The blogger JayMan (one of the most intelligent and articulate voices you’ll find online) comments on the Steven Pinker brouhaha, here.
In my own comments a couple of days ago, I said that “Dr. Pinker, quite understandably for someone who wishes to remain employed”, was “trying to thread a needle.” JayMan puts this far more succinctly, using a neologism I hadn’t heard: Pinker was trying to avoid being “Watsoned”. What does that mean? It the reference isn’t familiar to you, JayMan provides a link. Go and have a look.
5 Comments
You might say “off topic” but, the post’s title, the title …
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jackson-california-poverty-20180114-story.html
Eh, One-Eyed, familiar with the refrain … ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_God_for_Mississippi
And as we’re on the subject of DACA (maybe has some relevance where Mr. Pinker’s concerned too) …
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-06-22/news/9506220051_1_kansas-city-schools-performance-of-minority-students-national-norms
I’d like to think that because Pinker is a much more sympathetic character than Watson (or even Richwine and Summers), an old-fashioned liberal who is clearly not a bigot, that it would be harder for SJWs to claim his scalp. This is probably wishful thinking on my part, but still, I do believe that his appeal could potentially make him into a Rosa Parks figure where the usual slurs won’t work, leading to some limited but honest and humane discussion of genetic differences (many powerful academics would rally to his side when attacked, for instance). Again though, I’m perhaps just being naive here.
Apologies Jason provided I’ve led along the incorrect path that being, the final is the concluding; inclusio unius est exclusio alterius.
Jason,
I think perhaps you are.