Facing Reality: Two Truths about Race in America
- Downloads：8027
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-24 11:30:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Charles Murray
- ISBN：1666520187
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The charges of white privilege and systemic racism that are tearing the country apart fIoat free of reality。 Two known facts， long since documented beyond reasonable doubt， need to be brought into the open and incorporated into the way we think about public policy: American whites， blacks， Hispanics， and Asians have different violent crime rates and different means and distributions of cognitive ability。 The allegations of racism in policing， college admissions， segregation in housing， and hiring and promotions in the workplace ignore the ways in which the problems that prompt the allegations of systemic racism are driven by these two realities。
What good can come of bringing them into the open？ America’s most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from， what social class they come from， or by race， color， or creed。 They must be judged as individuals。 The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal， demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race， social origins， religion， sex， and sexual orientation。
We on the center left and center right who are the American Creed’s natural defenders have painted ourselves into a corner。 We have been unwilling to say openly that different groups have significant group differences。 Since we have not been willing to say that， we have been left defenseless against the claims that racism is to blame。 What else could it be？ We have been afraid to answer。 We must。 Facing Reality is a step in that direction。
What good can come of bringing them into the open？ America’s most precious ideal is what used to be known as the American Creed: People are not to be judged by where they came from， what social class they come from， or by race， color， or creed。 They must be judged as individuals。 The prevailing Progressive ideology repudiates that ideal， demanding instead that the state should judge people by their race， social origins， religion， sex， and sexual orientation。
We on the center left and center right who are the American Creed’s natural defenders have painted ourselves into a corner。 We have been unwilling to say openly that different groups have significant group differences。 Since we have not been willing to say that， we have been left defenseless against the claims that racism is to blame。 What else could it be？ We have been afraid to answer。 We must。 Facing Reality is a step in that direction。
Reviews
A Young Philosopher
，
7。5/10。"Facing Reality" may be short （unlike "The Bell Curve"）， but it serves its purpose in being a saving buoy for those stranded in the ideological ocean of egalitarianism。 For， if one cannot escape that ocean， the only possible explanation of differential group outcomes and treatment is systemic racism。 But if anything will save those on that side （and many， no doubt， are lost）， Murray brings the most un-emotional look at the facts one could have to confront the hysteria of today。One part wh 7。5/10。"Facing Reality" may be short （unlike "The Bell Curve"）， but it serves its purpose in being a saving buoy for those stranded in the ideological ocean of egalitarianism。 For， if one cannot escape that ocean， the only possible explanation of differential group outcomes and treatment is systemic racism。 But if anything will save those on that side （and many， no doubt， are lost）， Murray brings the most un-emotional look at the facts one could have to confront the hysteria of today。One part which shocked me a bit was Murray's portentous attitude of America in the near future。 I have been looking on the negative side of societal developments recently， and had not realized the sharp divides happening between the liberal coasts and the nearly homogenous White middle of America。 This added to extremely low trust in the government （~15%） is likely to lead to some societal shock up ahead （and this aligns with societal and generational cycles - e。g。 "The Fourth Turning"）。A critique I have of Murray is his devotion to the "Creed" of America， as he does not realize its own situatedness in European-derived peoples。 It is only Western peoples who have sought to self-determine themselves in all areas， to substitute the "ought" for the "is" （think Stoicism， Kant， Western political history as the rise of the individual， etc。）。 We have come to a point where this is pathological， where any factual matter （like Murray's statistics） leads to cancelling and calls of "racist！"。 But as America becomes more and more multiracial， the question becomes: do the new peoples in America want to keep the Creed？ Where have they been shown to keep it？ The contradiction of the cultural relativist and multiculturalist rears its head: what if the very peoples who you promote going into your country have values which contradict your reason for bringing them there， thereby destroying the societal preponderance of your values over time？ This contradiction's outcomes remain to be seen in the decades ahead。 。。。more
Calle
，
