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  #1  
Old 12-26-2005, 02:51 PM
miketurner miketurner is offline
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Default PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

I hope this is the right forum for this. I think PC-ness is more of a philosophy than anything “political.” My apologies if I should have put this somewhere else. Anyway...

While at the family Christmas get-together this year, the conversation somehow turned to the fact that black people are typically more athletic than white people. My sister-in-law (a 26ish year old white social worker) asked “Why is that?” My mom, who is in her mid 50's, answered “I think it has something to do with the jungle.” The entire room (myself included) busted out in laughter! My sister-in-law exclaimed “That is the most racists thing I have ever heard!” It wasn’t said with malice and we all continued to laugh. My mom, who is far from racist, just had a look on her face like ‘what did I say?’ After our chuckle, the conversation just sorta moved on without further discussion of that topic.

Today, I find myself wondering “what is even a little racist about that comment?”

Whether you are an evolutionist, or a believer in creation... the fact that all living things physically adapt to their environment is (I believe) an undisputed fact. No one says it’s racist to point out that Eskimos typically have more body fat than Mexicans. They need the extra insulation to survive the climate. Likewise, black people (ancestrally from Africa) needed to survive the conditions of that environment.

To say someone is racist (even light heartedly) because they recognize that we are different in some ways and it is probably due to evolution or adaptation is simply idiotic! The PC idiocy has come so slowly and consistently that we didn’t even see it getting to this point until it was so stupid that we don’t even use logic and reasoning anymore. And I was guilty also.
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Old 12-26-2005, 03:46 PM
tolbiny tolbiny is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

"Today, I find myself wondering “what is even a little racist about that comment?"

To me it shows what is likely a lack of understanding about "race" in general, and a lot of the reasons why blacks are generally superior athletes than white. All black people don't live in "the jungle", and very large populations have been isolated from that environment for as long as white europeans have been. The lumping of all blacks together and attributing them all the same charicteristics is racist- or at least is the basis of racism for a fair number of people.
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  #3  
Old 12-26-2005, 04:24 PM
miketurner miketurner is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

[ QUOTE ]
"Today, I find myself wondering “what is even a little racist about that comment?"

To me it shows what is likely a lack of understanding about "race" in general, and a lot of the reasons why blacks are generally superior athletes than white. All black people don't live in "the jungle", and very large populations have been isolated from that environment for as long as white europeans have been. The lumping of all blacks together and attributing them all the same charicteristics is racist- or at least is the basis of racism for a fair number of people.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know all black people don’t live in the jungle. I personally don’t know *any* who live in the jungle. But *ancestrally* they are from Africa. It is an entirely different environment there than Europe for example. It takes a different set of skills to survive there, historically. I’m sure that over time, as the world continues to be more global, (hundreds or thousands of generations of blacks living here for example) it will make a difference. Remember, blacks have only lived in the US for a few hundred years. That is hardly enough time to see a huge change in evolution or adaptation. You do already see some change however... Why do you think Kenyan’s always win the big marathons?
So, anyway... Please give me an alternate explanation as to why blacks are typically more athletic than whites. Or do you think it's racist to even acknowledge that? If so... why? All you have to do is look at results of athletic contests and compare the percentages.
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  #4  
Old 12-26-2005, 04:46 PM
joel2006 joel2006 is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

Blacks aren't more athletic, this has already been covered in several books. There are some events that people of various african descents dominate, like Blacks of west african descent dominate sprint events and east africans dominate very long distance running, but that is only a small part of all sports. BTW, there can be no connection between black athletic prowess and "living in the jungle" since there is very little jungle in Africa, Africa is mostly Savannah (grasslands) and desert. Most of Africa's jungles are lightly inhabited and none of the people who live in most of it (the Twa, also known as Pygmies) dominate any sports. Your mother's statement is at best extremely ignorant and at worst racially prejudiced, since it relies on demeaning stereotypes to pre-judge people of a differnt race. There is nothing PC about any of this. The list of sports that people of african descent DON'T dominate is much longer than the list of ones that they do. Like swimming (all events and distances), volleyball, soccer, table tennis, lacrosse, hockey, badminton, field hockey, handball, tennis, motor sports, golf, triathalon, etc. The problem is that peolpe believe what they want to, not what the facts state.
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  #5  
Old 12-26-2005, 05:05 PM
hmkpoker hmkpoker is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

It's not that your mom's comment about black athletic jungle power is un-PC, it's that it's inaccurate and stupid.

And I'm about as un-PC as it gets [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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  #6  
Old 12-26-2005, 05:09 PM
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

so is the statment blacks on average are faster runners true?

If so is that racist?
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  #7  
Old 12-26-2005, 05:21 PM
miketurner miketurner is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

“Ignorant” is a word I can possibly accept. - Possibly. The definition of “jungle” is not necessarily the same as “rainforest.” It can be grasslands (I looked it up to be sure). Maybe not desert. - I’ll give you that. Maybe we are both ignorant of the exact terrain of Africa. But I’m pretty sure that my sister-in-law would be just as ignorant of the precise landscape. I don’t think that was the motivation for her comment.

Please explain to me how saying “blacks are BETTER at something than whites” is a “ demeaning stereotype” for blacks.

I understand that blacks don’t dominate every sport. I don’t mean to make that the emphases of what I’m saying at all. And I’m not “lumping” them all together. I still think that *generally* blacks are more naturally athletic. Maybe that IS ignorant... but it is certainly NOT racist.
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  #8  
Old 12-26-2005, 05:30 PM
miketurner miketurner is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

[ QUOTE ]
It's not that your mom's comment about black athletic jungle power is un-PC, it's that it's inaccurate and stupid.

And I'm about as un-PC as it gets [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

“Black athletic jungle power” - That is funny. That might be why I cracked up to begin with... but it’s still not racist.
So what is your theory on “Why are they so dominate” in certain athletic activities? What is accurate and not stupid on the “why?
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  #9  
Old 12-26-2005, 05:55 PM
hmkpoker hmkpoker is offline
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's not that your mom's comment about black athletic jungle power is un-PC, it's that it's inaccurate and stupid.

And I'm about as un-PC as it gets [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

“Black athletic jungle power” - That is funny. That might be why I cracked up to begin with... but it’s still not racist.
So what is your theory on “Why are they so dominate” in certain athletic activities? What is accurate and not stupid on the “why?

[/ QUOTE ]

Cultural reasons, same reason why white people dominate hockey.
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  #10  
Old 12-26-2005, 06:07 PM
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Default Re: PC-ness has replaced logic & reasoning.

so the statement blacks tend to live in a culture that makes them better runners true?

If so it's still sterotypical and racist to many people. Now I understand that many people misuse these facts but that doesn't mean the statement here is wrong.
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