Clayton Magnet
Staff Sergeant
- 903
- Feb 16, 2013
Saying "blacks in general" is potentially problematic. I understand where you are going with this, but making generalizations based solely on race almost never leads to a positive narrative
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Saying "blacks in general" is potentially problematic. I understand where you are going with this, but making generalizations based solely on race almost never leads to a positive narrativebut to discover that Blacks in general could do especially well at an activity with a high "athleticism quotient" should not have been a surprise.
People from India are good at cricket, if that helps at all, while those from Finland are good at throwing the javelin. China is the biggest surprise, if you watch the Olympics you would think they were all gifted divers but I have been there and most cant swim at all.Saying "blacks in general" is potentially problematic. I understand where you are going with this, but making generalizations based solely on race almost never leads to a positive narrative
I am going to take my own advice here; I often told my children, "What you said is not the most important thing; what other people heard is what's important."Saying "blacks in general" is potentially problematic. I understand where you are going with this, but making generalizations based solely on race almost never leads to a positive narrative
OrPeople from India are good at cricket, if that helps at all, while those from Finland are good at throwing the javelin. China is the biggest surprise, if you watch the Olympics you would think they were all gifted divers but I have been there and most cant swim at all.
Before the war started there were some in the RAF who thought highly educated and sporty public schoolboys were ideal fighter pilots, so squadrons were formed with rich young men who already had pilots licenses playing with Spitfires on a weekend. When the fighting started and people got killed the same people decided that Sergeant pilots were good enough to do the fighting, but not good enough to eat in the officers mess. Highly educated sporty public schoolboys were more suited to ground based jobs you see, not only safer but better paid.I am going to take my own advice here; I often told my children, "What you said is not the most important thing; what other people heard is what's important."
Then there is that other bit of wisdom, "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." That's a good one, so I will do it.
Even the generalizations that do make sense, and are supportable, do not hold up in every individual case. It is a fact that, generally speaking, tall people make better basketball players than short people. Yet Mugsy Bogues, at 5'3", was a standout success in the NBA, whereas my 6'7" roommate in college had no basketball skills to speak of. Individual differences are more important than group statistical differences.I have just searched the Skeptical Inquirer's database for an article I read in a skeptical magazine, but I did not find anything. I will keep looking.
Somewhere, I read an article about racial types in sports. Most fast 100 yard dash runners are of west African origin. Most really fast long distance runners come from one province in Kenya. Apparently, there were lots of good Jewish basketball players back in the twenties and thirties. Somebody wrote claiming that Jews have tricky personalities, which makes them good at basketball.
There probably are better explanations of this stuff.
I used to read a lot of explanations of why people like Ali and Frazier were the best at boxing, then along came the two Klitchkos and Tyson Fury. In east Africa many people especially young people run long distances, they still run miles to school, it is a great way to produce and find out who is a fast long distance runner. Hardly any young kids in UK run as a matter of course, now, most are over weight. The UKs Paula Radcliffe held the marathon record for 16 years, what does that mean lol. The Chinese love soccer but will never have a good team, anyone who forms a team wants their son to be manager and the grandson to be centre forward, if they do any good a betting syndicate will come in and pay them to throw matches, that isnt my opinion, it was the opinion of my translator in China who laughed at it all. India similarly has 1.4 billion people but wont have a good soccer team because generally they couldnt give a stuff about soccer or any other competitive sport except cricket which is a game involving much organised laziness and a lot of betting.Somewhere, I read an article about racial types in sports. Most fast 100 yard dash runners are of west African origin. Most really fast long distance runners come from one province in Kenya. Apparently, there were lots of good Jewish basketball players back in the twenties and thirties. Somebody wrote claiming that Jews have tricky personalities, which makes them good at basketball.
Yes and both are completely partial and unscientific. Unless the 332nd all became aces and never lost a plane or never shot down anything and lost half of what they were escorting no one has a point at all, but they still keep banging on about it. BTW what has any of this to do with the Mustang as in your original headline?There are two categories of political opinion regarding race that I dislike intensely.
Yes and both are completely partial and unscientific. Unless the 332nd all became aces and never lost a plane or never shot down anything and lost half of what they were escorting no one has a point at all, but they still keep banging on about it.
Don't know. Not my thread. We just somehow ended up here.BTW what has any of this to do with the Mustang as in your original headline?
If you want to look at stupid prejudices, look at sport itself. In soccer it is routine for young players to be let go from academies because they are not tall enough. This despite some all time greats like Lionel Messi only being 5ft 7in Paul Scholes 5ft 7 in Claud Makelele 5ft 6 in and Ngolo Kante 5 ft 5in. Jamie Vardy was let go at 16 years old now has 125 premier league goals and set the record for goals in consecutive games in the year his team won the title. He is 5ft 10 in tall and thin, he doesnt look anything like anyones idea of a striker which is why he didnt get to the top level until he was 26 years old, we all missed his best years when he was playing as an amateur/semi pro.
Don't know. Not my thread. We just somehow ended up here.
You did not personally offend me at all. I just find it ridiculous that anyone thinks race has anything to do with flying a plane period, let alone in combat. It was ignorant for white people to think black people were not good enough back then, and its ignorant to think black people are better than white people today. Why? Because Race has nothing to do with it. A pilots skill comes not from his or her skin.
I flew with pilots of all races in combat: white, black, asian, hispanic, and both male and females. Neither their skin color or sex had anything to do with their skill.
To say black people were not good enough back then in WW2 most certainly was racism and ignorant. To say that black people are better today is nothing more than reverse racism. Two wrongs don't make a right, and ignorance is ignorance.