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Finally-- a post that should offend just about everyone! This week's cover story in New York Magazine tackles one of the most pressing questions of our day: are Jews smarter than everyone else, and if so, by how much?. The original title of the article was "One more reason to hate the Jews", but apparently the far blander "Are Jews Smarter?" won out. The article goes on to make a fairly dispassionate argument-- presenting and then debunking some recent scientific studies that connect Ashkenazi genes to higher intelligence. An excerpt:
The world’s proliferation of Einsteins—well, maybe not Einsteins exactly, but distinguished Jewish thinkers, particularly in math and the sciences—form the stark, quantifiable basis for Cochran and Harpending’s hypothesis. Though Jews make up a mere 0.25 percent of the world’s population and a mere 3 percent of the United States’, they account, according to their paper, for 27 percent of all American Nobel Prize winners, 25 percent of all ACM Turing Award winners for computer science, and 50 percent of the globe’s chess champions.
There was a similar piece in the the NY Times Styles' section this weekend-- a feature on two Korean women who wrote the book, Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers--and How You Can Too. Did all the editors in New York go to a conference on stereotypes last week? Because we weren't invited-- and you know Gothamist likes to get our stereotypes on as frequently as possible. Anyway, in the spirit of playing along, we've come up with a list of story ideas for our friends at the local magazines-- feel free to add your own in the comments!
Who is cheaper: Asians or Jews?
Who is more drunk: WASPs or the Irish?
Who dances better: Blacks or Hispanics?
Bonus question for TMFTML-- who is more buff: Park Slope Lesbians or Chelsea Boys? [Related, via Gawker: Love Southpark, Maybe You're Gay]
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To be honest articles like the one about Larry David and the one about how to raise your children just as smart as Asian children disappoint me to no end.
If we are going to talk about "smarts" like it's a race-based essentialist notion then everyone who is a part of a race that isn't stereotyped as being "smart" might as well throw away their desires to be educated or be somebody, right? I mean, if blacks are good dancers, why don't they just dance?
Stereotypes like these are ones that have been historically embedded as part of our society. We socializa people to believe that these are, in fact, the truth. With that, class systems are created, with whites (I guess this case Jews) and Asians being known as the smarter races and blacks being known as simply performers. When do we see a black representative that is not there to entertainers? We have rappers and basketball and football players, black actors who are merely there to support white actors or become involved in helping perpetuating stereotypes. And when they aren't entertaining they are being represented by scum like Colin Powell and Condi Rice who have no intention of benefiting the black community as a whole.
Asians have been labeled the "model" minority and I suppose, now Jews have been too. This upsets me. When we speak about essentialist notions and truly believe they are fact we are failing to recognize an American education system that has been created solely to benefit white and Asian students. Through tracking systems, standardized testing and the institutional racism in American school's, it's no wonder why people are actually believing that there are certain racial groups who are smarter...
But the fact is, we aren't truly educating all our youth in an equal fashion. Think about it, what schools are white and Asian children going to and what schools are black and hispanic students going to? What facilities to they have access to and what facilities to low-income urban schools have? True,not every white person is middle class, just like not every black person is, but it can not be ignored that the U.S. education system has systemically been a racist institution.
So if we raise questions about who is smarter, let's break it down to why things appear as such. Nothing just ever *is, there's so much more to the picture.
Stephanie--
With a name like "Berger" the rest of us should be happy that a "genius" like yourself would grace us with your presence.
No really.
"Genius."
As in quotations.
Meaning what you said is probably the stupidest thing anyone has ever read.
By the way, I am writing this Anonymously because I work for Jews and we all know you don't like to be told you are just like anyone else.
Shalom.
cleopatra, your comments are the stupidest thing i've EVER read. no really. EVER.
if you fail to believe that there are true differences between the races then you are beyond help.
take care.
I work for Jews.
So I am really getting a kick out of most of these replies.
Some of you guys are very good at making it sound like you know what you are talking about.
But trust me.... You don't.
I think you just want to make yourself sound smart, when in reality you dont know what you are talking about.
This is how bad info gets passed around.
If you dont know about the topic....Dont make yourself sound like you do. Cuz some people belive anything they hear.
"When we speak about essentialist notions and truly believe they are fact we are failing to recognize an American education system that has been created solely to benefit white and Asian students."
excuse me, how so? - especially for asian students?
What a great article. My entry for the next cover story...
