Racism

[Verbal]

So you don't think, for example, that those from parts of Africa and their descendants are not genetically pre-disposed to running faster over short-distances than those from say Eastern Asia? You think that’s purely cultural?

 

No I don't. This is a particularly odd idea. It's true that men and women of African descent tend to win 100 metres etc. Is that genetic? If so, why is it that today's West Africans - from whom African Americans and Afro Caribbeans are almost all descended - don't also win 100 metres? Slavery was a process of selection. Only the fittest were of high value, survived the journey, and then survived years in the plantations. Their descendants are the fast runners of today.

 

So no, not genetic but environmental. And nothing whatsoever to do with race.

[badgerx16]

No I don't. This is a particularly odd idea. It's true that men and women of African descent tend to win 100 metres etc. Is that genetic? If so, why is it that today's West Africans - from whom African Americans and Afro Caribbeans are almost all descended - don't also win 100 metres?

But africans do tend to win from 3000m up to marathons. Mind you, that is probably environmental - altitude, etc.

[Verbal]

But they do tend to win from 3000m up to marathons. Mind you, that is probably environmental - altitude, etc.

 

West Africans don't.

[fish fingers]

White men can't jump.

[Smirking_Saint]

People of african descendancy tend to have more fast twitch fibres and tend to build muscle at a faster rate

[saint.tom.clancy]

Yes – you cant deny black people are more suited to running, whether it be 100m or 10,000m. The majority of world champions at short and long distance running are black. Not racist – just a fact.

[Turkish]

This is of course true.

 

Welcome back. Where have you been? I've missed you.

[1976_Child]

The whole debate about genes versus environment is relevant to this. Aussie Aboriginals (before being 'westernised') had amazing eye sight. They were used to looking out at the horizon in a landscape that would go on, and on for ever. Where as rainforest pigmies had poor long sight as the muscles around the eye were more used to keeping the eye focused on near objects and hardly had the need to focus on the horizon. I doubt anyone has been offended by this scientific discovery. However, when a scientist conducts proper research using the empirical method to determine whether and why African kids are, on average, less competent at mental arithmetic than Chinese kids all hell breaks lose. But there is very good evidence that that is indeed the case. Why would it be so? I for one do not believe it is because of genes but because of the cultural differences. Closer to home, why do middle class white kids from leafy suburbs have, on average, a much better reading ability then inner-city black kids their same age? Maybe because to the black kid growing up on a mean estate the idea of reading is considered 'wimpy'.

 

My point - don't chuck the baby out with the bath water. It should be perfectly ok to discuss cultural and environmental differences to how different human groups 'evolve' with out the PC brigade automatically assuming that every scientist working in that area of research is a card-carry nazi.

[Verbal]

Welcome back. Where have you been? I've missed you.

 

Funnily enough, in the land of Abbotabad.

[Thedelldays]

Funnily enough, in the land of Abbotabad.

 

I did suspect this.....

 

has verbal posted since osama was killed..?

 

spooky

[Verbal]

I did suspect this.....

 

It was what the funnily enough referred to.

[Saintandy666]

West Africans don't.

 

Indeed, people from different areas have varying degrees of fast and slow twitch muscles. Fast twitch muscles are good for the sprint and the slow twitch ones are good for the long distance running.