September 11, 2006

"Caucasoid Phenotypic Variation"

is a great photographic post at the Racial Realities blog, following up on a technique developed by Dienekes. It shows composite averaged pictures of World Cup soccer players from 13 different European national teams and 3 Middle Eastern ones (immigrants and hired mercenaries are excluded). Yes, the Dutch look slightly different from the Brits and Iranians quite a bit different from Saudis, all in predictable ways..

Here are the original pictures of the individual footballers. Averaging does a lot to improve their looks! For such healthy young men, soccer players seem like a pretty motley crew. (Wayne Rooney, this means you.) Perhaps getting kicked in the face with soccer balls all the time doesn't do much for your facial symmetry?

Comparing the two sets of pictures is a good way to see how much diversity in looks there is within nationalities and how yet there still exist stereotypical differences between nationalities. This illustrates how Lewontin's 85-15 Paradox doesn't say what the old Marxist-Leninist wants it to way -- yes, there is much diversity within racial groups, yet differences between groups on average (even between national groups within the same continental-scale race) are still meaningful.

My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer

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