PMS: Real medical problem or just an excuse to act bitchy?
You may begin throwing things at me now.
Jews are smarter because mostly they are Polish!
As long as we're playing with racism and stereotypes, where do Jews rank in the greed and power scale? Or the bad landlord scale? Or the cause of social inequality, war and exploitation of lesser people scale?
Justified or not, I would be careful flaunting a superior, chosen-one, race-religion status because we all know what sort of reaction that can bring on.
it's a tough call-- on the one hand, there is legitimate content in the article-- and it is an interesting read. on the other, it brings out a bad reaction in people-- but i suppose new york magazine really doesn't need to have a redeeming social purpose.
Jews aren't any smarter than other races, tribes, nations, or what have you. The article is incredibly dumb.
The negative corralary is that there are races out there that are dumber. THAT is why ppl don't like the article. While flattering, it is a stupid stupid article
In response to ...
"When we speak about essentialist notions and truly believe they are fact we are failing to recognize an American education system that has been created solely to benefit white and Asian students."
excuse me, how so? - especially for asian students?
------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's a loaded question. Frankly, I don't have time to break down the American eduacation system but if you're interested in a modern example, just look at Mayor Bloomberg's new education reform, the results of his standardized testing, the rates of what group of children are graduating and who is not, who is dropping out and who is not. Account in the facts about what schools are funded and who the majority is at those schools.
This is me, and you don't have to agree, but I don't by that specific races have certain qualities, be it smarts, traits or whatever that are "essential" to them being black or white or Asian or Jewish or anything.
By my statement, I meant just that. I don't think essentialist notions are fact. I just don't. And when we just say oh this group is just naturally smarter or this group is just naturally dumber, then there a problem with that. You aren't factoring in the way the system works and how it has worked historically. You aren't looking at how the education system is designed to benefit certain groups and fail others.
Now if we are going to talk about if the educational system in the U.S. versus Asia, then things change. But for me, I dont buy into essentialism. You don't have to agree.
The differences are not RACIAL: all people of all "races" have the same innate cognitive abilities to learn, process information, and communicate. The differences are CULTURAL. Asians and Jews have a culture that cherishes knowledge, wisdom, community, and entrepreneurship, more so than other cultures, specifically African and Latin American cultures. So, the real issue is culturalism, rather than racism.
"Frankly, I don't have time to break down the American eduacation system but if you're interested in a modern example, just look at Mayor Bloomberg's new education reform, the results of his standardized testing, the rates of what group of children are graduating and who is not, who is dropping out and who is not."
how does that give Asian students an advantage?
"Culturalism"? Ha! And I always thought it was my Greek genes driving me towards a girl's poopy-hole, but all along, it was the tzatziki overdoses!
Next week: The effect of General Tsao's chicken on penis size in Asian populations.
did any of you read that New York Times article about asians/koreans - it didn't say anything about being the 'smartest', only that its very common for asian parents to put their kids under tremendous pressure to academically perform (e.g. not going out after school, no/limited TV). Hell, if all your kid did was study 24/7, it wouldn't matter what race you are, you're going to get results - at what cost though to your kids psyche though, who knows? It's pretty common to hear about asian college students committing suicide because of the pressure they're under in the U.S. and abroad.
hey, if Jews really are smarter than everyone else, then how do you explain the IJC's (interchangeable jappy chicks) in Murray Hill?
L'Em, do you have a point?
Anyone who doesn't think race and class have a direct impact of the American educational system should read Jonathan Kozol's classic, "Savage Inequalities," or his more recent "The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America." He gives stark portraits of the differences between educational opportunites afforded to white and black, rich and poor, and who he cares about: the students. He backs up much of what Cleopatra has said, but in less convoluted language. By the way, anyone who thinks people are the way they are because of their skin color or religion is just too stupid to even bother with.
Ehan bring ignominy to genes which is quite uncalled for.
I am black african and I think blacks are intellectually inferior compared to other races!
I'm not Jewish and I'm not Asian. However, it seems to me that both the Jewish and Asian groups I'm familiar with value education and put great emphasis on education when raising their children. This is much to their credit, and it completely sucks all mystery out of the question "Why are Jews and Asians overachievers?" They're overachievers because they're raised to be overachievers. This isn't a mystery. It's not even mildly surprising.
So why was that New York Magazine article written in the first place? That's the interesting question.