The Fairest of Them All

Of all the worthy causes in need of research time and resources – improving therapy approaches for abused children, figuring out how to balance sometimes crushing gender roles, or unearthing the secret to curing depression – it seems psychologists are pondering what race has the hottest women.

Enter Satoshi Kanazawa, the evolutionary psychologist and Psychology Today blogger who conducted the controversial study headlined “Why Black Women are Less Physically Attractive Than Other Women.” According to his essay Black women have too much body fat and testosterone, making them more masculine looking and less attractive than every other race of women.

[W]omen of all races are on average more physically attractive than the “average” Add Health respondent, except for black women. As the following graph shows, black women are statistically no different from the “average” Add Health respondent, and far less attractive than white, Asian, and Native American women.

The backlash from the blogosphere including commentators on TheRoot.com and Madamenoire.com forced Psychology Today to take the article down and eradicate the cached link from Google searches, but not before Buzzfeed.com snapped a few screen shots of the original post.

Tia Howard, social commentator and close personal friend of the Common Cents blog, offered this in response to Kanazawa’s essay:

“Great! It seems that the battle against Black women has evolved into a war ever since there have been studies “proving” that we are emasculating our men, killing our babies, and are unworthy of being marriage material. I’m done. What I do believe is that ever since our country had a Black man enter office who arrived with an intelligent, poised, and resilient woman, there are some people who cannot handle it and choose to vent their racism via “studies.” Many say that racism is long gone, but they’re terribly wrong. It’s just been suppressed by cowardice and ‘research studies.’”

“My response is simply this. I disagree with the article. Not only because I identify as a Black woman, but from a research standpoint. The main objective for any research study is for it to be detailed and objective enough that it can be repeated by any researcher who wishes to do so. Notice that  “Dr.” Satoshi Kanazawa omitted prime information. (i.e. sample size, how the study was conducted, etc.) Therefore, besides the fact that his hypothesis was completely absurd, he has nothing concrete to stand upon. Who is to say that this man didn’t gather a few of his “cronies” for this “study” and their only knowledge of Black women stems from the stereotypical portrayal that is often and gladly presented by the media. This study is subjective by far.”

Ms. Howard makes an excellent point, Kanazawa is not a legitimate scientist and, while strongly disagreeing with Kanazawa and his “findings,” it is not fair to blame him. He’s a blogger looking for a few more minutes of fame on a topic he knew would set the internet and social media ablaze…again. Using one of the most attacked populations in America to score more hits on your website is sad to say the least, but he’s doing what several others have done (ABC News, The New York Times, etc.) and what he’s been more or less told is acceptable.

Is attempting to cloak his racist sexism in “science” wrong? Extremely. Will he be held accountable? Probably not to any significant degree.

Though this stunt gives Kanazawa the credibility equivalent of a Cosmo Magazine’s Hot or Not quiz, what needs to be questioned is the editorial leadership of Psychology Today, which showed such disregard for its reputation in the scientific community as to let a purely sensational article of such low quality and poor foundational basis get published.

According to The Two Way, NPR’s news blog Psychology Today’s editor-in-chief, Kaja Perina, distanced her publication from Kanazawa’s essay.

“Our bloggers are credential[ed] social scientists and for this reason they are invited to post to the site on topics of their choosing,” Perina wrote in an e-mail to NPR. “We in turn reserve the right to remove posts for any number of reasons. Because the post was not commissioned or solicited by PT (in contrast to a magazine article), there was no editorial intent to address questions of race and physical attractiveness.”
She did not address why the magazine’s site had not acknowledged the removal or explain why it had done so.

Perhaps Psychology Today could learn something from one of its own articles published in July 2002 entitled The Power of Apology. It seems they owe Black women everywhere (and the scientific community) a big one.

President Obama Announces Death of Osama Bin Laden

Everyone remembers where they were the day the towers crumbled. High school classrooms around the country hushed as teachers received the news, workplace phones rang off the hook with urgent callers wanting to confirm that what they’d just witnessed was real. It seemed as if the whole world stood still, gaping at this devastating destruction that violently shook Americans to the core. This was something that happened “somewhere else, anywhere else.”

We huddled around 24-hour news cycles with bated breath as the threat level hit every color on the spectrum and we were introduced to our new way of life – one filled with fear, suspicion and sacrifice.

