Sí, se puede — no se puede! From yes you can to no you can’t, again the assertion of superiority rears its ugly head. This flawed assertion is used to propose limiting the number of Hispanics immigrating to the United States based on their lower intelligence quotient (IQ).
“No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against.” Jason Richwine (quoted from a 5/8/13 blog on washingtonpost.com).
Mr. Richwine’s proposed discrimination is supposedly out of concern for the US and its future. He is a modern day patriot sounding the alarm as Paul Revere did. “The Hispanics are coming, the Hispanics are coming!” His quest to save the US from an onslaught of low IQ, unskilled Hispanic laborers is laughable for someone of sound mind, not to mention an Ivy League education.
Does he really believe IQ testing for Hispanics wishing to immigrate is sound policy? Why didn’t he propose this IQ testing for Germans, Canadians, Australians, Scandinavians and ALL wishing to immigrate? Surely there must be some dumb White people immigrating to the US, so why solely target Hispanics for this IQ testing? This assertion is a direct insult to Hispanics and reeks of the old literacy tests and poll taxes that were enacted to deny Blacks and other non-whites the right to vote prior to the Voting Rights Act 1965.
Intelligence is affected by a heck of a lot more than genetics. Schools, teachers, tutors, parents, social and economic factors, financial resources and other items play a huge role in IQs (as defined by standardized tests). It is disappointing that Mr. Richwine asserts that Hispanics, by genetics, will have low IQs and pass them along to their children and grandchildren. If such transference is the case, Jason Richwine, although educated at the highest levels of the American education system, may want to seek early intervention for his children and/or grandchildren to counteract his deficit in common sense, clarity of thought and critical thinking skills.