“Such abominable statements are devoid of all science, on top of that they are hateful and deeply racist” – Roma civilians reacted to the racist Facebook post published yesterday by former constitutional judge Béla Pokol. In his public post, Pokol, who was appointed by the Fidesz majority in 2011 and completed his mandate last year, argued that Hungary is such a genius nation that even Gypsies with lower intelligence due to biological reasons cannot beat the Hungarian average.
“We are so smart. And if the Indian origin of the gypsies is correct, then the IQ of 82 they brought with them from there created a reduction of our total IQ average of 99 – counting their population of one million – not bad even with this reduction”
– Pokol wrote in his post, which has since been deleted. In his original post, the former constitutional judge argues with incorrect information extracted from the ChatGPT web artificial intelligence service based on a large language model. The answer is based on a book written by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen, published two decades ago, in which the pair of authors looked for a relationship between IQ and the economic level of countries, finding that the average IQ is the highest in Hong Kong and the lowest in Ethiopia. According to this, the Hungarian average IQ was 99, roughly around the European average, writes the first report on Pokol’s post 444.
They add that the book received a lot of criticism, mainly because the authors wanted to prove that GDP was simply a consequence of IQ. “While they tried to biologize economic differences, they did not take into account the set of historical and social causes, nor the methodological problems of intelligence tests, and their data were selective,” the paper informs the critics of the book.
The Roma advocacy group 1Hungary Initiative responded to Pokol’s post on its Facebook page. In their post they say that
the abominable statements are not only unscientific, but also hateful and deeply racist.
“The 1Hungary Initiative considers Béla Pokol’s statement on the intellect of Roma to be outrageous, racist and inciting. In the countries of the world, the manifestations of Béla Pokol are not only condemned and considered shameful, but also have serious consequences. Not only ethical, but even legal consequences”
– writes the NGO, whose conviction is that a scientist is minimally expected to see and interpret the world, various events, phenomena and trends in its complexity. If Béla Pokol had acted in this way, it would have had an enlightening effect on him and on the other Nazis – which the enlightened part of the world has known for a long time – that there is no difference between the intellects of different nations – states 1Hungary, adding, “as just as there is no difference between the intellectual performance of women and men”.
“Béla Pokol does not consider Gypsyness to be a nation-building factor for Hungarians. Moreover, it symbolically expels us from the national body. The incriminated post of the former constitutional judge is not only unscientific, unethical and racist, but also factually unconstitutional. Such open exclusion of the Roma recalls the era of fascism, when they scientifically “proved” the truth of their efforts to exterminate inferior races. We know, don’t we: everything starts with words…”
– in the post of 1Hungary, Pokol draws attention to the scientifically proven fact that a well-functioning and successful society requires a modern, opportunity-giving, disadvantage-reducing, integrated education system – which is lacking in today’s Hungary. They also demand that he publicly apologize and follow up with the Roma people.
“After such a disgraceful statement, this is the minimum! It’s never too late to learn, to admit our mistakes and shameful mistakes!”
The Roma Press Center is also on its Facebook page reacted For Hell’s post:
A as a result of its operation, up to a quarter of the cases false, incorrect information is presented as fact The constitutional lawyer, who was awarded the highest state award on March 15, apparently likes to use ChatGPT. In a Facebook group dedicated to this, called “ChatGPT-Explorations”, he has been posting his answers to the program’s questions on a wide variety of topics several times a day in recent months.
Some of the topics: right-wing influencer ladies, encouraging school-aged children to become transgender, Scythian-Hungarian kinship.
In the mentioned Facebook group, you can still find Béla Pokol’s previous post entitled “Average IQ of peoples and their development potential”, in which the former constitutional judge also gives a lecture on the above topic based on the program’s answers.
We can get out of trouble with HUF 10 million.
If you join in, we can collect the first million sooner!
Can you help me?
Cover photo: MTI Photo: Zsolt Szigetváry
What are the implications of Béla Pokol’s recent Facebook post for the relationship between the Hungarian government and the Roma community?