Thousands of victims and heroes of that horrific event paid the ultimate price, but those left behind had their debt to pay as well. We took off our shoes and removed our belts, subjected ourselves to full body scans and searches, and carefully chose our words lest the Patriot Act pick them up over the airwaves. We sent our brothers and sisters in uniform overseas unsure if we’d be wrapping commemorative ribbons around trees instead of our arms around them upon return. We became suspicious of “them” and “the other” for a long time before realizing that “we” could easily become “them” by allowing hatred and ignorance to dictate our decisions. We learned to lean on each other, built memorials to those who lost their lives, and vowed to never forget.

Eventually the terror stopped glaring so brightly and we were able to refocus enough to function again. Consistently taking small steps (and flights) back to normal. Knocked back every so often with new jolts of terrorism, the American people persevered, ensuring that terrorists would not be rewarded for their malicious efforts.

Little did we know as we went about the business of rebuilding our lives and mending ravaged family trees, the government was quietly working to avenge its fallen citizens.

From the East Room of the White House President Barack Obama told the nation on Sunday May 1, 2011 that the mastermind behind this generation’s worst terrorist attack on American soil was dead.

“The American people did not choose this fight.  It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens.  After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war.  These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded,”

“So Americans understand the costs of war.  Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed.  We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies.  We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror:  Justice has been done.”

Questions to ask in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death are piling up higher by the minute:

• What does this mean for us as a nation and the global community?
• What kind of backlash, if any, can be expected and what is the government doing to prevent it?
• What did the Pakistani government know about bin Laden’s existence and when did they know it?
• Is he really dead? What were the circumstances surrounding his death?
• Did bin Laden have a contingency plan or second in command to take up his cause?
• How are the families of those directly affected coping with bin Laden’s long coming comeuppance?
• Will this development change the tone of the 10th year anniversary of September 11th this year?
• Is there any such thing as “closure” at this point?
• What does this mean for President Obama and his administration in the upcoming election?
• Where do we go from here?

Hopefully in the coming days these, and several other questions, will be concretely answered. However, no matter where you stand on the war, how you feel about President Obama, or your feelings about the events leading up to September 11th, those who value freedom from fear and terrorism can agree that this – while not necessarily cause for celebration – holds a certain amount of relief.

Defending the First Amendment…For Everyone

IMUS: So, I watched the basketball game last night between — a little bit of Rutgers and Tennessee, the women’s final.

ROSENBERG: Yeah, Tennessee won last night — seventh championship for [Tennessee coach] Pat Summitt, I-Man. They beat Rutgers by 13 points.

IMUS: That’s some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos and —

McGUIRK: Some hard-core hos.

IMUS: That’s some nappy-headed hos there…

Within a week of these comments we Rutgers students flooded from buses toward a normally peaceful grassy knoll.   We stood in a massive semi-circle hoisting homemade signs in the air.  We raised our voices and pumped our fists in unison -protesting against racism and sexism.

A panel of speakers delivered impassioned speeches urging the student body to reject not only Imus’ statements, but all forms of racism and sexism in society.  Their words spread through the crowd like a strong breeze through a forest, lifting the heads and spirits of those that had been weighed down by Imus’ invective.

Tables lined the perimeter armed with the names, numbers, and addresses of the advertising companies that endorsed Imus.

We called.  We wrote.  We signed.  We made them accountable.

This controlled chaos, this organized moment of anarchy, was what I had waited for my entire college career.  Students, faculty, and administration of all genders, races, and ages joined together to fight this injustice.  Finally something mattered enough for us to shrug off the stereotypical apathy said to plague my generation – to gather together and make ourselves heard.

And heard we were.  Within the next week several of Imus’ advertising sponsors pulled their support from the on-air personality, fearing that too much of their core audience would link them to his deplorable remarks.  Following the televised protest he was suspended from the radio station, slapped with a lawsuit, and eventually forced to make an apology to the women’s basketball team.

During the months that this situation unfolded the words of passionate students, sympathetic editorials, and neutral news analysts flooded the Rutgers community. The First Amendment was under attack. Why was the government tolerating racist and sexist ideas?  Why couldn’t freedom of speech apply to just the “good” ideas?  Why couldn’t anyone just shut this guy up?

Let’s face it, the First Amendment is a dangerous and antagonistic concept.  It makes space for all ideas regardless of whether they are rooted in truth or falsehood.  Anyone with eyes, a mouth, or hands can announce their opinions to the world (much like this column) and very little recourse can be taken against them.  Or can it?  Despite the overwhelming desire to just shut a person up, it remains true that mere words – facts, information, debate – have more impact than a roll of duct tape ever will.

