Shocking Racist Ideas Are Getting Treated as Science in Leading National Publications

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/media/shocking-racist-ideas-are-getting-treated-science-leading-national-publications

Nicholas Wade was a leading New York Times science writer for three decades, at one point the editor of the “Science Times” section. He retired from full-time work at the paper in 2012, and in May 2014 published A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, a book that has been described as a full-throated defense of “scientific racism” (New Statesman, 5/20/14). Wade’s embrace of the pseudoscience of eugenics raises questions about his tenure at theTimes, and about corporate media vigilance when it comes to racism.

Media frequently fail to challenge racism in high places (FAIR Blog, 6/27/14) - in part because some highly placed corporate media figures are themselves attracted to racialist ideologies. Extra! ( 4/05) documented this after New York Times columnists David Brooks ( 12/7/04) and John Tierney ( 10/24/04) approvingly cited the work of Steve Sailer, a central figure in the promotion of racist and anti-immigrant theories.

For his part, Brooks praised a Sailer article in the American Conservative (12/20/04) that celebrated white people who flouted the Western trend toward declining birth rates, having lots of children and leaving behind what Brooks called the “disorder, vulgarity and danger” of cities to move to “clean, orderly” suburban and exurban settings where they can “protect their children from bad influences.” Sailer himself made clear what those bad influences were, mentioning “ghetto hellions,” “illegal immigrants and other poor minorities.”

In 1994, when Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray published The Bell Curve, a book espousing the so-called “academic racist” theories that black people are inherently less intelligent and more prone to crime than whites or Asians, the New York Times Book Review ( 10/16/94) published a fawning, credulous review by Times science reporter Malcolm Browne.

[chervilant]

2. I suspect that these racist pseudo-scientists

would call NdT, Obama, Parks, King, Hurston, Angelou, Ellison, Ashe, Robinson, Washington, Mandela, Lewis, Owens, Freeman, Winfrey, Malcolm X, and countless others 'rare anomalies.'

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

4. Troll Alert! Troll Alert! Troll Alert!

[ck4829]

12. "Father of DNA"? You do realize he co-disovered it, not invented it, right?

[Rhiannon12866]

10. I hope you actually alerted

It appears this one didn't take no for an answer.

[hobbit709]

13. I alerted on post #6

He's pretty much spewing the same lane as Name Removed above did

[Rhiannon12866]

15. Good choice! Thanks!

And he's gone - again. Looks like he came back to finish his argument. MIRT never sleeps...

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

19. Yes, I did.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. Thank you!

[jen63]

32. I did also. n/t

[Rhiannon12866]

34. Thank you!

We got all three of him...

[jen63]

45. It was certainly my pleasure.

I have zero tolerance for racism.

[Rhiannon12866]

47. And this one wasn't subtle...

[jen63]

51. A garden variety, racist troll

who thinks he's special. Ick.

[Rhiannon12866]

53. I counted four of him - so far.

This one was incorrigible.

[hobbit709]

5. Going for the daily double there, Name Removed?

[jen63]

7. I think you may be in the wrong place,

and I'm being very, very nice. You really need to stumble back to Stormfront.

[AngryAmish]

11. not long here

[jen63]

14. I don't figure..... n/t

[cali]

9. wow. is this ever vile. I encourage people to read the entire piece

it's shocking and that Wade was editor of the science section at the NYT is very disturbing.

Not only is it shocking, it's profoundly stupid and unscientific. It's political shit- pro-capitalist and anti-socialism, among other things.

[ck4829]

24. Define race

What exactly does race mean? Is it really possible to define something that is a social construct, somethat that has changed over the centuries, in terms of evolution?

That is what makes it unscientific.

[ck4829]

29. You defined zero races.

Aaaand he's gone.

[kwassa]

43. MIRT ALERT! the troll is back for the next round!

[The Magistrate]

44. The Only 'Politics', Sir, Is Your Attachment To White Supremacy

A belief which must comfort you somewhat in the dreary wreckage of your soul and and your life....

[ck4829]

46. A hundred years ago, I would not have been considered 'white'

Were people right back then to say I'm not white or are they right today to say I am?

And of course it matters, science is about having objective standards and measurements; if you are using arbitrary, ever-changing, and subjective research methods and definitions, then no it's not science.

[cheapdate]

50. Genetically distinct groups of humans exist in the world.

Science has moved beyond gross taxonomic classification of human "races". The study of genetics and new techniques and abilities, such as the ability to map human genomes, have given us a richer understanding of the human species.

There are genetically distinct groups of humans in the world. The Quechua people of Peru are a distinct group.

We use the term "ethnic group" more usually now instead of "race". "Ethnic group" encompasses more of what we know today about our species.

[ck4829]

54. Thank you

That's not what our little friend seems to get. He's saying they're not the same, I'm still waiting on his categorizations of them, so far he has yet to deliver one.

[safeinOhio]

33. Do you mean, like the diff between

black and yellow Labs.

[get the red out]

57. I agree!!!

It makes no sense.

[cali]

35. read the article and go to some of the linked articles

there are examples and detailed explanations as to why it's unscientific. In the AlterNet article and the linked articles, no critic says that "all races are the same".

and here is piece that delves into specifics:

http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/pageDocuments/ZGEJ0HFEM4.pdf

and can you see why this is not scientific?

Populations that live at high altitudes, like Tibetans, represent another adaptation to extreme environments. The adaptation of Jews to capitalism is another such evolutionary process.”

[Half-Century Man]

59. Really?

The adaptation of Jews to capitalism is another such evolutionary process.

Please Cali, if we were evolved for capitalism as you suggest; I wouldn't be living in poverty.

[brush]

61. Cali, is your last sentence a quote from the article?

Please tell me it is. If not, you need to rethink that as this can't be what you mean:

"The adaptation of Jews to capitalism is another such evolutionary process.”

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

37. Would you prefer 'bad science' or 'junk science'?

People who aren't too good at science come in with preconceived ideas of what sort of results they want, then, no shock, get those results, because they don't consider alternative explanations or eliminate confounding factors in their 'studies'.

Lower birthrates among 'whites'? Whites have always been 'ahead of the curve' because they've exploited peoples with other skin tones more thoroughly. So 'white' countries got to first world status more quickly, and had more time and energy to devote to things other than survival, such as education. When your women are devoting more time to learning, and less to bearing children, the birth rate drops. But it's not because they're 'white'. We see the exact same decline in birth rates in any country in which education for women is embraced more fully. So it's not a product of 'skin tone', it's a product of national wealth and stability.

[Starry Messenger]

16. K&R

This is something that doesn't get enough attention and is hard to get people to see.

[m-lekktor]

17. ha, it mentions asshole Andrew Sullivan dedicating a whole issue of "The New Republic"

to the racist "Bell Curve" book back when he was editor of that magazine. I can remember that.

[xchrom]

18. +1

[hobbit709]

23. Back for thirds?

If you're a scientist, I'm God-Emperor of the Universe

[Rhiannon12866]

31. Apparently so...

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

39. Eh. Anybody can get a degree in a science.

'scientist' is a next to meaningless word these days. I've got a handful of degrees in the sciences, but I rarely refer to myself as a 'scientist' and then mostly ironically. You want to show your mad science skills, you list your field(s). Are you a chemist? a biochemist? a physicist? a crystallographer? a mineralogist? That actually shows where maybe your knowledge is actually relevant to the discussion at hand. In many cases, a 'scientist' in one field can have less knowledge than a layman about another field, if that layman is interested in the other field.

[ck4829]

25. What exactly are 'all the races'?

[G_j]

27. At Elite Media, ‘Scientific’ Racists Fit in Fine

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025554341

[alarimer]

28. Actual scientists take issue with Wade's book.

The following article is a good take-down.


http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/08/geneticists-decry-book-race-and-evolution

A best-seller by former New York Times science writer Nicholas Wade about recent human evolution and its potential effects on human cultures has drawn critical reviews since its spring publication. Now, nearly 140 senior human population geneticists around the world, many of whose work was cited in the book, have signed a letter to The New York Times Book Review stating that Wade has misinterpreted their work. The letter criticizes “Wade’s misappropriation of research from our field to support arguments about differences among human societies,” and is slated to appear in the 10 August issue of the Book Review. It’s available online today.

The book, A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, contends that human races are a biological reality and that recent human evolution has led to racial differences in economic and social behavior. In the book, Wade suggests that such genetic differences may help explain why some people live in tribal societies and some in advanced civilizations, why African-Americans are allegedly more violent than whites, and why the Chinese may be good at business.

The book has received some blistering reviews from both scientists and science writers, including one by David Dobbs in The New York Times Book Review, and some scientists weighed in with blogs as well. Now, geneticists have crafted a joint response, concluding that “there is no support from the field of population genetics for Wade’s conjectures.” The list of signatories reads like a who’s who of researchers in the field and includes such well-known geneticists as Evan Eichler of the University of Washington, Seattle; David Goldstein of Duke University; and Michael Hammer of the University of Arizona.

The letter was spearheaded by five population geneticists who had informally discussed the book at conferences, says co-organizer Rasmus Nielsen of the University of California, Berkeley. “There was a feeling that our research had been hijacked by Wade to promote his ideological agenda,” Nielsen says. “The outrage … was palpable.” Molly Przeworski of Columbia University, another organizer, says the group “tried to contact population geneticists whose work had been cited by Wade.” They had no trouble getting signatures, racking up 100 within the first week, she says.

[Dont call me Shirley]

30. You are the bad influence on the entire planet, David.

You and your rich spoiled little brat pack must continuously pull facts out of thin air to prove your false sense of superiority. Guess what, you are the same as everyone else, no better, no worse. If you could understand that you might become a truly productive human being!

[Enrique]

36. the David Brooks column is amazing

he slips in "white fertility rates", even though he makes no other mention of race. This tells me the whole thing is about white people and that that is supposed to be understood. When he says "people" he means "white people". It's not clear what he thinks minorities are.

[Octafish]

38. Fascists need justification for their hypocrisies. Edwin Black explained the USA Connection...

Eugenics and the Nazis -- the California connection

by Edwin Black
Sunday, November 9, 2003

Hitler and his henchmen victimized an entire continent and exterminated millions in his quest for a so-called Master Race.

