Poll: Are blacks genetically inferior to whites in intelligence?

[Sanderpower]

A growing trend i'm starting to see (at least on the internet) is people outright saying that Whites and Blacks are different. Primarily being that Whites are just more intelligent then blacks due to superior genetics. They say that even this is the case, that blacks still shouldn't be oppressed, but the truth shouldn't be hidden because of "social justice warriors" and "political correctness" (You know typical nonsense).

However i'm quite curious to see if this actually IS a prevailing belief. At least among the Escapist. So my fellow posters. Do you believe there is any truth to this? Are Whites simply gifted with superior intellect thanks to genetics. Or are all human beings, regardless of race, possess the same intellectual capacities?

I find myself in the latter category, albeit i'm biased seeing as I myself am black. Personally I concede that while whites do currently have higher IQ scores on average, the reason isn't genetics, but due to the fact that many blacks live in poverty, have poor nutrition, and also tend to live in a culture in which intellectual capabilities are not respected if not outright looked down upon. Not to mention factors such as stereotype threat and different cultural values regarding what is intelligent and what is not.

What do you guys think? Am I right, or am I just in denial about my race's intellectual inferiority?

EDIT: I think I may have screwed up the poll, because I don't see option 1 being shown.

 

[Zontar]

Given the intellect I've seen people of all races demonstrate, I'd say that it's not based on genetics (the differences between races are mostly cosmetic after all) but based on socio-economic position, as those who are better off are more likely to have access to better education at a critical learning period, and thus have an easier time developing. Now that isn't to say I haven't met smart people from poor families or idiots from rich ones (in fact in my collage days the biggest idiot I knew was the son of a millionaire) but overall there seems to be a general trend that if you can afford a better education, you tend to have a higher intellect, and as African Americans are much more impoverished overall then White Americans, this leads to the trend people quote when they ask if there is a difference between the intellect of the two groups.

Simply put: the potential is there, but not the opportunity.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Pretty much what Zontar said. There might be some connection between certain races and overall intelligence like there is in regards to physical traits, but I seriously doubt it's enough to make much of a difference. I'd be willing to bet that most people propagating that viewpoint feel miserable and looked down upon and are looking for reasons to look down upon someone else to make themselves feel better.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Biological studies have shown genetics of smart parents only correlate to smart children only in 6% of cases.
So unless you have a severe bodily defect your intellect will hinge on nurture not nature, and if you come from a family that believes itself dumb they will teach their children to follow suit. In the US you also put up immense monetary walls for education so people from wealthy families have far better odds for an intellectual nurture.
On average you will probably see that bleed through to the still existing class difference where a community of lower monetary/educational standing will be exposed to a lower intellectual standard and keep sticking to their environment.

That is my best guess anyway as I come from an all farming community and absolutely every kid from this community is encouraged to keep with the family "traditions", to stay at home and forget higher education. Some do break away from that mold but most actually don't.

 

[JoJo]

While it's plausible there could be some difference in intellect between different ethnic groups, as there are recognised physiological differences in some ethnic groups, for example many indigenous Tibetans have a mutation that allows them to live healthier at high attitudes, I've never seen any convincing evidence to suggest that some ethnic groups are much more intelligent that others. The great differences in IQ between developed and developing countries are very likely the result of the poverty factors you mentioned in the OP, indeed the West itself has seen it's average IQ shoot through the roof during the last century, far faster than any sort of genetic evolution would allow. The only explanation is the better environment that has developed in the West, and the evidence therefore seems to suggest that environment is much more important for IQ on a nationwide scale than genetics.

 

[Queen Michael]

Honestly?

While we should alway be prepared to accept the truth, even when it's politically incorrect, embarrassing or what have you, I don't think that black people have lower intelligence. We know black people are poorer on average than white people, and on average get worse education, and I'd say it seems more likely that any perceived differences are caused by that. It seems more rational to ascribe things to known differences than to theoretically existing ones.

 

[Dalek Caan]

I think it comes down to Education, How the Person was raised and the Genetic Lottery that determines a persons intelligence. So maybe in some parts of the world someone who is African American might not have the same level of intellect as the average White person but that doesn't mean the potential isn't there. Of course there are some people that are just born with an average or less intelligence and there isn't much that can be done about that.

Of course I have 0 understanding of the human Brain or Genetics so what I just said might have been a load of crap.

EDIT: Also props to the OP for not making a thread based around racism like I thought it would be.

 

[Aerosteam]

Nah, genetics are all to do with genes (the stuff you inherit from your parents).

I don't think there's a "smart gene", "dumb gene" or any gene relating to intelligence - they only really have to do with appearance.

As for thoughts that being black means you're generally less smart, I think it's just the state of society we're in, as it's just more likely you see a homeless person who is black than white (I've been to San Francisco once...).

 

[mad825]

I believe that the Antarcticans are the superior race of Humans.The rest should be slaughtered in a mass genocide.

I don't think there's a "smart gene", "dumb gene" or any gene relating to intelligence - they only really have to do with appearance.