Table of Contents
Former Constitutional Judge Béla Pokol’s Racist Facebook Post Sparks Outrage among Roma Civilians
A recent Facebook post by former Hungarian constitutional judge Béla Pokol has sparked widespread outrage among Roma civilians and advocacy groups. Pokol, who was appointed by the Fidesz majority in 2011 and completed his mandate last year, made a racist and hateful statement arguing that Hungary is a genius nation and that even Gypsies with lower intelligence due to biological reasons cannot beat the Hungarian average [[1]].
In his now-deleted post, Pokol claimed that the Indian origin of Gypsies brought an IQ of 82, which created a reduction in Hungary’s total IQ average of 99. This statement is not only unscientific but also deeply racist and hateful. The 1Hungary Initiative, a Roma advocacy group, responded to Pokol’s post, stating that such abominable statements are devoid of all science and have serious consequences, not only ethical but also legal [[2]].
Pokol’s post was based on incorrect information extracted from the ChatGPT web artificial intelligence service, which is known to present false and incorrect information up to a quarter of the time [[3]]. The information was derived from a book written by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen, published two decades ago, which has received widespread criticism for attempting to prove that GDP is simply a consequence of IQ. The book’s methodology has been questioned, and its data have been deemed selective.
The Roma advocacy group 1Hungary Initiative has demanded that Pokol publicly apologize and make amends with the Roma people. They have also emphasized the need for a well-functioning and successful society that requires a modern, opportunity-giving, disadvantage-reducing, integrated education system, which is currently lacking in Hungary [[2]].
Pokol’s post has been widely condemned, with many considering it to be a form of hate speech that recalls the era of fascism. The Roma Press Center has also reacted to Pokol’s post, expressing outrage and disappointment at the former constitutional judge’s statements.
This incident highlights the dangers of using unverified information from artificial intelligence sources and the importance of promoting inclusive and respectful discourse. It also emphasizes the need for education systems that promote critical thinking and respect for diversity.
References:
<a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/PokolB%C3%A9la”>[1] Pokol Béla – Wikipedia
[2] Roma civilek reagáltak Pokol Béla ex-alkotmánybíró ChatGPT-n alapuló rasszista okfejtésére – Merce.hu
<a href="https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/10429/ssoar-2005-pokol-jogelmelettarsadalomtudomanyitrilogiaii.pdf?sequence=1&is
What scientific evidence contradicts Béla Pokol’s claims about the intelligence of the Roma community?
The Outrageous Racism of Béla Pokol: A Scientifically Unfounded and Hateful Attack on the Roma Community
Recently, former Hungarian constitutional judge Béla Pokol sparked outrage with a racist Facebook post that perpetuated harmful stereotypes about the Roma community. In his post, Pokol argued that Hungary is a genius nation and that even Roma people with lower intelligence due to biological reasons cannot beat the Hungarian average IQ of 99. This statement is not only devoid of scientific basis but also hateful and deeply racist.
Pokol’s claims are based on a book written by Richard Lynn and Tatu Vanhanen, published two decades ago, which attempted to find a relationship between IQ and economic level of countries [[3]]. However, this book has been widely criticized for its methodological problems, selective data, and failure to consider historical and social causes of economic differences [[3]].
The Roma advocacy group 1Hungary Initiative responded to Pokol’s post, calling it “outrageous, racist, and inciting” [[1]]. They pointed out that Pokol’s statement is not only unscientific but also hateful and unconstitutional. The group emphasized that a well-functioning society requires a modern, opportunity-giving, and disadvantage-reducing education system, which is lacking in today’s Hungary.
Pokol’s post is not only an attack on the Roma community but also a reflection of a broader problem of racism and discrimination in Hungary. It is essential to recognize that such hateful statements have serious consequences, both ethical and legal. As the 1Hungary Initiative stated, “everything starts with words…” [[1]].
This incident is not an isolated event. It is part of a broader trend of racism and discrimination against marginalized communities. As Gavin Evans notes in his book “Skin Deep: Journeys in the Divisive Science of Race,” race is a social construct with no scientific basis [[3]]. It is essential to recognize that there is no difference between the intellects of different nations or between the intellectual performance of women and men.
Pokol’s post is a clear example of how racism and discrimination can be perpetuated through harmful stereotypes and misinformation. It is essential to stand against such hateful statements and to promote a society that values equality, justice, and human dignity.
References:
