[wacki]

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He might be simply having fun, but he's a jerk. A bigotted one.

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Agreed, he's a huge jerk. Although oddly enough he can do it with a nice old man smile on his face the entire time. I've never seen him be anything but in a jocular mood.

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You and Lestat are missing an important point. It's one thing to say blacks are superior athletes. It's not a negative. To say they're stupid genetically, as anyone who has had one as an employee must surely know, is an inflammatory statement in a country where blacks have historically been treated badly.

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I agree that his employer comment is inflammatory. Reporters like to misquote Watson and Watson isn't the most articulate person on the planet. So who knows. When it comes to Watson (or even climate change) I generally won't trust an interview unless I hear the entire recording of the interview. Maybe his comment is based upon the very real phenomenon that a lot of minorities wouldn't be where they are at without affirmative action. That can be just as inflammatory. As much as people may dislike it that is a very real fact, albeit not a good metric due to confounding factors. And as much as I dislike it, I am willing to admit white people are *in general* dumber than Asians when it comes things like math. However, that does not mean that the best mathematicians are Asian. Both averages and distributions have to be analyzed.

In other words, different talents for different folks. And that includes black people (for better or worse).

I agree Watson is a prick. I believe in all probability he's just screwing with the reporters (and the publics) mind with this interview. I also feel that the man should be ignored. That being said there is something odd about this interview and I have a difficult time seeing Watson act maliciously when it comes to race. I generally dislike the man but I just can't picture him supporting KKK or neo-nazi propaganda.

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Same thing with his comment about aborting homosexuals. It implies that a homosexual life is not worth as much as that of a heterosexual.

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From a Darwinian point of view, this is a fact. But that was not the point of his statement. His statement was that people could abort either homosexual or heterosexual fetuses. Only half of his statement typically gets reported. In my lifetime the issue of genetic abortion will become a hot topic. Be it for sexuality or something as simple as eye color. Heck it's already a hot topic in some circles.

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BTW, what "type" supports genocide? Is it the "type" who believes homosexuals and blacks are inferior to heterosexuals and whites?

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If they believe a minority is inferior overall? Probably. That is a statement of ignorance.

If they believe any sub species is inferior in a few select attributes? Probably not, that's a fact of life. Any scientist worth his salt will agree with this.

I'd just like to restate that Watson is a troll, albeit a brilliant research manager, and should be ignored. At this point he is being a burden to society and causing more harm than good. I also believe a great deal of this harm is unnecessarily coming his tactless banter and his penchant for shocking those around him. It's just fodder for reporters. Even if he has something extremely valuable to say Watson will require a friend to translate it properly. In real life the man is so old it looks like parts of his body could fall off at any moment. Even for a geriatric, the man just does not look healthy. I have little doubt his health (and bachelorhood) is playing a role in his desire for attention.