PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Oct 18th 2007, 12:12 pm
#1
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PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Thought I'd strike up a controversial debate to end the week 
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
Oct 18th 2007, 12:18 pm
#2
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Thought I'd strike up a controversial debate to end the week
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
Oct 18th 2007, 12:35 pm
#3
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Thought I'd strike up a controversial debate to end the week
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
On the basis of comments of his that are clearly racist, I think the Science Museum is quite justified in deciding to cancel the speech. It is not suppression of Dr Watson's rights - he is free to make whatever statements he likes. But the Science Museum has clearly made a decision and a public statement that says to the public that they do not share or condone his views.
Oct 18th 2007, 12:48 pm
#4
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Thought I'd strike up a controversial debate to end the week
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
The London Science Museum has cancelled a talk by the Nobel prize-winning geneticist Dr James Watson because he suggested that Black people are genetically less intelligent than white people. Is this a correct decision or just the stifling of an interesting debate on PC grounds? Would the same have happened if he had suggested that Black people were genetically superior Athletes?
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/200710...011ccfa_2.html
Oct 18th 2007, 12:52 pm
#5
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Stature ? Hah! He and Crick stole the idea from Rosalind & Franklin. Pair of charlatans.
Oct 18th 2007, 12:55 pm
#7
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Oh, the old "less intelligent" chestnut again. Yes, it is a valid scientific question to ask, and if addressed in a scientific way it is fine to discuss it and debate results (and as far as I have read, when you normalize for difference in educational background, the IQ distribution curve for black people is no different than it is for white people, brown people or yellow people). However, comments like "anyone who has ever employed black people will know that they are less intelligent" are not scientific statements, they are prejudicial. Yet this is a public quote by Dr Watson.
On the basis of comments of his that are clearly racist, I think the Science Museum is quite justified in deciding to cancel the speech. It is not suppression of Dr Watson's rights - he is free to make whatever statements he likes. But the Science Museum has clearly made a decision and a public statement that says to the public that they do not share or condone his views.
On the basis of comments of his that are clearly racist, I think the Science Museum is quite justified in deciding to cancel the speech. It is not suppression of Dr Watson's rights - he is free to make whatever statements he likes. But the Science Museum has clearly made a decision and a public statement that says to the public that they do not share or condone his views.
surely it would have been better to allow the talk and have free and open debate about it though?
If people shoot him down with facts it does more than cancelling his talk could ever do!
Oct 18th 2007, 12:56 pm
#8
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
yes, but it was scheduled as a lecture, not a debate.
Oct 18th 2007, 1:06 pm
#9
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
its not fun starting this sort of debate when the fundamentalists are not around 
Oct 18th 2007, 1:24 pm
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Oct 18th 2007, 1:25 pm
#11
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Oct 18th 2007, 1:30 pm
#12
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Oct 18th 2007, 1:33 pm
#13
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Re: PC Gone Mad or Correct Decision
Black people are less intelligent
...than me
Everyone is!!!
...than me
Everyone is!!!
Oct 18th 2007, 1:55 pm
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