Photo of the Week

In keeping with my promise to post some of my favourite photos I thought I would include the 1936 olympic snapshot of Jesse Owens decimating the "superior"Aryan competition during the German olympics. This image is amazing for this history it evokes as all of Hitler's assurances that the Aryans were physically and socially superior to all races was completely disproved. Owen's victory is also remembered for the amount of controversy it caused as it sparked an investigation by scientists and researchers who were determined to find a genetic factor or reason exclusive to "black" races that accounted for their superiority in athletics. Such explanations varied from the unabashedly racist, arguing that it is because the blacks are naturally more primitive and it wasn't too long ago that the ability to run and jump was necessary for survival, to biological explanations where "blacks" have more muscle in their legs which gives them an unfair advantage. Each explanation is ludicrous as you don't see scientist investigating genetic anomalies in Australians for their dominance in swimming events or scandinavians for their victories in skiing events. Regardless, the image below is iconic and is a part of our historical narrative.