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The Public Policy
Intellectuals and Race
There is nothing unusual about different racial and ethnic groups having different achievements.
There are so many fallacies about race that it would be hard to say which is the most ridiculous. However, one fallacy behind many other fallacies is the notion that there is something unusual about different races being unequally represented in various institutions, careers, or at different income or achievement levels.
A hundred years ago, the fact that people from different racial backgrounds had very different rates of success in education, in the economy and in other endeavors, was taken as proof that some races were genetically superior to others.
Some races were considered to be so genetically inferior that eugenics was proposed to reduce their reproduction, and Francis Galton urged “the gradual extinction of an inferior race.”
It was not a bunch of fringe cranks who said things like this. Many held Ph.D.s from the leading universities, taught at the leading universities and were internationally renowned.
Presidents of Stanford University and of MIT were among the many academic advocates of theories of racial inferiority — applied mostly to people from Eastern and Southern Europe, since it was just blithely assumed in passing that blacks were inferior.
This was not a left-right issue. The leading crusaders for theories of genetic superiority and inferiority were iconic figures on the left, on both sides of the Atlantic.
John Maynard Keynes helped create the Cambridge Eugenics Society. Fabian socialist intellectuals H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw were among many other leftist supporters of eugenics.
It was much the same story on this side of the Atlantic. President Woodrow Wilson, like many other Progressives, was solidly behind notions of racial superiority and inferiority. He showed the movie Birth of a Nation, glorifying the Ku Klux Klan, at the White House, and invited various dignitaries to view it with him.
Such views dominated the first two decades of the 20th century. Now fast forward to the last few decades of the 20th century. The political left of this era was now on the opposite end of the spectrum on racial issues. Yet they too regarded differences in outcomes among racial and ethnic groups as something unusual, calling for some single, sweeping explanation.
Now, instead of genes being the overriding reason for differences in outcomes, racism became the one-size-fits-all explanation. But the dogmatism was the same. Those who dared to disagree, or even to question the prevailing dogma in either era were dismissed — as “sentimentalists” in the Progressive era and as “racists” in the multicultural era.
Both the Progressives at the beginning of the 20th century and the liberals at the end started from the same false premise — namely, that there is something unusual about different racial and ethnic groups having different achievements.
Yet some racial or ethnic minorities have owned or directed more than half of whole industries in many nations. These have included the Chinese in Malaysia, Lebanese in West Africa, Greeks in the Ottoman Empire, Britons in Argentina, Indians in Fiji, Jews in Poland, and Spaniards in Chile — among many others.
Not only different racial and ethnic groups, but whole nations and civilizations, have had very different achievements for centuries. China in the 15th century was more advanced than any country in Europe. Eventually Europeans overtook the Chinese — and there is no evidence of changes in the genes of either of them.
Among the many reasons for different levels of achievement is something as simple as age. The median age in Germany and Japan is over 40, while the median age in Afghanistan and Yemen is under 20. Even if the people in all four of these countries had the same mental potential, the same history, the same culture — and the countries themselves had the same geographic features — the fact that people in some countries have 20 years more experience than people in other countries would still be enough to make equal economic and other outcomes virtually impossible.
Add the fact that different races evolved in different geographic settings, presenting very different opportunities and constraints on their development, and the same conclusion follows.
Yet the idea that differences in outcomes are odd, if not sinister, has been repeated mindlessly from street corner demagogues to the august chambers of the Supreme Court.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CREATORS.COM
About the Author
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com. To find out more about Thomas Sowell and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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Jim Adcox| 3.12.13 @ 7:57AM
In the Kingdom of the Intellectuals we are told to admire diversity, yet we are admonished if we notice differences in different ways than the Intellectualistas deem appropriate. Then it's off to Gulag you must go, you must go, you must go, for reeducation in diversity sensitivity seminars, at the end of which you emerge loving Big Brother. Your errant thought has been effectively expunged and dropped into the Memory Hole. Now you may reenter society, as long as you promise never to do such a terrible THINK again.
Bob K| 3.12.13 @ 9:12AM
In the Kingdom of the Intellectuals the Halfwits are the Aristocracy!
AlanAnti-RoveCheneyBrooks | 3.12.13 @ 3:00PM
Jim, Bob,
Sowell used the military to get to his position. Affirmative Action or the military: it is all about differing statisms; individuals using the state any way they can to get ahead.
