Welcome to Thunderdome

Leisher wrote: Mon Sep 25, 2023 11:31 pm Based on no actual scientific data or evidence, of course.

Leisher wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 11:52 am Again, ALL people originated from one point. Thus, race means nothing. We were all once something that pulled itself out of the sea and evolved from there. Skin color has nothing to do with who a person is, but rather the climate where their ancestors lived.

TheCatt wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:04 pm If race means nothing, then every dog is the same breed, too. Or, something like that. We all changed to adapt.

Leisher wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:20 pm Like what are the real differences?

The DNA of any two people is 99.6% identical. This means that on average, about one in 1,000 DNA base pairs differ between any two humans. This is about 0.1% genetic variation.
The remaining 0.1% of genetic variation can provide important clues about the causes of diseases. For example, the difference in skin color between Africans and Europeans likely evolved in less than 50,000 years.

Homo sapiens is a relatively young species and has not had as much time to accumulate genetic variation as have the vast majority of species on earth, most of which predate humans by enormous expanses of time. Nonetheless, there is considerable genetic variation in our species. The human genome comprises about 3 × 109 base pairs of DNA, and the extent of human genetic variation is such that no two humans, save identical twins, ever have been or will be genetically identical. Between any two humans, the amount of genetic variation—biochemical individuality—is about .1 percent. This means that about one base pair out of every 1,000 will be different between any two individuals. Any two (diploid) people have about 6 × 106 base pairs that are different, an important reason for the development of automated procedures to analyze genetic variation.

TheCatt wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 12:28 pm For example, the difference in skin color between Africans and Europeans likely evolved in less than 50,000 years.

Leisher wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 4:31 pm The reality equivalent of sticking someone into a tube and then turning their air on and off over the weekend.

The author described multiple anecdotes with allegedly false information, as Minhaj delivered them during his Netflix specials. During one, Minhaj recounted how, while he was growing up in the post-9/11 era, an FBI informant tried to infiltrate his Muslim community and earn their trust only to entrap them later.

In his joke, Minhaj claimed that he was confronted by the police after joking with the informant that he wanted a pilot’s license. He concluded the story by claiming he saw that same informant confirmed to be working for the FBI in a news story years later.

The author then recounted Minhaj’s "story of a letter sent to his home which was filled with white powder." As he told it, "The contents accidently spilled onto his young daughter. The child was rushed to the hospital." Malone added, "It turned out not to be anthrax, but it’s a sobering reminder that Minhaj’s comedic actions have real-world consequences."

After providing both anecdotes, Malone asked, "Does it matter that neither of those things really happened to Minhaj?"

The reporter tracked down and spoke to the actual "FBI informant" from the comedian’s first story. According to Malone, the alleged informant "had told me that Minhaj’s story is a fabrication." The subject also informed the author he "was in prison in 2002, and didn’t begin to work for the F.B.I. on counterterrorism measures until 2006."

On the anthrax story, the author found that "The New York Police Department, which investigates incidents of possible Bacillus anthracis, has no record of an incident like the one Minhaj describes, nor do area hospitals."

"Front-desk and mailroom employees at Minhaj’s former residence don’t remember such an incident, nor do ‘Patriot Act’ employees involved with the show’s security or Minhaj’s security guard from the time," Malone wrote.

She added, "During our conversation, Minhaj admitted that his daughter had never been exposed to a white powder," and explained that Minhaj admitted he embellished the informant story too.

The rest of her piece gave examples of other alleged falsehoods Minhaj wove into his performances.

After Malone published her story, Friday, Minhaj responded in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter. In it, he said, "All my standup stories are based on events that happened to me. Yes, I was rejected from going to prom because of my race. Yes, a letter with powder was sent to my apartment that almost harmed my daughter. Yes, I had an interaction with law enforcement during the war on terror."

After claiming other specific stories were true, he said, "I use the tools of standup comedy — hyperbole, changing names and locations, and compressing timelines to tell entertaining stories."

"That’s inherent to the art form. You wouldn’t go to a haunted house and say ‘Why are these people lying to me?’ — The point is the ride. Standup is the same," he concluded.