So here’s how i’d summarize the ”truths” that Murray asks us to summon the courage to face:1。 Racial differences in cognitive ability are substantial， consequential and inherent。 IQ is an accurate measure of cognitive ability – lower and higher。2。 Racial differences in crime differ greatly - often around and sometimes above， an order of magnitude in violent crime。 This is consequential for interpreting a host of things， including killings by police officers。Yet I found myself unconvinced about t So here’s how i’d summarize the ”truths” that Murray asks us to summon the courage to face:1。 Racial differences in cognitive ability are substantial， consequential and inherent。 IQ is an accurate measure of cognitive ability – lower and higher。2。 Racial differences in crime differ greatly - often around and sometimes above， an order of magnitude in violent crime。 This is consequential for interpreting a host of things， including killings by police officers。Yet I found myself unconvinced about the first ”truth”。 I also think that the subject， while of course a permissible field of inquiry， should be approached with much more humility and caution。 And while i'm not one of those who'd have an emotional meltdown by considering or accepting Murrays ”truth” here， i’m just not intellectually persuaded。Murray has total faith in IQ as a measure not just of basic cognitive functioning， but also of performance at the higher end: the hard to pin-point qualities we refer to as brilliance and genius and that tend to express in different ways in different people of such capabilities。This commitment to IQ as the measure of man's mind gets a bit silly at times， like when he seriously goes into characterizes different professions in terms of mean IQ - within five point brackets。 Someone not already sold on the concept might ask what IQ:s are at the 5th percentile and 95th percentile in each profession？ That is - how ”IQ-dumb” or ”IQ-smart” can you be to still do the job， whether you’re a janitor， a college teacher， carpenter or a brain surgeon？Correlation numbers between IQ and various real life performance are mentioned。 Yet correlation figures are misinformative under many conditions but easily taken as a ”gauge of truth” by the layman。 For example you can have a very high correlation and yet a very weak relation （nearly flat slope） between two variables。 You really need to see the graph to avoid getting wrong ideas from correlation figures。As regards income/status jobs， many high paying professions with advanced tasks rely for entry in the first place on IQ-like tests。 So it could well be argued that these tests in themselves， not capability at the job， influence whatever positive correlation is there in a circular way。Murray also did not persuade me that cultural differences doesn’t significantly bias the IQ-testing drawn upon。 The job of disentangling attitudes， whether emotional or persistent cultural such， must be monumental。Domain-specific knowledge， intuition and creativity play integral parts in any real world problem solving or understanding， in my understanding。 And to anyone of that understanding， reducing the higher potentials of the human mind to a single number seems crude and naive。 Whether that figure is IQ or "g" （saying IQ reflects true intelligence because it measures ”g” seems is just shifting the definition problem a step further）。Regarding the second ”truth”， i found the case he made for it virtually unobjectionable。 The chapters on crime seem very straightforward and really redeem the book。 Ample data on the grim reality is presented while speculation about causes are avoided。 Effects of crime are discussed all the more。 The possible objections to the data are anticipated and countered with more data and indisputable logic。 The data on murder in particular is essential for understanding the context of the well reported incidences of real or alleged police brutality/misconduct that are bound to happen。 This part of the book basically blows apart much of the myths regarding police racism that are loudly promulgated by radical leftist groups。The book ends with a very sensible as well as exhorting discussion about race relations and identity politics in the greater context of American democracy - this happy circumstance that the most powerful nation on earth is also a democratic one where human rights are respected。Murrays prose is lucid and precise and he has an unusual ability to establish rapport with the reader。 I might add however that there’s also something self-assured and authoritative in his style that cuts both ways。This short book was a good litte read on the whole but my distrust of his notions and analysis of IQ/intelligence/intellectual capability， makes me hesitant to recommend it to just anyone。 。。。more
Chris
，
Required reading for anyone that’s been exposed to and/or indoctrinated by Kendi-ism。
Mark Prohaska
，
Long ago when I was in graduate school one of my professors said that the common person does not know how to correctly interpret data， even the simplest。 An episode of unprotected sex， for example， has about a 10% chance of pregnancy。 Many people then and now interpret this as no risk。 This is a misinterpretation。Dr。 Murray has written another fine book presenting other data and their misinterpretations。 He presents a number of facts overwhelming supported by data。 Here are two:--The group mean Long ago when I was in graduate school one of my professors said that the common person does not know how to correctly interpret data， even the simplest。 An episode of unprotected sex， for example， has about a 10% chance of pregnancy。 Many people then and now interpret this as no risk。 This is a misinterpretation。Dr。 Murray has written another fine book presenting other data and their misinterpretations。 He presents a number of facts overwhelming supported by data。 Here are two:--The group mean difference in IQ scores between Africans and Europeans is about a standard deviation。 --The group mean difference in violent crime rates between Africans and Europeans is about 10 to one。These facts are often misrepresented or misinterpreted。 If you doubt these facts then read this book。 After establishing these facts and their proper interpretation Murray emphasizes that the American Creed very much emphasizes that we should judge people by their individual merit and not by group mean IQ scores or group mean violent crime rates。 As Martin Luther King said， judge people by the "content of their character。" We need to get back to that way of thinking to preserve the great ideas in the American experiment。 。。。more
Jules
，
I can see why some people would misunderstand Mr。 Murray's work， but I appreciate that his only real claim is that we can't create policy based on intentions， or on "our truth。" At some point you have to work within reality。 His assertions are easy to extrapolate to other subjects that are less touchy than race。 I mean， what if we all started insisting there were some kind of inherent bias in the fact that there is a dearth of 6' tall， overweight， middle-aged women amonst Olympic gymnasts？ He st I can see why some people would misunderstand Mr。 Murray's work， but I appreciate that his only real claim is that we can't create policy based on intentions， or on "our truth。" At some point you have to work within reality。 His assertions are easy to extrapolate to other subjects that are less touchy than race。 I mean， what if we all started insisting there were some kind of inherent bias in the fact that there is a dearth of 6' tall， overweight， middle-aged women amonst Olympic gymnasts？ He stresses well the need to deal with people as individuals， and that identity politics is never a positive development。 I agree 100% with his position that all the sane people， （which is most of us by the way regardless of race or political affiliation，） need to get behind the American Creed where there's plenty of room for everyone。 。。。more
Brian
，
Charles Murray is no stranger to controversy。 Much of his career has been spent at the intersection of public policy and the uncomfortable truths of social science。 He’s a scholar provocateur。 In his new book， he states that the American Creed （summarized as We hold these truths to be self-evident， that all men are created equal， that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights）， and is imperiled。 He posits the only way forward is the injection of reality for two topics: Th Charles Murray is no stranger to controversy。 Much of his career has been spent at the intersection of public policy and the uncomfortable truths of social science。 He’s a scholar provocateur。 In his new book， he states that the American Creed （summarized as We hold these truths to be self-evident， that all men are created equal， that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights）， and is imperiled。 He posits the only way forward is the injection of reality for two topics: The first is that American Whites， Blacks， Latinos， and Asians， as groups， have different means and distributions of cognitive ability。 The second is that American Whites， Blacks， Latinos， and Asians， as groups， have different rates of violent crime。 For such a short book， it was unnecessarily bogged down in statistical minutiae， but it is well-argued and cogent。 To gain any traction， however， it needs a more mainstream champion。 。。。more
Ron
，
Clearly stated and supported uncomfortable statistics that all would do well to consider。
Jukka Aakula
，
As I see it the republican party is in the hands of right-wing populists with all side effects like fake news about elections， neglect of climate change in the arguments of Republican politicians， etc。 At the same time， the pseudo-progressive left-wing of the Democratic Party sees nothing but Sexism， White Privilege， Structural Racism etc。 in the US。 These two groups do all to destroy the US as the leader of the free West。（Summary starts。 Arguments are Murray's。）And here comes a book by the righ As I see it the republican party is in the hands of right-wing populists with all side effects like fake news about elections， neglect of climate change in the arguments of Republican politicians， etc。 At the same time， the pseudo-progressive left-wing of the Democratic Party sees nothing but Sexism， White Privilege， Structural Racism etc。 in the US。 These two groups do all to destroy the US as the leader of the free West。（Summary starts。 Arguments are Murray's。）And here comes a book by the right-wing social scientist Charles Murray who with very strong data analysis shows his point against the theories of Structural Racism as a reason of African and Latin underrepresentation in certain jobs and overrepresentation as actors of violent crime like Homicide。And makes a strong and well-argumented case against Affirmative Action。 The book is written mainly to the moderates on the Center-Right and Center-Left。 Politics must be based on facts。 But the moderates must become brave enough to accept facts and also say them aloud。In the case of the "race" and the case of Affirmative Action the facts are: 1 There exist clear differences in IQ between groups and there exist big differences in criminality between groups。 