Jim Adcox| 3.12.13 @ 4:40PM
I see but do not concede your point. Do you equate Affirmative Action with military service?
alice921| 3.17.13 @ 4:08PM
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Von Mises Jr| 3.12.13 @ 8:29AM
Dr. Sowell has written several books on the topic such as "Race and Culture," "Conquest and Cultures," and "The Economics and Politics of Race."
The factors that lead to differences are often geographical and cultural. Often it is a combination of factors such as the African Sub-continent where there were not navigable rivers or deep water ports made it virtually impossible for others to penetrate parts of Africa leaving them cut off from the influence of other cultures. But even cultures that had potential access did not receive this cross pollination as for instance the Europeans used the wheel for labor while the South American people only had these objects in toys. Moreover, the Aztec and Mayans were easily conquered since the Spanish that invaded had horses, steel weapons and guns while the others did not.
Von Mises Jr| 3.12.13 @ 8:29AM
While multi-culturalism is valid as a means to expose ideas to other cultures, it is moronic to promulgate that the Sub-continent Africans or South Americans should continue without the wheel, beast of burden or steel weapons since their culture is just as good as the Europeans in these respects.
The books point out that it is not white versus black or South American, but determined by the particular cultures. For instance the North African and Middle East of today were far advanced during the early times in Mesopotamia and Persia, and the Chinese were far advanced to Western Europe influenced later by the Romans and Western versus Eastern Europeans not conquered by the Romans. It all depends on circumstances and exposure to new ideas and practices.
Nancy in NC| 3.12.13 @ 8:59AM
As always Dr. Sowell speaks where others fear to tread. Truth and honesty have to place in the liberal agenda.
Nancy in NC| 3.12.13 @ 9:00AM
NO place
OregonBuzz| 3.12.13 @ 9:32AM
All one can hope to do is to provide equal opportunity and get the hell out of the way. The outcome can never be guaranteed under any circumstances.
Arnie| 3.12.13 @ 10:24AM
America doesn't have equal opportunity...that's the problem.
JD| 3.12.13 @ 12:39PM
Equal opportunity is as impossible as equal results. People aren't equal!
"Equal rights" is the only legitimate ideal of the "equals".
Hollywood Hick| 3.15.13 @ 9:04PM
America definitely doesn't have work-ethic equality. Some people just refuse to educate themselves, and/or refuse to put forth an effort. THAT is the problem.
SUBVET| 3.12.13 @ 10:47AM
Arnie/dipsh*t..........America has the opportunity and depending how hard you work makes you "equal" with the rest of the hard workers.
grow-up..........
Occam's Tool| 3.12.13 @ 12:26PM
Arnie: this Jew is off next month to control the World's money supply from our JewCave in Barbados. We oppress you and your like! Mwa-ha-ha!
I am in the top 1-2 percent, dickwad, because I am on call 24/7 1 week in 2 and am paid 1/4 time for it. I also make $98.64 per hour for 40 hours a week of work (actually 50, paid for 40). To do that, I was in college/med school/and residency for a total of 13 years.
I still work my ass off. Blow yourself, Arnie.
Anthony| 3.12.13 @ 4:18PM
Best medical advise I've ever heard; "Blow yourself, Arnie". And that's giving the boy the benefit of the doubt.
Some doctors do indeed have an intuitive instinct for just the right cure.
Occam's Tool| 3.12.13 @ 12:30PM
By the way, Arnie, my (old Style) SAT was 1420, my ACT was 33, my GPA in college was 3.73 (Magna Cum Laude), my MCAT was 68, averaged out higher than HMS' Average. I was accepted to two US med schools, one of them as an out of Stater to a State Med School.
I worked my ass off all the way, dumbass.
CRusso| 3.17.13 @ 3:23PM
Impressive scores, especially the MCAT since the highest achievable score is a 45.
cicero| 3.12.13 @ 1:26PM
In America, it all comes down to culture. If you have ever lived in a middle class mixed race neighborhoos, you quickly realize that everyone is the same, and have approximately the same values. The disparity in outcome closely follows the culture of the neighborhood, regardless of the ethnic mix. Neighborhoods dominated by a culture of welfare, dependency, and crime are all the same, regardless of the ethnicmix. Corredspondingly, neighborhoods dominated by a respect for the rights of others, the value of education, and a work ethic that is evident in the upkeep and presentation of the homes and dwellings are likewise not dependent on the ethnic mix, but on the culture.
