Scripts for Julian Bond's Appearance on Saturday Night Live ("Black Perspective" and Monologue), 1977 April 9

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BLACK PERSPECTIVE - Garrett/Julian 1

(OPEN ON: GARRETT AND JULIAN IN BLACK PERSPECTIVES SET)

(SLIDE: BLACK PERSPECTIVE)

(MUSIC: )

GARRETT:

Good evening, and welcome to Black Perspective. I'm your host, Garett Morris. Tonight our guest is Mr. Julian Bond, and we'll be talking about the myths surrounding Black I.Q. Specifically, the myth that Whites are inherently more intelligent than Blacks.

JULIAN:

Good evening.

GARRETT:

Now Julian, perhaps you could explain something to me. In all these studies comparing Black I.Q. to White I.Q., what kind of test is used to measure I.Q.s in the first place?

JULIAN:

Well, this is the major problem with these studies. The measurements of I.Q. which form the basis of comparison come from tests composed by Whites for Whites. The

(MORE)

BLACK PERSPECTIVE (CONTD) 2

JULIAN: (Contd)

tests are culturally bound; it's not surprising that Whites would score better than Blacks.

GARRETT:

Could you give us an example of what you're talking about?

JULIAN:

Certainly; here are some questions that have appeared on recent I.Q. tests. Number one: "You have been invited over for cocktails by the officer of your trust fund. Cocktails begin at 4:30, but you must make an appearance at a 6:00 pre-cotillion dinner party. What do you do about dress? A. Wear your blue seersucker suit to cocktails and change into your tuxedo in the bathroom, apologizing to your host for the inconvenience. B. Wear your tuxedo to cocktails, apologizing to your host for wearing a dinner jacket before 6:00 P.M. C. Walk to the subway at Columbus Circle and take the "A" Train uptown.

GARRETT:

Uh, I guess I'd choose the last one.

BLACK PERSPECTIVE (CONTD) 3

JULIAN:

I'm sorry, that's incorrect.

GARRETT:

Damn.

JULIAN:

Here's another: "When waxing your skis for a cross-country run, you should ...

GARRETT:

INTERRUPTING) Well, I think I understand the problem with the tests. But the fact is that people have been saying that White people are smarter than Blacks for hundreds of years. We've only had I.Q. tests for twenty or thirty years. How did the idea of white intellectual superiority originate?

JULIAN:

That's an interesting point. My own theory is that it's based on the fact that light-skinned Blacks are smarter than dark-skinned Blacks.

GARRETT:

Say what?

BLACK PERSPECTIVE (CONTD) 4

JULIAN:

I said I think it might have grown out of the observation that lightskinned Blacks are smarter than dark-skinned Blacks.

GARRETT:

I don't get it.

JULIAN:

It's got nothing to do with having White blood. It's just that descendants of the lighter-skinned African tribes are more intelligent than the descendants of the darker-skinned tribes. Everybody knows that.

GARRETT:

This is the first I've heard of it.

JULIAN:

Seriously? It was proven a long time ago.

GARRETT:

Well, I still don't quite understand. We're out of time right now, but perhaps you could come back on the show again and explain it further.

BLACK PERSPECTIVE (CONTD) 5

JULIAN:

There's very little to explain, it's just like I told you.

GARRETT:

Well, we are out of time. Good night ...

(TO JULIAN)

If you could repeat it just once more ... (THEME DROWNS OUT REST OF GARRETT'S SPEECH. SLIDE APPEARS)

(SLIDE: BLACK PERSPECTIVE)

(GARREETT IS STILL SITTING WITH A PUZZLED EXPRESSION, TALKING WITH JULIAN)