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MadHound

(34,179 posts)
Thu Jul 5, 2012, 05:22 PM Jul 2012

So, is slavery responsible for the athletic performance of African Americans? [View all]

The Olympian Michael Johnson seems to think so.

"The Olympic gold medallist and BBC commentator said: ‘Over the last few years, athletes of Afro- Caribbean and Afro-American descent have dominated athletics finals.

‘It’s a fact that hasn’t been discussed openly before. It’s a taboo subject in the States but it is what it is. Why shouldn’t we discuss it?’"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2167064/London-2012-Olympics-Michael-Johnson-descendants-slaves-medals-sprint-finals.html#ixzz1zlOdi5sb

This is much the same argument that was made in the book "The Bell Curve", and the author got blasted as a racist. So is this theory now valid since it is an African American making the same argument?

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Our Atlanta Peachtree Race on July 4th RebelOne Jul 2012 #1
That's a distance race and the winners were East African. mathematic Jul 2012 #31
lol. Boy you are just stoking it, aren't you. Solomon Jul 2012 #2
I'm stoking nothing, MadHound Jul 2012 #7
You're saying The Bell Curve was just about sprinting performance? muriel_volestrangler Jul 2012 #16
Umm, you didn't read my post did you. MadHound Jul 2012 #22
The idea of the documentary is that selection during slavery had an effect muriel_volestrangler Jul 2012 #23
Umm, what documentary are you talking about? MadHound Jul 2012 #40
The documentary Johnson presented, which the article you linked to was about muriel_volestrangler Jul 2012 #43
Heh. Busted. Now I understand the rec count for this OP Number23 Jul 2012 #54
Perhaps you should read. Indydem Jul 2012 #3
Perhaps you should read as well, MadHound Jul 2012 #5
Really? "He" said that?? Indydem Jul 2012 #6
Jimmy the Greek said it and got fired. MrSlayer Jul 2012 #4
It is not wrong to discuss it. Logically. Some people just want to complain about everything. Logical Jul 2012 #8
It was very much survival of the (physically) fittest coupled with extremely un-natural selection. Schema Thing Jul 2012 #9
Did Hitler's genocide result in smarter, survival oriented Jews? Warren Stupidity Jul 2012 #10
+1 Coexist Jul 2012 #11
That wouldn't be a good comparison muriel_volestrangler Jul 2012 #21
Arguably, yes. Look at today's Israel. They take no shit from anyone. Electric Monk Jul 2012 #28
of course Jews dominated basket ball before Hitler hmm.... Johonny Jul 2012 #34
It's not wrong HotRodTuna Jul 2012 #24
Different populations do seem to have different capabilities in sports. Marr Jul 2012 #12
Look at what people spend time doing. ananda Jul 2012 #13
IMO continuing institutionalized racism provides African-Americans with incentives ProgressiveEconomist Jul 2012 #14
No, not slavery cthulu2016 Jul 2012 #15
It's all bullshit JonLP24 Jul 2012 #57
Wheaties, it should be obvious. 2on2u Jul 2012 #17
OMG RegieRocker Jul 2012 #18
It's probably not selective breeding for slavery taught_me_patience Jul 2012 #19
Nope. Still racist. (n/t) Iggo Jul 2012 #20
Then logically african populations in the new world would be superior 4th law of robotics Jul 2012 #25
+1! uponit7771 Jul 2012 #37
Forget melanin content, look at body type. You will see that it has nothing to do with color or Egalitarian Thug Jul 2012 #26
At world-class levels we see people who have been selected to be especially good in their sports Retrograde Jul 2012 #67
Must also explain why Canadians are usually the best hocky players. JoePhilly Jul 2012 #27
Canadians were selected for Hockey 4th law of robotics Jul 2012 #29
That is better than any recent SNL writer has produced, don't ya know. jonthebru Jul 2012 #66
Culture is a huge part mathematic Jul 2012 #35
Culture plays a large part. JoePhilly Jul 2012 #48
+1! uponit7771 Jul 2012 #38
Mike...Thank your African ancestry of chasing gazelles. Seriously. vaberella Jul 2012 #30
IMO it's not genetic at all. It's not NATURE, it's 'NURTURE' by racism ProgressiveEconomist Jul 2012 #32
then why did the Chinese win more gold medals in the last summer games? Johonny Jul 2012 #33
Kicking for ignorance. cwydro Jul 2012 #36
Due to my Nordic ancestry I have been genetically selected for raping and pillaging XemaSab Jul 2012 #39
I thought Archie Bunker was long gone? n/t retread Jul 2012 #41
IMO Mr Dixon Jul 2012 #42
Trading Places? This is your basis for relating race to performance? JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2012 #44
lol Mr Dixon Jul 2012 #45
to repeat what many are saying, it is not slavary per se, it is who in the Americas were enslaved AngryAmish Jul 2012 #46
Other way around. Their athletic skills is what made them desirable as slaves - lynne Jul 2012 #47
Wow! ProSense Jul 2012 #49
Book by John Entine mzteris Jul 2012 #50
Book's thesis overreaches mathematic Jul 2012 #58
Fail. Not much more to this. bluerum Jul 2012 #51
I think a lot of it is cultural Nikia Jul 2012 #52
He might a as well argure that it was their proximity to caucasians that makes them fast runners. The Midway Rebel Jul 2012 #53
Who cares who says it? JonLP24 Jul 2012 #55
I remember Oprah saying, in agreement with her guest that Maraya1969 Jul 2012 #56
Remember - Murray, Herrnstein and their ilk are not biologists or geneticists. entanglement Jul 2012 #59
How many generations of selective breeding does it take to change the genetics of a plant? cherokeeprogressive Jul 2012 #60
why do whites perform better than other racial groups (overall) - look at weightlifting shotput type Liberal_in_LA Jul 2012 #61
Subsaharan Africa has a very diverse population FarCenter Jul 2012 #62
Sub-Saharan Africans were not the point of the OP. cherokeeprogressive Jul 2012 #63
No, it has to do with wha tis valued loose wheel Jul 2012 #64
No. Next? flvegan Jul 2012 #65
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