Thanks for posting this barbara, it's a more solid analysis.

I think that excellence of any kind, be it professional sports, theoretical physics or superb acting, all require a certain amount of intelligence.

Formulating theories about quantum physics, taking on a different identity or making a triple play all require very specific, albeit different, kinds of pattern recognition.

Furthermore, your point about separate indoctrination seems right on. I've meant plenty of intelligent conservatives (if only in intellect and not in practice) and plenty of dumb liberals (who, like you've said, just know how to regurgitate the right answers because of their indoctrination).

I have to disagree with you. If I hadn't taken an IQ test and been put in what was once called ALPHA and are now "gifted" classes, I wouldn't have nearly so satisfied with my experience in school and a lot of those adult things they pushed on me when I was a kid actually turned out to be (surprise!) pretty useful. It may have prevented me from making many friends outside of the gifted program, but it was well worth it and I actually was grateful for the separation in high school because the normal classes were a joke. Like watching Barney in slow motion.

Just for shits and giggles, do a Wikipedia search referencing the Latin word
for the number 6 in your avatar name. The classic Romans of antiquity spelled
the number 6 by envisioning the anatomical form of a human by it's clock
position. Clue: The Latin word is so cognate to the English word, people often
use the Lain spelling as slang for It. Though it doesn't even make it to a 4 letter
word, since you're a mom, it should put a smile on your face.

My high school had a lot of very bright overachievers who scored 95
and above consistently in the New York regents tests, We had excellent
teachers as nuns, but they made an exception and allowed a protestant
lady teacher who was worthless in to conduct the elementary & intermediate
algebra classes. It was such a joke because the valdictorians and
saluditorians were all seated in the front row seats,and the so called
instructor would nearly exclusively address her questions to them, and
ignore any eye contact and questioning the people in the back seats. I liked
algebra a lot because being a High Q er, I was intrigued with the problem
solving higher brain function aspects of the homework. But neither the book
she chose for us to read or she herself were very communicative. I was a
language major, so I should have done well in those subjects of elementary
and intermediate algebra/trigometry. Yet I had to obtain a tutor, and pay him
with my paper route earnings over an extended time to bring my grades up
from D s to A s. I even had to go to Summer school at the public high school,
where the male teacher there more resembled her boring, unenthusiastic,
robotic methods when my tutor wasn't availble. We would have benefited
greatly from being classified according to our I. Q. scores. And having smaller
classes. Having 50 people in an hour class was very distracting. Though our
school standards were higher than the regents State standards, we were
graded on a curve. Yet I still scored 90 % to 100 % in all my regents test scores,
once I paid for a private teacher to compensate for the BS. And my regents
scores in elementary and intermediate algebra were mid 90s too. My brain is
wired differently than the average person. New York State also did formal testing,
and I ranked as bright normal even though due to yet other difficult circumstances
such as having to walk long distances through a Siberian Express when the
wind chill after insomnia the night before I was half asleep during most of it.

Ha ! Very fun . I would have spelled it out , but I was trying to be subtle . Very clever of you . ; ) I have had that name so long , I had almost forgotten . My oldest , dear friend gave it to me , in part , I added the 6 . When you are friends for 30ish years , ya get to know each other pretty well . That is how she sees my personality .

In high school I took one regular class in my four years... The experience left me with little to recall and even less to develop from. Needless to say, there is a significant difference between AP, or advanced placement,classes and your regular curriculum. Nevertheless, I also know some brilliant people when it comes to music and art that bordered on special ed as children due to problems reading and writing.

There is validity to the argument that intelligence can manifest itself in many ways beyond what an IQ test can measure. However, there is also validity to the argument that an IQ test can measure one's capacity for learning within the accepted method that the IQ test itself, and thus the culture using it, indicates.

This is excellent.

Ditto. :)

Bravo! Lets add another one- BRAVO! That was one fine essay. +^d.
I think you have made the case.

It's easy to do when realm of thought you live in is the most absolute we are aware of. Math is the only place where there can be no argument to 1+1 = 2 (without any qualifiers and using only integers)

The Lorenz Contraction kept all of physics stifled for 70 years.
Where, 1+1 is not 2.

