Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 17, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba A13 Winnipeg free press thursday August 17, 2006 from newest and beyond the biology of inequality we All Arent the same but Don to dare say that d Oes race matter do men and women differ in their fundamental makeup the question at the heart of the Issue is the origin of biological inequality. We Are not All the same but Are the differences important these questions Are As old As the science of biology and they have a Long and disturbing record. In the Early 20th Century eugenics policies were widely legislated by state and provincial govern ments across the United states and Canada based on now debunked notions of racial inequality and mental ability. The fee ble minded were placed in institutions and involuntarily sterilized. Immi Gration policy was built to prevent Peoples of lesser mental ability from polluting the Gene Pool. Its supporters included notables such As Winston Churchill George Bernard Shaw and Teddy Roosevelt. Today we recognize those attitudes As racist political philosophy disguised As science but they had far reaching and tragic effects. Between the first and second world wars the United states placed Sharp restrictions on immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe because of the perceived intellectual shortcomings of these Peoples. Many who were prevented from leaving ended up in nazi death Camps. Hitler Drew inspiration from the North Ameri can eugenics movement for his own policies that ultimately led to the death of millions in the holocaust. Because of this history because the concept of race was and is used to justify the worst forms of social darwinism questions concern ing race have become toxic to biologists and anthropologists alike. It is now As close to a scientific taboo As we have. But the fact is humans Are not All the same. We vary. Some of this variation is geographic and some genetic. If your ancestors lived in South Asia you probably look different than if they were from East Africa or Northern Europe. These differences in physical features correspond to differences in genes but the Overall genetic differences Are in fact Small. Were we to randomly select two individuals from say France and then randomly select two individuals one from France and the other from Tanzania the average genetic difference for the latter would Only be slightly different than the former. For most human traits most variation occurs within not Between populations which undermines the importance of race in terms of explaining differences Between Peoples. Exactly How much variation occurs within or Between populations depends on the genes examined. One of our most visible traits skin Colour is a notable exception to the general Rule. Here roughly 90 per cent of the variation stems from variation Between populations with the remainder 10 per cent occurring within populations. This is one reason we tend to overestimate the importance of differences Between different Peoples or unfortunately for scientists who care about such things humans do not Cleave neatly into different races. Biologists and anthropologists have suggested from three to 30 sometimes More different races and no Bright lines Divide these. The following example illustrates the problem. The showcase event of the summer olympics is the men a 100-metre dash. All 32 finalists in the last four olympics have been of african heritage. One might use this As an example of a racial difference. But if one looks More closely it is not athletes of african descent per be but West african athletes. The top 200 times in the 100-metre dash All belong to athletes of West african descent. No White or asian has Ever run under 10 seconds in the event. But nor has any North East or South african either unless they also share West african ancestry. Referring to an african race or an asian or caucasian race is too coarse a measure. The study of human differences ? Between men and women and among races ? is an incendiary topic that Only the very Brave or very foolish will broach. When Harvard University president Lawrence Summers suggested that some of the difference Between men and women in career Choice May be due to innate tendencies alongside Well documented barriers and Bias it Cost him his Job. Others who tread on forbidden ground pay a Steep Price. In 1989, University of Western Ontario psychologist Philippe Rushton presented a paper on racial differences in cognitive ability to the 1989 meeting of the american association for the advancement of science alas. Had he presented similar research on any other species few would have noticed. But because it was humans it provoked a furious controversy. His data and hypotheses quickly became secondary and he was branded a racist and bigot subject to death threats at the alas and investigated by the Ontario provincial police under hate crime Laws. The Toronto Star and then Ontario Premier David Petersen called for his dismissal. Rushton became an academic pariah and when invited to speak to a psychology class at the University of Winnipeg it had to be done in strict secrecy. The Media certainly were unaware he was Here. Some people clearly think the question of racial differences is simply not up for discus Sion. History shows that the answers Are too dangerous and the results contaminated by Bias and prejudice. For others the answer to the question must be fixed at the outset for reasons of political necessity. We must find that there Are no differences worthy of note that race is a meaningless concept. This style of argument is acceptable for theologians who rely upon Faith to generate certainty but not among scientists. To place my cards face up on the table i see no Strong evidence for the View that there Are important and innate differences in intellectual capacity among races even if we could agree on the thorny issues of what a race is and How we define intelligence. But science requires that we not decide an Issue before the evidence is gathered and weighed. Stephen Jay Gould was the Only biologist to appear on an episode of the Simpsons and before his death he was widely known for his numerous books and columns on evolutionary biology. He held Strong views about Many things especially when it came to the