>Old white man raised in the American South makes me think he's likely to have a bunch of racist attitudes, and that those might leak into his science.

Judging people based on their place of birth and skin colour... I feel like there's a word for that...

> Judging people based on their place of birth and skin colour... I feel like there's a word for that...

Only if you're not the right color ;)

As the other reply helpfully demonstrated.

Yes, that's called "prejudice" and not the word you're thinking of.

Prejudice based on skin colour and place of origin? That is precisely the definition of the word they're thinking of.

> "prejudice"

... and that makes it ok?

> Old white man raised in the American South makes me think he's likely to have a bunch of racist attitudes.

So, he is likely racist because he was born in a certain place and time. Doesn't that notion itself seem racist?

Yes, he might have been. But it is not kind to say someone was "maybe bad" (everybody is "maybe bad" after all), without stronger grounds to stand on.

"I haven't read Dr. Zhivago, but I feel obligated to condemn"