Hey Nicholas Kristof.  I like reading your opinion pieces when they have to do with Darfur, Human Trafficking, or truth-telling about the Iraq War.  I think very highly of your reporting most of the time.  That said, WTF is up with this piece?  Maybe you should write about something you actually know something about.

Kristof's Sunday NY Times Opinion Piece "Rising Above I.Q." is a review of Cognitive Scientist Richard Nisbett's new book entitled "Intelligence and How To Get It."  Except it isn't.  You see, Kristof uses the book as a device to project his own misguided racial stereotypes onto this train wreck of an article.

Kristof, first of all, where do you get off with this kind of opening? 

"In the mosaic of America, three groups that have been unusually successful are Asian-Americans, Jews and West Indian blacks — and in that there may be some lessons for the rest of us."

Fuck you, Kristof.

Let me sum up the Asian American portion of his opinion piece in 4 sentences for the readers.  Some Chinese Americans are successful. =  Some Chinese Americans are All Asian Americans.  = Therefore, somehow All Asian Americans are successful. = Oh, and therefore, happen to have high IQ.

Do you hear that Kristof?  It's 1998 calling.  They want shameless distribution of the "Model Minority Myth" back.

To prove how off base Kristof's claims are, I did a quick google books search to see if Nisbett's book was indeed a disseration on APA Race Relations in America.

Let's check it out.

Cambodian? Nope.

Laotian? Nope.

Hmong? Nope.

How about Pacific Islander? Nope.

Oh wait, I see.  The book is actually about how the environment affects the development of intelligence in people.  Nisbett chose Chinese Americans as examples, but just did it in a culturally insensitive fashion.  But then again, race is less than maybe 10% of his book.

Exactly what point were you trying to make Kristof?  Is this the kind of world view you get out of a Harvard education these days?  Are you secretly upset that 20% of Harvard students are Asian Americans?  Is this your way of lashing out at the "grade curve ruiners" by painting them with a broad stroke of yellow fever/scare?

Here.  Attach this to the end of the article.  Just for the finishing kick to the curb.

Please, stick to reporting on the atrocities of Darfur.  Kristof, your Opinion piece for the Sunday of June 7, 2009 deserves an F for failure.  Amongst other F words.

Love,

Koala