These differences in criminality are not based on police prejudice。 2 That some groups are underrepresented for example as CEOs or senior IT professionals in big companies is due to the nature of the normal distribution， not Structural Racism。 IQ is normally distributed meaning that people with IQ over say 2 or 3 Standard Deviations above the average are only a small part of the whole population。 0。15% for 3 SD。But because the IQ averages of the African， Latin， European， and Asian populations clearly differ， the Asians and the Europeans are very much overrepresented in the group of people with high IQ。"The usual way in which the media and politicians talk about race discrimination in the job market is to compare the percentage of Africans or Latins in a given occupation with the percentage of Europeans。 This makes the situation look bad。 The 2014–2018 American Community Survey found that Africans， at 13 percent of the population， accounted for only 3。6 percent of CEOs， 3。7 percent of physical scientists， 4。4 percent of civil engineers， 5。1 percent of physicians， and 5。2 percent of lawyers。 Latin percentages in those prestigious occupations ranged from 5。3 to 7。6 percent， but Latins are almost 18 percent of the population， so their underrepresentation was nearly the same。"Looks like Structural Racism。 But because CEOs are typically chosen in the group of high IQ people， the truth is very different。"Let’s say that an elite IT company in Silicon Valley snags 100 new hires from the 135+ pool in the racial proportions of the pool as a whole。 That means 70 are European， 22 are Asian， 4 are Latin， 1 is African， and 3 are a mixture of races or “other。”3。 Because of Affirmative Action in schools and in workplaces， the average IQ of the different groups follows the same rule。 The IQ of Africans is 0。5 to 1。0 SD's below the one of Asians and Europeans。 Murray shows that this difference matters。 The performance at work is dependent on the IQ of the employee。 For Murray Affirmative Action and the claim of Structural Racism as a reason for the underrepresentation of certain minorities in jobs like CEO or senior IT professional is a disease creating big trouble。 The White majority facing the claims they are personally guilty of racism raises anger。 They radicalize。 To Murray every person must be treated as a unique individual and do not as a member of a group - otherwise， we are back to the jungle of tribes fighting each other。 The statistics show that the relations between racial groups are becoming worse every day that goes。 Not better。"It has long been my view， first expressed in these words long ago， that aggressive affirmative action is a poison leaking into the American experiment。 We are now dealing with nearly sixty years of accumulated toxin。 It is not the only cause of the present crisis， but it is a central one。"（Summary stops）To me what happens in the US is important especially because it is the US that has to lead the world against Climate Change and Loss of Biodiversity。 It is the US that has to lead the West in the fight against the totalitarian expansion of China and Russia。 If the US is weakened by identity politics and polarization， we lose these fights。 。。。more
Jordan
，
Regardless of if you agree with Murray's conclusions （or what you've been told about Murray's conclusions） the findings upon which he bases them cannot be brushed off as insignificant。 Perhaps in a more civilized version of our current reality， this uncomfortable subject could be avoided。 Sadly， the clarion call for radical action no longer allows for that possibility。 Regardless of if you agree with Murray's conclusions （or what you've been told about Murray's conclusions） the findings upon which he bases them cannot be brushed off as insignificant。 Perhaps in a more civilized version of our current reality， this uncomfortable subject could be avoided。 Sadly， the clarion call for radical action no longer allows for that possibility。 。。。more
Larry
，
Fast read， only 125 pages。 Won't change anyone's mind， but has a very statistical approach to some race related topics。 The author points out the irony in the topic， in order to treat people as individuals we have to assess them as a group。 Prerequisite of understanding normal distributions。 Fast read， only 125 pages。 Won't change anyone's mind， but has a very statistical approach to some race related topics。 The author points out the irony in the topic， in order to treat people as individuals we have to assess them as a group。 Prerequisite of understanding normal distributions。 。。。more
Mike Horne
，
