[Closed] Is this racist?

I think sampling bias and social conditioning will have played a massive part in the results of the survey.

No. It would be racist to discriminate against someone on the basis of their skin colour, but compiling data on who's fittest doesn't discriminate at all.

This pathological fear of racism that seems to be being instilled in society does more harm than racism itself, IMHO.

I think sampling bias and social conditioning will have played a massive part in the results of the survey

I think it really depends on how scientific the data was, and an online poll doesn't sound the most scientific thing in the world.

This pathological fear of racism that seems to be being instilled in society does more harm than racism itself, IMHO

yeah, that's what people like you always say

I do think common Western concepts of beauty are skewed very heavily towards White folk; just take a look at the vast majority of advertising out there, speshly for beauty products, fashion an ting.

I don't think he can use a term like 'attractiveness' in any scientific context though, as it's far too subjective an issue, surely?

Dr Kanazawa has an online column on Psychology Today called "A Look at the Hard Truths About Human Nature".
It includes posts with titles such as: "Are All Women Essentially Prostitutes?', "If Beautiful People Have Daughters, Why Do Posh and Becks Have Three Sons?", "More Intelligent People Are More Likely to Binge Drink and Get Drunk" and "Girls Are More Intelligent Than Boys, But Men Are More Intelligent Than Women".

Sounds like Dr Kanazawa is a little bit more inertested in courting publicity and controversy than actual proper scientific research. I find it bizarre that time, money and educational resources are wasted on such ultimately meaningless crap though.

Do people scour the media actively looking for reasons to be offended?

I think it's just these uppity wannbes who read newspapers

Is the study racist in and of itself? Of course not.

Were the people who completed the poll racist? Perhaps. It's hard to tell. In the absense of any further information, it's feasible that white women scored higher simply because more white men took part in the poll, or that the samples voted on were skewed.

Are his conclusions racist? Perhaps. He forms conclusions as to why he's got the results he has, and we can't tell solely from the BBC article as to whether that's anything other than concjecture. He's essentially saying that black women are fatter and more masculine than white women, which is a pretty inflammatory thing to be claiming without some serious evidence to back it up, and I'd perhaps argue that an average score of 3.5 against one of 3.7 isn't all that statistically significant (assuming that it's a well-conducted study at all, which I've not bothered to look into).

Do people scour the media actively looking for reasons to be offended?

I find that offencive.

This pathological fear of racism that seems to be being instilled in society does more harm than racism itself, IMHO

I do think common Western concepts of beauty are skewed very heavily towards White folk; just take a look at the vast majority of advertising out there, speshly for beauty products, fashion an ting.

I also think 'concepts of beauty' follow trends and fashions, and aren't set in stone. Examples of this are the pointy bras of the 1950s, and the bustles of Victorian ladies to emphasise their arses. And yet neither pointy knockers nor big sticking-out arses are considered to be particular 'sexy' today. Another example was the habit in Chaucer's day for women to shave the front of their hair so that their foreheads appeared larger, thereby conveying an image which suggested that they were 'brainy' .........today very few men are greatly attracted to woman by her intelligence.

And my own preferences have changed over the years - whilst I have also been very attracted to Asian women, I was never much attracted to black women when I was younger. Today however I find black woman particularly attractive. Which is handy 'cause there plenty around my manor - and some of them are well horny.

btw I reckon Dr Satoshi Kanazawa is an ugly ****er.

I have a particular penchant for fair, blue-eyed Nordic beauties.

I am small and swarthy with dark eyes...

Oi Elfin ! Keep your eyes off our women !

This pathological fear of racism that seems to be being instilled in society does more harm than racism itself, IMHO.

Wow.

He's a very interesting man:

[i]Dr Kanazawa has an online column on Psychology Today called "A Look at the Hard Truths About Human Nature".
It includes posts with titles such as: "Are All Women Essentially Prostitutes?', "If Beautiful People Have Daughters, Why Do Posh and Becks Have Three Sons?", "More Intelligent People Are More Likely to Binge Drink and Get Drunk" and "Girls Are More Intelligent Than Boys, But Men Are More Intelligent Than Women".[/i]

Needs to get a proper job, the twonk.

fail

yum . . .
[img] [/img]

[i]I have a particular penchant for fair, blue-eyed Nordic beauties.[/i]

+1 😀

So how is saying black women are on average less attractive and black men on average more attractive racist?

I have a particular penchant for fair, blue-eyed Nordic beauties.

I am small and swarthy with dark eyes...

Your best strategy then Elf is to try and convince them you are a troll from Nordic mythology and you can be their pet.

today very few men are greatly attracted to woman by her intelligence

I suspect that is not as true as is commonly assumed.

So how is saying black women are on average less attractive and black men on average more attractive racist?

There's a difference between saying 'I like X' and 'X is good'

By the twisted logic of today, if anyone thinks it's racist, it is racist. Fair play to the guy for pulling a professors salary for doing this stuff. Knowing newspapers will print any old crap will keep his research going pretty much forever as long as we are dumb enough to keep paying his wages.

I suspect that is not as true as is commonly assumed.

