http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/2007/10/james-watson-master-of-scientific-gaffe.html

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2694632.ece

“At a book launch at the Royal Society, Dr Watson said: “To all those who have drawn the inference from my words that Africa, as a continent, is somehow genetically inferior, I can only apologise unreservedly.

“That is not what I meant. More importantly, there is no scientific basis for such a belief.”

He went on: “I cannot understand how I could have said what I am quoted as having said. I can certainly understand why people reading those words have reacted in the ways they have.” “

It’s wise because it is in the right order.

Now, that is something worth spending research money on! Bugger this sterile nonsense about brains. I say this as a paleface with an enormous IQ and no alpha male status whatsoever.

I think I’ll do my own research, where’s that travel brochure…..

“There would be if I was the one blowing people up, Sid.”

Don’t be silly, Morgoth. If you were the one blowing people up, you wouldn’t be in a position to be profiled or discriminated afterwards.

But don’t you empathise with people who cannot travel, who are harrassed in airports, or falsely imprisonned because they happen to be brown, share a terrorist name, or follow the same religion – and do the same things you do, like write letters and meet people?

from your sideswipes at the EU and touching faith in the abstract power of free trade it’s easy to see where you’re coming from. Though I would point out that the EU is first and formeost a free-trade area and that progress towards global free trade through the WTO is accelerated by the EU having a single negotiating voice.

I’m going to assume that you believe fervently in liberty so would be natural supporter of the Science Museum exercising its free choice to cancel an invitation it had freely made – probably on the grounds of the lack of courtesy of their guest. There is no banning or cencorship involved, afterall Watson has made his views known and we are all debating them.

His views on evolution and intelligence may or may not be reasonable, but saying:

“he hoped that everyone was equal, but countered that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”

is just bigotry pure and simple.

By the way, he’s not the only one with an unrealistic idea of the speed of evolution on intelligence, behaviour and/or personality traits. Try this guy for size:

http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2280334.ece

apparently a couple hundred years is all it takes to become a super-race…

But I’m not, no matter how much the idea of pebbledashed Sid appeals to me. I’m content with writing letters and meeting people instead.

There’s a definite urge – don’t you have it? – to say, Morgoth will have to suffer until he gets his house in order. What sort of suffering? Not letting him travel. Deportation – further down the road. Curtailing his freedoms. Strip-searching people who look like they’re Goths or from Somerset … Discriminatory stuff, until it hurts the whole community and they start getting tough with their children.”

“Everyone, just chill. This is degenerating into an unnecessary slanging match, and is exactly what happens when someone relatively new turns up and starts hurling off-topic insults”

Jai, if you really want everyone to shut up, don’t blame it all on the new guy. Let’s all agree that no one likes to be called a racist or to support slavery.

“Sid is a decent guy, so is Rumbold, and although there are obviously differences of opinion in certain topics, you guys are both on the “same side” in terms of being fundamentally decent people.”

That is very kind of you Jai, and you are right. I will shut up now.

Jai – I like Razib, he’s clever.

Yeah he’s a great guy all-round. Very smart and extremely funny too. And a good bloke in general (ie. not the “nasty smart/funny” type).

******************************************

Everyone, just chill. This is degenerating into an unnecessary slanging match, and is exactly what happens when someone relatively new turns up and starts hurling off-topic insults referring to “stinking theists” and so on, which just creates a toxic environment as other people pile in.

It doesn’t elevate the discourse so just pull back. Sid is a decent guy, so is Rumbold, and although there are obviously differences of opinion in certain topics, you guys are both on the “same side” in terms of being fundamentally decent people.

So Sunny, who also supports liberal interventionism, in in favour of slavery? Interesting. As is, apparently, the founder of Medicine Sans Frontiers, Nelson Mandela and a host of others. All pro-slavery. Wow.