October 2, 2005

The iSteve.com Bad Bet Service adds a Moral Preening option

When John Tierney's NYT's op-ed column was taken out of free distribution, I saw a market niche opening up, so I announced the iSteve.com Bad Bet Service. In the tradition of that fellow named Matthew Simmons who got his new "Twilight in the Desert" peak oil book an entire NYT op-ed column's worth of publicity by betting Tierney $5,000 that oil would cost over $200 per barrel in 2010, I am pleased to accept any bet with the odds rigged hideously in my favor in return for my publicizing our wager on iSteve.com.

Now, in the wake of the Bill Bennett Brouhaha, I'm proud to announce a new use for my Bad Bet Service: moral preening. I've noticed that in online discussions of why Bennett's statement was evil, the more rational of Bennett's critics have been forced fall back through three stages of accusation:

- "Bennett advocated genocide of blacks!"

- "Well, okay, he was actually speaking out against aborting blacks, but he still implied that blacks have a higher crime rate!"

- "Well, I guess, [cough, mumble] blacks do have a higher crime rate, but Bennett was still evil because he assumed that the generation of blacks just now being conceived will have a higher crime rate when they grow up in 20 years and [triumphantly] that's WRONG!

So, I'm offering each and every critic of Bennett a chance to prove to the world what a morally superior anti-racist you are by putting your money where your mouth is. You can loudly bet me a large amount of money that you believe that in 2025 young African-Americans will have a per capita violent crime rate (according to U.S. government statistics) no higher than young white Americans. I will publicize your wager. For 20 years, you will get to boast that you are a true believer in racial equality, as shown by your having bet real money against evil old me. Of course, in 20 years, I will win the bet and take your money out of the escrow account, but just think of all the status-seeking points you will score in the meantime!

E-mail me now with your bets! What do you have to lose (besides your money)?


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

No comments: