Nèdeem Elmahjoub's blog

“As Stefánsson found with crosswords, it seems our genes influence our natural inclinations towards doing certain activities. What truly dictates whether we have any aptitude for them are factors such as whether we receive tutoring and other opportunities at an early age, and our own willingness to practice, improve and persist. The environment we find ourselves in plays a huge role in determining whether we act on our genetic inclinations or not. Stefánsson says that people who have genetic variants in their brain which make them struggle with inhibition are going to be more likely to overeat if they work next to fast food outlets, and struggle to quit if they begin smoking. But at the same time, there is evidence that having a  stable family life ,  stable romantic relationships and friendships , or even  exercising regularly  can help them live a productive life.” Genetics and life choices

Separating science from the social and political, the BBC attempts to debunk myths adopted by the far right, but it ignores that the main perpetuators of racism are established institutions, domestically and globally, which lay down the conditions and grounds of racist behavious, the corporate media and political parties that play the "immigration card", especially in times of crisis of capitalism. The mainstream liberal ideology that claims inclusiveness in the name of "free market liberalism" but practises exclusion in employment, through Fortress Europe, and through the forms of "development" (e.g. uneven development), cultural essentialism, the nation state that embodies superiority and nationalism of the "imagined community" (including selective history and filtered school curricula and how "the West" and the white 'race' got welathier and more powerful) and the fear of the Other and the fostering of the irrational in an...