Is racial equaility a myth?

Let me just get this out at the start. I believe that all people should receive the same rights and opportunities, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion. There are also people that defy stereotypes. There are White people who are good at Basketball, Black brain surgeons, Hispanics with small families, and Asians that are bad at math.

However, is the idea that all racial or ethnic groups have equal talents a myth? Can different racial or ethnic groups excel in different areas due to a mixture of culture or genetics? Is it possible, that the average Black person can jump higher than the average person of any other race It is possible that the average Asian person is better at math than the average person of any other race? Are affirmative action programs doomed to fail because some groups are always going to excel more in certain areas than other groups?

No, it isn't a myth.

reply to post by hippomchippo


The United States is about 80% white. The NBA and NFL are far less than 80% white? How is this so? If Whites are just as good at sports as Blacks, shouldn't the NBA and NFL be 80% white.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
reply to post by hippomchippo

 

The United States is about 80% white. The NBA and NFL are far less than 80% white? How is this so? If Whites are just as good at sports as Blacks, shouldn't the NBA and NFL be 80% white.

Different cultures have different ambitions, Are you saying it's genetic that black people play more basketball?

reply to post by hippomchippo


It is perhaps a combination of culture and genetics. I am not denying culture and environment plays a role. The problem with genetics is that no scientist can ever get a grant exploring how genetics and race affect behavior. One scientist wanted to take DNA samples from convicts to see if there were criminal genes. He could not get funding because his study was "racist."

If you want to eliminate differences in outcomes, your best hope would be to eliminate cultural differences. Most people would not stand for this as they would see this as a form of imperialism.

Not sure equality equates as you seem to state. Are blondes dumber than the general population? lawyers and bankers all liars and thieves? There are numerous racially evolved physical characteristics which point to physiological differences in capabilites among races in general.

This has little to do with equality among races or the spiritual, intellectual, physical human beings that comprise them. Obviously on an individual physical basis beings aren't at all equal. So I believe the concept of equality in your premise to be flawed.

Thanks for your provoking thoughts.

gj

reply to post by ganjoa


If you read my first post, I stated that all people deserved equal rights and opportunities. In this regard, all races are spiritually or morally equal. I do however question whether they are physically equal. Whether culture and genetics tend to make one group more talented in one area than another group.

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


One reason why one group may be better in education is because it is ingrained in them at an early age. When I was growing up, my mostly all white classmates made sure to make fun of any egghead or smart person in the classroom. That is unheard of in Asia.

Also, many people from the poorest areas realize the one way to get out of there is through an athletic scholarship. They start practicing at a very young age and are very good as young teens (when the scouts start noticing them).

Yes, your thread is correct on this issue in parts. But there are many reasons as to why.

(BTW, the white population of the United States will be under 70% by 2012. It will the the majority minority by 2050 or sooner as it will be less than 50%.)

Its a known that that irish people in our borough brent die alot younger than average rates.

If your irish i always say do not live in england. Countries do target minorities of peoples they hate. England seems to have given up its hate of blacks, and its always hated irish, so they still are targeted.

Unbelievable that blacks do not understand irish are just as hated for as long as blacks in england. But blacks want to play there reverse racism against irish in london, when the irish where just as big as targets as blacks ever where here.

This racism stuff is so much stup1dity, its beyond belief that blacks who have good lifes now in london, seem to want to have there revenge against whites who have nothing to do with what there people went through, and worse still they target irish who where treated with as much racism in england as they where.

Racism is just a such a stup1d thing, but the victims like to play the card too.

no its not a myth. it is reality. it is science.
a hummingbird can move its wings so fast i floats in place yet it is tiny. an albatross can fly across whole oceans, but it is not very graceful upon landing. there are falcons and eagles, and vultures.

they are all birds but fundementally diffrent with diffrent abilities and environments.

THE IMPORTANT PART, and where science under the guise of eugenics massively failed in the early to mid 1900's was that you do not destroy the variations. you preserve them! each race brings diffrent abilities to the table. no one race is superior to another. is a falcon superior to a hummingbird? it depends on what your definition of superiority is. a hummingbird has a superior metabolism a falcon a superior wingspan.

but anyway my rambling thoughts are concluded now.

Originally posted by TheRepublic
no its not a myth. it is reality. it is science.
a hummingbird can move its wings so fast i floats in place yet it is tiny. an albatross can fly across whole oceans, but it is not very graceful upon landing. there are falcons and eagles, and vultures.

they are all birds but fundementally diffrent with diffrent abilities and environments.

THE IMPORTANT PART, and where science under the guise of eugenics massively failed in the early to mid 1900's was that you do not destroy the variations. you preserve them! each race brings diffrent abilities to the table. no one race is superior to another. is a falcon superior to a hummingbird? it depends on what your definition of superiority is. a hummingbird has a superior metabolism a falcon a superior wingspan.

but anyway my rambling thoughts are concluded now.