nature of biological inequality. He argued forcefully against the notion that genes affect in. In the 1970s, Gould and a group of like minded colleagues formed the sociobiology study group to attack the nascent Field of sociobiology pioneered by fellow Harvard biologist Edward o. Wilson. Wilson suggested that the principles of biology could be used to under stand human social behaviour which challenged established Dogma particularly that which had dominated the social sciences for decades. Wilson was denounced As a racist sexist fascist and right Wing Prophet of Patri Archy amusing Given that he is a social mod Erate and lifelong Liberal Democrat and he was physically assaulted by protesters at an alas meeting. Note to self avoid alas meetings ? they seem like dangerous places for members of the sociobiology study group Wilson a views were irreconcilable with their marxist philosophy which included the laudable moral imperative of equal Opportunity for All but also a mandate for biological Equality ? genes Are unimportant to personality or intelligence. Instead we Are just products of our culture and environment what linguist Steve Pinker refers to As the doctrine of the Blank slate. For Gould and colleagues the suggestion that genes influence human behaviour in important ways would Lead us Back Down the dark path toward state sponsored policies of eugenics sexism racism and even genocide. This Perni Cious View had to be extinguished. While their motives were honourable their methods were not. They engaged in and Homine attacks upon opponents and distorted empirical evidence chronicled in Pinker a Book the Blank slate. In a now infamous state ment they boldly declared that genes weren to very important in determining in. It turns out that in is not Only heritable but substantially so. How our Grey matter per forms rests largely though not exclusively upon the genes that built it. Other personality traits show a similarly High heritability. Always lurking in the background of this debate was the question of race. Do genes mat Ter cognitive psychologists have Long reported differences in performance on standardized tests of cognitive ability that fall along racial fault lines. Though there is substantial overlap african americans tend to score lower than White americans who in turn tend to score lower than asian americans. At Issue is Why and what if anything can we do about it there is compelling evidence that socioeconomic Dis parities among races explain at least part of this pattern. For example poor prenatal health and Early childhood nutrition have Long lasting and sometimes dramatic effects on cognitive abilities. But some have suggested a role for genes alongside environment provoking a loud and sometimes violent chorus of protest. Is this a question that science can usefully address probably not. When one looks Back at the Long chronicle of racist research disguised As science and used for evil political ends ? and Here Gould smis measure of Man is required Reading ? it is understandable that we do not want to go there again. Still there Are some who Are interested in questions of race not because they Are inherently racist but because they see important social problems to be addressed. I strongly suspect Philippe Rushton Falls into this group. But is there a receptive audience for such work again probably not at least not yet. There Are some questions we Don to want asked much less answered. Like Pandora of greek mythology we pay the Price of undisciplined curiosity. Once the Jar is opened the contents Are irrevocably unleashed to plague us All. Scott Forbes is a behavioural ecologist at the University of Winnipeg and author of a natural history of families. sacred aboriginal land should not be a biker bar times of several great Plains tribes his original plan was to name the this place for indians. And they Are acres of real estate for american Indi by Mary Annette Pember Bear Butte is a sacred place of Pil facility sacred grounds. He seemed drawing support from some bikers ans. They Are living breathing connect Grimage prayer and reflection. Genuinely surprised that local tribes who waged a Don to ride 39? Cam tons to our spirituality our cultures now however an entrepreneur from were not supportive so he changed the pain referring to the Highway that and our very identity As tribal Peoples. B bikers and developers need to Arizona is building an enormous biker name to Sturgis county line. Winds from Sturgis to Bear Butte. Our presence in these places often take a hard look at the damage bar music venue and Campground at but that a hardly sufficient. The fight for Bear Butte is just the dates Back thousands of years. Surely wrought by their merrymaking the base of Bear Butte. In line with the hundreds of indians and supporters latest Battle Over Indian sacred places. Our ceremonies should prevail Over the near sacred places. Last week the carousing that goes on at Bike rallies camped at the base of Bear Butte to despite treaty guarantees Indian Mere 66-year tradition of a gathering 66th annual Sturgis Bike rally in he plans on offering 250 hectares of protest excess development near the holy land continues to be sold mined of fun Loving bikers. South Dakota Drew thousands of police free partying with daily area. They would like to maintain a developed and destroyed in the name motorcycle enthusiasts. But it is also orgasm and Popsicle Licking con three Kilometre Buffer zone around the of Cash. Arizona a mount Graham the Mary Annette Pember a red Cliff Jib Drew attention to the rights of indians. Tests. In the spirit of sharing Indian site. Peaks in san Francisco Black Mesa in a is past president of the native Sturgis is near Bear Butte or Mato culture with his patrons he said he located within the Bear Butte Arizona the devils Tower in Wyoming american journalists association. Paha in the Black Hills or Paha Sapa was also planning on erecting a 20 National Park Bear Butte is a historic and mount Shasta in California Are but which in Lakota Means everything distributed by Mcclatchy Tribune information metre statue of an Indian at the landmark. The protesters Are educate a few examples of continuing Battles. That Central to the spiritual prac services Entrance. Ing tourists about the significance of these places represent More than ;