5 ms·

So in other words, it is not responsible to ever use the word "smart" in a headline?

by jeff18 15y ago

aresant 15y ago
The first paragraph of the article is in conflict with the headline: "The positive effects were seen only in older siblings, not in younger ones." So the headline is false. Your "kids" won't be smarter. But maybe the older one will be. Then the rest of the article just fills space. It's linkbait, which is my expectation with anything from Freakonomics. My problem is that their headlines are disseminated as gospel and repeated verbatim thousands or millions of times, until that headline becomes a truth. And winds up in a parenting book. And causes somebody to make a decision based on false data. Maybe I have too active an imagination, but this just gets under my skin.
- billpatrianakos 15y ago
  Your imagination is just fine. My mind went there too! This is just an entertainment fluff piece. I think I'm spending too much time on HN as I'm starting to feel like a lot of crap is getting on the front page. Who can I blame but the people who submit and then up vote it. So if that's who is to blame then maybe HN is getting diluted. or maybe I'm becoming elitist? Or I'd better get off here for a but and find something to do :)
- eric-hu 15y ago
  So to update the headline to your (very reasonable) criteria: "Study: Oldest children test scores higher when 2+ years older"
MartinCron 15y ago
It may be more responsible to use more exact terms like "academic performance" or "test scores" in headlines. Personally, I find all of the focus on doing things to make one's children "smart" to be kind of creepy.
- billpatrianakos 15y ago
  I don't find it creepy at all. Some people can obsess and that's not cool. My family always placed a high importance on intelligence. Not grades or test scores but real intelligence and thirst for knowledge. So when I'm ready to make some kids I really want them to be smart and I know I'll end up putting a lot of effort into making sure they are more intelligent than I am and then everyone else as much as I can without hurting the kid or giving him a complex.
  - MartinCron 15y ago
    There is a difference between what your family did and the deluge of plastic toys that play 8 bars of Mozart with the promise of making your children smarter. Go shopping for infant toys sometime, you will see what I mean.

So in other words, it is not responsible to ever use the word "smart" in a headline?

by jeff18 15y ago

So in other words, it is not responsible to ever use the word "smart" in a headline?

The first paragraph of the article is in conflict with the headline: "The positive effects were seen only in older siblings, not in younger ones." So the headline is false. Your "kids" won't be smarter. But maybe the older one will be. Then the rest of the article just fills space. It's linkbait, which is my expectation with anything from Freakonomics. My problem is that their headlines are disseminated as gospel and repeated verbatim thousands or millions of times, until that headline becomes a truth. And winds up in a parenting book. And causes somebody to make a decision based on false data. Maybe I have too active an imagination, but this just gets under my skin.

billpatrianakos 15y ago
Your imagination is just fine. My mind went there too! This is just an entertainment fluff piece. I think I'm spending too much time on HN as I'm starting to feel like a lot of crap is getting on the front page. Who can I blame but the people who submit and then up vote it. So if that's who is to blame then maybe HN is getting diluted. or maybe I'm becoming elitist? Or I'd better get off here for a but and find something to do :)
eric-hu 15y ago
So to update the headline to your (very reasonable) criteria: "Study: Oldest children test scores higher when 2+ years older"

MartinCron 15y ago

It may be more responsible to use more exact terms like "academic performance" or "test scores" in headlines. Personally, I find all of the focus on doing things to make one's children "smart" to be kind of creepy.

billpatrianakos 15y ago
I don't find it creepy at all. Some people can obsess and that's not cool. My family always placed a high importance on intelligence. Not grades or test scores but real intelligence and thirst for knowledge. So when I'm ready to make some kids I really want them to be smart and I know I'll end up putting a lot of effort into making sure they are more intelligent than I am and then everyone else as much as I can without hurting the kid or giving him a complex.
- MartinCron 15y ago
  There is a difference between what your family did and the deluge of plastic toys that play 8 bars of Mozart with the promise of making your children smarter. Go shopping for infant toys sometime, you will see what I mean.