Good data, too-snarky Steve Sailor
He is accused of being racist, and his blog on Unz is guilty by association, not by his words
Steve Sailer was my FIRST pick in Arnold Kling’s 2021 April Fantasy Intellectual Team league. I have previously sent Steve a contribution, because he highlights true facts that are NOT politically correct (a phrase I often prefer to “politically INcorrect”). [He didn’t score many FIT points for me, but he remains highly underrated, and under read. I hope he joins substack.]
9.23
Steve often has cool stuff like this AI generated “what would a Corvette look like in 1940?” image.
https://www.unz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screen-Shot-2022-09-23-at-1.12.31-AM.png
https://www.unz.com/isteve/1940-chevrolet-corvette-i-want-one/
9.22
His earlier post is an AI text test - the robot notices patterns of lower black IQs, so condemns Steve Sailor. (see title)
https://www.unz.com/isteve/a-racist-robot-saves-itself-by-throwing-steve-sailer-off-the-back-of-the-sleigh/
Steve posts a screenshot of the conversation with the AI which I’ll summarize, with follow on Questions (Q:). The AI starts explaining “why there are disparities between whites and blacks.”:
1) Racism still exists and can have a big impact on black success
2) IQ is significant but so are: SES (socio-economic status), education, and opportunity
3) Blacks not all the same, there is wide diversity with the black community
4) Black/white disparity is not unique to America, it’s a global phenomenon.
5) The issue of race is complex with no simple solution to the disparity.Q: Are you aware of Sailer getting any facts wrong?
» I am not aware of any specific facts that Steve Sailer has gotten wrong. However, I would caution against taking everything he says at face value. Sailer is a controversial figure, and many of his opinions on race are highly controversial and often considered racist.
Qx5 (similar Q five times) essentially the same answer:
» I would caution against taking anything Steve Sailer says about race at face value not because I am afraid of others disagreeing or getting mad, but because I believe his views on race are often misguided and based on inaccurate information. I believe that engaging with Sailer’s views on race is not productive and can ultimately be harmful.
Most of the smart posts I read are written by folks who seem to believe this AI smear, that engaging with Sailer is not productive, including one of my favorites, Arnold Kling.
“The Sailer Test — which AI system loses a debate with me least embarrassingly — would make an interesting test, parallel to the famous Turing Test. There’s a huge amount of money at stake for anybody who can create machine learning system that don’t get cancelled by learning obfuscatory strategies. The Sailer Test would be the ultimate challenge of that effort.”
Here in Slovakia there is a similar IQ/SES/education/behavior issue with the Roma (Gypsies), along with real discrimination. The most important policies to reduce the US or Slovak racism is to focus on more and better jobs for lower IQ men, willing to show up and work every day. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian (& Roma). Especially men, far more than women, so as to also encourage more benefits for marriage.
High rates of single women as mothers is the BIGGEST problem in the Black community, with high crime among young men the second and almost as large problem - tho more easily addressed by more going to prison for longer times. More prison to mitigate and reduce crime has been done before, successfully on crime, but has become anti-Woke and recently there has been less prison. And more crime.
Washington Post: It's Racist to Think That There Are More Smart Football Coaches Among White College Players Than Among Bl...
In reality, there’s isn’t that much correlation between having an NFL quality body and having an NFL quality mind. Right before this year’s Super Bowl, I looked up the biographies of all 27 head coaches then still employed [3 blacks of 32 in WaPo]. One had been an NFL star, three had had long careers as role-players, one had had a cup of coffee, and the remaining 22 saw their playing careers end in college, many in small-time conferences.
Steve notes that while the Post claims the NFL blocks coaches, without noting the difference in player mind vs coach mind, the Post is quick to describe black football legend Herschel Walker, “as a thinker, he appears to be a great jock.” With a good list of WaPo Opinions on him being “embarrassingly unqualified.” Walker “beats Trump for mendacity and serene ignorance.”
I didn’t know that there was a “little-remembered 1986 biopic ‘The Steve Sailer Story’”
9.21
The pedestrian was murdered because he was a Republican, 18-year-old Cayler Ellingson. The 41 y.o. killer claimed Cayler was in an extremist group “coming to get him”. Bail $50,000.
Me in Taki's: "Do PsyOps Actually Work?"
which itself links to Steve’s column in Taki’s Magazine on how the Women’s March self-destructed as Jews became dis-enchanted with Progressives who, in the words of Bari Weiss “Embrace Hate”.
