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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.
Huey Newton
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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.

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