Racism & Science | cause the times they aren't a changin' at Schema : more than ethnic

Racism & Science | cause the times they aren't a changin'

It's a story we've all heard before. A hundred years ago, the Theory of Evolution was used to reinforce European precepts of racial superiority over Africans (as well as just about everyone else), thus justifying colonialism and the slave trade in any area of the world where people had 'not evolved' as far as Europeans. We've come so far since those hazy, crazy, hate-filled days... Or have we?

Leading American molecular biologist Dr. James Watson (of 'Watson & Crick', godfathers of DNA research) was recently embroiled in a media firestorm following quotes attributed to him in a Sunday Times Magazine article published October 14th.

The article included such familiar chestnuts as:
"[A]ll our social policies [in Africa] are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours -- whereas all the testing says not really."

and -

"[T]here is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so"

More: Black people 'less intelligent' scientist claims) | Nobel-winning biologist apologizes for remarks about blacks @ www.cnn.com | Controversial Nobel winner resigns @ www.cnn.com/

The ensuing controversy included condemnation from the British government and the scientific community at large, leading to the cancellation of the Nobel Laureate's book tour in the UK. Despite issuing a quick apology and denying the veracity of the article in the media, Watson returned to the States and quickly retired - following a letter of suspension - from his longterm position as Chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a leader in cancer research and home to the Watson School of Biological Sciences.

Despite Watson's post-article statements, the Times claims the interview was recorded and continues to stand by the article as it was published.

From phrenology to eugenics to The Bell Curve, racism disguised as science seems to keep resurfacing - like a recycled Archie story, and just about as necessary. These days, it is invariably followed by unproductive debates over freedom of speech versus social responsibility (though, unlike the mid-90's era Bell Curve controversy, i'm happy to report a sharp decline in the use of that most politically-motivated of terms "politically correct"), which is unfortunate because the real question ought to be why are people always looking for ways to 'prove' their destructive ideas?

Don't you people have anything better to do - like cure cancer?

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