Posted on 04/22/2013 12:13:13 PM PDT by jazusamo
During decades of watching both collegiate and professional football, I have seen hundreds of touchdowns scored by black players — but not one extra point kicked by a black player.
Is this because blacks are genetically incapable of kicking a football or because racists won't let blacks kick a football?
Most of us would consider either of these explanations ridiculous. Yet genes and discrimination were the predominant explanations of black-white differences offered by intellectuals in the 20th century.
It was genes that were the preferred explanation in the early decades of that century and discrimination in the later decades, as I show in my recent book, "Intellectuals and Race."
The intelligentsia did not simply offer these as possible explanations among others. On the contrary, each was offered as the predominant, if not exclusive, explanation. Anyone who said otherwise risked being dismissed as a "sentimentalist" in the early 20th century or denounced as a "racist" in later years.
Out of such dogmatic insistence on some one-size-fits-all theory came racial quotas and "disparate impact" lawsuits in our times, based on the presumption that racial differences in outcomes show that somebody did somebody else wrong.
In earlier times, the prevailing theory was that differences in outcomes show that some races are inferior to others. This led to such things as eugenics and ultimately to the Holocaust.
In both eras, the prevailing theory flattered the egos of the intellectuals — first as saviors of their race, and later as rescuers of victims of racism.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
He’s a great mind and a great man.
There are many differences between races that have nothing to do with either genes or discrimination, but have much to do with their educational, economic or other outcomes. However, it is a much harder job to examine these many factors, and their complex interactions, than to seize upon whatever happens to be the prevailing theory of the day that may be both easier to grasp and more self-flattering.
When reality fails to support scientific theories, real scientists scrap theory and start fresh. When reality fails to support leftist extremist notions, they issue press releases to "prove" their notions are borne out.
” He’s a great mind and a great man.”
In short supply.
Black "urban" culture in the country is, for the most part, a decrepit pit of violence and crime.
I think of my two neighbors, both of them black, but neither of them "African-American". One is from Africa, the other is Haitian. The difference between them and the domestic blacks elsewhere in my neighborhood is remarkable.
Read the whole essay! Was very interesting and reinforced views that I have held for most of my adult life. The power of ideas having sex, bares offspring that can make the world a better place.
In the age of mass communication, location and or proximity to people of different ideas is no longer a determinate of successful creation of the new. But wastelands of ignorance and murderous religiosity may abound, surrounded by those ideas in conflict causing the loosing ideology to strike out in violence because of the affront the prevailing thought’s or actions inflict on an individual or group. i.e. Leftist, Islamist, fascists.
He forgot ‘or it may support your political agenda’.
So why so few black kickers in football? Because black kids in the U.S. don’t much play soccer?
That’s my take on it.
It still doesn’t explain why genetics is so critical in agriculture and animal husbandry but plays such a little role in humans.
It still doesn’t explain why genetics is so critical in agriculture and animal husbandry but plays such a little role in humans.
Given enough time Nurture becomes Nature.
Sowell brilliance BUMP! And thank you for the ping, Jaz.
Watch high school football games involving inner city, predominantly black schools. Rarely will you see a competent kicker or punter, even on very good teams. There will usually be a very large fellow who can mash a kickoff into the end zone (kicking straight on, not soccer style), but rarely do they kick an extra point and do not even attempt field goals. I don’t know why this is - there were productive straight-on kickers in football before soccer style took over, and I would think the art can be learned - but it hinders the black schools because they get 6 points per touchdown and have to attempt the 2 point conversion instead of the automatic 7, and the 3 point field goal is not an option. I wonder if kicking is seen as too white, so they don’t learn it? Or is it they can’t afford fancy kicking coaches?
Dr Sowell lays out the history of the 20th century progressive movement right here.
“progressives” and “liberals” have one driving motivation - self-righteousness.
When you understand this, you understand most of their behaviors.
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