The Bell Curve and Racial Discourse in Modern Commentary

Publication and Central Claims of The Bell Curve

• In 1994, Charles Murray and Richard Hernstein co-authored The Bell Curve, an extremely controversial book centered on racial differences in intelligence and socio-economic outcomes.
• The book claims that, on average, certain races are smarter and more likely to succeed than others.
• Charles Murray and Richard Hernstein also suggest that a lack of critical intelligence explains the prominence of violent crime in poor African American communities.

Related Public Commentary and the Non-Black Talk

• Charles Murray and Richard Hernstein are not the only people who hold these perspectives regarding race, intelligence, and crime.
• In 2012, a writer, journalist, and political commentator named John Derbyshire authored an article on similar themes.
• John Derbyshire's 2012 article was written to serve as a nonblack version of "the talk" that many Black parents routinely have to give their children today to offer advice on how to stay safe.