Black don't crack

altai_rose

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That is only one person's opinion. No offense to cachoo but she doesn't make the official call. I think this thread is based on a stereotype. Of course not all black people age well even if many do and even if melanin helps.
We can question the validity of the science, if you'd like, by analyzing the experiments and judging if the conclusion reached by the scientists is actually supported by their data. But if we accept that the scientific study is sound and that there is a biological basis behind it (i.e., that melanin is a contributing factor), then it's not a stereotype. Science doesn't care about your opinions.

Obviously, not all black people age well, but I think it could be fair to say that a greater % of black people, relative to white people, age well.
 

snoopy

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We can question the validity of the science, if you'd like, by analyzing the experiments and judging if the conclusion reached by the scientists is actually supported by their data. But if we accept that the scientific study is sound and that there is a biological basis behind it (i.e., that melanin is a contributing factor), then it's not a stereotype. Science doesn't care about your opinions.

Obviously, not all black people age well, but I think it could be fair to say that a greater % of black people, relative to white people, age well.

Yes, there is science to support the sun damage protection quality of melanin. Do you have a study that suggests a greater percentage of black people age well relative to white people? What are the percentages? And define age well, as that is a pretty broad term. You'd have to narrow the statement to something like "due to the protective quality of melanin, blacks tend to experience less sun damage than whites " to remain scientific.

At some point, these discussions make qualitative judgments that aren't necessarily supported by science ("age well"). Also, saying X happens more frequently than Y is different than making blanket statements that black people age better than white people. So yes, it is getting into stereotyping.

I get we don't want to run around making qualifiers all the time because how tiring is that. But then we need to recognize that some of our statements generalize beyond science and get into stereotyping.
 
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Andrushka

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Native women and some men age well also,we have some elders in my tribe,they are in the 70s and 80s and have hardly any wrinkles whatsoever.My great grandmother had hardly any gray hair when she died in her 90s.

My Dad gets mistaken for being in his 40s(he'll be 62 this year) and I often am mistaken for being in my early-mid 20s and I'm in my mid 30s now.
 

altai_rose

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Yes, there is science to support the sun damage protection quality of melanin. Do you have a study that suggests a greater percentage of black people age well relative to white people? What are the percentages? And define age well, as that is a pretty broad term. You'd have to narrow the statement to something like "due to the protective quality of melanin, blacks tend to experience less sun damage than whites " to remain scientific.
Pubmed can help you with finding a study.
At some point, these discussions make qualitative judgments that aren't necessarily supported by science ("age well"). Also, saying X happens more frequently than Y is different than making blanket statements that black people age better than white people. So yes, it is getting into stereotyping.

I get we don't want to run around making qualifiers all the time because how tiring is that. But then we need to recognize that some of our statements generalize beyond science and get into stereotyping.
Good point! I think part of this actually comes down to science communication. It's a balance between getting the scientific facts exactly right, being appropriately cautious with interpreting results and not make sweeping generalizations, but also translating science into something that people can understand and relate to and support monetarily. I don't think it's black and white, pardon the pun... From a science funding point of view, you have to relate your scientific results ("X happens more frequently than Y") to more general concepts ("understanding the factors involved in aging" or, for example, in a more realistic, controversial scenario with the drug ISDN/hydralazine, "this drug works better for black people than for white people"). This can be very hard to do.

I don't think that I've ever really understood the precise difference between stereotyping and demographics. For example, we learn in medicine that the typical patient with PCOS is "fat, fair, forty, female, and fertile." Is that considered stereotyping? If so, then obviously, not all folks with PCOS fit that "stereotype." But it's still important to learn the risk factors for a disease, and to incorporate that into diagnosis and decision making.
 
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Tinami Amori

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I have a question. Isn't this a racial stereotype? Are only negative stereotypes about black people unacceptable, but positive ones are lauded? :EVILLE::p

My thoughts are identical! I personally have NO problem when physical and other differences are pointed out between "groups" IF they are there, so this topic in general is OK with me.

But! imagine the uproar if there was a topic on how White people have a physical advantage over Black people, or any other minority group.

I want to be able to have a normal conversation - if there are differences, then there are differences and it is OK to mention them, negative or positive.
 

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