Race and Intelligence: A Review

October 31, 2009 at 10:26 pm | In Documetary, Media, Race | 2 Comments

Over at the blog I share with my other half, I have posted a review of the recent documentary on Channel 4 on race and intelligence:

Earlier this week, Rageh Omar presented a documentary investigating the much debated and almost provocative topic of the link between intelligence/IQ and race on C4.

A few years ago the debate was re-ignited when an American professor in genetics resurrected the not quite so buried topic of intelligence across different races; with the view that the black race was intellectually inferior as IQ was biologically determined – they would never be as intelligent or as successful as their Eastern Asian counterparts nor be on par with the Whites.

What was intriguing to see was the isolation of race as a determining factor of intelligence, there was little focus on the contents of these tests although what was apparent was the type of intelligence being measured. IQ tests were introduced in the US to create an apartheid system of keeping the feeble minded out of various schools and educational establishments and eventually the eugenics reared its ugly head and along came forced sterlisation of peoples who were considered below average in IQ – the “morons”, “idiots” and “imbeciles”.

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  1. Well, I think they were developed to show exactly what they show – racism. I don’t trust IQ tests. First, they create class and race consciousness because it is proven that people who are richer and live in developed countries do better on IQ tests – hence the Flynn Effect. Second, IQ tests require familiarity with the test, that is to say if you know how to work with an IQ test you will score higher than someone who may actually be more intelligent than you but who doesn’t know how to work with the test. This is how one can actually improve their IQ score with practice.

    Give the Africans longer school hours, better nutrition, developed technology, smaller families, and better education and they will do better on IQ tests.

    Comment by Achelois — November 1, 2009 #

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  2. Oh this lady who works with intelligence measuring tools came to our work and told a whole group of people watching her presentation that white people are truly more intelligent than other races based on IQ measurements! I was so enraged but I knew which studies she was talking about. I also have a hard time imagining how the people (old white people, go figure) who design and interpret these assessment tools cannot understand social factors and institutional racim at play in their testing. They are truly the imbeciles and morons!

    Comment by luckyfatima — November 3, 2009 #

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