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> Half the population has an IQ below 100 I'm going to quote a junior high school mate, because what he said nearly 25 years ago still rings true. For backgrou

by bostik 9y ago

> Half the population has an IQ below 100 I'm going to quote a junior high school mate, because what he said nearly 25 years ago still rings true. For background: Finland has mandatory conscription military service. Every year you get an honest cross-cut of the entire population. The sentence you used highlights a real fact, but it leaves it without context. What I'm going to say next is guaranteed to be both insensitive and politically incorrect, but I believe it has to be said. As my mate said: If you think about the "average" person, with an IQ of 100, you should also realise just how dumb that person appears to you. Sit down and take a deep breath. Half the population is, by definition, dumber than that. While in the military service, I learned this the hard way. I saw enough people who had trouble tying their showlaces, let alone the ability to hold a constructive argument. And like everyboby else in the military, everyone of them was given an assault rifle and live ammunition within 96 hours of starting their service. That gives a whole new meaning to fear. The only thing separating some these individuals from Gomer Pyle[0] was the lack of psychosis. (When I became a medic, I met those too. We had to provide them with hard prescription drugs to keep them subdued and maintain a suicide watch to make sure they could be escorted safely out the next day.) I can say with honesty that the military service recalibrated my view of humanity. And it's not pretty. 0: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093058/

noobermin 9y ago
I get it, military service is a particularly exceptional service because of the sampling is wide and all that, but it's not like anyone over the age of 20 hasn't met all sorts of people in general. Also, I get what you're saying, but every time I hear these sorts of things, alarm sirens in my head off and a refrain "confirmation bias" is blasted on repeat. The whole "half of people dumber than the median" doesn't really bother me as much as it does other people, especially since IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person.
- copperx 9y ago
  > IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person It does become important if you're hiring, looking for a friend or romantic partner, or if you're going to be under that person's authority.
  - projektir 9y ago
    You don't ask your dates to take an IQ test, do you?
    - icantdrive55 9y ago
      Could you imagine. The lights are low. The Merlot glass is half filled. And she is filling out IQ test. Oh boy. By the way, I've known two people who belonged to Menza. One is homeless, and the other is a a Cop who had one desire in life; be a Detective. Well that never happened, and he now wears a Cowboy getup, and mutters to himself in thrift stores. Oh yea, he was the worst cop, and an awful person. I did see him figure out a Rubix Cube. He did tell me one thing about IQ tests. They can be studied for, and it took him seven years to get in.
  - Turing_Machine 9y ago
    So you'd prefer Ted Bundy or Ted Kaczynski as a romantic partner? :-) While it may be important to you to have an intellectual match as a romantic partner, there are many other factors involved for most people. Empathy is very important to many, along with, yes, physical attractiveness and financial security.
- zo1 9y ago
  >"The whole "half of people dumber than the median" doesn't really bother me as much as it does other people, especially since IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person." It should, because criminal behavior is correlated with IQ: http://law.jrank.org/pages/1365/Intelligence-Crime-Explaining-IQ-crime-correlation.html http://law.jrank.org/pages/1365/Intelligence-Crime-Explainin...
  - ZeroGravitas 9y ago
    That might be due to some some high IQ folk deciding it was more profitable for them to delay removing lead from paint and gasoline. The brain damage they caused with lead not only lowers IQ but increases compulsiveness and correlates with crime when the exposed child reaches the peak years for criminal behaviour. The question then arises whether the criminality is the fault of the poisoner or the poisoned.

by bostik 9y ago

noobermin 9y ago

I get it, military service is a particularly exceptional service because of the sampling is wide and all that, but it's not like anyone over the age of 20 hasn't met all sorts of people in general. Also, I get what you're saying, but every time I hear these sorts of things, alarm sirens in my head off and a refrain "confirmation bias" is blasted on repeat. The whole "half of people dumber than the median" doesn't really bother me as much as it does other people, especially since IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person.

copperx 9y ago
> IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person It does become important if you're hiring, looking for a friend or romantic partner, or if you're going to be under that person's authority.
- projektir 9y ago
  You don't ask your dates to take an IQ test, do you?
  - icantdrive55 9y ago
    Could you imagine. The lights are low. The Merlot glass is half filled. And she is filling out IQ test. Oh boy. By the way, I've known two people who belonged to Menza. One is homeless, and the other is a a Cop who had one desire in life; be a Detective. Well that never happened, and he now wears a Cowboy getup, and mutters to himself in thrift stores. Oh yea, he was the worst cop, and an awful person. I did see him figure out a Rubix Cube. He did tell me one thing about IQ tests. They can be studied for, and it took him seven years to get in.
- Turing_Machine 9y ago
  So you'd prefer Ted Bundy or Ted Kaczynski as a romantic partner? :-) While it may be important to you to have an intellectual match as a romantic partner, there are many other factors involved for most people. Empathy is very important to many, along with, yes, physical attractiveness and financial security.
zo1 9y ago
>"The whole "half of people dumber than the median" doesn't really bother me as much as it does other people, especially since IQ often isn't what I care about when evaluating a person." It should, because criminal behavior is correlated with IQ: http://law.jrank.org/pages/1365/Intelligence-Crime-Explaining-IQ-crime-correlation.html http://law.jrank.org/pages/1365/Intelligence-Crime-Explainin...
- ZeroGravitas 9y ago
  That might be due to some some high IQ folk deciding it was more profitable for them to delay removing lead from paint and gasoline. The brain damage they caused with lead not only lowers IQ but increases compulsiveness and correlates with crime when the exposed child reaches the peak years for criminal behaviour. The question then arises whether the criminality is the fault of the poisoner or the poisoned.