"Please don’t pull a Larry Summers on me"

April 28, 2010 2:03 PM

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that African Americans are, on average, genetically predisposed to be less intelligent. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as intelligent as white people under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. African Americans tend to have darker skin. Irish people are more likely to have red hair. A Harvard Law student's email goes viral.

Related, related

posted by emilyd22222 (40 comments total)

OutrageFilter in 3, 2, 1...
posted by jeffkramer at 2:04 PM on April 28, 2010

Oh, god, not this shit again.....
posted by eriko at 2:05 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Newsflash: educated people who should know better sometimes turn out to be racists. Film at 11.
posted by HP LaserJet P10006 at 2:07 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

. I don’t think it is that controversial of an opinion to say I think it is at least possible that African Americans are less intelligent on a genetic level, and I didn’t mean to shy away from that opinion at dinner.

Friends, I was worried that the points I made were not offensive enough. Lest you think I'm a pussy, I am going to restate my racist assertions in the bluntest possible fashion.
posted by Think_Long at 2:08 PM on April 28, 2010 [8 favorites]

I too am less interested than I might otherwise be...
posted by From Bklyn at 2:09 PM on April 28, 2010

And I personally think that it is at least possible that there is some genetic component that seems to make many white people insufferable, racist pricks.
posted by milarepa at 2:10 PM on April 28, 2010

Please be civil and don't say anything that would drag this into MetaTalk. You are only encouraging these kinds of posts if you do.
posted by not_on_display at 2:10 PM on April 28, 2010 [2 favorites]

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that Harvard students are, on average, genetically predisposed to be more racist. I could also obviously be convinced that by controlling for the right variables, we would see that they are, in fact, as accepting as non-Harvard students under the same circumstances. The fact is, some things are genetic. Harvard students tend to have last names for first names. Irish people are more likely to have red hair.
posted by Alt F4 at 2:10 PM on April 28, 2010 [6 favorites]

I was told there would be film.
posted by Floydd at 2:11 PM on April 28, 2010 [3 favorites]

Do you think the people who are genetically predisposed to be less intelligent also carry a recessive "know the difference between the "Reply Sender" and "Reply All" gene?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010 [5 favorites]

White Supremacy: disproving itself at every turn.

It's like the Scientology of the 19th Century.
posted by yeloson at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

I was going to ask why it's racist to say, in a wordy and inopportune way, 'I don't know how smart anyone is.'

Then I actually read the letter.

I still want to know the answer to the question, but I also know it's not the statement CRIMSON DNA made.
posted by Fraxas at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010

... the potential impact of her ignorance ...
Oh, a she racist! Nice twist.
posted by From Bklyn at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Now I think that I too might have gotten into Harvard.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010

I don’t think it is that controversial of an opinion to say I think it is at least possible that despite my Harvard education, I'm perfectly able to FORCEFULLY RAM MY FOOT INTO MY MOUTH.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:12 PM on April 28, 2010

Harvard Law sucks.

Go NYU!
posted by saladin at 2:13 PM on April 28, 2010

I was told there would be film.

Yes, it's at 11.
posted by belvidere at 2:14 PM on April 28, 2010 [2 favorites]

OUTRAGE arranged for the email to be sent out to the Harvard Black Law Student Association list-serv, including DNA’s name and the fact that after graduation, the author will be doing a federal clerkship.

Regardless of the content of the email (unless DNA was threatening someone or something else illegal/dangerous), that seems like a dick move, to forward private correspondence.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:15 PM on April 28, 2010

Don't forget Poland!
posted by peeedro at 2:16 PM on April 28, 2010

Oh, a she racist! Nice twist.

Men are racist like this, and women are racist like that, am I right?!
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:16 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Honestly, my brain shut down with the racism, and all I could focus on was the fact that the sender (and the link I cited) only focus on gene or environment main effects, which make up SO FUCKING LITTLE of the variance in any complex psychological trait like intelligence, and the fact that they're talking about statistically controlling for variables that don't make logical sense to control for. Controlling for preexisting groups is bad fucking statistics, people!
posted by emilyd22222 at 2:16 PM on April 28, 2010

I wanna see film of Cool Papa Bell cramming his foot in his mouth. Film or it didn't happen.
posted by Babblesort at 2:17 PM on April 28, 2010

Don't pull a Larry Summers on me, ... BRO.