Well, there is a "smart gene" and "dumb gene" although you're likly to be mad as a hatter either way. Intelligence doesn't come without a price nor did the Rain man's inhuman ability to remember stuff. As smart as he is, he's medically retarded and thus he can't even tie his shoe laces but he can remember every single Zip code to date.

 

[omega 616]

snippity

I'd say black people are genetically superior. From the slave times, the strongest bred and (from what I've heard) the smart ones killed but as far as I can see there ability to learn wasn't effected.

It's not like learning disorders are more common in black people, so they can learn at the same rate as white or asian's but due to the strongest being bred for slave labour, they dominate sports!

NFL, black. Basketball, black. Two of the greatest UFC fighters, (Jon Jones and Anderson silva) both black. Runners, black.

That's my thoughts anywho and I'm white.

 

[Hoplon]

A growing trend i'm starting to see (at least on the internet) is people outright saying that Whites and Blacks are different. Primarily being that Whites are just more intelligent then blacks due to superior genetics. They say that even this is the case, that blacks still shouldn't be oppressed, but the truth shouldn't be hidden because of "social justice warriors" and "political correctness" (You know typical nonsense).

However i'm quite curious to see if this actually IS a prevailing belief. At least among the Escapist. So my fellow posters. Do you believe there is any truth to this? Are Whites simply gifted with superior intellect thanks to genetics. Or are all human beings, regardless of race, possess the same intellectual capacities?

I find myself in the latter category, albeit i'm biased seeing as I myself am black. Personally I concede that while whites do currently have higher IQ scores on average, the reason isn't genetics, but due to the fact that many blacks live in poverty, have poor nutrition, and also tend to live in a culture in which intellectual capabilities are not respected if not outright looked down upon. Not to mention factors such as stereotype threat and different cultural values regarding what is intelligent and what is not.

What do you guys think? Am I right, or am I just in denial about my race's intellectual inferiority?

Given the zero evidence for it and the fact that so far there is no known gene that have been identified as relating to intelligence as of yet. no one even knows if there is a genetic basis to intelligence.

As for IQ tests. they are basically worthless for anything but telling if you are good at IQ tests. the latest hypothesis on genius for instance posits that anyone that tests higher than 125 is capable of genius. most of it is in the environment as to weather or not they will exhibit any of those qualities.

This is why a high standard (as in the quality of the environment and the teaching) of universal education is important to get the best people, they could be anyone, given the right stimulus.

 

[Sanderpower]

This thread is really starting to fill me with hope. I was actually getting really depressed/angry over this because of some huge argument that I had on the YouTube comments section about this topic. Glad to see at least this community isn't filled with racists.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Well, let's do this: Ensure that every last person on Earth is provided with an effective, well-constructed education for two or three generations, then we'll see.

Because no credible scientific theory gets tested without all variables being controlled and accounted for.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I don't think any race is intellectually superior, even though Asians(specifically Koreans and Chinese in my experience) tend to claim intellectual superiority due to early invention of things like the crossbow, or gunpowder, or whatever. No, I don't buy that line of thought, race has nothing to do with intelligence. Most people of any race can be classified as roughly the same as everyone else, smart on some things, dumb on others, and dumb in large groups. Culturally intelligence tends to be looked down on as a trait, while physical appearance and physical strength are much higher priority, as are conforming to gender and racial stereotypes.

I keep seeing education conflated with intelligence, which isn't a good metric. Some of the dumbest people I've ever met are well educated, while many of the smartest I've ever met lack formal education.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

No. But there is a correlation between poverty and intelligence and education and intelligence. There is evidence that intelligence can be inhibited by environmental factors. So when you have someone who grew up in poverty, their brain will not develop as well as brains of people who grew up in relatively normal environment with a comfortable life style where they were able to receive quality education and have free time to develop hobbies. Unfortunately, many African-American communities suffer. Their kids don't have the same opportunities as their white peers, so it wouldn't surprise me if they scored lower on IQ tests. It's not just a problem of one race, of course. But African-Americans suffer from inequality more than other groups.

Here's a Princeton study on effects of poverty on brain development: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S37/75/69M50/index.xml?section=topstories

 

[Fappy]

What point is there in comparing the intellectual capacity of two races other than to "prove" one is superior to the other? Anyone who seriously spouts this bullshit has an obviously transparent agenda no one should take seriously.

EDIT: Speaking specifically from the genetics side of the argument. Intelligence may be tied to environmental factors, sure.

 

[Something Amyss]

I'd be more inclined to believe this if we could actually point to a "black" brain or a "white" brain. We can note physiological differences between the structure of males and females (Which still doesn't correlate to higher intelligence, but at least we can point to it). It's almost like race isn't a very significant portion of our being.

No. But there is a correlation between poverty and intelligence and education and intelligence.

Scott Thompson once famously quipped that if he were in their shoes, he'd be ripping off whitey and forgetting the capitol of Maine, too.

The reality is that if you look at a nation where the majority of black people are poor, yeah, they're going to do worse. But so do poor white folk.

 

[09philj]

Even if it were true, there's no way to conduct a valid experiment since:
a) General measures of intelligence tend to be bullshit.
b) Blacks tend to not benefit from the same favorable environmental factors as whites.