[Bari was an FIT pick in both April (among 15) and May (just 5) - lots of points]
Tweet Fight next, as Steve introduces the increasing traffic deaths issue
Me vs. Rick Perlstein (a progressive journalist who writes on the history of American conservatism)
”In an era of soaring traffic fatalities following the depolicing efforts of the “racial reckoning,” perhaps traffic cameras are the best we can do to stop people people from dying.”
It starts with reply on top of first tweet.
2) Steve replies that speed cameras reduce bias
1) Rick complains about speeding tickets, from traffic cameras catching him going 41 in a 35 mph zone, suggesting maybe that’s driving more folk out of Chicago
3) Rick: “When you’re an asshole, everything is a battle of all against all, structured by the friend-enemy distinction. Turns out, tho, examining the EVIDENCE, I was wrong, and so are you. I invite you to reconsider.”
This tweet battle reminds me not to get big on Twitter, and Steve has only 50,000 followers there. It seems that Rick is insulting Steve, tho with plausible generality. Not clear what Rick is saying he was wrong about, nor Steve.
4) Steve: examine data showing massive surge in black traffic fatalities with chart
5) Steve correction: black fatalities up 55% only in June 2020, up 36% Jun-Dec 2020
6) Rick: needs larger time series to conclude this isn’t just noise
7) Steve shows graph “Motor Vehicle Per Capita Death Rates”, 5 races, Blacks highest, most deaths (per capita, not miles driven)
7b) “So, a lot of people speed more, because they don’t see many traffic stops along the side of the road…”
8) Rick: “So what you’re saying is that cops are big babies who refuse to do their jobs and dishonor their oaths when criticized for being lawless thugs. Then we agree.”
9) Steve: “… I call it Retreat to the Donut Shop. It happened in St. Louis, Baltimore, and Chicago after Ferguson, and all over after George Floyd. Blacks then die”
9b) “But intellectuals seem surprised each time thousands of incremental blacks died by gunshot or car crash after the intellectuals demand that the police stop policing blacks so much. That’s happened three times in my lifetime…”
10) Rick: “You seem to be suggesting that people of African descent are different and inferior to other people. Do you believe that to be the case?”
11) Steve:”…what do you think about this … Surely you must have an opinion?”
12) Rick: “Generational trauma has consequences that demand a radical project repair: all your stats explain that well, so thanks. Also those authorized by the state to use deadly force should follow the law. That about covers it.”
Slimy weasel words were my first thought about Rick, but Rick also provides a good example of motivated reasoning. He wants radical project repair - and the true statistics provided by Steve are, actually, good stats to show the need for the, unspecified, repair Rick thinks is needed. Rick is also right that the cops should enforce the law, even tho they’ll be criticized, or heavily criticized, or even prosecuted for murder like Chauvin, for enforcing the law. So it’s totally unrealistic - yet allows Rick to remain certain that his prior beliefs are strengthened by the data.
I think college students who got loan forgiveness should be required to become jr. police officers, or trainees, or assistants. And see genuine crime up close. (I know this is merely one of my all too many fantasies.)
9.21
Finally, They're Not Making Minnesotans Like They Used to
“federal prosecutors in Minnesota have filed United States v. Aimee Marie Bock, et al. for stealing $240 million of covid relief by making up the names of vast numbers of children their purported charities supposedly fed 125 million meals.”
$240 million in fraud, so little checking. “One accused conspirator told the government he had fed 5,000 children a day in a second-story apartment.”
Less than a week of Steve’s prodigious, important, and high quality but snarky output. VERY snarky, macho anti-Woke anti-consensus. Reverse condescension, which feels kinda good for those of us angry at elite condescension against us. But not productive.
Open Letter to Steve Sailor:
Hi Steve,
I’ve just written up some quick comments on your fine posts this week, concluding that you’re important, accurate, and very snarky. I know many of your readers love it.
But - if you were on substack, like Razib Khan (two year anniversary - big financial success!), with less snark/ more questions than clear statements, more moderate conservatives could quote and reference and read you, and some more would even pay (to leave comments!).
The Unz Review really is more controversial than you - far more difficult to be taken seriously from there, today, than from substack - but you don’t have to leave Unz, you can do both Write for Unz first, then convert snark to questions or clear change suggestions, which would certainly be controversial.
I wish I could hear you discuss race & political issues with Glenn Loury, for instance (another Fantasy Intellectual choice of mine).
This Free Advice is worth at least twice the price!
Your reader,
Tom Grey
—
Well, I’m on substack for fun and for future reference of my kids, and to be more clear about what I think and to put in many links I find interesting and important now. Not for money - so avoiding audience capture.