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Overheard in a coffee shop: Reasons why an African American might go nuts in evolution class

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File:Canada goose.jpg
branta canadensis/rror

Recently, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Canada. At a nearby table, the conversation shifted to African Americans and evolution.

Touch and go whether someone would bring up the Florida student who had to be subdued and hospitalized during a class on evolution (= hardline Darwinism):

“How does evolution kill black people?” she asked. Kajiura attempted to explain that evolution doesn’t kill anyone.

One coffee drinker knew the answer to African Americans’ problems, the way Darwin’s friends always know the answer to anyone’s problems:

African Americans, see, are from Africa, where animals run around and mate with whom they please, but we (North Americans of European ancestry?) are like the native wild life who mate for life.

Yeah. Okay. All the junk that’s fit to debunk wrapped up in one theory. And one cannot courteously intervene from a nearby table in an unfamiliar neighbourhood.

One wonders if Jonatha was hearing some similar outbreak of Darwinized nonsense …

I blame the Darwinists for this type of racism because they run around claiming that “man is just an animal.” In the public at large, it leads to totally off base and factually wrong comparisons between human and animal behaviour.

If people never even hear that rubbish, they judge others by human standards, as is right.

Incidentally, and only for if anyone cares, some reasons why the Canada goose, an emblematic northern water bird, is monogamous are that

– food (water weeds) is abundant, and the birds migrate in seasons when it becomes scarce. So competition provides little survival value, compared to foraging.
– all the birds, male and female, look and behave pretty much the same. Again, competition provides little value.
– the female lays many eggs, so too many chicks would be lost if she did not have a partner used to bearing his share.
– Anyway, the pair migrate together, so unless one is shot down, they are not separated. If they are, the survivor may miss a breeding season but will then find another lone bird of the opposite sex. They all follow the same rules.

This has nothing to do with intelligence or morality or any comparison with humans; it’s just the way a given species fits into an ecology. The design of life cannot be understood apart from its ecologies.

Comments
Wait, Axel. I'm confused. Wasn't Darwin himself a bit racist? Didn't he write this: "At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes, as Professor Schaaffhausen has remarked, will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla (p. 521)." That's from "The Descent of Man". You mentioned distortion of his views by racists, but I'm seeing more racism on Darwin's part here. Can you clarify?Barb
March 25, 2012
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Somebody should have told her that the myth of evolution was a bigger threat to Caucasians, who are more simian in their features, with their thin lips and hairier bodies, than to Africans. Darwin was terrified of the potential for distortion of his ideas by racists. He had nothing but positive admiration for the high intelligence and fine physiques of the African slaves he saw in the employ of their depraved Portuguese "owners", who struck him as the opposite. Poor specimens, physically, as well as in other regards. He felt this so strongly about the Africans, he was full of gratitude to a friend of his for confirming his views on their outstanding qualities in a letter he received from him, that he wrote to him quite excitedly, thanking him. This friend was an officer i/c of an army unit of indigenous Africans.Axel
March 24, 2012
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Evolution truly was the origin and very quickly for educated peoples to conclude Africans and etc were clearly inferior because of evolution. in fact this is always behind the idea of small brain apes evolving into big brain humans. Likewise many science fiction storys always show the superior beings with bigger brains because of biological evolution concepts. so its easy for people upon seeing differences in intellect or lifestyle to conclude its just biological evolution. i think the holocaust gave it a bad name but the these ideas really are quite common. darwin did not believe race was related to evolution although he did insist women were intellectually biologically inferior to men. only by careful bredding would the girls rise up. Evolution has a logical problem with these things. No way around it. IN YEC circles its always a winning for us.Robert Byers
March 24, 2012
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African Americans, see, are from Africa, where animals run around and mate with whom they please, but we (North Americans of European ancestry?) are like the native wild life who mate for life.
So there aren't any rabbits, mice, rats native to Europe nor the Americas? Our rabbit tries to mate with our dog and whatever stuffed animal is left on the floor (yes we let the rabbit run around the house). Just a trip to a neighborhood bar and you will find at least one person that will attempt to mate with whom they please...Joe
March 24, 2012
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