Gene writes:

<<
There are also wonderful resources hidden away in books; the problem is
identifying the few good ones among all the trash.  Something we could
do to help the bright students stuck in lousy schools is to prepare
reading lists of good books and post them on the internet.  The lists
should include politically incorrect material, not only because much
that is scientifically correct is politically incorrect, but also
because then the schools might then try to have the lists banned, and
that would generate publicity that no amount of money could buy.
>>

I'm totally in favor of trying to improve the education of T.C. MITS (the common (hu)man in the street) and like the direction Gene's thought are running in.

I am strongly against trying to maintain political correctness merely for the sake of not offending anyone.

But let us suppose that, repeatedly, unbiased and well-performed studies of individuals of group A (e.g., an ethnicity or gender) showed them to be statistically less innately able to do task X than individuals not in group A. 

Perhaps that would be interesting information, but it strikes me as something that could far more likely do more harm than good if widely publicized. 

In particular, it would prejudice the easily-prejudiced (and that includes a lot of people) against anyone of group A, despite the fact that a very large number of group A may be vastly well-qualified at task X.

                               *                            *                             *

And I'm against "demonizing" plutonium or anything else, yet it is a very dangerous substance (I've heard convincing claims that a millionth of an ounce of Pu in one's lungs is virtually certain to cause lung cancer within 20 years).  And as of about 1980, there were about 20 pounds of the stuff unaccounted for from our stockpiles of nuclear material.  Now, with the breakup of the U.S.S.R. and Iraq behind us, who knows how much more is also unaccounted for.

Without "demonizing" anything, I am realistically concerned that some rogue individuals or groups would gladly accumulate dangerous materials and use them to harm innocent people.  And even non-rogue individuals are susceptible to bribes, threats, and simple mistakes.

--Dan