Are the Jews Genetically Different?

Federico · #1 by **Federico** » Aug 30, 2010 1:16 pm

German banker under attack for saying Jews are genetically unique (http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-memphis/german-banker-under-attack-for-saying-jews-are-genetically-unique).

"Leaders of the Jewish community in Germany have erupted in outrage and indignation at comments stating that Jews are genetically unique. The man who has drawn the most recent bout of ire from the Jewish community and accusations of ‘racism’ and ‘anti-Semtism’ is Thilo Sarrazin, a member of the board for the German Bundesbank.

.....Sarrazin explained the question to which he was responding was about ‘genetic identity’. In response to the question, Sarrazin said, ‘All Jews share a certain gene. Basques (Spanish separatists) have particular genes that distinguishes them from others.’
Mr. Sarrazin has been under heavy fire recently because of his book Deutschland schafft sich ab (‘Germany does away with itself’), which, according to The Daily Mail, details the demographic change in Germany resulting from a massive influx of Muslim Turks. The book argues that due to the influx of uneducated immigrants coupled with steadily declining birthrates among native Germans, the IQ of Germany is diminishing, and that the German State has a duty to improve the education of immigrants.

......is Mr. Sarrazin wrong? Does the Jewish community have reason to be outraged at the suggestion that they are genetically unique? According to Gérard Lucotte and F. David of Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology (CEABH) in Paris, France, the answer is ‘no’.
In the journal Human Biology, Volume 64, Issue 5, Messrs. Lucotte and David published an article ‘Y-chromosome-specific haplotypes of Jews detected by probes 49f and 49a.’ The article is a report on their study of a sample of Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews (the two most prominent Jewish communities in Europe). The study, which focused on specific genetic haplotypes found that ‘only seven haplotypes were found in Jews, three… being the most widespread,’ and, further, that ‘haplotype distribution in the European non-Jewish population is different.’

Mr.Sarrazin -- right or wrong -- certainly has a lot of courage by wading into one of the most controversial and politically delicate subject.

As if to confirm Mr.Sarrazin's assertion about the presence of unique genetic differences in the Jewish population, results published online in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal that analysis of Ashkenazi Jewish Genomes indicate the presence of diversity.

Tbickle · #2 by **Tbickle** » Aug 30, 2010 1:26 pm

Federico wrote:Mr.Sarrazin -- right or wrong -- certainly has a lot of courage by wading into one of the most controversial and politically delicate subject.

Either that or just a dizzying amount of stupid.

babel · #3 by **babel** » Aug 30, 2010 1:32 pm

Tbickle wrote:
Federico wrote:Mr.Sarrazin -- right or wrong -- certainly has a lot of courage by wading into one of the most controversial and politically delicate subject.

Either that or just a dizzying amount of stupid.

My guess is the same as Tbickle. Really.

HughMcB · #4 by **HughMcB** » Aug 30, 2010 1:34 pm

Isn't EVERYONE genetically unique? :scratch:

/thread

campermon · #5 by **campermon** » Aug 30, 2010 1:42 pm

HughMcB wrote:Isn't EVERYONE genetically unique?

/thread

It's another one of those bloody race threads.... :nono:

james1v · #6 by **james1v** » Aug 30, 2010 2:18 pm

I suspect you could find something a bit different among most people who generally procreate amongst an exclusive community. Does that make them "special"? No, just normal human beings. :think:

Federico · #7 by **Federico** » Aug 31, 2010 1:35 pm

james1v wrote:I suspect you could find something a bit different among most people who generally procreate amongst an exclusive community. Does that make them "special"? No, just normal human beings.

You are absolutely right about these people being normal. The problem arises from the sensitivity of some communities about being considered genetically different from the people they live amongst but not necessarily in contact. Which -- when you think of it -- seems surprising in view of the fact they themselves believe they are unique.
However, this is better understood when actual racists capitalize on the scientifically discovered genetic or genomic differences to explain purported and entirely unscientific differences in IQ, or in sexual prowess, or in any other traits of character seemingly linked with this or that community.

NineBerry · #8 by **NineBerry** » Sep 01, 2010 1:08 pm

The outrage is not because Sarrazin said that Jews or Basques share certain genetic identifiers. The outrage is because he said it in the context of discussing that ethnic heritage defines intelligence and other personal traits. Some time ago, he similarly said that he would love to see more Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe than immigrants from Muslim countries "because Jews are more intelligent than Arabs".