It is the protection of the right to express these ideas that improves the cultural conversation about the social politics of race, sex, religion, gender, tradition, and life.  So as frustrating and antagonistic and dangerous as it may seem, this amendment affords us the right to turn instances like the Imus debacle into teachable moments. Just as Imus was protected in expressing his prejudice, we were protected in rising up against it.

As a free and progressive society it is essential that we give all ideas, no matter how base or inflammatory, the opportunity to be expressed and challenged.  The amendment helps us question our core beliefs, search for our own definable truth, as well as dispel myths by seeking out the facts.  Unfortunately this process includes wading through the bigotry and prejudice of people like Don Imus.   Nevertheless you’ll also find that it provides you with rational thought, enlightenment, and intellect-based support for your thoughts.

The First Amendment may seem like a nuisance or a cheap soapbox for any “shock jock” looking for attention, but upon closer inspection you’ll see that it is so much more than that.  It’s a vehicle for enlightenment, a sound stage for justice, and often a creator of communities.

Psychologist Weighs In On Handling Holiday Separation

The holidays are traditionally a time for families to be together. That message is in the songs, the movies, and even displayed in storefront windows. What happens when your family is separated by more than distance but by the physical and psychological barriers imposed by incarceration? How then do you cope with the holidays?

We recently sat down with Dr. Harland Kessaris to talk about how to cope with the absence of a loved one during the holiday season and other questions asked by you. As a psychologist who specializes in re-entry of incarcerated individuals back into family and society, he was able to provide some insight into handling this potentially alienating time of year.

Dr. Kessaris stressed the importance of open communication between children, the incarcerated, and those caring for the children, “As much as you can you should include them [the incarcerated],” said Kessaris. “I think people need to be reminded, encouraged, and assisted in doing that.” For Kessari, the key is to make a sincere effort to connect personally.

Click here to listen to audio excerpts of the interview with Dr. Kessaris.

Racists React to Obama Victory

[Disclaimer:  This article was e-mailed to me in the hopes that we remember that although we have come a long way there is still a long way to go.  Hopefully the deplorable acts of a few will not spoil the progressive acts of the many]

By David Knowles
Nov 13th 2008 9:40AM

It should come as absolutely no surprise that, despite the historic election of the first African American president of the United States, the scourge of racism has not been magically wiped away from every nook and cranny of the country. Just dip your toes into the comment section of this, or any other blog that deals with politics and you’ll encounter plenty of it. Despite that regrettable fact, for those who lived through or have studied the milestones marking the advancement of blacks throughout our nation’s history, the seeming lack of racially-motivated clashes has been a noteworthy marker of how far we have come.

That said, just as many of us can feel proud of a country so enlightened that its majority can elect a minority to the highest office of the land, we must not shy away from the uncomfortable fact that a significant number of Americans dislike Obama based, first and foremost, on the color of his skin. By the way, that’s not the same as claiming that if you criticize Obama you are, by definition, a racist. I’m talking about that proud band of citizenry who’ll tell you openly of their disdain and fear of darker skin tones.

Now that the rush of excitement is starting to wane, a spate of media stories is shedding light on those people who wish history had not been made, would never be made, when it comes to black equality. So then, via Editor & Publisher, here’s a rogues round-up. An up-to-the-minute cataloging of that which we all know is out there, alive and well.

1. Yesterday, Tommy Christopher detailed the story of a bus load of Idaho elementary school tots chanting “Assassinate Obama! Assassinate Obama!”

2. In a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a high school teacher’s aide berated a bi-racial 16-year-old Obama supporter, with the following predictions:

“…[the aide] said that Obama was going to be shot and killed,” Mara Gilligan told KDKA News. ” And that our flag is going to be the KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] flag and that the new national anthem will be ‘Moving On Up’–and that all my daughter’s beliefs were wrong and her children’s lives were going to be ruined because Obama was elected.”

3. The Associated Press reports several cars in Long Island, New York, vandalized with anti-Obama messages, including promises to kill the president-elect.

4. At North Carolina State University, four students face expulsion for spay painting the phrases, “Let’s shoot that (N-word) in the head” and “Hang Obama by a noose.”

5. In Texas, Baylor University students awoke the morning after Obama’s victory to find a noose hanging from a tree in front of Morrison Hall.

6. In Maine, several black figures were found hanging from nooses on Mount Desert Island the day after Obama won.

7. California vandals went on a spray painting binge in Torrance, targeting cars with Obama bumper stickers. On one house the words “Go Back to Africa” were inscribed.

