Fake "Criminology Research" Underlies Woke Ideology

"Trust the Science"... again?

A surprising piece of news from The Florida Standard (archive link) reports that several foundational criminology studies authored by Prof. Eric Stewart of Florida State University have been retracted amid accusations of faking data to support conclusions desired by the authors.

https://www.theflstandard.com/fsu-criminology-professor-abruptly-leaves-after-accusations-of-cooking-race-data/

Prof. Stewart authored several criminology studies that were later retracted due to findings of data faking. You can examine these retractions on RetractionWatch.

Prof Stewart’s articles are as follows:

• A Legacy of Lynchings: Perceived Black Criminal Threat Against Whites

• Lynchings, racial threat, and whites’ punitive views against blacks

• Ethnic threat and social control: examining public support for judicial use of ethnicity in punishment

• The Social Context of Criminal Threat, Victim Race, and Punitive Black and Latino Sentiment

• The Social Context of Latino Threat and Punitive Latino Sentiment

The sample “findings” (below) in one of Prof. Stewart’s retracted studies are foundational for important concepts of “woke ideology.” Specifically, he shows punitive racism to be inherent to White respondents:

I am aware that racism is real, as several people (out of very many I met and spoke to) shared their racist beliefs with me in the past. Similarly, I know that antisemitism is real also, as some people shared their dislike of Jews with me as well (I am a Jew). But how common are such beliefs?

Fortunately, the history of retracted articles by Prof. Stewart encourages us that such racism is NOT prevalent! Eric Stewart had to fake data to support his contention that punitive racism is pervasive among White respondents.

The Florida Standard explains:

The study tested if the public’s prejudicial views impacted their desire for harsher sentences for black and hispanic Americans. The published findings were that as black and hispanic populations grew, so did the public’s want for more discriminatory sentences. Except – Pickett discovered – this was not the case.

In the original data, no relationship was found between growing minority populations and demands for increased sentences. If anything, Pickett pointed out, it was quite the opposite.

Pickett found that their sample size somehow had increased from 500 to over 1,000 respondents, the counties polled had decreased from 326 to 91, and the data was altered to the point of mathematical impossibility.

Were Prof. Stewart’s articles harmless? Did they have any consequences?

Unfortunately, far from being harmless, the fake findings of pervasive racism exacerbated racial enmity and radicalized many people. This video (Twitter blocks embeds on Substack) shows an example, out of many, of violence, provoked by such unnecessary radicalization. Twitter commenters cheer the beating of a defenseless woman.

Could these persons resolve their disagreements without violence? Yes, they could, had they not been radicalized by Prof. Stewart and many others in furtherance of the political goals of their sponsors.

Woke Ideology’s Foundational Beliefs

As hard as it is for many people to describe “what a woman is,” it is similarly difficult for others to describe what is “woke ideology.” I jokingly suggest that “you are woke if you cannot define what a woman is.”

Jokes aside, without getting bogged down by definitions, I must point out that woke ideology centers around a left-wing conspiracy theory about “pervasive inequities” and evil lurking in the hearts of regular white or cisgender people. To the followers of these crazy conspiratorial ideas, such imaginary evil thoughts must be stomped out via cancel culture, disinformation committees, and other punitive measures.

A large body of “science” was created by Prof. Stewart and many similarly-minded academics that appeared to provide scientific support to such left-wing conspiracy theories.

Fortunately, the story of retractions and fake data that Prof. Stewart needed to fabricate to come up with his unwarranted conclusions shows that most people have good intentions and good hearts.

Not all people are perfect; some seem to be consumed by hate; dislike of those not similar to us, groupthink, and ethnocentrism are far from rare - but they are not pervasive or defining of who we are.

I hope that all of us will be fair and polite to all people of all races and genders. I am fortunate and proud to live in the United States, which strives to be an increasingly more perfect Union - and where all people are created equal. As we evolve, the definition of equality expands. I would not want to live in a country consumed by hate or racism — and I am very glad that I live in a mostly fair and even-keeled society, as the retractions of Prof. Stewart's articles show.

Nobody should vilify regular people who want to pursue happiness and live in harmony and safety. Fake studies that ascribe evil motives to large groups of people, and encourage hate and radicalism, do not help with that.

What do you think?