Only if they are librarians or secretaries* molgrips ......that changes everything.

* or they put glasses on in porn films to look like ones.

Your best strategy then Elf is to try and convince them you are a troll from Nordic mythology and you can be their pet.

🙂

I have bin petted by Norwegian ladies...

I have bin pitied by Norwegian ladies

Better?

That too, probbly, but if their pity turns to petting, then I'm not complaining...

It might lead to the pity petting of tiny feet

Dem black folk sure do have a good sense ob riddem, doe. Hup yes, boy!!

Eh?

It isn't racist, its subjective based on professor tw@s study. I'm white, my wife is black. I like [i]attractive women regardless of race.

Its easy, Alicia Keys (black), Nicole Scherzinger (Hispanic), or Keira Knightly (Caucasian)?

Would you turn any of them down due to thier racial background? Some other reason possibly.... but not racial.

I woon't turn any woman down [s]due to race[/s]. 🙁

I like attractive women regardless of race.

The same is true of everyone who likes women. It's just the definition of what's attractive that differs. Which leads to,

Would you turn any of them down due to thier racial background? Some other reason possibly.... but not racial.

... I'm rarely, if ever, attracted to non-caucasian women. It's nothing to do with racism or race per se, it just doesn't do it for me. As a counterpoint to that, I'm not usually attracted to blondes either.

Seriously??

Wow, that's very limiting. I find that very strange tbh.

Extreme indeed. I can't see myself saying, "Sorry Nicole/Alicia, I would have if you were caucasian, but please put your kit back on love, and thiers the door"

Junkyard - Member
tell that to jewish people or perhaps to those who suffered ethnic cleansing inthe former Yugoslavia or in Africa. Could you [b]sight[/b] how many millions have died and been persecuted as a result of this "pathological fear of racism" or any actual real harm to anyone?

I wouldn't normally reply to such a clumsy post, but the level of ill-informed ignorance that you display in so few words astounds me! For starters, the persecution of Jews is not racism; it's religious persecution, not racial.

And no, I couldn't "sight" the figures you request. At the moment, all I can "sight" is a messy desk and a computer. 🙄

For starters, the persecution of Jews is not racism

Jesus wept. And you have the temerity to suggest someone else is ignorant??? 😯

Ohh I find black women hugely attractive... mmmmm

tell that to jewish people or perhaps to those who suffered ethnic cleansing inthe former Yugoslavia or in Africa. Could you sight how many millions have died and been persecuted as a result of this "pathological fear of racism" or any actual real harm to anyone?

I don't think there is a jewish 'race' to discriminate against...

Elfinsafety - Member
Jesus wept. And you have the temerity to suggest someone else is ignorant???

Excuse me? "Jews" in the modern sense of the word are followers of a religion, not a race. So yes, Junkyard is rather ignorant on the matter, as, it would seem, are you.

Feel free to 'cite' the Jewish quest for their own holy land as reason for them being a race, but you'd be wrong. There are followers of Judaism from many races.

Dr Satoshi Kanazawa had some other good ideas though, like this one:

http://crookedtimber.org/2008/03/11/in-the-eea-tactical-nuclear-weapons-were-highly-fitness-enhancing/

Wow, that's very limiting. I find that very strange tbh.

I'm not deliberately limiting anything, it's just what I do and don't find attractive. I've bisexual friends who think it limiting that I only like women.

Whether I'd kick them out of bed for eating crisps is another matter, but I'd be unlikely to be pinning their photos up on the wall (metaphorically speaking).

I'm explaining this quite badly, aren't I...!

I'm pretty sure Alicia Keys is mixed race.

And that she has been cited, among other women, as a reason why in the Western world we don't accept the beauty of darker skinned black women.

she has been cited, among other women, as a reason why in the Western world we don't accept the beauty of darker skinned black women.

?!

I just googled here cos I wasn't exactly sure who she was, and figured she'd probably be an exception, she's pretty.

Ah, sorry, I'm with you - darker-skinned black women as opposed to fairer-skinned black women.

I wonder if it's actually skin colour, or if it's more to do with "western" facial features?

Well personally I think it's facial features, but there have been studies and documentaries looking at the rise in cosmetic products to lighten skin and also cosmetic surgery purely aimed at making people look more western.

I'd imagine if you asked someone from Africa who hadn't been tainted by Western media what they thought of such 'beauties' as Kiera Knightly they'd think they were shocking, pale malnourished freaks.

Each to their own. (not in a segregationist way)

I'd imagine if you asked [s]someone from Africa who hadn't been tainted by Western media[/s] me what [s]they[/s] I thought of such 'beauties' as Kiera Knightly [s]they'd[/s] I'd think they were shocking, pale malnourished freaks

FFS! Look at Cougar, nothing except Caucasian until he saw a picture of Alicia Keys. Prove's my point - its what you consider to be attractive not whether she's black, white etc....

S. Yeti - people have been lightening and darkening (ever sat in the sun to get tanned?) and used many "props" for centurities to conform to what may be considered to be "fashionably attractive" at the time.

In reality beauty is in the eye of the beholder...