If you think the lack of black CEOs， engineers， high financiers， big tech gurus， law partners， brain surgeons is a product of structural racism， this is the book to challenge you。 The manifestation of intelligence in the Black population is less then the White population which is lessthan the Asian population。 This is shown in lower SAT scores， LSAT scores， GRE scores， medical tests， etc。 Until this is changed， you will not successfully change the upper echelons of our industries。 If you think t If you think the lack of black CEOs， engineers， high financiers， big tech gurus， law partners， brain surgeons is a product of structural racism， this is the book to challenge you。 The manifestation of intelligence in the Black population is less then the White population which is lessthan the Asian population。 This is shown in lower SAT scores， LSAT scores， GRE scores， medical tests， etc。 Until this is changed， you will not successfully change the upper echelons of our industries。 If you think that the killing of unarmed black men by the police is the product of structural racism， this book offers a different reason: violent crime is much more likely to be perpetrated by （and on） Black men than White。 This is not evenly spread across America， but is focused in large cities with concentrated poor black populations。 Therefore， police will interact at a higher proportion with black men than white men。 If death by police is simply a product of interaction， we would expect more black men to be killed。These are the facts。 Murray does not ask why they are true。 He is simply trying to present a clear view of America so that we can try to come up with policies to make America a better place for Blacks and Whites。 His last book， Human Diversity， is much more controversial。 I would recommend this to all young progressives。 。。。more
Rachel
，
I’ve never spent so much time deciding how many stars to give。 I’d rate this book 3。5 if it was an option。 It’s a very uncomfortable book to read in part because of the strong arguments he makes， and also the question of the book’s utility。 He makes an interesting point about a potentially catastrophic white racial identity pushback however。
Jack
，
An important bookMurray takes a realistic approach to demonstrating how facts that are attributed to racism are really due to differences in the size， behavior and cognitive abilities of key population groups。 He does a good job of showing that disparities in distributions of ceos， professors and scientists are more likely due to the sizes of applicant pools than systemic racism。 As a matter of fact， all of his analysis is considerably saner than what you hear from activists and cowardly academi An important bookMurray takes a realistic approach to demonstrating how facts that are attributed to racism are really due to differences in the size， behavior and cognitive abilities of key population groups。 He does a good job of showing that disparities in distributions of ceos， professors and scientists are more likely due to the sizes of applicant pools than systemic racism。 As a matter of fact， all of his analysis is considerably saner than what you hear from activists and cowardly academics。 I’m going to read it again。 People should read it at least once。 。。。more
Jamie Johnson
，
Very Informative Very well written and easy to understand！ Charles Murray writes with compassion and insight to the situation our country is in regarding systemic racism。
Sheila McCarthy
，
What can you say except that Charles Murray has a death wish， and you do， too， if you bring any of his research or analysis to your next mandatory "courageous conversation" at work。 But the man does his research - there's so much of it that you must go online to read all of it -， and unlike most of the loudmouths voicing their opinions on the subject， Murray offers some potential solutions to racial inequities。 What can you say except that Charles Murray has a death wish， and you do， too， if you bring any of his research or analysis to your next mandatory "courageous conversation" at work。 But the man does his research - there's so much of it that you must go online to read all of it -， and unlike most of the loudmouths voicing their opinions on the subject， Murray offers some potential solutions to racial inequities。 。。。more
Alex
，
Tries to be politically correctAuthor appears afraid to be criticized and tries to thread needle by being politically correct which waters down effectiveness of statistics cited。 Short read。
Richard
，
I've been wondering how to review Murray's Facing Reality -and now I'm updating it with a reference to John McWhorter's review at it's a doozy The problem I have with the book is not the data Murray cites。 He does an excellent job of citing the race-related data about test scores and crime rates。 He also effectively addresses the contention that such tests are either misleading or racist。 Several excellent Black analysts - Glenn Loury and Coleman Hughes - endorse his analysis of the data in thei I've been wondering how to review Murray's Facing Reality -and now I'm updating it with a reference to John McWhorter's review at it's a doozy The problem I have with the book is not the data Murray cites。 He does an excellent job of citing the race-related data about test scores and crime rates。 He also effectively addresses the contention that such tests are either misleading or racist。 Several excellent Black analysts - Glenn Loury and Coleman Hughes - endorse his analysis of the data in their interviews with him。 As in The Bell Curve， Murray points out that group characteristics can come from either genes or environment， and notes that in many cases it is both。 That means he sounds like he is asserting that Blacks are genetically less intelligent than Whites， which he does not actually do。 The problem， as Loury and Hughes indicate， is that coverage of his analysis in the major media would simplify his analysis to the point that anyone listening would assume Murray's argument is simply the genetic inferiority of Blacks - and that that would only add the the current divisiveness caused by Ibram X。 Kendi's version of anti-racism and Robin DiAngelo's white fragility framework。 Loury， Hughes and John McWhorter have already very effectively characterized Kendi's and DiAngelo's work as shallow and counterproductive。 In major media， Murray' excellent presentation of current data would also become counterproductive even though his basic analysis is far from being shallow or simplistic， unlike Kendi and DeAngelo。 。。。more