Masked? Or limit?
But then the result is the same -
Anyone should be able to do almost anything. But what happens to potential, when they do nothing?
In a way, that's what intelligence is, those that do. To whatever degree that a person 'does not', that's their limit.

Like religion, or science, or anything, you have a need to study to find out, to accomplish - until your brain gets tired of it. Saturation point. You stop.

You went so far - and then stopped.

Thank you adding this comment. I was going to add something similar if I didn't come across it in any of the existing comments. It wasn't too long ago that IQ was measured by how many words you know, and neurology is by all means still in it's infancy. There is a lot about the brain that we just have no hope of understanding at this point in time.

nah,.....you don't. (+^d)

Do you stereotype much?

Exactly my point. The founding fathers who began the USA were regarded as
liberals by the Tories who sided with the Brittish crown. We have a democratic
system because they believed that if all people are equaly represented,have
their say, and think before they speak, that freedom will prevail over oppression.

I demand that things are MY WAY! (said the six year old boy) And he means it.

We did have our own tea party and it was called an election, and you probably noticed the intelligent candidate won and he is supposedly liberal. FOX news is for the week minded obviously they do eat it up, you nailed that in reverse huh.

This both sides talk is a blatant act of manipulation to downplay the immense atrocities and incompetence and bad governing of 30+ yrs of republican and conservative influence.

When you here them say "There is blame to go around on both sides" they really mean "Pay no attention to policies of the last 30 yrs."

The sad part is that it works. It's such a simple statement that appeals to the laziest part of our intellect. Everyone is a bad guy. No one is right everyone is wrong. It's too simple to carry any weight.

There are such things as good ideas and responsible policies. They just are no where to be found on the right.

The right, unfortunately at this time, are nothing but blowhards in utter self-service.

They do want things to be done correctly - but they think it's ok to manipulate others for increased income and lower taxes. It is devolved completely into me, me, me.

No shepherding of society nor enlightened governance. The higher aspects, unattended.

The whole time, the function of money does not work that way. It is, in fact, a social instrument. Fruition of an individual happens within fruition of the group.

A robust economy - where everyone is receiving for their efforts, means the value of money itself becomes strong and gains.

The me, me, me creates a dissolution of money, a dissolution of economy, a dissolution of civilized progress itself.

The me, me, me of the right is the reason we have the problems that now face us.

then why use the time? couldn't help yourself? anything that i may have side about two different groups of people is nothing compared to you judging me as a person. whatever.

Just admit you have a low IQ and that makes you incapable of critical thought, come on. You mean you aren't? that is surprising.

Liberals feel, conservatives think!

Do you believe these things are exclusive ?

No, I was being 'tongue in cheek' humorous. I say "I think" as well as "I feel". But in a humorous twist try looking at a subject by thinking and then by feeling....you might be surprised. What is logical as opposed to what we feel....

No humans- as individuals, races, nations were ever meant to be supreme over
others. They were only intended to be diverse. As Cmndr. Spock said holding
up his double finged peace sign: Infinite Diversity through Infinite Combinations
to Live Long and Prosper.

Tell that do the religious people who use generalizations to demean people who dont think as they do

...it goes both ways

I just did.

Heh! +^d

I could understand if your first sentence did not make me question how impartial you make yourself out to be. But you are right these tests are BS

You, it seems to me, enjoy your spirituality. The base of which has been Christianity and therefore you hold to it. But I would put it to you, that it is the aspects of spirituality that are dear.

"if Sarah Palin today decided to switch parties and become an atheist", then I would begin to believe there is actually hope for the far right wing idiots to have compassion for their fellow humans. Until then....

128 is still 12 points shy of genius.

:-} You -are- sassy!

I forgot to say earlier that there is no hope for Palin. The world would be a better place if someone would just go ahead use a helicopter to hunt her down and shoot her already.

+^d ( well said,...rational, fair,....hell even inclusive,...and er,...almost political! )
You have a good bedside manner scientific method!

Once again your IQ is showing.