But the concept of a white, blond-haired, blue-eyed master Nordic race didn't originate with Hitler. The idea was created in the United States, and cultivated in California, decades before Hitler came to power. California eugenicists played an important, although little-known, role in the American eugenics movement's campaign for ethnic cleansing.

Eugenics was the pseudoscience aimed at "improving" the human race. In its extreme, racist form, this meant wiping away all human beings deemed "unfit," preserving only those who conformed to a Nordic stereotype. Elements of the philosophy were enshrined as national policy by forced sterilization and segregation laws, as well as marriage restrictions, enacted in 27 states. In 1909, California became the third state to adopt such laws. Ultimately, eugenics practitioners coercively sterilized some 60,000 Americans, barred the marriage of thousands, forcibly segregated thousands in "colonies," and persecuted untold numbers in ways we are just learning. Before World War II, nearly half of coercive sterilizations were done in California, and even after the war, the state accounted for a third of all such surgeries.

California was considered an epicenter of the American eugenics movement. During the 20th century's first decades, California's eugenicists included potent but little-known race scientists, such as Army venereal disease specialist Dr. Paul Popenoe, citrus magnate Paul Gosney, Sacramento banker Charles Goethe, as well as members of the California state Board of Charities and Corrections and the University of California Board of Regents.

Eugenics would have been so much bizarre parlor talk had it not been for extensive financing by corporate philanthropies, specifically the Carnegie Institution, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Harriman railroad fortune. They were all in league with some of America's most respected scientists from such prestigious universities as Stanford, Yale, Harvard and Princeton. These academicians espoused race theory and race science, and then faked and twisted data to serve eugenics' racist aims.

CONTINUED...

http://www.waragainsttheweak.com/offSiteArchive/www.sfgate.com/index.html

PS: Edwin Black is one of the greatest investigative journalists and authors in history, once a top reporter at The New York Times. In my opinion, he should be required reading for all high school and college students. For some reason, his works get almost no coverage in American media. Instead, Corporate McPravda is filled more and more with bilge from the likes of Mr. Wade. It's how history keeps repeating the same mistakes, democracy disappears, the rich get richer, and the rest of the nation is used for cannon fodder for wars without end.

[mountain grammy]

58. Just another chapter of shameful American history

that is never taught in school. This is the very definition of "institutional racism."

[Octafish]

60. I learned about his work because of the illegal, secret radiation experiments on US children.

Know Your BFEE: American Children Used in Radiation Experiments

When the media and academia ignore what the secret government is doing to the People, Democracy has an existential problem.

[cali]

40. this op certainly is troll bait.

[marble falls]

49. And a good piece of information. Its good that racists fall for the opportunity to spew: we get to..

remember that we are an oasis, that there's a lot of idiots out there filled with some hateful shit. The good part is we get the reminder and then these people are moved out.

Haven't run into you lately, hope all is good.

[abelenkpe]

48. The bell curve is a disgusting book

I blame crap like that for making racist beliefs acceptable.

[marble falls]

52. Racism almost seems ok if its polite. But polite shit is shit all the same.

[hobbit709]

55. A shiny polished turd is still a turd.

[marble falls]

56. 'zactly right. And we gotta call it out every single time.

[mountain grammy]

62. Ha, nothing fires up a racist more than "science" that validates them

even though they actually don't believe in science.

[hunter]

63. Sometimes I'd like to believe the internet trolls are of another race.

Sadly, they too are human.

[Beach Rat]

64. You know, you'd think eventually we could move beyond this

It may seem trite but you would think that if a cheesy 45 year old Star Trek episode makes these arguments seem stupid it might start to sink in that they actually are stupid. Where does this crap come from and why does it continually perpetuate? When I read stuff like this I think we are doomed as a race-the human race that is. We won't survive to suffer the consequences of climate change. We'll all be dead way before that.

Bele meets with Kirk and Spock, where it is quickly revealed that Bele believes his black and white coloration to be superior to Lokai's — "I am black on the right side" ... "Lokai is white on the right side. All of his people are white on the right side" — even though Kirk sees no difference in the two and refuses to agree in Bele's convictions of racial superiority.

Both Lokai and Bele stare silently at the destruction on the monitor and realize they are the only ones left of their race (or, as they see it, their "races&quot . Instead of calling a truce, the two beings begin to blame each other for the destruction of the planet and a brawl ensues. As the two aliens fight, their innate powers radiate, cloaking them with an energy aura that threatens to damage the ship. With no other choice, Kirk sadly allows the two aliens to chase each other down to their obliterated world to decide their own fates, consumed by their now self-perpetuating mutual hate. Forlorn, Lt. Uhura asks if their hate is all they ever had. Kirk ruefully says, "No — but it is all they have left."

[MisterP]

65. here's my rogues' gallery

note how they're all tied to what can be fairly called "Powell Memo scientists" ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Sailer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miele
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Pearson_(anthropologist)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glayde_Whitney
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Council_on_Science_and_Health
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Kanazawa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Murray_(author)