Wednesday, April 15, 2009

He's Speaking, Of Course,


Not About intelligence, but rather about the difference in test scores between the Rich and the Poor: How to Raise Our I.Q. I'm a fan of Nicholas Kristof; he knows a lot about a lot of places in the world that few people visit. He studies things - uncommon these days. He thinks about things - well-nigh unheard of in these days of Cable "News". Like so many, however, he has mistaken I. Q. Test Scores for actual Intelligence. In an article from the very same NY Times, almost two years ago, that I somehow managed to save; Joseph Berger (This Is a Test. Results May Vary) does a lot to shred the myths that have given rise to Test-O-Mania not only in the US but around the world.
As they say in Texas (an otherwise benighted state); "You don't fatten a calf by weighing it." (Thanks, Molly Ivins).
An interesting check to see if Rich vs. Poor actually has anything to do with I.Q. might be to repeat the I.Q. Tests on the hosts of now Poor and Stupid who were until recently Rich and Smart. I speak here, of course, of the Wizards Of Wall Street (and other participants in the loot-and-plunder schemes now unravelling). Did they lose IQ points along with their fortunes? Did they suddenly become stupid?
Or were they always stupid, blessed only with an ability to substitute "Innovative Financial Instruments" for reality? And, of course, to successfully Fill In The Box on the Answer Sheet.

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