A Terrible Thing to Waste

Posted on 21 July 2017 by Harriet A. Washington

A powerful and indispensable book on the devastating consequences of environmental racism and what we can do to remedy its toxic effects on marginalized communities.Did you knowMiddle class African American households with incomes between 50,000 and 60,000 live in neighborhoods that arepolluted than those of very poor white households with incomes less than 10,000.When swallowed, a lead paint chip no larger than a fingernail can send a toddler into a coma One tenth of that amount will lower IQ.Nearly two out of every five African American homes in Balti are plagued by lead based paint Almost all of the 37,500 Balti children who suffered lead poisoning from 2003 to 2015 were African American.From injuries caused by lead poisoning to the devastating effects of atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste, Americans of color are harmed by environmental hazards in staggeringly disproportionate numbers This systemic onslaught of toxic exposure and institutional negligence causes irreparable physical harm to millions of people across the country cutting lives tragically short and needlessly burdening the health care system But these deadly environments create another insidious and often overlooked consequence robbing communities of color, and America as a whole, of intellectual power.The 1994 publication of The Bell Curve and its controversial thesis, catapulted the topic of genetic racial differences in IQ to the forefront of a renewed and heated debate Now, in A Terrible Thing to Waste, award winning science writer Harriet A Washington adds her incisive analysis to the fray, arguing that IQ is a biased and flawed metric, but that it is useful for tracking cognitive damage She tears apart the spurious notion of intelligence as an inherited trait, using copious data that instead point to a different cause of the reported African American white IQ gap environmental racism a confluence of racism and other institutional factors that relegate marginalized communities to living and working near sites of toxic waste, pollution, and insufficient sanitation services She investigates heavy metals, neuro toxins, deficient prenatal care, bad nutrition, and even pathogens as chief agents influencing intelligence to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected and what can be done to remedy this devastating problem.Featuring extensive scientific research and Washington s sharp, lively reporting, A Terrible Thing to Waste is sure to outrage, transform the conversation, and inspire debate. Best Read Kindle ePUB A Terrible Thing to Waste author Harriet A. Washington – kino-fada.fr The common reaction to people seeing what I was reading with A Terrible Thing to Waste was, Environmental racism What s that So I explained it to them, fairly succinctly I think, because it really isn t that difficult of a concept Indeed, when I mentioned that, historically, decisions about where to dump waste and where to build factories and how to zone cities or rent houses have disproportionately affected marginalized and racialized people, most of those who asked nodded and went, Oh, y The common reaction to people seeing what I was reading with A Terrible Thing to Waste was, Environmental racism What s that So I explained it to them, fairly succinctly I think, because it really isn t that difficult of a concept Indeed, when I mentioned that, historically, decisions about where to dump waste and where to build factories and how to zone cities or rent houses have disproportionately affected marginalized and racialized people, most of those who asked nodded and went, Oh, yeah Maybe that s just a sign of the crowd I hang out with But it really isn t that hidden, not in an era where we know the names Flint, Michigan in the United States and Grassy Narrows, here in Canada Harriet A Washington s book isn t edifying in the sense that it reveals this heretofore unseen racism Rather, A Terrible Thin...This was incredibly well researched and while the subject matter is weighty, the writing style is easily accessible.This is critical reading to understand the IMPACT of the IQ myth of the Black Community in the US and worldwide.First many of the original West African Black subjects tested for IQ were orphaned children fleeing conflict Also the researchers measuring the IQ were white supremacists Both factors impact these original IQ scores.Also nutrition and environment impact IQ scores The h This was incredibly well researched and while the subject matter is weighty, the writing style is easily accessible.This is critical reading to understand the IMPACT of the IQ myth of the Black Community in the US and worldwide.First many of the original West African Black subjects tested for IQ were orphaned children fleeing conflict Also the researchers measuring t...There is a perhaps lesser known aspect of American racism whereby people and institutions assume blacks are dumber than whites, that they are untrainable and don t deserve as much pay for the same work as whites Blacks don t think clearly or fast enough, they don t process or retain well, and they re slow to move, think and speak Harriet Washington shows in no uncertain terms that blacks have been systematically neglected and poisoned into this condition in A Terrible Thing To Waste.In chapt There is a perhaps lesser known aspect of American racism whereby people and institutions assume blacks are dumber than whites, that they are untrainable and don t deserve as much pay for the same work as whites Blacks don t think clearly or fast enough, they don t process or retain well, and they re slow to move, think and speak Harriet Washington shows in no uncertain terms that blacks have been systematically neglected and poisoned into this condition in A Terrible Thing To Waste.In chapters jam packed with statistics and scientific findings, Washington shows that blacks get Alzheimer s at twice the rate of suburban whites who don t live with the same polluted air, soil and water Whites don t breathe the lead paint dust in their homes or drink water from lead