Only a liberal beaurocrat would think that you can legislate equallity of outcome, or would try to achieve that. But their efforts have little to dowith achieving euality for their intended beneficiaries, and everything to do with putting them in a position of power (and access to the treasury), and keeping them there.
wrlord| 3.13.13 @ 11:06AM
This reads like the introduction to a thesis. What's Dr. Sowell's point? Where is he going with this?
TLP| 3.13.13 @ 2:29PM
Page 1
"Would you like to play a game?" (War Games)
The Sequester. What is it? Is it an agreement, put forth by this President, to set up a Baseline of Cuts, should He, and Congress, fail to reach an agreement on The Fiscal Cliff?
Or, was it always intended to be a CRISES, that was too good to Waste? Even though Everybody Knows that it was this President's Idea? He continues to LIE, and Blame it on everybody else.
Think: Liar Liar. The 1997 Movie starring John Carrey, who was Forced to tell the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, because of a Blow Out The Candles Birthday Wish by his Son, who got Screwed, one time to many, by his Father - Jim Carrey.
With that premise in mind? Now picture the exact opposite.
This man would lie, if the question was: Are you the President of the United States?
He lied about taking Federal Matching Funds, in 2008. He lied about putting all new Legislation up on the Web for 72 Hours, before a Vote. He lied about holding all Obamacare Negotiations on CSpan. He lied about Reverend Wright, Louis Farrakhan, and Bill Ayers. He had his Cabinet members Forge Documents to a Federal Judge about the BR Oil Spill, and he lied about Fast and Furious. He's guilty of a Lie of Ommission, by not releasing his Sealed Records. And, he lied about everything that happened in Benghazi.
And, now he Lies about Sequestration.
TLP| 3.13.13 @ 2:56PM
He said that he had nothing to do with Sequestration, right up to and even after Jay Carney caved and told the truth.
He said that the $85 Billion in Cuts would Devistated the very fabric of everything we hold dear in this Country. Police, Fire Departments, Teachers and First Responders would have to be let go.
He lied.
The real number was $44 Billion and all of those Indespencible Personell are State Employees, not Federal Government Employees.
We couldn't send out Carriers. Troops could no longer be Trained. And the the lines to get on a plane were gonna be Insufferable.
Why, even the White House Tours had to end, because they couldn't afford it, anymore.
But, he had nothing to do with any of it. After all. He's just the President. And if we don't raise Taxes on the Rich, again? We will cease to be The United States of America.
Then, and against all odds, something happened that rarely happens with a Democrat President.
The Truth began to surface.
First, it was an Email to the Agriculture Dept. that was leaked. The Email instructed everyone in every Department to Stick to the Talking Points. It instructed all Depertmants not to say anything that would part with the Official Story. ie - Stick to the Party Lie.
Next, it was Jay Carney, wilting under the Kleeg Lights and Admitting that the ending of The White House Tours came Directly from the White House, putting the Lie to President Liar's denunciations of any Knowledge of the White House Tours Elimination.
TLP| 3.13.13 @ 3:26PM
Page 3.
The game goes like this: I've given you a Story that's out there in the News, as well as a Movie Analogy of a similar situation.
Your job is to come up with an Analogy of your own. It doesn't have to be a Movie. It can be a Play. It can be a Poem, a Song Parody, a Show Tune, a Joke, or something from John Navritil's stack of Jack Mags.
Keep it clean. Keep it Polite. This is not a place for Anger, Divisiveness, or Anger.
If you wanna disagree? By all means, disagree.
Just do it using an Analogy.
We fight and scrape all week long. This is a time for fun, and to leave all of our Animosities behind.
We'll be open all weekend long, and hopefully Ross will explain how to access his blog, should it fall off the screen.
The winners will recieve all of Ross' Credit Card Numbers, as well as his Home Address, Phone Number, and the Third World Leper Colony that he'll be going to this year on Vacation with his Family.
The losers will get a list of everyone on the site who has been arrested for Indecent Exposure and Urinating in Public.
Good Luck.
Have Fun.
And, be safe out there.