Olympic Athlete Claims Blacks are superior to Whites

Ok this is my first thread hope it isnt my last (hey mods)

I saw this a couple of days ago on another forum the debate got very interesting then it was removed
before I go on I would like to ask all who post to remember the forum rules this is not about hate I am interested in the views of other ATS members

Ok here is the original article from the Mail Online

Olympic legend Michael Johnson says a ‘superior athletic gene’ in the descendants of West African slaves means black American and Caribbean sprinters will command the sport at the London Games. The Olympic gold medallist and BBC commentator said: ‘Over the last few years, athletes of Afro- Caribbean and Afro-American descent have dominated athletics finals. ‘It’s a fact that hasn’t been discussed openly before. It’s a taboo subject in the States but it is what it is. Why shouldn’t we discuss it?’

Now if we can all be civilized and remain polite and respectful I cant see any reason why it shouldnt be discussed

Some scientists believe a combination of selective breeding by slave owners and appalling conditions meant that only the strongest slaves endured, creating a group predisposed to record-breaking athletic performance.

I really dont understand what use running fast would be to a slave owner but maybee someone here does

Michael seems to think it was only blacks that where used as slaves maybe he should read some of the books listed below

- White Gold: The Extraordinary Story of Thomas Pellow and North Africa's One Million European Slaves
- The Stolen Village: Baltimore and the Barbary Pirates
- To Hell or Barbados: The Ethnic Cleansing of Ireland
- White Cargo: The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America
- They Were White and They Were Slaves: The Untold History of the Enslavement of Whites in Early America

I really would like to have a discussion about this without the usually silly name calling and pointless remarks
thanks

There are a multitude of factors involved here, from ancestor lifestyle (running from a lion tends to build faster muscles), to eugenics (the strongest slave men were bred with the strongest slave women, creating strong offspring), to many others.

Any discussion of the genetic difference in people is such a taboo partly because of all our own internal sociology-economic problems.

Facts will always be drowned out by emotions.

Chris Rock does a great bit about what happens when you breed the biggest and dumbest, and kill the smart...

you get the NFL. is the basic jist of what he says.

The same would be true if a Man stands up and says "I am better at directions than a Women"

Never mind mens brains are better equipped to handle spacial recognition.

Or if a women said she was better at art, as women s eyes have the ability to see more colors than a man does.

Again its just nature, but when you add emotions to the facts, I guarantee a women will respond saying that they are just as good as a man at such and such, in response to what I said.

Never mind that its a fact men have brains that are slightly different, we all have differences.

Ego and Emotion cloud the issue.

reply to post by Hess88


So what? I think he is correct. It is fairly obvious that black people are generally more athletic than white people. Faster twitch muscles, more muscle tone, less bodyfat retention. They are also more prone to certain health problems like sickle-cell anemia and diabetes.

This is the problem with racial debates. To admit differences is to be racist. Why? We are obviously different.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Hess88

 

So what? I think he is correct. It is fairly obvious that black people are generally more athletic than white people. Faster twitch muscles, more muscle tone, less bodyfat retention. They are also more prone to certain health problems like sickle-cell anemia and diabetes.

This is the problem with racial debates. To admit differences is to be racist. Why? We are obviously different.

And not only a faster twitch muscle, but longer ones, which means even greater explosive energy.

We are told to 'celebrate' diversity, yet every time someone brings up this subject, it is taboo... why is that?

This is actually a very wise observation although with a bit a racial undertone.

I was watching the trials last night and who won the first place slots? Out of all of the events I watched most of them, the black people dominated!

Girls Gymnastics: Gabrielle Douglas



Men's swimming: Cullen Jones



Women's Track is all black girls.

And a short Mexican Guy won in Men's track: Leonel Manzano

I don't really see any issues with a discussion about being different. Diversity is strength in most cases.

The issues arise when the word SUPERIOR is thrown into the mix.

reply to post by Hess88


We briefly talked about this in my human variation class!

Jamaicans excel at sprinting due to a few factors:

1. 98% of Jamaicans have a particular variant of the ACTN3 gene (linked to sprinting performance), as a single copy or two. This gene helps in muscular contractions and protein synthesis, necessary for fast sprinters.

2. Cultural factors, training, coaching and environment also come into play, as daily life (to a degree) for them revolves around sprinting/track & field; it's basically their passion.

There's not a complete consensus yet on whether or not this is the distinguishing gene that decides it all.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Hess88

 

So what? I think he is correct. It is fairly obvious that black people are generally more athletic than white people. Faster twitch muscles, more muscle tone, less bodyfat retention. They are also more prone to certain health problems like sickle-cell anemia and diabetes.

This is the problem with racial debates. To admit differences is to be racist. Why? We are obviously different.

It's true. Too bad nobody wants to admit the fact that Blacks just may be better athletics than the whites. Get over your ego, whites are obviously not the best at everything. Some races are just better at some things than others are.

reply to post by Dreine

We are told to 'celebrate' diversity, yet every time someone brings up this subject, it is taboo... why is that?

Well, to play devil's advocate. If it is ok to say black people are more athletic, then it should be ok to say Jews are better with money and asians are better at math, etc. People get all weirded out when we make over-generalizations, but it is still stupid. Generalizations are just that. General. Meaning there are obvious exceptions to the generalization. Statistics show one thing, but that doesn't mean every individual will fit the mold. There are fat black people and stupid asians and jews that are frivolous with money, they just aren't the norm. In fact, there are probably smart, fat, black people that are good with money, and there are probably athletic jews..... well, maybe not.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by Hess88

 

So what? I think he is correct. It is fairly obvious that black people are generally more athletic than white people. Faster twitch muscles, more muscle tone, less bodyfat retention.

