Lab Severs Ties With James Watson, Citing ‘Unsubstantiated and Reckless’ Remarks

New York Times ^ | January 11, 2019 | Amy Harmon

[reaganaut1]

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory revoked the honorary titles held by its longtime leader James D. Watson on Friday, describing as “unsubstantiated and reckless” his recent remarks about genetic differences in intelligence among racial groups.

Dr. Watson, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, had apologized after making similar comments to a British newspaper in 2007. At the time, he was forced to retire from his job as chancellor at Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, but he has retained his office there, as well as the titles of chancellor emeritus, Oliver R. Grace professor emeritus and honorary trustee. The graduate school of biological sciences at the research center is named for Dr. Watson, and the laboratory held a 90th birthday party for him last spring.

For the past decade the laboratory, like much of the scientific community, has engaged in a delicate balancing act with regard to Dr. Watson: holding him at arm’s length for reinforcing unfounded racial stereotypes, while still honoring him for his contributions to science. Dr. Watson, with Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin, helped discover the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, and he went on to help to shape the subsequent revolution in molecular biology.

But his recent comments “effectively reverse the written apology and retraction Dr. Watson made in 2007,” and “require the severing of any remaining vestiges of his involvement,” Cold Spring Harbor’s chief executive, Bruce Stillman, and its board of trustees chairwoman, Marilyn Simons, said in a statement.

[...] In the film, Dr. Watson references a view that average I.Q. differences between blacks and whites reflect underlying genetic differences shaped by natural selection.

But leading geneticists say that even modern DNA studies are currently unable to validate such hypotheses about differences between human populations.

[reaganaut1]

Watson knows what he is talking about. One can read James Watson's most inconvenient truth: race realism and the moralistic fallacy.

Amy Harmon of the NYT has a vendetta against 90-year-old Watson. Scientists speculate about things and then do research to confirm or refute those speculations.

Leftists are infuriated by people saying there may be innate racial differences in intelligence because they are afraid it is true. It does not matter much if such differences exists if you believe in equal treatment under the law rather than mandated equality of results by race. But IQ does matter for immigration policy. In an economy that increasingly rewards brains, you don't want to import lots of low-IQ people.

[kearnyirish2]

When these race/IQ questions arise, the left should time their arguments better. Right now we have a global crisis in which millions of non-white people, decades or centuries after throwing off white colonialism, are desperately trying to get into the pockets of the world administered by whites. Independence/self-determination failed, even for states with massive wealth in resources (see Venezuela, Nigeria, Mexico, South Africa) - so the argument that whites looted them and left falls apart quickly. They still have the wealth, but have devolved as to how they develop and share it; more and more of the Third World is reverting to how it appeared before whites discovered them.

[Made In The USA]

Perfect summary statement of this topic and how it relates to the border issue. Bravo.

[wastoute]

There are no differences between the races whatsoever. I wonder if Larry Bird ever said that?

[Gay State Conservative]

Some years ago I dated a woman who was a graduate of Radcliffe College,which some time later was "absorbed" (my word) by Harvard University.She told me that a classmate of hers who went on to become Vice Chancellor of Admissions at Harvard told her that were it not for Harvard's affirmative action policy every Freshman class would be made up entirely of Asians and Jews.

Although I'm no scientist (or statistician) it seems distinctly possible to me that that's indicative of some sort of genetic superiority...just as surely as the fact that East Africans win all of the world's major marathons could be indicative of some kind of genetic superiority.

[EEGator]

We have always been at war with Eurasia.

[Candor7]

To speak of genetic superiority is politically incorrect, but there obviously is such a thing as genetic superiority , We see it in sports, academia, and radical environments like Canada’s far North ( cold adaptation of Inuit.)

But do not dare speak of it in public. You will lose your job and be shit upon forever.

[knarf]

God never created equality except in regard to sin and a sin nature.

Everywhere else is difference and division.

When the animal kingdom is hungry the superior eats the inferior every time.

[babble-on]

LOL

[Gay State Conservative]

Yes,we are all equal in God’s eyes...but not exactly the same.

[BfloGuy]

It does not matter much if such differences exists if you believe in equal treatment under the law rather than mandated equality of results by race.

Very well stated.

[stevem]

Isn't it about time for the NYT and other ultra-liberal groups and entities to do what comes naturally to them? Isn't it about time to scrub Watson from history?

They really need to do it while he lives. Otherwise they are forgoing some of the pleasure and satisfaction of such scrubbing. They need to rewrite the books and blow up the buildings that bear the name, even if the context is a different Watson. Then they need to outlaw any juxtaposition of letters that look or sound like Watson.

Isn't that what liberalism is all about?

[Fresh Wind]

Why is it OK to acknowledge, and even celebrate, racial differences in dogs (aka breeds), but it is racist to acknowledge the same thing in humans?

[Fiji Hill]

Dr. Watson, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, had apologized after making similar comments to a British newspaper in 2007.

Never, ever apologize for saying something politically incorrect. It will only make you look weak and the Left won't forgive you, anyway.

[rbg81]

Ever notice how the people who luv to label the GOP as the party of the “un-educated and ignorant” (because of its appeal to poor and working-class Whites) have no trouble when the Democratic party gets votes from minority groups?

[Sgt_Schultze]

Cold Spring is still trying to keep its past advocacy of eugenics under wraps. Everybody should be encouraged to think the “research” this company pioneered had nothing to do with white superiority.

[Flintlock]

NO MO’ of this damned “truth” stuff!

NOT ANYMORE!!

We is done HADE IT with thisshere WHITE SUPREMACY stuff ‘an beeein’ PUT DOWN ‘n.....................

NO MO’!!

[bert]

Michael Jordan

[Kriggerel]

This sort of thing didn’t go well for Philippe Rushton, either: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Philippe_Rushton

Having gone through a M.Sc program in recent years, you learn very early on as a Euro-blooded cis-scum male, that certain things are sacred cows above and beyond questioning, if you know what’s good for you. X.x

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“...we have a global crisis in which millions of non-white people, decades or centuries after throwing off white colonialism, are desperately trying to get into the pockets of the world administered by whites. “

I hadn’t thought of it like that. You are absolutely right.