In the beginning of How to be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi writes, “Intelligence is as subjective as beauty.” I cannot define a beautiful face, but I accept the consensus. Standards of facial beauty cross racial lines. They always have. I think beauty contests are demeaning and silly. Nevertheless, women who won beauty contests during the 1920’s would win them now. Below the neck men are attracted to female characteristics that indicate proficiency in childbirth. Women are attracted to male characteristics that indicate proficiency in hand to hand combat.
This opening statement is characteristic of this book: any objective criterion of excellence is inappropriate; we are all equal, by definition. This is obviously not true. Most people lack the intelligence to become what I became, which was a computer programmer. Most computer programmers lack the intelligence to design new computer languages, new computer systems, and new computers. I know I can’t do those things.
Computer technology increases the relation between intelligence and income. Artificial intelligence accelerates the process. This is no time to reject intelligence tests as racist. The ability to do well on those tests is going to become more important, regardless of Kendi’s disapproval of them.
Kendi defines an antiracist as “One who is expressing the idea that racial groups are equals and none needs developing, and [an antiracist] is supporting policy that reduces racial inequity,” [like affirmative action.]
In his novel 1984 George Orwell wrote:
“In philosophy, or religion, or ethics, or politics, two and two might make five, but when one was designing a gun or an aeroplane they had to make four.”
For Kendi two equals five. The crime ridden, welfare dependent, illegitimacy producing underclass of a black ghetto deserves as much respect as the Chinatown of a big city. If you don’t think so, you are a racist.
After reading How to be an Antiracist, I am left with the suspicion that to be an “antiracist,” as Abram X. Kendi defines the term, one needs to accept black social pathology as a respectable black culture. One is also required to revile blacks who perform and behave well as what he calls “assimilationist blacks” who reject their race by acting white.
This opening statement is characteristic of this book: any objective criterion of excellence is inappropriate; we are all equal, by definition. This is obviously not true. Most people lack the intelligence to become what I became, which was a computer programmer. Most computer programmers lack the intelligence to design new computer languages, new computer systems, and new computers. I know I can’t do those things.
Computer technology increases the relation between intelligence and income. Artificial intelligence accelerates the process. This is no time to reject intelligence tests as racist. The ability to do well on those tests is going to become more important, regardless of Kendi’s disapproval of them.
Kendi defines an antiracist as “One who is expressing the idea that racial groups are equals and none needs developing, and [an antiracist] is supporting policy that reduces racial inequity,” [like affirmative action.]
In his novel 1984 George Orwell wrote:
“In philosophy, or religion, or ethics, or politics, two and two might make five, but when one was designing a gun or an aeroplane they had to make four.”
For Kendi two equals five. The crime ridden, welfare dependent, illegitimacy producing underclass of a black ghetto deserves as much respect as the Chinatown of a big city. If you don’t think so, you are a racist.
After reading How to be an Antiracist, I am left with the suspicion that to be an “antiracist,” as Abram X. Kendi defines the term, one needs to accept black social pathology as a respectable black culture. One is also required to revile blacks who perform and behave well as what he calls “assimilationist blacks” who reject their race by acting white.