8. Of course, we all know of the Tennessee skinhead plot to kill random African Americans, and, with a wing and a prayer, Obama himself.

9. In Pennsylvania’s Apolacon Township, situated in an area known for KKK activity, an interracial couple looked out their front window to find the remnants of a burned cross.

10. Two men in the ironically named Friendsville, Pennsylvania were arrested for “racial intimidation and trespassing.”

These are but ten incidents. Thankfully, none resulted in physical violence.

incARceraTion: Lives in Focus Holds First Art Competition

By Sandeep Junnarkar

Solitude (click image to enlarge)

People who have an incarcerated family member naturally cycle through a range of difficult emotions as the years slowly pass. Some express their sadness, anxiety and fear or hope for the future through art, music or poetry.

To honor that great artwork, Family Life behind Bars is launching its inaugural Annual Arts Celebration & Competition.You are invited to enter the artwork you have produced that reflects the emotions you are feeling during your loved one’s incarceration.

The winners will receive checks for the following amounts: The first prize winner will receive $200; the second prize winner will receive $100; and the third prize winner will receive $50.

All the submissions will be posted on Family Life behind Bars. In the first round of judging, visitors to the site will vote for their top five choices. The top five vote-getters will move to the second round of judging. In this second and final round, visitors to the site will vote for their top three choices.

Please spread the word about this arts competition to your friends and colleagues who might be interested. The competition is open to any and all ages since every family member–from infant to grandparent is affected by incarceration.

You may enter the following types of artwork:

* Paintings
* Tattoos (photos of tattoos NOT in OBVIOUSLY private places!)
* Artistic Photographs
* Written Poetry
* Spoken Word Poetry
* Graphic Art/Comics
* Music
* Performance Art Piece video (no more than five minutes)
* Short Video Film (no more than five minutes)

Please visit this site to enter the competition.

Time line for competition:

* December 1, 2008: Deadline to submit work.

* December 10-Jan. 10: First round voting.

* Jan. 15-Feb. 15: Second round of voting.

* Week of Feb. 23: Winners announced

Good luck!!

The terms: Family Life Behind Bars reserves the right to terminate or postpone the 2008 arts competition if there are not enough entries (a minimum of 20 people entering). So please spread the word about this arts competition to your friends and colleagues who might be interested.

NAACP 4th Annual Conference on Criminal Justice

Empowerment and enlightenment were the consistent themes of the NAACP’s 4th Annual Conference on Criminal Justice at York College on Saturday October 25th.

The conference workshops focused on community action and response to the conditions that incarceration creates for society as a whole. Wanda Best DeVeaux, committee chairperson for the prison project, has been heading these conferences in hopes that residents and community activists will have an impact on state legislation.

Read more…

Lives In Focus Project Gives Families of the Incarcerated Space

Lives in Focus is a project that uses video, audio, and photographs to present the voices and stories of those coping with loved ones being in prison.  The website (livesinfocus.org/prison) provides a space where families of the incarcerated can:

Connect with others going through similar situations and join our free social network
Watch our video blogs or express yourself and submit your own
Read the latest news articles on incarceration
Get info on upcoming events and workshops

The project also trains at-risk community youth in video and audio editing at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism so they can tell their own story in their own style and learn valuable skills at the same time.  To find out more about the project or how to get involved visit the site.

Art Imitating Life: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL

The sexism that has completely consumed this election (on both sides of the campaign) is comically parodied by Saturday Night Live.  If nothing else maybe the mainstream media distributors can stand back and take a look at themselves in the mirror that the comedy sketch offers up.

Joe Biden Chosen as Obama’s VP

According to an article in the New York Times, Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama announced that he has chosen Sen. Joseph Biden to be his running mate in the election for president of the United States.

Reports all over are rife with assumptions that Obama chose Biden on the basis of his age and sense of familiarity he will provide voters on election day.

The question that immediately comes to mind is who will be the marionette and who will control the strings? Since both are prone to saying things that are hard on the American ear (Obama’s speech on race and Biden’s blunt approach to politics) there can only be two possible outcomes:

1. They find a happy medium where they can convey their messages with impact without discouraging voters. An approach that displays cohesion, respect, and balance.

2. One will continuously have to apologize for the other, holding countless press conferences to state firmly that “well he didn’t mean what you thought he meant when he said that…”

It will certainly be interesting to see which path is chosen in this extremely historic royal rumble-esque election. This move by Obama may have leveled the playing field or just made it harder to play through.