There's no reason for the establishment to fear me. But it has every right to fear the people collectively - I am one with the people.
Huey NewtonRead
IQ tests are routinely used as weapons against Black people in particular and minority groups and poor people generally. The tests are based on white middle-class standards, and when we score low on them, the results are used to justify the prejudice that we are inferior and unintelligent. Since we are taught to believe that the tests are infallible, they have become a self-fulfilling prophecy that cuts off our initiative and brainwashes us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
IQ tests can perpetuate racism and reinforce negative stereotypes about minority groups.
In this quote, Huey Newton critically examines how IQ tests are often designed with a bias that favors white, middle-class norms and standards. This innate bias results in lower scores among Black individuals and other minorities, which are then improperly used to portray them as less intelligent, fostering a harmful and self-perpetuating cycle of inferiority and discouragement, thereby undermining their potential and initiatives.
Themes
Iq TestsRacismEducationMinority GroupsIntelligenceStereotypesPrejudice
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on education reform, this quote can highlight the racial biases in standardized testing.
More from Huey Newton
All quotes →Those in the community who defy authority and 'break the law' seem to enjoy the good life and have everything in the way of material possessions. On the other hand, people who work hard and struggle and suffer much are the victims of greed and indifference, losers. This insane reversal of values presses heavily on the Black community. The causes originate from outside and are imposed by a system that ruthlessly seeks its own rewards, no matter what the cost in wrecked human lives.
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There will be no prison which can hold our movement down.
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By surrendering my life to the revolution, I found eternal life
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But before we die, how shall we live? I say with hope and dignity; and if premature death is the result, that death has a meaning reactionary suicide can never have. It is the price of self-respect.
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