03/25/2018
I just came across a 1982 book by New York professor William Helmreich called The Things They Say Behind Your Back.
The publisher says of it
In this groundbreaking book in the dim world of opinion formation Helmreich opens a closet bursting with skeletons and explores the myths and historical roots of stereotypes pertaining to severalI haven’t read this book, so I'll have to stereotype it as being a moderate attempt to talk about the fact that stereotypes are frequently accurate, mixed with a lot of race denial on the subject of IQ. ( If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been published, let alone favorably reviewed in the Washington Post.) Of course, now that it’s the current year, the book’s moderation presumably makes it a racist screed.
ethnic groups: Are Jews really smarter? What about rhythmical Blacks, hard-drinking Irishmen, dumb Poles, emotional Hispanics, and all those cold, artificial WASPs sipping inevitable dry martinis?
He discusses which stereotypes are false, which are true, how they originated, and why some of the most libeled groups promote warped perceptions about themselves. Helmreich has examined over four hundred scientific studies and combines hard facts with humor, anecdotes, and common sense in his courageous attempt to understand and explain stereotypes. He contends that we should discuss this topic openly and recognize the tendencies and traits, negative and positive, that are rooted in a group’s history and culture rather than pretend that there are no differences among the members of multiracial America.
But what struck me is that if you are a white male, you never have to worry about people stereotyping you behind your back. Everyone stereotypes white males openly, to their face. Case in point, from the blog of the Scientific American, mentioned by John Derbyshire yesterday:
Why Are White Men Stockpiling Guns? — Research suggests it’s largely because they're anxious about their ability to protect their families, insecure about their place in the job market and beset by racial fears, By Jeremy Adam Smith on March 14, 2018Or this, from never-Trump Hispanic Republican Ana Navarro, herself a white person (she’s Nicaraguan, not Mexican) as mentioned by Eugene Gant, the other day:
None of these people seem to be talking about white males "behind our backs", it’s always "in your face, white men!"
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