I've seen just as many out of shape, fat and in ill health as other groups.

I think making general statements is whats wrong when discussing the topic.

They are also more prone to certain health problems like sickle-cell anemia and diabetes.

Africans in Africa or Africans with various other racial background mixtures?
I'm writing a thread along those lines stay tuned.

This is the problem with racial debates. To admit differences is to be racist. Why? We are obviously different.

Yes to a certain extent IMHO.

reply to post by TheProphetMark


Hockey? Swimming? Tennis? Golf? Rugby? Lacrosse?

A few of the aforementioned sports do have premier players such as Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters, but nevertheless they are not dominated by African Americans. Being good a sport requires practice and an innate set of characteristics (such as height) that allow you to do better than your peers. Also, whatever is a priority in one's cultural setting is the primary reason for why some groups excel more than others.

I dislike the whole concept of race, it serves us no purpose in explaining human diversity.

reply to post by Hess88


If I remember my slow and fast twitch muscle fiber teachings from school.

Wasn't it that blacks had more fast twitch and whites had more slow twitch.

That's why blacks dominate the field in sports that require bursts of speed like track or field events.
And whites usually dominate in sports that require endurance or great strength like power lifting.

I dont' know. At least that what I remember from high school.

Originally posted by IEtherianSoul9
reply to post by TheProphetMark

 

Hockey? Swimming? Tennis? Golf? Rugby? Lacrosse?

A few of the aforementioned sports do have premier players such as Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters, but nevertheless they are not dominated by African Americans. Being good a sport requires practice and an innate set of characteristics (such as height) that allow you to do better than your peers. Also, whatever is a priority in one's cultural setting is the primary reason for why some groups excel more than others.

I dislike the whole concept of race, it serves us no purpose in explaining human diversity.

All those sports you listed are rarely available to young black people in the US. Those are "white sports" because they require access to certain fields and equipment. If an athletic black kid were given the same access as the white kids, they would probably dominate. As you said, look at the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods. When given equal access, they outperform the white kids.

A friend of mine did his Master's Thesis on success in the NHL. The number one deciding factor on whether or not a kid would make it as a pro in the NHL was birthdate. That alone, just birthdate. Some kids are born just after the cutoff, and they are almost a year older than their counterparts, and they are always a little more maturely developed, and therefore they get all the coaching and all the playing time and all the experience and success. If a kid is born just after September 1st and starts school a year later, they are infinitely more likely to become a success in their chosen sport, whereas a kid born just prior to September first barely stands a chance.

Originally posted by TheProphetMark
Some races are just better at some things than others are.

Approx. 80% of players in the NBA are "black"

Approx. 98% of players in the NHL are "white"

Looking at those numbers you'd think that basketball and hockey are two VASTLY different types of sport.. when really.. the games are actually pretty similar.

That's the most interesting part to me.

Originally posted by HIWATT

Originally posted by TheProphetMark
Some races are just better at some things than others are.

Approx. 80% of players in the NBA are "black"

Approx. 98% of players in the NHL are "white"

Looking at those numbers you'd think that basketball and hockey are two VASTLY different types of sport.. when really.. the games are actually pretty similar.

That's the most interesting part to me.

On the other hand, the majority of basketball players worldwide are not black.

So much of what you point out has simply to do with availability of the sport. Hockey is far more popular in places like Canada, where it is mostly white.

Not a lot of youth hockey being played in africa....

reply to post by captaintyinknots

So much of what you point out has simply to do with availability of the sport. Hockey is far more popular in places like Canada, where it is mostly white.

Not a lot of youth hockey being played in africa....

But, given equal access and coaching, I believe there is a clear genetic advantage for a black kid over a white kid. Of course there are exceptions, but it is what it is.

Bobby Bowden was a wonderful and beloved coach, but the main thing he originally did as a trendsetter was recruiting black athletes. Look at college football now! The sports that are dominated by white kids are sports where black kids have limited access. Give them equal access and opportunity and they will dominate the sport.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by captaintyinknots

 

So much of what you point out has simply to do with availability of the sport. Hockey is far more popular in places like Canada, where it is mostly white.

Not a lot of youth hockey being played in africa....

But, given equal access and coaching, I believe there is a clear genetic advantage for a black kid over a white kid. Of course there are exceptions, but it is what it is.

Bobby Bowden was a wonderful and beloved coach, but the main thing he originally did as a trendsetter was recruiting black athletes. Look at college football now! The sports that are dominated by white kids are sports where black kids have limited access. Give them equal access and opportunity and they will dominate the sport.

Thats quite possible. Lets look at it like this though, when it comes to hockey: Would the genetic advantage still hold true in the cold environment? Afterall, it is a fact that african americans are adapted to warmer climates. SO would the cold make the genetics null and void?

Its along the lines of swimming. For so long, it was thought to be racist to say that Blacks arent as good of swimmers. Then it was found that genetically, most blacks have denser bones, causing them to spend more energy while swimming.

now, you still have some blacks who excel at the sport, but it is not dominated the way others are.

reply to post by HIWATT


Read Gladwell's "Outliers", there are so many factors involved in this, race is the least of them. Also, if your white and you have a hockey box down the street chances are youll be real good at hockey. If your black and you have a bball court down the street...well more of the same....

Why do you think only rich white people are into horses, skiing, rowing, yachting, etc? If whats around you and what you have access too.

BUT....even beyond all that, who cares if he said it? White people have been saying the opposite forever, let this guy have his turn...haha....

reply to post by Hess88


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
dIVISIVENESS AT IT'S BEST BUT AT LEAST NOW NOBODY CAN DENY BLACK RACISTS EXIST ANYMORE.