Again, I didn't read the story carefully, nor do I care to. On first impression, though, it seems a little bit like the Thought Police on a Witch Hunt. Should opinions expressed in private correspondence really be cause for such treatment (regardless of how "wrong" or "evil" those opinions might be)?
posted by mrgrimm at 2:17 PM on April 28, 2010

See, CRIMSON DNA is book-smart not street-sma... oh, I guess s/he's not book-smart either.
posted by klarck at 2:17 PM on April 28, 2010

I think of how many people just like this woman are and always will be running this country and want to stab myself in the fucking nuts.
posted by The Straightener at 2:17 PM on April 28, 2010 [2 favorites]

Shorter second paragraph of the email:

To show you that I'm openminded, I'm happy to stipulate that African Americans' predisposition to violent behaviour is entirely cultural, since ten generations since being docile, happy slaves isn't nearly enough time for genetics to explain the change.

Is there a name for thinking asinine things with scientific rigour and openmindedness?
posted by fatbird at 2:18 PM on April 28, 2010

Cue up the Harvard and Ivy bashing in 1 ... 2 ... 3.

And, scene....
posted by ericb at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2010

Ever notice white people forward emails like this... but Black people forward emails like THIS
posted by ExitPursuedByBear at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

I absolutely do not rule out the possibility that Harvard students are, on average, genetically predisposed to be more racist.

Oh, and fuck the generalizations while you're at it.
posted by ericb at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2010

Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants and 100 African American ones and raise them in Disney utopia

Everyone but me, I guess.
posted by COBRA! at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2010

I get that this is a new post. And we surely should put this to the ground every time it comes up. The Derbyshire post of all of two weeks ago was roughly the same subject.

One can wax as eloquent as Tennyson, but there just simply is no "there" there. There are not genetic markers for race in the way that the Harvard 3L wants them to be. Period. Full stop.
posted by beelzbubba at 2:19 PM on April 28, 2010

I also don’t think that there are no cultural differences or that cultural differences are not likely the most important sources of disparate test scores

Note: If you find yourself using two double negatives to describe how you're not a racist, there is a strong chance that you are a racist.

I think my babies will be geniuses and beautiful individuals whether I raise them or give them to an orphanage in Nigeria.

I'm glad someone is finally addressing the real issue, those fucking ugly orphans.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 2:20 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Hitler.
posted by swift at 2:20 PM on April 28, 2010

One 3L's racist attitudes/beliefs does not define everyone at the Law School nor at the University.
posted by ericb at 2:20 PM on April 28, 2010

Testosterone teaches math? Damn, I'm not that fem, so why can't I do division in my head?

And I guess it's all over for the white race anyway. The Asians and the Jews a lot, lot smarter -- they just rock every science fair and geography bee -- gotta just be genes
posted by Some1 at 2:20 PM on April 28, 2010

Well, this has been fun.
posted by scrowdid at 2:20 PM on April 28, 2010

Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants and 100 African American ones and raise them in Disney utopia

AND THEY ALL GREW UP TO BE LADY GAGA
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:21 PM on April 28, 2010

If white people are truly, genetically, more intelligent, shouldn't white people be smart enough to avoid writing stuff like this down? [see the Goldman Sachs thing, and this FPP]
posted by davejay at 2:21 PM on April 28, 2010 [1 favorite]

Wait, so does he feel that African-Americans are less intelligent than non-Americans of African decent?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 2:21 PM on April 28, 2010

I wanna see film of Cool Papa Bell cramming his foot in his mouth. Film or it didn't happen.

Size 14, buddy. Gonna be some work.

And if you think you'd find it easy ... so, are you free this weekend...? what's your sign ...?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:21 PM on April 28, 2010