Southern Italians are less clever than Northern Italians

If you are thinking that this title is a racist-based joke, you might want to think again. In fact, it's the result of academic professor Richard Lynn's latest research, nonetheless. I'm not sure what kind of sources Mr Lynn has used, but I'm ready to bet that the illiterate members of Italian Northern League party have played a substantial role in this enlightening work.

In his previous theories Lynn has argued that men are more clever than women and that the lighter the skin colour the more clever the person is. Needless to say, he's a man and he can boast a very pale skin colour. What a coincidence. Plus, he has white hair so I guess he's even more intelligent than white men with black hair. In his essay about Italy, he tries to make people believe that the more southwards you go the more stupid people are. In a nutshell, Sicilians are completely dumb. Never mind for the writers or scientists the island has produced.

The "proof" (what a proof!) would be that Southern Italy has had in the past a greater presence of Middle Eastern and North African populations, so mixing ethnic groups has proved fatal for IQ ranks. This, according to Lynn, has nevertheless caused differences in "income, education, infant mortality, stature and literacy." 

I can't list here all the evidence against this theory as it would take me a month and a post way too long for blogs standards. It would suffice to say that the professor (please note, professor, not lecturer) shows a deep ignorance on Italian literature, history, geopolitical patterns (past and present) and sociological studies. To the extent that even the most ignorant Sicilian would find enough arguments to dismiss this essay in less than no time.

Mr Lynn shows also a great ignorance on common knowledge, as I believe everybody by now knows that Arabs' discoveries in the fields of astronomy and maths are still in use and have tremendously contributed to modern tecnological achievements. Moreover, I'd like to add, since I originate from Sardinia (I'm less clever than Venetians but I'm less stupid than Sicilians), that in my island, the greatest traditions, social customs and crafts that we boast come from the Nuragic and the Middle Eastern civilisations. A modest research would have been enough to know this.

What I find worrying, however, is that the University of Ulster (or any university in the world) is willing to promote such absurdities, in an era when Cesare Lombroso's theories are widely proved wrong and with no supporting evidence whatsoever. Moreover, I find degrading that an university encourages racist theories that are just an offence to human intelligence, meaning by human any human, be them blond, brown or redhair, with blue, brown or green eyes.

Dear Mr Lynn, everybody, sooner or later, has to face their own sunset boulevard. The choice is between accepting it with dignity or frantically trying to impress with desperate marketing moves. You are clearly facing yours, and apparently more like the hysterical Gloria Swanson in her memorable movie, than like a Sicilian farmer who enjoys his retirement between family and great food.