is something I've heard that will sound terrible and I hope nobody gets upset at me. I didn't make it up, I just heard the "theory". It's upsetting but I can't help that.

Here goes:
Back when blacks were slaves the white masters used to select the strongest men and women to breed so they would have the strongest babies and thus stronger slaves when they grew up. they didn't care about the black's families or any of the humane things. After generations of this type of "breeding" it produced some very strong and athletic people.

I AM NOT COMPARING THIS TO ANIMALS!! PLEASE UNDERSTAND!

The idea was that like you breed a trait into a dog or cow t it can work with humans too. You decide.

I think it's wrong to say that all of one group does something better than all of another.

Answer 3

Its not racist; however, its an over generalized statement of ignorance. Not every black can outrun every white - you know that. But it has been shown that african people are physically built for short distance running, this is particularly clear when analyzing their great ability to quickly detach their hap bones when running. It has also been shown that caucasian people are built slightly better for distance running. But as we all know, a slight advantage does not mean complete dominance.

You also have to think deeper about the statement. An ignorant person might also come to the conclusion that white people are smarter than black people because very few black people are able to graduate from college. We know that it is not a matter of intelligence (personal ability) but it is more of a matter of the socio-economical situation currently faced by many african americans. There could be factors that encourage african americans to train more for running and jumping than caucasian people.

Answer 4

It's only racist when it has malicious or hateful intent.

If it is purely fact then it is not.

Once I was surprised to find myself up in the air eye level with the rim during a game. My opponent had faked a jump to the hoop and I had needlessly jumped. I stand at 5' 7".

Another player had asked me if I could dunk a few seconds later...I told him no. I was not sure that I could obtain that height with any sort of regularity. I am white.

Have you heard of Spontaneous Combustion? Humans who just mysteriously burn for no apparent reason at all?

I think what happened to me was a rare case of "Spontaneous Blackness"...that would explain the temporary ability to jump high.

Answer 5

Yes and how dare you say such racist things against us Whites. Seriously though how is that supposed to be offensive to blacks? I don't get it. It is fact. If they don't like it then they better slow down.

I guess if the arguement that whites and asians are smarter was true then most of the people answering this question are black. The question wasn't that ALL are. Anytime you leave the word ALL out it is meant as a general statement. Of course there are exceptions to general statements, that is what makes them GENERAL.

Answer 6

Sure, I'll give you that. *IF* you allow me to say things like, "Whites and Asians are more intelligent than blacks because we tend to do better on the SAT".

All I think it means is that athletic prowess is more important in the black community than the white community, so you have a higher percentage of black people who can jump higher.

Anyway, you're being pretty general aren't you? Do you think Al Roker can jump 4 feet in the air?

Answer 7

It is just false to state that ALL blacks (or whites) can do anything better than ALL whites (or blacks). It is a fact if you say that the majority of the track and field winners are black.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Is it racist to ask if it racist?
Seriously buddy that's what all your questions ask. If one thing is not racist or racist, it can be applied to every of your question of the same type.

Answer 10

YES, it is because not all blacks can run faster and jump higher than whites there is actually some whites that can run even faster and jump even higher so be careful about what you say!!