COMMENTS
Don't be ashamed of your proud African ancestry! Embrace your Afro-Italian heritage!
"A problematic Semino paper is also cited, and two references are even surname analyses pertaining to "economic boundaries," which have nothing to do with genetics at all. Needless to say, none of this is reliable evidence for anything."
The Semino paper is *NOT* problematic, you just don't like the paper. It was even cited by Richards et al in his 2003 study on geneflow between East Africa and Arabia, read:
" There is also evidence from one sample (Semino et al. 1989) that in parts of Sicily, which was held by the Arabs between 8251091 A.D., haplogroups L1 and L2 amount to 4%."
Am. J. Hum. Genet., 72:1058-1064, 2003
Extensive Female-Mediated Gene Flow from Sub-Saharan Africa into Near Eastern Arab Populations
if the paper by Semino et al is so unreliable and problematic why was it still cited by calo and Semino et al? Are they too Nordicists and Afrocentrists, which is the slant you're using to boost your argument?
That Semino paper claims much more than just 4% admixture. Here it is quoted in Ghiani et al. 2004:
"Semino et al. [32] estimated that
African gene flow into Sicily ranged
between 10 and 34%."
When conclusions are being drawn based on those inflated figures, that's problematic.
It is not prudent at all to deliberately misinterpret genetic information or at least stubbornly assume that outdated genetic information is still viable in light of more recent and advanced genetic methodologies of study. Moreover, it is not wise for one to orient any form of genetic information toward any agenda that propagandizes false information (or at least information that is not well-analyzed or well-researched).
Granted, everyone has a bias (not exactly a revelation of gigantic proportions). Even objectivity can be classified as a bias based something quite logical: "the bias of no bias is a bias in of itself." Social reality dictates that if you are going to have a bias, then the least you can do is base it on reality and honesty. Some will retort that reality and truth are based on human perception, sensation, and interpretation. However, Sophistry is not exactly a form of philosophy that one should adamantly follow.
Granted, there is nothing wrong with having your own interpretation or perception of something. However, there is only one truth (little "t" truth and not capital "T" truth) in the world surrounded by billions of interpretations. Whether the interpretations enrich or diminish the value of the truth is up to the person providing the interpretation.
Of course, no one person knows the entire truth of everything that has transpired since the dawn of life and civilization. However, one can achieve a level of honesty and truthfulness that can be based on actual realistic processes that have occurred or are occurring presently. The truth, in essence, is something that exists whether people are perceptive of its overall existence or not (of course, the more cognizant a person is of the truth, the greater his/her ability to better understand things).
Anyway, one should never rely on genetic information wholeheartedly without comparing its content to other fields of study or at least verifying the information's overall validity in the context of realistic processes.
It is generally flawed (in terms of research) to rely completely (or more specifically, blindly) on genetics in order to understand the background of various populations. Genetics must be understood in conjunction with archaeology, anthropology, sociology, etc. in order for one to truly understand the roots and development of any specific populace.
In other words, you cannot state that a specific genetic marker constitutes admixture in a specific populace if the sociological, cultural, and historical data indicates the opposite. Just because genetics is a scientific field does not mean it does not make mistakes. Every field of science is a socially constructed entity. The social engineers of scientific fields are human beings. Therefore, mistakes will be made and will be found in all fields of study. However, mistakes are essential being that they allow people to better themselves and whatever they study. This is why it is important for one to u
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This is why it is important for one to understand that to make and correct mistakes are an essential part of life. However, to dwell on actual errors (proved through both compelling and conclusive evidence) and to re-package them as "truthful statements" is not good research (nor is it well-intentioned research).
To the owner of this blog, I thank you for providing information that is both interesting and honest.
Continue with the good work.
Later.
dude i met a sicilian guy named gaetano who looked exatly like dr zahi hawass! of course sicilians have north african and mid eastern in them ! and whats the problem with this? just take a map and see where sicily is located its no where near sweden or ireland! its closer to north africa! common sense here folks
By the same token: Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia is close to Lapp/Sami lands. Of course they have Asiatic/Mongoloid in them! And what's the problem with this? Just look at a map. Common sense here folks.
hey webmaster,
i wanted to drop you a line and thank you for your blog and resource pages. as an illustrator, i sometimes have trouble visualising the difference between ethnicities without photo reference, and doing searches for images of people based on race has in the past proved unfruitful. it's great to have a source of objective information that hasn't been censored by political-correct society's sidestepping of anything race related!
"dude i met a sicilian guy named gaetano who looked exatly like dr zahi hawass!"
No way! Gosh, how awful that must have been for you! Have you recovered yet?
Don't be ridiculous, blackman, read the study, and learn the truth, stop your afrocentrism mentality, stop convincing yourself that Italians are part black
Thank you webmaster, for doing such a fine job, I always knew we Italians were not part black or middle eastern, I always knew the exaggerated admixtures were blown out of proportion, but your studies show the truth to the world, and if they don't want to see this(maybe because of some personal agenda) then that's their problem
This site is very good and very objective . .as an Italian/Sicilian American I am SICK of the prejudice that arises from ignorance,ill-informed bias and racialism that HAS AFFECTED me personally and professionally; thus, closing doors for me because I become "stereotyped" not being truly "white" from that quarter and not being "ethnic" enough by the afro-centric side . . honestly my experience (albeit limited)is that one cannot tell another's race by the physical appearance -looks ARE deceiving . .I've seen nearly black caucasians and nearly lily white negroids . . . DNA is important but it is one's environment that impacts one's development NOT pseudo-science, nor economics- the rise of such groups like the Padans is simply a continuation of the pattern of the wealthy feeling threatened by and seeking a rationalization for why their fellow countrymen are poorer
which is truly an economic issue.
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