James A。 Farren
，
TruthExcellent summary of our current situations and troubles。 A voice crying in the wilderness。 I hope someone will listen before it’s too late。
Steve Scanlan
，
Not a happy book
mark propp
，
nobody has been treated more unfairly in american public life than charles murray in the last 30 years。this is a book that can be read by anyone， and should be read by everyone。 the fact that so many won't hear it， and will insist that it only contains lies is a condemnation of those people and shows how deeply shallow and lacking in seriousness the discussions we have around these issues are now。read it。 even if you think you know better， read it。also， it opens with a pk dick quote， which autom nobody has been treated more unfairly in american public life than charles murray in the last 30 years。this is a book that can be read by anyone， and should be read by everyone。 the fact that so many won't hear it， and will insist that it only contains lies is a condemnation of those people and shows how deeply shallow and lacking in seriousness the discussions we have around these issues are now。read it。 even if you think you know better， read it。also， it opens with a pk dick quote， which automatically makes it a 5 star book。glenn loury's interview with murray is on youtube and is absolutely worth watching。https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=wqgUc。。。note - read it a second time， because i felt i might have sped through it a bit， and since it's a short book there's little cost to re-reading it。 also read the end-notes this time。 。。。more
AttackGirl
，
Preliminary 4 but once I lay out my notes perhaps tomorrow as to why it will become clear for those who have read all of Charles other books。I have made several notes about this book as I have for all of Charles work。 Seriously how can anyone not。 So。。。I will get them out tomorrow。 I read the book first thing this morning and analyzed the supporting PDFs but then got very busy but had time to think about his presentation So this afternoon I read it through again making even more notes。 Geech I a Preliminary 4 but once I lay out my notes perhaps tomorrow as to why it will become clear for those who have read all of Charles other books。I have made several notes about this book as I have for all of Charles work。 Seriously how can anyone not。 So。。。I will get them out tomorrow。 I read the book first thing this morning and analyzed the supporting PDFs but then got very busy but had time to think about his presentation So this afternoon I read it through again making even more notes。 Geech I always love the supporting / accompanying PDF。As I have been saying for years and years， yes we have systemic racism but its not what people think and quite the opposite of what people are spewing on the main stream media attempting to brain wash the masses into further ignorance。 Giving considerations is NOT and will NEVER BE equality。 They are attempting EQUALITY OF OUTCOME which will NEVER EVER HAPPEN。 So。。。Equality is NOT giving millions to a specific group based on their Race/color or culture or even where they live。。。 can you say Sub Economic Zones。 Wrong is wrong and they have created this problem instead of facing the facts and accepting everyone is different and groups have different IQs but we ALL still have to live peacefully together。 A rising tide lifts ALL boats。 G is thee factor of success in life PERIOD。 So then what is success forcing a person who has been giving a free ride to the highest level colleges so they feel unsafe because there is NO WAY they can do the work or even comprehend what is happening。 It is Wrong， whereas they could succeed and do well at a location serving their particular group IQ level。 Attempting to place them into occupations designed for 3 standard deviations higher forcing them to fail。 No wonder our county is in dire need of sanitation workers， electricians， plumbers， construction worker， laborers， janitors， truck drivers etc。 The military occupations are based on IQ so why not mirror that very successful system to create a successful society which I have said many times。 Perhaps its time to remove ALL DEMOGRAPHICS and STOP ALL Govt College Funding and considerations and。。。。。 Taking from one group to give to another isn't that why this country was started？IQ is EVERYTHING and yes Charles it DOES matters in daily life which should BE OBVIOUS to everyone when we have police attempting to communicate simple basic commands or engaging in dialog that ends someones life。 If I say turn around and you turn with your gun over your head and you still get shot well that is a problem。 Attempting to trick a man through word play when he has no concept of what is happening just to pull your gun and shoot him is WRONG and NOT EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW。 We have a problem and the problem is as Charles states 60 years of making certain group IQs even lower as Thomas has also been lecturing about and now the standard deviation is so much lower we have created jungles in the USA where no civilized man or women dares tread。 Can you say Chicago！ When children are shot in their homes as idiots chant to defund the police。 This has made me consider a return to the original documents creating this country。 You cannot read but vote， you cannot afford an ID but you vote。 NO WAY！ （Dominion votes for everyone anyway） When did a civilized society blame the citizen vs the criminal but now we erect statues of crack headed felons and condone rioting and burning of our communities then give more money to support that behavior further violating our streets what kind of role model is that for an IQ group that is already characteristically prone to certain behaviors。 Its just so absurd and so far down the rabbit hole as to present an absolute farce and as Charles also warns is pushing to hard at the peace and progress we as a country have made as a shining example for the world。 Should we wall up the cities or allow that to move to another city for even further destruction as everyone walks on egg shells instead of facing the truth， the realty also known as FACTS。 Tear it down but what is better down to what has Africa made any progress or just more tearing down of societal values of love your neighbor， honor and respect your fellow citizens。 It is just absurd in the country of freedom， Liberty and LAW as Charles attempts to once again relay。To be continued tomorrow。Thank you Charles once again you stand up and do the right and honorable thing。 I don't care for your safe sided back peddling and accommodations now because of the Bell Curve but I am sure it has been a challenge; a lessor man would have folded and I am sure each time the riots start your security sense goes way way up， so thank you again。 。。。more
Jamie
，
In “Facing Reality”， Charles Murray lays out the data on differences in IQ and other standardized tests scores， as well as criminality between the various population subgroups society defines as “races。” Murray’s prose is fairly nuanced （more than critics might expect）， and he takes some time to address objections preemptively。While there is virtually nothing in this book that is factually inaccurate （as of time of writing）， this issue is very complex and multi-factorial， and certain aspects of In “Facing Reality”， Charles Murray lays out the data on differences in IQ and other standardized tests scores， as well as criminality between the various population subgroups society defines as “races。” Murray’s prose is fairly nuanced （more than critics might expect）， and he takes some time to address objections preemptively。While there is virtually nothing in this book that is factually inaccurate （as of time of writing）， this issue is very complex and multi-factorial， and certain aspects of the existing data are not as robust as they should be。 Therein lies the most reasonable path for those who are determined to reject this thesis out of hand。The fact that Murray’s reputation comes with a lot of baggage， plus the fact that data of this sort， presented in this blunt fashion， is guaranteed to put smiles on the faces of some of society’s most odious people， will undoubtedly present too big an obstacle for most people left of center to give it a fair hearing。 That’s understandable， but also a shame。 If we want to improve the world， we should begin from the most accurate factual foundation。 This short book can be read in an evening or two， and while it may be uncomfortable in parts， believe it or not， Klan robes did not materialize on my person while doing so。 。。。more
Steve Gross
，
Murray puts forth two truths that must be confronted in American life。 The book could have been a little more polished， but still very important。
Scott Andrews
，
yup
Hampton
，
Concise survey of a modern bugaboo。
Karl
，
Charles Murray has made a career by saying and writing things that are impossible to refute but no one wants to believe。 It's good work if you can get it。 Charles Murray has made a career by saying and writing things that are impossible to refute but no one wants to believe。 It's good work if you can get it。 。。。more
christian
，
The book could’ve done without the last chapter。 There are too many apologetic caveats littered in the book。 The main premise， however， is well researched and succinctly explained。
Austin
，
Objective and rational examination of the underlying facts and statistics about race in America。 I highly recommend to anyone interested in a topic which is having such an outsized impact on our society。
Jason Harper
，
This was a quick， but well written book。 Forgetting about why， or how we got here， Murray wanted to explain what he sees as the two key differences in population groups， which talking about dishonestly are accelerating the break up of America。 The conclusion section strikes me as naive， however。 The elites DO talk about these two facts dishonestly; the data is clear yet both Republicans and Democrats refuse to tackle the issue。 I would be hopeful if they were just misinformed， but they are not， This was a quick， but well written book。 Forgetting about why， or how we got here， Murray wanted to explain what he sees as the two key differences in population groups， which talking about dishonestly are accelerating the break up of America。 The conclusion section strikes me as naive， however。 The elites DO talk about these two facts dishonestly; the data is clear yet both Republicans and Democrats refuse to tackle the issue。 I would be hopeful if they were just misinformed， but they are not， so I am not。 。。。more
Ronald J。
，