Blood Pressure Drug 'Reduces In-Built Racism' [Raises "Ethical and Philosophical Questions"]

Telegraph(UK) ^ | March 07, 2012 | Stephen Adams

[Steelfish]

Blood Pressure Drug 'Reduces In-Built Racism' A common heart disease drug may have the unusual side-effect of combating racism, a new study suggests.

Despite the study's small size and limitations, the researchers believe it raises important ethical and philosophical questions. By Stephen Adams, 07 Mar 2012 The beta-blocker drug can reduce 'subconscious' racism, the Oxford University study found.

Researchers found that people who took propranolol scored significantly lower on a standard test used to detect subconscious racial attitudes, than those who took a placebo.

Propranolol is most often used to reduce high blood pressure by lowering the heart rate, as well as angina and irregular heartbeat. It is also used to manage the physical symptoms of anxiety, and control migraine. It is thought to work by blocking activation of the peripheral 'automatic' nervous system, and in areas of the brain involved with formulating emotional responses, including fear, called the amygdalae.

The researchers believe propranolol reduces racial bias because such subconscious thoughts are triggered by that automatic nervous system.

Their small study took 36 white student volunteers, gave half a single 40mg dose of propranolol and half a placebo, and asked them all to undertake the Implicit Association Test - designed to test "subtle and spontaneous biased behaviour" - two hours later.

The test requires participants to visually sort particular words like 'joy' ,'evil', 'happy' and 'glorious', as well as black and white faces, into the correct categories.

[Mortrey]

GOSH!!!!
Does this mean blacks who take this will stop hating whites????

Bath-House Barry, Black “Panthers”, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson et al will be outta a job!

[Vendome]

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

That’s just too stoopid!

LOL

[Shadowstrike]

Good grief.

[DB]

And who gets to define “racism”?

[MetaThought]

I guess it reduces anxiety in general, including specifically, anxiety about the ‘other’.

[stormhill]

The astonishing thing about this whole story is that there's such a thing as a standard test used to detect subconscious racial attitudes to begin with. Further, is it peculiar to you that only white people were tested?

Although I'm not white, it seems to me ominous for western culture that white people choose to be so do docile in the face of obvious bias against them. For a long time I expected a backlash but now I'm wondering if the majority will simply allow themselves to be marched into Dachau.

[Nachum]

Is it like this drug?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRynVuORDMU

[Viking2002]

The Brits have now become a petri dish to observe how Western civilization can willingly destroy itself - too cowardly to commit suicide on it's own, so it invites others to initiate euthanasia through a thousand different cultural drugs. The Empire has lost it's will to live, and all we can do is sit back from far and watch while it downs the bottle of pills, then wash them back with a glass of tainted booze. Coming to a town near (or under) you, if our Left stays on schedule unfettered.

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

--H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

[Praxeologue]

Propranolol should be administered to adherents of violent death cults, and one in particular.

[gleeaikin]

If it reduces anxiety and fear, it should work in either direction. Maybe we can give it to Jews and Arabs. ;-) Or Republicans and Democrats, or cats and dogs. Here’s to a beautiful world!!

[funfan]

Does it make one comatose?

[Mr Ramsbotham]

I took that "Implicit Association Test" online, and my results were:

Your data suggest a moderate implicit preference for Black People compared to White People.
Your data suggest a slight implicit preference for Barack Obama compared to Ron Paul.

For the record, I'm white, and I despise Barack Obama. The first may be correct, since I've worked over the past 13 years with quite a few black Air Force people, and I don't mind saying that I find their company appealing (with exceptions, of course). As for the Obama preference, I think the results were skewed because the test is designed to measure one's visceral reaction to an image, and my dislike for Obama is political.

The demo test used only Ron Paul and Obama as contrast subjects. I imagine the full test would use all the candidates, although I'd probably go buggy taking it; it's very mentally taxing. The demo test is here:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

[kalee]

Bizarre

[TigersEye]

Researchers found that people who took propranolol scored significantly lower on a standard test used to detect subconscious racial attitudes, than those who took a placebo.

There are drugs for the mentally ill people who created that test too I'm sure.

[BigCinBigD]

So THAT’S why I gave up cross burning!

[rfp1234]

A drug that ends in -lol ? ! I call BS / early April Fool leak. They cannot be serious.

[twister881]

"This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes."

JUNK SCIENCE ALERT!

[circlecity]

"...on a standard test used to detect subconscious racial attitudes"

Oh yeah, I'm sure that's real objective. A bogus article about a bogus study based on a bogus standard.