I hope everyone will agree that this statement is both anti-semitic and anti-arab

MathieuT · #9 by **MathieuT** » Sep 01, 2010 3:06 pm

Did he really talk about intelligence? Or did he talk about IQ?

It's not the same thing at all.

Ihavenofingerprints · **#10** by **Ihavenofingerprints** » Sep 01, 2010 3:08 pm

I have to jump in and ask who that dog in everyone's avatar is? Is it inspecter rex or something? Or do skeptics love German Shepherds? :lol:

/derail

MathieuT · **#11** by **MathieuT** » Sep 01, 2010 4:00 pm

Ihavenofingerprints wrote:I have to jump in and ask who that dog in everyone's avatar is? Is it inspecter rex or something? Or do skeptics love German Shepherds? /derail

It's my dog

I'm training him to attack people that disagree with me.

Ihavenofingerprints · **#12** by **Ihavenofingerprints** » Sep 01, 2010 4:13 pm

MathieuT wrote:
Ihavenofingerprints wrote:I have to jump in and ask who that dog in everyone's avatar is? Is it inspecter rex or something? Or do skeptics love German Shepherds? /derail

It's my dog

I'm training him to attack people that disagree with me.

Teach him to fetch the paper every morning and give him a treat for doing so. Then stop your paper subscription and your dog will have to find someone else's paper to fetch every morning. And you save yourself a few hundred $$ each year.

NineBerry · **#13** by **NineBerry** » Sep 01, 2010 7:07 pm

The dog in my avatar is the preceding presiding(thx Elena) judge in a local German criminal court.

Elena · **#14** by **Elena** » Sep 01, 2010 7:12 pm

NineBerry wrote:The dog in my avatar is the preceding judge in a local German criminal court.

Preceding as in (a new term) related to "precedent"?

Or you mean presiding?

In any way, I'm curious about the dog's role in the court. He a sniffer? (of pink slips? :eh:

)

NineBerry · **#15** by **NineBerry** » Sep 01, 2010 7:16 pm

Okay, I lied. He is not a judge. He is there to make sure, the police always have shiny boots.

ianryan1 · **#16** by **ianryan1** » Sep 01, 2010 8:11 pm

Some time ago, he similarly said that he would love to see more Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe than immigrants from Muslim countries "because Jews are more intelligent than Arabs".

Less prepared to do the shitty minimum wage jobs Turks and arabs often end up with though.

gleniedee · **#17** by **gleniedee** » Sep 23, 2010 6:10 am

HughMcB wrote:Isn't EVERYONE genetically unique?

/thread

Not clones.

Jews may never have had a unique genetic marker,being traditionally referred to as a Semitic people related genetically the Arabs.Any genetic markers disappeared centuries ago through several diasporas, and inter marriage with locals.There finally developed two main Jewish ethnicities.The Sephardim,in Muslim Spain. and the Ashkenazi in Eastern Europe.

The German commentator is a dill. There is no courage involved in the personal certitude of pig ignorant stupidity.

Festeringbob · **#18** by **Festeringbob** » Sep 24, 2010 4:18 am

NineBerry wrote:The dog in my avatar is the preceding presiding(thx Elena) judge in a local German criminal court.

awww that is sooo cute

Festeringbob · **#19** by **Festeringbob** » Sep 24, 2010 5:01 am

Federico wrote:

As if to confirm Mr.Sarrazin's assertion about the presence of unique genetic differences in the Jewish population, results published online in the early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal that analysis of Ashkenazi Jewish Genomes indicate the presence of diversity.

Mr.Sarrazin is an idiot unconcerned with biology, but that article is confusing, i thought Ashkenazi Jews suffered from inbreeding from a diminished genetic pool

hclever · **#20** by **hclever** » Sep 25, 2010 6:05 am

Sarrazin is correct.

This is very interesting. My Biology & Society professor just mentioned the "Jewish genetics" topic a few weeks ago. He also mentioned that the "problem" with this discovery is that certain people might use this knowledge as a way to justify their own racism. Sarrazin does seem rather racist; Is he trying to open up a eugenic can of worms?