For those who care to do the research, it is an incontrovertible fact that the average IQ of "black" Africans is approximately 70. For African Americans, it is in the range of 85. Other racial groups also deviate from the mean by fairly predictable margins. Asians' average is in the range of 107-110, and at the top of the scale are Ashkenazi Jews at 115. Of course, European-caucasian Americans hover around 100, which is obvious. Male and female differences are more interesting statistically, and of course there is little study on that contrast.
There are other racial traits that are interesting and could warrant further study. Having worked in a mens' clothing store for a couple years I am aware that the proportions of black & white male bodies are significantly different on average. Blacks have longer arms and legs relative to height, and barring obesity, they have narrower hips and smaller waists than the typical caucasian build.
Noah Carl, a British social scientist has been scorned and his work banished in Academe because he merely suggests that racial differences in intelligence are a subject worthy of serious academic study.
Clearly, there is social "danger" in such research. If (when) it finds that American "blacks," on average, are less intelligent than average American whites and Asians, many racists will both literally and figuratively say, "I TOLD YOU SO!" and use that as an academic justification for overt racism. And this would be appalling. Individuals are individuals, and ALL should be evaluated (in circumstances where evaluation is appropriate) on the basis of their own strengths and weakness, and not on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the group to which they belong. To do otherwise is immoral and unacceptable.
But what would be the point of examining racial differences in intelligence? Well, for one thing, for the past 60 years or so, American academics - mainly in big cities - have been fretting and launching one expensive initiative after another to "close the achievement gap" between Black and white school children. To those not blind to the real racial differences in intelligence, these initiatives are ridiculous, pointless, and doomed to failure. The only time when groups of Blacks are going to perform up to and beyond the norms of everyone else is when the Black group is preselected for individual ability...either self-selected by caring parents, or by academic prequalification.
Rather than pursuing the impossible-but-pleasant-sounding goal of "eliminating the race gap," "we" should be thriving to create an education system where disadvantaged INDIVIDUALS with above-average talent can be nurtured to achieve as much as their abilities allow, in a productive, enriched environment. Whether that is in a Charter School, or separate classes within their present school, or through subsidized tuition to private schools, at least it is something that CAN succeed. As opposed to a goal that will NEVER succeed without cooking the books.
And in the meantime, we should STOP publishing test scores by race. THAT is something that has no real value.
Should race-based ability studies be prohibited? In effect, this is the current situation in Academe.
There are other racial traits that are interesting and could warrant further study. Having worked in a mens' clothing store for a couple years I am aware that the proportions of black & white male bodies are significantly different on average. Blacks have longer arms and legs relative to height, and barring obesity, they have narrower hips and smaller waists than the typical caucasian build.
Noah Carl, a British social scientist has been scorned and his work banished in Academe because he merely suggests that racial differences in intelligence are a subject worthy of serious academic study.
Clearly, there is social "danger" in such research. If (when) it finds that American "blacks," on average, are less intelligent than average American whites and Asians, many racists will both literally and figuratively say, "I TOLD YOU SO!" and use that as an academic justification for overt racism. And this would be appalling. Individuals are individuals, and ALL should be evaluated (in circumstances where evaluation is appropriate) on the basis of their own strengths and weakness, and not on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the group to which they belong. To do otherwise is immoral and unacceptable.
But what would be the point of examining racial differences in intelligence? Well, for one thing, for the past 60 years or so, American academics - mainly in big cities - have been fretting and launching one expensive initiative after another to "close the achievement gap" between Black and white school children. To those not blind to the real racial differences in intelligence, these initiatives are ridiculous, pointless, and doomed to failure. The only time when groups of Blacks are going to perform up to and beyond the norms of everyone else is when the Black group is preselected for individual ability...either self-selected by caring parents, or by academic prequalification.
Rather than pursuing the impossible-but-pleasant-sounding goal of "eliminating the race gap," "we" should be thriving to create an education system where disadvantaged INDIVIDUALS with above-average talent can be nurtured to achieve as much as their abilities allow, in a productive, enriched environment. Whether that is in a Charter School, or separate classes within their present school, or through subsidized tuition to private schools, at least it is something that CAN succeed. As opposed to a goal that will NEVER succeed without cooking the books.
And in the meantime, we should STOP publishing test scores by race. THAT is something that has no real value.
Should race-based ability studies be prohibited? In effect, this is the current situation in Academe.
