"I read in the paper that a scientist proved blacks are dumber than whites."

So my post is a tad random this week, but I think there is enough of a link to justify it. While reading "Watching Jim Crow" I started thinking about how people get the information they use to understand and describe the larger world and, if that information is limited and/or biased how damaging the resulting misconceptions can be. This is especially true if the source of the misinformation is one held in high esteem, such as "science." I put that in quotes because some scientifically trained individuals have used science as a vehicle to promote racists ideologies, such as black inferiority. Historically there are many instances where scientists have 'proven' black inferiority, such as early anatomical descriptions that claimed African Americans shared more physical characteristics with apes than white people. What I find shocking, however, is despite the progress science has made in reducing bias (such as peer reviewed publications, open source publishing, etc) is that examples of this still exist today and the scientists responsible aren't some backward quacks, but world respected, nobel prize winning individuals. I'm referring specifically to James Watson (Nobel Prize for discovering DNA), who stated that people of African descent were inherently less intelligent than white people (link, link) Some of his more inflammatory quotes: "[Prospects for Africa are gloomy 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."

"[I wish everyone was equal but] people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true."

He is also reported as saying  Africans have higher libidos. The London Times only exacerbated the incident by running it under the headline "Black people 'less intelligent' scientists claims". Given that headline, anyone skimming through the paper might come away with the idea that some valid experiment had been done to prove black inferiority. It just goes to show how much trust we put into 'voices of authority.' Of course that's not to say all science is done with political/ideological motives, but it is always wise to invest in some healthy skepticism and remember that, even with the best intentions, scientists are just as people, with all the baggage that goes along with that.