Re: Race, intelligence, and anti-racist prejudice (Was: Genetic Evolution)

JAMES BENTHALL (st26h@rosie.uh.edu)
31 Jan 1995 21:41 CST

In article <3glfl1$b5m@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>, pcollins@prairienet.org (Patrick R. Collins) writes...
>Frank Fujita (ffujita@sun1.sun1.iusb.indiana.edu) wrote:
>: JAMES BENTHALL (st26h@elroy.uh.edu) wrote:
>: : All I.Q. tests fail the t-test. Variation within a population is always
>: : greater than between populations.
>
>: I'm unfamiliar with your usage of "t-test." Could you elaborate?
>: Frank Fujita
>
>A t-test is a statistical test. It lets you know if the average of a sample
>is different from a known population when the standard deviation is not
>known.
>
>I have no idea if his statement is correct or not.
>
>--
>Regards, Pat

I received that information from a physical antho. I'll see if I can get a
reference.

However, these nature/nurture debates go back to the beginning of anthropology
so I don't expect them to be resolved here. As a different form of attack, I
thought I would inform some of you that obsess with race what racism costs
this country.

First off, I believe racism in the U.S. is easy enough to understand. Marvin
Harris gives a good illustration of the causes in his _The Rise of
Anthropological Theory_ (the section titled "The Myth of The Monadic
Explanation"?). There is no other country on the planet that has the disparity
in skin color that the U.S. does. The "whitest" Europeans settled here with
the "darkest" Africans (West Coast). So it is natural?

But our inability to get over it is costing the working class dearly.
[WARNING! A CLASS ANALYSIS IS ABOUT TO ENSUE.]

If you were to look at an alternative source of information (i.e. one that
is not owned and operated by corporations) you would be disturbed to find that
the U.S. worker has a LOWER standard of living than almost any other advanced
industrialized democracy. We live shorter lives, have a higher infant
mortality, are paid lower wages, and have a greater disparity of wealth (i.e.
the rich in this country really are rich), in comparison to others. Pick-up
an almanac and check for yourself.

One of the main reasons for this situation is the fact that the workers of
this country are *completely unorganized*. Less than 16% of us are unionized.
Part of the reason for this is our _division along racial lines_. Since we
are not able to form coalitions and demand more we all lose out! We are so
in the dark that the politicians are getting ready to *abolish* the minimum
wage! A few months ago in France, their politicians mentioned cutting their
minimum wage and 1 million workers protested in the streets of Paris. Needless
to say that they didn't cut it. There is a REAL possibility that they could
cut ours!

Racism allows the capitalist to pit one group of people against another. The
"reserve army of the unemployed" (which in this country are African-Americans)
are always available to take your job if you don't want to work. You want to
form a union? You want a higher wage? You want more benefits? Screw you!
There's someone waiting outside to take your job if your unhappy! This is how
they keep us insecure. Insecurity leads to timidity. Timidity is death.

You want health care? Try and form a coalition to demand it and see how much
cooperation you get. The media will throw a bunch of nice "harmless" shots of
African-Americans standing next to a doctor and the next thing you know white
America thinks its only for the "niggers." Give me a fucking break! They are
playing us like a cheap fiddle and laughing all the way to the bank. So the
next time you are wondering what the I.Q. of that black fellow beside you is
or you are basking in the superiority of your gene pool think about the
costs. Its costing you more than you think.

IN SOLIDARITY,

James Benthall