Showing ? ! Man, you're too kind. His I Q is hemmoraging. No one can
accuse him of even being rational with his appeals to emotion, much
less intelligent. I'm a man with an IQ in Jan's range. My college degree
was In Psyche. And one of the first things we learned in Psyche Statistics
was that genetic traits are distributed according to the " bell shaped curve "
aka the Liberty Bell curve: That the highest percentage of people will have
an average IQ which is represented by the domed arch in the bell of the bell
shaped curve with smarter or less smart people representing 1 standard
deviation from the mean(middle)... That 1/6 of the People will be advanced
as very smart and fall under the graphicly illustrated right rim of the bell,
and 1/6 of the People will be very non smart and represented under the left
rim of the bell. This is a mathematical fact, repeatedly demonstratable,
scientificaly, over 6 Billion people all over the world for I. Q. traits.Incidentaly,
the word liberal is derived from the Latin word Liber meaning "book". We
see its derivatives as Library, Liberty, liberation. The moral of the story is
simply, that: Education= Freedom. That should be obvious by now to everyone.
It's been shown that those who are intelligent will have many varied interests,
and be naturaly selected to adapt to extremely stressful conditions, and survive.
That's the purpose of education-to familiarize humans with generously varied
(liberal) subject matters.

go away Troll

I try to keep my IQ involved with whatever I'm doing.

This article has nothing to do with your malicious attacks on decent people
commenting here. I worked my way through college, and with a high school
scholarship earned because of my high intelligence, I got National Defense
student loans and grants to supplement college costs, and lived at home as
much as I could. Despite how much you project the twisted cross on others,
it's realy a pretty accurate reflection of you isn't it skinhead ? Nazis are vulgar,
boorish rabble rousers who shout loud trying to drown out the fair minded
rational people by hysterical appeals to emotion with your hate, and anger.
That's you all over. Notice that, unlike you, I never had to resort to insults
to make my point. Take away your extreme prejudice, personal attacks on
others, and hyperagression and you're realy a very fearful, insecure person
aren't you ? Your making false presumptions about me shows how short
circuited your brain realy is with your ignorant, mob attitude. Compared with
you, anyone's a winner. Attacking the messenger because you can't reason
with the message shows you to be the real looser, hands down.

High IQ, in this context does not mean liberals are smarter - just smarter people are more liberal.
You got ta loosen up there Big Daddy.

And mommy asked: 'But do you have a JOB??'

FYI, I haven't lost more than 2 days of work in the past 20 years.
And even those 2 days were due to a fluke. I'd gotten an influenza
vacination, but while in a walk in care waiting room to get a prescription
for an antibiotic to resolve a tooth infection, I was exposed to people with
the flu as carriers waiting to be treated. Our local newspaper featured a
news article how the flu vacinations weren't working because the flu virus
mutated,and people who were vacinated like me got the flu anyway.
Not surprised. Medical statistics have shown that 55 % of those who are
inoculated get the flu anyway, while the 45 % of those who don't get the
vacine don't get sick with the flu. Ironicly, the only reason why I got vacinated
was because my mom insisted. She had blind faith in the medical arts.
I wouldn't care. I'm as stong and enduring as an ox. I worked when I
had bronchitis. Incidently, I'n nearly 61 and likely old enough to be
your grandfather. So the next time you presume to talk down to me don't
make it personal, bud. It was my mom God rest her soul, who knew that I
was the brightest one in the family, and insisted that I go to college, where
I was working my way through it. Also fyi, I've been working since I was
10 years old, and was an independent contractor working 6 days a week,
52 weeks a year for 4 years while still in grade school and high school. Satisfied ?

It was a gag - you didn't pick up on the cadence?

I thought I'd miss the flu, too - but no, I did get it - Bad lung thing, not good.

You are confusing intelligence with greed and selfishness .

Sorry. Without intending to you hit a nerve.

Well, you were fired up at Big Daddy Melvin.

BigDaddyMelvin has a tendency to do that. :D

Most IQ test are mostly deductive reasoning, spacial logic, abstract reasoning. These traits are the ones that determine ones IQ with all three increasing wiith a higher IQ

It just means you've been muddling around and haven't figured yourself out yet. Its ok, relax.

Thanks, LOL. Well, I wasn't referring to myself. I was wondering about a friend of mine, a politically "middle of the road", sexually in-exclusive, and agnostic friend of mine. I'll be sure to relay your answer to him.

Well,...my IQ figures they have sex in the in the middle of the road, with multiple individuals of various colors and genders simultaneously,....but don't really quite trust in god to keep the group from being run over. (But hey,...just brainstorming here.)

Yes, just tell your friend that middle + middle + middle =

Well if they were doing all that I would assume their IQ is low because laying down in the middle of any road is really stupid, but you should tell your friend (mojojuju) that he'll probably never see statistics for that in his/her lifetime because it'll be damn near impossible to get results on that kind of demographic simply because they're in the middle. Maybe they'll do one along the lines of atheists vs. bible thumpers vs agnostics but he'll be better off just averaging the high and low scores.

Heh. Sensible analysis,...pragmatic solution. Road safety conscious. +^d

Very vivid illustration. Thank you.

I voted you down and I'm not a liberal atheist. I'm not associated with any political party and I'm a Wiccan. I mostly just wanted to piss you off.

Actually, you were unsuccessful in pissing me off. Having one of my comments voted down doesn't piss me off at all. Instead, it amuses me. It especially amuses me to see how easily people on Current get bent out of shape when faced with ideas that differ from their own. And when they get bent out of shape enough to bother with voting a comment down - well, I find that kind of funny.

While this study was conducted by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who is an atheist and a liberal, there is so far no evidence that the data is inconclusive. In fact the study hasn't even been published yet. The findings will be published in the March 2010 issue of Social Psychology Quarterly. The only reason people are talking about it so much before it's even been published is because it's a sensitive topic and I assume Satoshi's peers who are supposed to "proof read" the study couldn't keep their mouth's shut. No one likes to think that what they believe isn't true. While you are here, you should read my most recent post listing other studies, individuals and organizations that have corroborated the outcome of this study.

All we have to do is read your comments to figure that one out.

Why stick around?? Thats rich.

I can only answer for myself but since you asked.

I stick around becasue I dont consider my time here on Earth a trial so that I can go to "Heaven" and be judged by an apparently angry deity.

Don't be so sore GodsnLiberals.
And just because it happens to snow in winter it doesn't mean that climate change is a lie... Dummie.

Concerts you speak of are funded and propped up by corporations to create the illusion of caring. While the artists themselves tend to have good substantive messages, the big money makers and beneficiaries here are large multinational corporations who then funnel said money into environmental and labor deregulation, the real agenda.

You think it's impossible for these corporate interests to mask themselves as every bodies friend? Gimme a break. What's important is what the ultimate result. Follow the money.

I don't think anyone here said Bono was smart.

I had an idea for them to make money - but you can't get through to anyone.

As a conservative, I believe that we can be more liberal with a limited government. Further, seeing that government has been progressively getting larger since it's beginning, would it not be more "progressive" to instead change that course?

The government is the feed-trough - and not just for underlinings. It is the big till and the real gamers play it. They do not see that their income should be cut - and they control the game from puppet strings.

So closing down the big spigot is definitely about confronting big-money and mostly on the right. The left is about giving money for people to people services where the right is doing it big-time. It's their complete and total profession.

So there are no allies. None.

Really, science said the earth was flat? Explain this please.

No, that was religion. That's where religion stopped. Last stop on the religion track: "Flat earth, my personal God made the whole universe just for me so I won't have to grow up."

Santa Claus. 100%.

You wish they all smoked dope . Some one tell you and you believed ? Do you smoke cigarets ? I have never smoked them either . Cause I do not believe what the advertisers tell me without checking it out for myself .

Who is the science person and how often does he speak?

LOL, you are adorable with that smiley face head chock full of misinformation. God (whatever one that you believe in) bless!

Since to you all pot-heads are Liberals and are Always stoned then they tested higher when they were stoned. What does that say?

The test was created by stoners?
Maybe getting stoned was the test!
Maybe the facilitator got slid an 1/8.
Maybe you mis-heard the reference to "high" ?