The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast – 350. In the Name of Wokeness: Institutionalized Racism | Heather Mac Donald

Intro

In this episode of “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast,” Jordan B. Peterson interviews Heather Mac Donald on the topic of institutionalized racism and the impact of the equity agenda on meritocracy. Mac Donald discusses the importance of objective tests of merit, the dangers of replacing merit with equity, and the consequences of dismantling meritocratic standards. She also explores the racial disparities in cognitive ability, the role of cultural factors in poverty, and the effects of the equity crusade on various fields, including science, art, and literature.

Main Takeaways

Tests of Merit and Equity

• Merit is defined as the rank-ordering of people in relation to their ability to perform the tasks of a given job.
• As jobs become more complex, the best predictor of the ability to deal with complexity is a test of general cognitive ability, which is essentially an IQ test.
• Tests of general cognitive ability are well-validated measures in social and medical sciences, and are used to create statistics that underpin many fields.
• The problem with throwing out cognitive test literature due to disparate racial impact is that there are no more well-validated measures of anything at all in social or medical sciences.
• Assessing merit accurately can be done through tests of general cognitive ability, but this leads to an equity nightmare.

Equity and the Replacement of Merit

• The book “The Diversity Delusion” addresses the false narrative that traditions with a predominantly white demographic history are per se racist.
• The author’s concern is that the presumption of prejudice based on differential group representation threatens the entire enterprise of merit.
• Objective tests of merit are a historical alternative to nepotism and dynasty.
• The left’s replacement of the idea of merit with equity or equality of outcome is a puzzle.
• Assessing merit accurately can be done through tests of general cognitive ability, but this leads to an equity nightmare.

Racial Disparities in Cognitive Ability

• Race is a driving factor in the discourse about cognitive testing and prison population in the United States.
• If there were no reliable and continuous significant gaps in average IQ between blacks and whites, there would be less upset about cognitive testing.
• The US prison population is racially disparate with about a third being black, whereas blacks are about 13% of the population.
• The difference in general cognitive performance between North American Native Americans and Caucasians is much smaller than the difference between the black population and the Caucasian population, despite both groups being historically oppressed.
• Environmental factors can improve general cognitive ability, as demonstrated by the Flynn effect and increased access to nutrition and information.

Impact of Cultural Factors on Poverty

• The exposure to books and semantic information in middle-class families compared to working-class families can have a significant impact on cognitive development, even at a young age.
• The best predictor of a child’s IQ is the average IQ of their parents, and cognitive resources tend to accumulate in high-status environments.
• The environment set up by parents with lower cognitive function is less likely to be literacy-producing, but there is a phenomenon of regression to the mean, where a child’s IQ may be slightly higher than their parents’.
• Kids growing up in single-parent family homes are four to five times more likely to be poor.
• Depriving people of responsibility deprives them of the necessity that matures them, leading to a self-destructive lifestyle.

Effects of the Equity Crusade

• The equity doctrine is pernicious and deadly because it deems any institution without proportional representation of blacks as per se racist, and any standard with a disparate impact on blacks must be discarded.
• Playing the group identity game deprives society of the best it should strive for and compete with globally.
• Art and music are sources of human joy and transcendence, but Western traditions are being torn down on the charge of racism.
• Museum curators are turning on their own collections, interpreting them through the lens of racial resentment.
• Modern universities are making people anxious and depressed at a rapid rate, producing a narcissistic emphasis on subjective feeling and corrosive nihilism.

Summary

Tests of Merit and Equity

Merit is defined as the rank-ordering of people based on their ability to perform tasks. As jobs become more complex, tests of general cognitive ability, such as IQ tests, are the best predictors of an individual’s ability to deal with complexity. However, the problem arises when cognitive tests are dismissed due to their disparate racial impact, as there are no well-validated alternatives. This leads to an equity nightmare, as accurately assessing merit becomes challenging.

Equity and the Replacement of Merit

The author of “The Diversity Delusion” challenges the false narrative that traditions with predominantly white demographic histories are inherently racist. The replacement of merit with equity or equality of outcome is a puzzle, as objective tests of merit have historically served as alternatives to nepotism and dynasty. The presumption of prejudice based on differential group representation threatens the entire enterprise of merit.

Racial Disparities in Cognitive Ability

The discourse surrounding cognitive testing and prison population in the United States is influenced by race. The existence of significant gaps in average IQ between blacks and whites contributes to the controversy surrounding cognitive testing. The US prison population is racially disparate, with a higher proportion of blacks compared to their representation in the general population. However, the difference in general cognitive performance between Native Americans and Caucasians is smaller than the difference between the black and Caucasian populations. Environmental factors and access to resources can impact general cognitive ability.

Impact of Cultural Factors on Poverty

The exposure to books and semantic information in middle-class families compared to working-class families can significantly influence cognitive development. The average IQ of parents tends to predict a child’s IQ, and cognitive resources accumulate in high-status environments. Growing up in single-parent family homes increases the likelihood of poverty. Depriving individuals of responsibility hinders their maturity and can lead to self-destructive lifestyles.

Effects of the Equity Crusade

The equity agenda deems institutions without proportional representation of blacks as inherently racist and calls for the abandonment of standards with disparate impacts on blacks. This approach hampers society’s ability to strive for excellence and compete globally. The equity crusade also affects various fields, such as art, music, and literature. Museum curators interpret collections through the lens of racial resentment, undermining the appreciation of beauty. Modern universities contribute to anxiety and depression, emphasizing subjective feelings and promoting corrosive nihilism.

Conclusion

The podcast episode highlights the importance of objective tests of merit in assessing individuals’ abilities. The replacement of merit with equity poses challenges to the principles of fairness and the pursuit of excellence. Racial disparities in cognitive ability and the impact of cultural factors on poverty are complex issues that require nuanced understanding. The equity crusade’s effects on various fields, such as art, music, and academia, have raised concerns about the erosion of objective standards and the stifling of intellectual progress. It is crucial to engage in thoughtful discussions and consider the long-term consequences of policies driven by group identity and ideological agendas.