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Why should this surprise anyone. There are Harvard graduates in prison. There are geniuses in prison.

oliwarner 9y ago
It shouldn't... But it does because people assume that every one of the the 2.3 million Americans in prison today are uneducated thugs. It's not a comforting prospect to think of them as our peers, or worse yet, having been in a better position than us before their incarceration.
- xxxdarrenxxx 9y ago
  School systems and prisons are constructs of society. Intelligence (which is not the same as knowledgeable, though strongly related) is a design by nature. There will be nice dumb people there will be nice smart people there will be not-so-nice dumb people there will be not-so-nice smart people Shades of gray is the name off the game that is the human race. Black and white thinking, assumptions, lack of objectiveness are brain traps. Anyone who is surprised by this, should take the surprise as a learning moment. People doing bad things to other people has often to do with a shortcoming of the part of the brain that handles empathy . In geek-speak: graphics still work, if your sound card is dead; It's a different part off the system. Active cognitive reasoning is largely done by the prefrontal cortex. Having one brain function operating less than ideal does not mean other functions automatically fail... On the contrary, blind people often develop better hearing skills, people with some forms off autism might lack social cue abilities, but own the average by a bit in systemic thinking. That said, I do welcome these things. Interpretations in general are a dangerous thing, and can lead to many misunderstandings and even bloodshed and war. Break the stigma, yes please. If one really wants to dissect this objectively: -age difference -underdog mentality -debating experience between teams -subject(s) at hand (do both teams have equal knowledge or interest in the specific matters for example) tldr; these things, when viewed objectively are not really complicated or weird.
superflit 9y ago
Genius does not equal honesty or good character.
- balabaster 9y ago
  "Honesty" and good character isn't enough to keep you out of prison unfortunately. You can be of exemplary moral character and still end up in prison if you decide to take on a cause that threatens the wrong people or the status quo. Let's take for example Chelsea Manning and also consider what would have happened to Edward Snowden if he'd been caught. So you can be a genius, you can stand for what's right and even if you're not on the wrong side of the law, something will be found or twisted to stop you being a threat. In the case of my example, in the name of national security.
- spraak 9y ago
  Being honest and of good character also doesn't mean you can't end up in prison.
  - Viliam1234 9y ago
    And dishonesty or bad character don't mean that you can't win a debate.
CamelCaseName 9y ago
Well sure, but I would assume that the Harvard debate team is also full of geniuses.. or at the very least, wealthy people with all the resources and access to top tier mentoring and coaching.

It shouldn't... But it does because people assume that every one of the the 2.3 million Americans in prison today are uneducated thugs. It's not a comforting prospect to think of them as our peers, or worse yet, having been in a better position than us before their incarceration.

xxxdarrenxxx 9y ago
School systems and prisons are constructs of society. Intelligence (which is not the same as knowledgeable, though strongly related) is a design by nature. There will be nice dumb people there will be nice smart people there will be not-so-nice dumb people there will be not-so-nice smart people Shades of gray is the name off the game that is the human race. Black and white thinking, assumptions, lack of objectiveness are brain traps. Anyone who is surprised by this, should take the surprise as a learning moment. People doing bad things to other people has often to do with a shortcoming of the part of the brain that handles empathy . In geek-speak: graphics still work, if your sound card is dead; It's a different part off the system. Active cognitive reasoning is largely done by the prefrontal cortex. Having one brain function operating less than ideal does not mean other functions automatically fail... On the contrary, blind people often develop better hearing skills, people with some forms off autism might lack social cue abilities, but own the average by a bit in systemic thinking. That said, I do welcome these things. Interpretations in general are a dangerous thing, and can lead to many misunderstandings and even bloodshed and war. Break the stigma, yes please. If one really wants to dissect this objectively: -age difference -underdog mentality -debating experience between teams -subject(s) at hand (do both teams have equal knowledge or interest in the specific matters for example) tldr; these things, when viewed objectively are not really complicated or weird.

superflit 9y ago

Genius does not equal honesty or good character.

balabaster 9y ago
"Honesty" and good character isn't enough to keep you out of prison unfortunately. You can be of exemplary moral character and still end up in prison if you decide to take on a cause that threatens the wrong people or the status quo. Let's take for example Chelsea Manning and also consider what would have happened to Edward Snowden if he'd been caught. So you can be a genius, you can stand for what's right and even if you're not on the wrong side of the law, something will be found or twisted to stop you being a threat. In the case of my example, in the name of national security.
spraak 9y ago
Being honest and of good character also doesn't mean you can't end up in prison.
- Viliam1234 9y ago
  And dishonesty or bad character don't mean that you can't win a debate.

CamelCaseName 9y ago

Well sure, but I would assume that the Harvard debate team is also full of geniuses.. or at the very least, wealthy people with all the resources and access to top tier mentoring and coaching.