2008: We got an F+

[cptx]

so what some of you are saying is that there are no genetic or physical differences based on race?

i have read different theories on this, but my only question is why are certain races more prone to certian diseases than others? if racial heritage can be proved to be a disadvantage, then why is it so horrible to think that there could actually be benefits?

[AKPantherFan]

more-

Still, although the social reasons for black athletic excellence may be perfectly sound, many scientists feel that blacks have some physical advantages too. Alvin Poussaint, a black psychiatrist who is dean of students at Harvard Medical School, attributes these advantages to the grim selectivity of slavery. Says he: "First of all, they selected for slavery only those with a lot of brawn and ability to work hard: only the best. Second, only the strongest survived the long voyage. We may already have a very selected group of blacks in this country." While recognizing that great physical differences exist between members of the same race—as is notably evident when 7-ft. 2½-in. Kareem Abdul-Jab-bar and 5-ft. 10-in. Tiny Archibald confront one another in an N.B.A. game —scientists have also found that, on the average, there are measurable differences between the races. .

Pioneering studies by Dr. Eleanor Metheny, who conducted careful anthropometric studies of American blacks 40 years ago, broadly outlined the differences between whites and blacks. Metheny found that, in general, blacks had longer legs relative to total body length and that lower legs were proportionately longer, while thighs were shorter but more muscular than those of whites. "In jumping, the longer leg is evidently an advantage," Dr. Metheny wrote, "since [he] could raise his leg higher. Applying the principle of the lever, the longer lower leg can develop greater velocity at the end and serves as a longer lever with which to push off the ground, thus increasing the distance over which the force can be applied." The same general rules, Metheny found, applied to blacks' arms: on the average, blacks' hands are larger than those of whites, their arms longer, and a short, heavily muscled upper arm propels a long lower arm.

[AKPantherFan]

so what some of you are saying is that there is no genetic or physical differences based on race?

i have read different theories on this, but my only question is why are certain races more prone to certian diseases than others? if racial heritage can be proved to be a disadvantage, then why is it so horrible to think that there could actually be benefits?

IDK why they get their panties all in a wad over this.

Blacks are more prone to get that eye problem where they turn yellow, no one is screaming STEREOTYPE Over that.

I dont understand why its hard to accept research.

[rodeo]

akpantherfan, why do jamaican black people usually win gold medals over american black people?

[AKPantherFan]

more-

from TIME Mag

According to Edward Hunt, an anthropologist at Penn State University, blacks tend to have lighter trunks and heavier bones. The average black's lungs are a little smaller relative to body weight. Then, too, young blacks carry less body fat than white youths. These characteristics, combined with relatively larger limbs and hands, he says, should be advantageous for sports that require quick movement. Yet they may well put blacks at a disadvantage in swimming, for example, where less fat and heavier bones make for less buoyancy. Dr. James Haines of Morehouse College tried a simple floating test on 841 students at the black school and found that 73% almost immediately sank to the bottom of the pool—"sinkers," he called them. In a similar test at nearby Georgia Tech, only 2% of white students showed the same tendency.

[Fiz]

I dont understand why its hard to accept research.

lol

well hey lynn swann said black people are more athletic that's just the same as sickle cell anemia right guys

[Fiz]

do you know you won't find any actual genetic research saying blacks are more predisposed to playing football than whites, AK?

[R0CKnR0LLA]

I think you are missing my point. I'm not arguing one way or another whether a certain race on average is better at certain physical skills. Because it shouldn't matter when you're talking about an individual and their own personal skills and accomplishments. Even if there is some basis in reality it's never a good thing to apply racial stereotypes to a situation or a pigeonhole a person this way.

[AKPantherFan]

here is the link to the TIME article.

Its very old, but at 6 pages long it gets into the subject and even discusses many of the hardships from the past.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,947918-1,00.html

[AKPantherFan]

I think you are missing my point. I'm not arguing one way or another whether a certain race on average is better at certain physical skills. Because it shouldn't matter when you're talking about an individual and their own personal skills and accomplishments. Even if there is some basis in reality it's never a good thing to apply racial stereotypes to a situation or a pigeonhole a person this way.

I agree it shouldnt matter what color anyone is. And for me it doesnt. I just pointed out that blacks have been known to be better athletes.

[AKPantherFan]

I think you are missing my point. I'm not arguing one way or another whether a certain race on average is better at certain physical skills. Because it shouldn't matter when you're talking about an individual and their own personal skills and accomplishments. Even if there is some basis in reality it's never a good thing to apply racial stereotypes to a situation or a pigeonhole a person this way.

See I think THATS THE PROBLEM in this country. Everyone is affraid to talk about race.

So what if blacks are better athletes? Be proud of that.

I am sure every race has an area that they excell in, let them be proud of that.

Lets move past being scared to talk about race to a point where we can appreciate the best things about each other.

People should be proud of who they are.

Thats my opinion.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

No, the problem is that people are grouped by their race, stereotypes are created for them, and then these stereotypes are applied to individuals.

[AKPantherFan]

do you know you won't find any actual genetic research saying blacks are more predisposed to playing football than whites, AK?

Pioneering studies by Dr. Eleanor Metheny, who conducted careful anthropometric studies of American blacks 40 years ago, broadly outlined the differences between whites and blacks. Metheny found that, in general, blacks had longer legs relative to total body length and that lower legs were proportionately longer, while thighs were shorter but more muscular than those of whites. "In jumping, the longer leg is evidently an advantage," Dr. Metheny wrote, "since [he] could raise his leg higher. Applying the principle of the lever, the longer lower leg can develop greater velocity at the end and serves as a longer lever with which to push off the ground, thus increasing the distance over which the force can be applied." The same general rules, Metheny found, applied to blacks' arms: on the average, blacks' hands are larger than those of whites, their arms longer, and a short, heavily muscled upper arm propels a long lower arm. Once more, the combination of leverage and musculature favors blacks in throwing.

[vikings20panthers10]

So this site is racist because the guy roots for white athletes?

Are all the black people that root for black athletes racist?

Are all the Mike Vick fans racist?

I dont get how him rooting for white football players is racist but a black guy rooting for black athletes isnt racist.