--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > I was interested in the term not for its description of the > genetic abnormality found in Ashenazi Jews but for the > description of the particular set of *behaviors* that > manifest as a result of the abnormality. > > The behaviors that were described in the texts I found > when Vaj first mentioned the term revolved around > people of otherwise high intelligence who were kinda > "borderline" with regard to arguing, especially about > the supposed meaning of words. They were more likely > to fly off the handle over word interpretations or misinter- > pretations than other people, sometimes pathologically > so.
Unfortunately, Barry is not telling the truth when he suggests this "abnormality" has been shown to produce the set of behaviors he describes. Here is the *single sentence* Barry is relying on above in the material about "Ashkenazi overclocking" on the Web: "But I'll hazard a guess: the change accelerates some brain system tied to cognitive functioning - nearly redlines it, leaves it vulnerable to common insults in a way that can cause spectacular trouble." This sentence--this "guess"--is what Barry means by what he disingenuously calls the "texts" that purportedly describe the "particular set of behaviors that manifest as a result of this abnormality." The original paper presenting the hypothesis about "Ashkenazi overclocking" does not mention any such behaviors. None of the discussion on the Web about it mentions any such behaviors, except for that one speculative sentence, which just pops up gratuitously out of the blue in the middle of some otherwise technical material about genetics. It's never followed up on or related to any of the other discussion, by the person who made it or anyone else commenting on the paper's thesis. There's nothing wrong with Barry commenting on what he perceives to be a "syndrome" of a particular kind of behavior on electronic forums. But for him to associate it with the "Ashkenazi overclocking" thesis as if this behavior were one of its findings, thereby implying the linkage is scientifically based, is dishonest in the extreme. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
