Hjernevask

Not often you can have a good look at what biology has to say on a lot of social issues at once. This is a great documentary, especially for those who are studying social studies and unfortunately have their world view shaped by what they study.

I thought the male/female stuff was the most convincing and having looked into this myself the evidence for that stuff is MUCH more solid, so the episodes "the female/male paradox", "violence", and "sex" are the most robust scientifically speaking. While I like the overall Idea of injecting biology into all these topics, it must be said that the evidence for these topics varies TREMENDOUSLY. The sex and violence as biological affinities that are relevant to gender are almost natural laws equivalent to gravity at this point. On the other hand some of the later episodes rely on much flimsier stats(such as the gay one), and while I don't disagree with the premise, its easy to get misguided in thinking that because the previous topic is so robust, that the following one will also be of the same standard.

Technically, it is unimpressive and quite dull to be honest, and that's the only reason I give it a 9 instead of a 10.

This series goes into details on many touchy subjects, without taboo. This is highly recommended. It is crazy the amount of political correctness that seems to curtail real research in political science. One can an almost stats to think that the "science" political science has been completely circumcised.

If this series has one fault it is that it was made in Norwegian. Shocking isn't it that the entire world doesn't speak English? Actually, most of it does, and apart from the subtitles there are snatches in the lingua franca of the Universe, including the soundtrack, which is not too surprising as presenter Harald Eia visits both England and the USA. In the latter he meets for example researcher Judith Rich Harris. So what is it about? Gender studies – a subject it takes a comedian to explain, although really it is no laughing matter.

The second episode asks how much of an individual's achievement is nature, and how much is nurture through the lens of the parental effect. This is a question that is difficult if not impossible to answer. The best we can do is ensure all kids get the best possible start in life, and more controversially discourage those who have "bad genes" from breeding. The second of those options is not discussed here.

The third programme is far from the most controversial but is certainly the most humorous: can you recognise a homosexual, and is homosexuality nature or nurture? The answer is yes and no. Unsurprisingly, Harald gets different answers in Los Angeles from his native land regardless of the brainwashing that has become associated with Scandinavia in all things related to sex and race. Strangely he doesn't cover bisexuals here.

Episode 4 concerns violence. Is this a cultural thing? Certainly different things provoke violence in different cultures. Insults to the Prophet Muhammad aren't likely to cause riots in Japan. We see the famous "asshole experiment" that purports to document temperamental differences between those living in the North and the South of the United States; fortunately, this was carried out in the gun-free zone of a university corridor. The big issue here is the startlingly different rates of violence between men and women; the idiot social(ist) scientist from Scandinavia, a female of course, believes this is all due to culture. Steven Pinker thinks otherwise.

Episode 5 is called "Sex" – hey, the Norwegian word is the same as ours. For those of us the wrong side of fifty, well, the wrong side of sixty actually, sob, the suggestion that social mores have changed radically in the space of less than half a century is not a suggestion at all. Leaving aside the elevation of sexual perversion, in particular homosexuality, it is true that women in particular are much freer with their sexual favours than they used to be, at least for men with good looks, deep pockets, and other alpha qualities. Is it really true though that men and women are the same psychologically when it comes to sex? This is what one of those Norwegian egalitarian idiots claims, ie all culture, no biology.

We hear some impressive statistics about Jewish intelligence, but how intelligent can they really be if they don't understand why so many people hate them? Seriously, that subject is suitable for another programme, one about political mischief-makers and agenda-driven special interest groups. All the same, Harald was going out on a limb to interview Richard Lynn. Charles Murray was not so bad.

Episode 6 was always going to be the most controversial due to the hysteria it always provokes in those of a leftist mentality while almost everyone else goes along with it terrified of being branded "racist". First port of call after a dog show is SOS Racism in Norway where one of these idiots tells Harald race does not exist. The usual dishonest tactic is to equate race with skin colour, but this has never washed. All dogs belong to one species as do all humans, which is what we are: the human species, not the human race.

The seventh and final episode concerns gender, and like episode 2 covers the nature/nurture debate with a heavy emphasis on homosexuality. The Norwegian academic idiots insist this is purely a cultural/environmental thing. It is difficult to argue with such idiocy, but as these people deny the existence of race, denying gender and even sex is the next logical if bizarre step.

Unsurprisingly the Nazis are dragged in, especially when any reference is made to homosexuality. The strict nurture position is refuted in spectacular and tragic fashion when some unfortunate individuals are born with malformed genitalia and the wrong decision is made about how they should grow up. A famous case is discussed here.

Most of the time Eia can't resist laughing at his idiot countrypersons; he has also done the world a service by leading to the Government shutting down the Nordic Gender Institute.