pipes Lead is the biggest villain the book It attacks forming brains of infants and even fetuses, ensuring perverse development...Excellent book on environmental racism in America and the effects felt by people both directly and indirectly Her information about how environmental racism impacts IQ was fascinating and easy to understand I figured the topic of lead would come up, as well as the situation in Flint, Michigan, but Washington was able to do a deep dive that can still be engaging even if you think you know a bit about the subject.The author does a great job outlining the scientific and medical facts necessary to Excellent book on environmental racism in America and the effects felt by people both directly and indirectly Her information about how environmental racism impacts IQ was fascinating and easy to understand I figured the topic of lead would come up, as well as the situation in Flint, Michigan, but Washington was able to do a deep dive that can still be engaging even if you think you know a bit about the subject.The author does a great job outlining the scientific and medical facts necessary to explain this issue while keeping it engaging Oftentimes I ve found that when an author includes too many statistic or scientific words that are way beyond my knowledge I can tune out or skip over it a bit, but Washington is able to ...The issue of environmental racism is one that many are sadly unaware of There is a great deal of ignorance around the fact that where you live can have a significant impact on your potential for success There is little discussion regarding how often decisions that can have a deleterious effect on quality of life in these environments are based on race.Consider for example The lack of effort to remediate lead based paint in black neighborhoods The frequency with which black neighborhoods a The issue of environmental racism is one that many are sadly unaware of There is a great deal of ignorance around the fact that where you live can have a significant impact on your potential for success There is little discussion regarding how often decisions that can have a deleterious effect on quality of life in these environments are based on race.Consider for example The lack of effort to remediate lead based paint in black neighborhoods The frequency with which black neighborhoods are chosen for locally unwanted land uses That black families arelikely to live in proximity to oil and gas facilities The impact of environment and infection on fetal and early childhood development.A result of these environmental factors is often impaired cogni...Harriet Washington is known by many as the author of the harrowing and important Medical Apartheid in which she details a long history of medical and scientific abuse of Black individuals and communities I consider this mandatory reading for any US American A Terrible Thing to Waste Environmental Racism and its Assault on the American Mind, brings a whole new dimension of horror of what it is like to be Black, Brown, and or poor in the USA She tackles everything from exposure to dangerou Harriet Washington is known by many as the author of the harrowing and important Medical Apartheid in which she details a long history of medical and scientific abuse of Black individuals and communities I consider this mandatory reading for any US American A Terrible Thing to Waste Environmental Racism and its Assault on the American Mind, brings a whole new dimension of horror of what it is like to be Black, Brown, and or poor in the USA She tackles everything from exposure to dangerous pollutants to lack of access to healthy options and astutely describes how they all fit together in the realm of environmental racism.The book starts off fairly quickly in discussing IQ disparities among poor people and or people of color and this remains a theme throughout the book I did find this part to contradict itself a bit, though Washington makes excellent arguments about and gives a detailed history of how flawed IQ testing is Yet, she still uses IQ points as a measure of environmen...This is insane I live in Anniston Alabama and while she states the legal side of the whole Monsanto situation and pcbs. wherever she got her info on the nature of the city is very VERY. innacurate My children play outside all the time Our parks are just fine I ve NEVER seen anyone cut their grass with a mask, shoo their children away from parks, our children are not eerily quiet, there is NO backdrop of biohazard signs and chain link fence Our town is like any other town. I ve never h This is insane I live in Anniston Alabama and while she states the legal side of the whole Monsanto situation and pcbs. wherever she got her info on the nature of the city is very VERY. innacurate My children play outside all the time Our parks are just fine I ve NEVER seen anyone cut their grass with a mask, shoo their children away from parks, our children are not eerily quiet, there is NO backdrop of biohazard signs and chain link fence Our town is like any other town. I ve never heard of any kids being born with t...Being a science communicator is hard You have to be able to walk the incredibly fine line of not talking down to the people who are experts in the field while simultaneously trying to convey exactly the right amount to information to make the layman reader understand and not feel overwhelmed or too stupid to keep listening Harriet Washington does a fantastic job of this The introduction stars us off on the topic of IQ I was mildly worried I was not going to enjoy this book because I knew jus Being a science communicator is hard You have to be able to walk the incredibly fine line of not talking down to the people who are experts in the field while simultaneously trying to convey exactly the right amount to information to make the layman reader understand and not feel overwhelmed or too stupid to keep listening Harriet Washington does a fantastic job of this The introduction stars us off on the topic of IQ I was mildly worried I was not going to enjoy this book because I knew just enough about...

21 July 2017

Harriet A. Washington