Those birds aren't related in the same way race relates between humans.

reply to post by hippomchippo


well its an illustration not a scientific formula. the point is there is plenty of genetic diffrence and variation between humans that manifests itself in diffrent ways. diffrent but equal.

Originally posted by TheRepublic
reply to post by hippomchippo

 

well its an illustration not a scientific formula. the point is there is plenty of genetic diffrence and variation between humans that manifests itself in diffrent ways. diffrent but equal.

Which genetic differences then?
As far as I know, the genetic difference is amazingly small, and is not known to affect intelligence at all.

Yes, it's a myth.

There is no way that we are all equal. If we are, why isn't it shown?

I believe that the term race is a conspiracy.

I know a family where all members seem to be good looking. I know a family where all members seem to be born fighters. I know a family full of good artists. I know of a town that has a reputation for being tough and full of criminals. I know of a town where they excel at rugby. I know of a region where they excel at producing musical stars. I know of a country where people are known for their stiff upper lip. I know of a country where the people are known for war-mongering. I know of a country where they have a high majority of people with blond hair. I know of a continent which has a majority of Muslims. I know of a continent where the majority has a high tolerance to alcohol.

Once we realise that race is a red herring, it is some kind of divide and conquer technique, then maybe we will move forward in regards to finding greater wellbeing.

Nurture Vs Nature is a debate which does not only include skin colour or vocal accent.

Tell me what the races are and I will debate the logic.

Peace.




[edit on 4-4-2010 by Phantasmagoria]

[edit on 4-4-2010 by Phantasmagoria]

Considering there are slight differences in physical characteristics of humans, I believe there slight differences in physical and mental capabilities. Its disappointing there would be so much insecurity of that little sliver of difference. Everyone is unique and therefore unequal. What is important is equal opportunity and a default of equal respect.

If given the same environment and parenting, the average IQ of blacks is 98 and the average IQ of whites is 102 then that still leaves something like 46% of black people being smarter than 54% of white people. And of course that leaves room for a very large number of genius level black people. Therefore there is no reason to throw a fit over it, a pity party, or anything else. Its just no big deal.

Females seem worse at math than males. Yet if you are to take a female at random you couldn't possibly guess her math skill level because there is a huge amount of deviation in how good different people are at math and it leaves plenty of room for some females to excel at math.

If there is one group of humans that can be characterized as unequal it is human babies when compared to adults. Babies are vastly more stupid than adults. Yet we can still love babies and if a six month old baby says something like "Today's economy is being damaged by government forecasts skewing the price equilibrium in the commodities futures markets." I'll go ahead and pay attention... and if that baby posts on an internet forum I wouldn't say "you're just being a baby and you are stupid" and rather I'll go ahead and respond based on what is being said rather than the person saying it. And that is why although I believe all people are unequal that I am not even slightly a racist. Equality is equal opportunity and a default of respect.

reply to post by hippomchippo


well i wasnt speaking of intelligence. plus the whole term of intelligence is subjective as there are diffrent types of it, like artistic or mechanical or the more classical version of pure i.q. i was thinking more along the lines of olympic sprinters vs. olympic swimmers by race. this is in turn due to the density of muscle tissue in the diffrent races. lighter races muscles are less dense on average which would be better for aquatic sports while denser muscles allow quicker bursts of pure energy.

there have been studies on sickle cell anemia being present in blacks and how in the native environment this seeming disorder actually allowed those that had it to cope better with malaria and other blood borne parasites then would europeans who did not have it.

It really isn't rocket science to understand that humans have evolved in different ways across the globe. Faulty genes can be inherited. My girlfriend is allergic to cats so is her Dad. If me and my girlfriend have lots of children and 50% have this allergy and they have lots of children who inherit the allergy which continues over generation upon generation what effect will that have on the statistics of my town/region/country/continent? Sickle cell has the same explanation over the centuries.

IQ I believe is the evolution of intelligence over the centuries scripted on paper with no doubt bias to the area of creation... depending on lifestyle IQ can go up as well as down in the individual as well as over generations.

Colour seems connected to sunshine... humans in different areas have evolved in different ways. Fundamentally the basics have remained the same.

Race does not exist.

Peace

reply to post by hotpinkurinalmint


Thanks for the clarification. This was my point of misunderstanding:

I do however question whether they are physically equal. Whether culture and genetics tend to make one group more talented in one area than another group.

Your assertions are correct. Culture and genetics certainly lead to specialization and varying talents. I certainly cannot argue against that. My disconnect was tuned into whether specific talents were relevant to the concept of equality, music versus basketball or diving versus art or mathmatics versus track - you get my drift here - just because we have different talents and abilities doesn't make us unequal unless there's some value attached to particular ones. That doesn't mean I'll bite on racial stereotyping.

gj