Rushton: Attack him or ignore him?

People have been debating whether to attack or ignore Rushton on all 
three listserves (PSN, ABS, and WSN).  I'm going to critically 
analyze two main arguments put forward by those who say that it 
is best to ignore Rushton.

1. Is Rushton a marginal and insignificant character?

They say that he is a marginal and uninfluential creep.  His 
book was ignored.  Let's not draw attention to him or allow him to 
claim that he is being persecuted.

Rushton is a professor at Western Ontario University, which is,
according to Joanne Naiman, professor of sociology at Ryerson in
Toronto, one of the three most prestigious universities in Ontario. 

According to Barry Mehler, "Rushton is a tenured professor holding
one of America's most prestigious fellowships (the Guggenheim). He
has been publishing in prestigious journals in North America and
Britain regularly for years and has coauthored articles
with some of the most highly respected academics in the fields of
psychology and sociobiology in the US, Canada and Britain; he has
even published an article containing all of the essential elements of
his biological determinism - that individuals seek out genetically
similar people for friendship, marriage and social and cultural
organization - in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences. ("Foundation for Fascism: The New Eugenics Movement in 
the United States," 1989, retrieved from 
http://www.ferris.edu/ISAR/archives/mehler/foundation.htm)

Mehler continues,

"It is only by examining Rushton in the context of his support and
the large movement for which he speaks, that one begins to understand
the significance of his work.  The publication of E. O. Wilson's
Sociobiology: The New Synthesis in 1975 allowed sociobiological
concepts to be applied to an ideology of racial nationalism. Rushton
has taken the 'new synthesis' and developed it into a full-blown
naturalistic ethic.  He draws heavily on the work of Arthur Jensen,
Hans Eysenck, Daniel Vining, R. T. Osborne and Richard Lynn. All
these men are closely associated with each other and with Mankind
Quarterly, which is the primary outlet for the new eugenics, and with
the Pioneer Fund, which is the movement's major funding source."

Mehler traces in detail the network of connections that make
Rushton, Mankind Quarterly, and the Pioneer Fund significant forces
in the capitalist world.  For example, the Pioneer Fund has direct
ties to Jesse Helms and to the World Anti-Communist League.  It has
direct historical and organizational ties to an entire network of
capitalist financed fascist organizations throughout the world .  

Rushton is, of course, closely linked organizationally, financially,
and ideologically to "The Bell Curve" and its authors.  Virtually
every "scholar" cited by Herrnstein and Murray has been funded by
the Pioneer Fund and has published in Mankind Quarterly.  "The Bell
Curve" had the biggest advertising budget in history for an
"academic" publication.  What capitalists spent promoting "The Bell
Curve" makes the costs of sending out tens of thousands of Rushton's
fascist scribbling seem like peanuts.  And, in case anyone really
believes that "The Bell Curve" really did little harm, its authors
focused on calling for the abolition of welfare and affirmative
action and restricting immigration, in their view the most
"dysgenic" policies that are ruining the USA.

Thus, it is a huge and dangerous mistake to regard this latest
attempt to promote Rushton's fascist eugenicist views as an
insignificant bleat from a pathetic animal.  Moreover, his views
dovetail with the needs of the ruling class in this period of
intensifying global competition among rival capitalist powers.  The
failure of the recent WTO meeting in Seattle reflects the sharpening
divisions among capitalist states.  The capitalists need to attack
and divide the working class in order to drive down labor costs and
roll back social programs.  Rushton's ideological assault on blacks 
helps the ruling class carry out these policies.  That is why they 
defend his "right" to spread his fascist poison.

Barry Mehler's article is quite good.  It is only five pages long and 
very well documented with 50 notes at the end.  It would be a useful 
reading to assign to students if you wanted to discuss this topic in 
classes. 


2. Will attacking Rushton cause more people to rally to him?

Those who say we should ignore Rushton argue that, if we 
attack him, we will actually help him recruit more supporters.  It is 
not always clear why some people think this would happen.  I think 
some people believe that Rushton's arguments will appeal to many 
people.  Evidently, they must think that our anti-racist arguments 
will not appeal to very many people.  In their own experience, some 
people feel that being an outspoken anti-racist isolates them.

I think that we must denounce academic racism and all other forms of 
racism, regardless of how unpopular or popular it makes us.  Whether 
to fight racism cannot be based on estimates of public opinion.  
However, I think that attacking Rushton, criticizing and exposing his 
arguments, his funding, his ties to an entire network of fascists, 
will win most people to our side.  In my experience, when these facts 
and analyses are made available to people, most of them are horrified 
and angry and want to do something to oppose such racist ideas and 
movements.

When I and other people I know circulated literature and statements
against "The Bell Curve" and helped to organize forums to critique
the book, we got a very positive response.  When we did the same
thing years ago against Jensen, Shockley, and Herrnstein, we helped
to discredit their racist ideas and limit their spread.   I do not
think that we should fear that we will lose the argument or lose
people when we fight racism sharply.  I think the opposite is
generally the case.  When racists and fascists are able to put
forward their ideas unopposed, they win some people over, intimidate
and demoralize others, and become stronger.  When anti-racists and
anti-fascists sharply confront them, the racists are exposed and refuted,
and people gain confidence and optimism that we can defeat racists
and fascists. 

In sum, if we think fascists are either so insignificant that we can
afford to ignore them or so attractive that they will grow if we
attack them, we are undermining our own ability to fight and defeat
these fascists.  Historical experience shows that fascists are a
serious threat who must not be ignored.  Historical experience also
shows that millions of people will join anti-fascist movements.

Steve Rosenthal