Scientist claims "black people are less intelligent"

I am utterly aghast at this report in today's Times. For those who don't have the time, or the inclination to read the full article, in a nutshell, the Nobel prize-winning geneticist, Dr. James Watson, is alleging that black people are less intelligent than white people. What a ridiculous old fart. Get a load of this statement, where he claims he is “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really." He added that he hoped that everyone was equal, but delved further into the filthy waters of racism by continuing “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”. How can a man brilliant enough in his field to gain a Nobel prize, come out with such dross?

Apparently, he has made similar allegations about women being less intelligent than men. He also said that if it was possible to develop a test, which would allow doctors to determine whether or not a foetus would be homosexual, then mothers should have the right to terminate a foetus shown to be potentially homosexual. The silly old duffer promulgating these ridiculous notions is 79 years old - old enough to know better.

I understand he may have grown up in an era when the white heterosexual male was deemed the centre of the universe, but this is an educated man making these statements. I can't help but wonder if the old buffoon really does believe his own dross, or if he's merely saying it to stir up controversy, and have a good laugh at the expense of those who get riled by his comments. My mind just cannot grasp the fact that someone intelligent enough to gain a Nobel prize, can display the crass, narrow-minded bigotry of some uneducated, semi-literate oaf from a remote backwater. Fool!

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