ien
The propagation of falsehood is dangerous. Falsehood if unchallenged may be presumed to be what it is not namely the truth. Silence is not always golden. This is one such time. Dr.Kanazawa is an LSE academic and may be presumed by some to be a researcher of high competence and integrity which he may not be. While the hood does not always make the monk, it creates the impression. It is necessary therefore that Dr. Kanazawa and his phony research be challenged and discredited. The history books are replete with false scholarship that, have acquired some potency of truth, been accepted as worthy, prejudiced thought and reason, and informed serious decision-making.
oa
________________________________________
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ifedioramma E. Nwana [ienwana@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 5:51 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com; greggyeso@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - LSE academic's claim 'black women less attractive' triggers race row
Dear All,
Why do we waste our precious time on such fellows or such comments. Statistics is a very useful instrument for investing our environment. We know, however, that a number of parameters must be determined and very carefully applied in order to get meaning from the figures we work out or obtain. What was the population of Dr Satoshi Kanazawa's study. We may find that his data have been distorted by the untutored preferences of the people he had chosen to sample. Remember the study that revealed that the number of smokers was very positively correlated to the number of priests in Great Britain. A novice would say that the priests were the smokers if we were not told any thing about the population of the country!
On-line! We know who has time to respond to questions concerning attractiveness; and note, that one is highly placed would not grant him the objectivity required to give analysable information on this subject. Certainly there is a lot of personal and social bias, determined by exposure, experience and even mental state on the part of the observer and character, carriage and so on, on the part of the observed that influence attractiveness or what you may call sexual predilection.
I do not worry about Dr Satoshi Kanazawa; if LSE wants him they could keep him until death do them part. By the way,wasn't the latest sex scandal connected with a black maid; and who can tell better the conditionality that influenced the adjustment whether structural or mental?
Ifedioramma Eugene Nwana
________________________________
From: Hetty ter Haar <oldavenue@googlemail.com>
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thu, 19 May, 2011 22:32:06
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - LSE academic's claim 'black women less attractive' triggers race row
LSE academic's claim 'black women less attractive' triggers race row
Social scientist made remarks on his blog claiming he had analysed
data from an online study of physical attractiveness
Ian Sample, science correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 May 2011 19.30 BST
LSE has launched an internal investigation into Dr Satoshi Kanazawa's
claims that black women were less attractive than women of other
races.
Student groups at the London School of Economics are calling for the
dismissal of a social scientist who has become embroiled in a racism
row after claiming that a study showed black women to be less
attractive than women of other races.
Dr Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the institution,
published his comments on a blog and claimed he had analysed data from
an online study of physical attractiveness.
In his article for Psychology Today, Kanazawa wrote: "Black women are
… far less attractive than white, Asian, and Native American women."
The piece drew a barrage of complaints from readers and has since been
removed from the site.
The row has prompted the University of London Union Senate, the
union's legislative body, which represents more than 120,000 students,
to vote unanimously for the dismissal of Kanazawa, and to condemn his
research.
Sherelle Davids, anti-racism officer-elect of the LSE students' union,
said: "Kanazawa deliberately manipulates findings that justify racist
ideology. As a black woman I feel his conclusions are a direct attack
on black women everywhere who are not included in social ideas of
beauty."
Amena Amer, incoming LSE students' union education officer, added: "We
support free speech and academic freedom, but Kanazawa's research
fuels hate against ethnic and religious minorities promoted by neo-
Nazi groups. Not only does he use the LSE's credentials to legitimise
his 'research' but this jeopardises the academic credibility of the
LSE."
The LSE launched an internal investigation into Kanazawa's comments
after senior academics at the school, including the new director,
Judith Rees, received letters of complaint over the remarks. Dr
Kanazawa is abroad on sabbatical this year.
The incident is the latest embarrassment for the LSE, following the
resignation of previous director Sir Howard Davies, in March after
admitting that the institution's reputation had been damaged by the
acceptance of a £1.5m donation from a foundation controlled by Muammar
Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam.
The investigation will look at the data Kanazawa analysed and the
quality of his work, before deciding what punitive action, if any, it
can take.
In a statement, the LSE sought to distance itself from the
researcher's comments, but acknowledged freedom of academic
expression.
"The views expressed by this academic are his own and do not in any
way represent those of the LSE as an institution. The important
principle of academic freedom means that authors have the right to
publish their views – but it also means the freedom to disagree. We
are conducting internal investigations into this matter," the
statement said.
Kanazawa has been criticised in the past for substandard research in
the area of race and intelligence.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011
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