Originally Posted by
FindersKeepers
IQs do differ from individual to individual, but I'm not so sure genetics play the major role here. Society has produced some very dumb whites and some very bright blacks, and, of course, we have some of the unusual child prodigies and we can't explain why or how they were born that way, because often, their parents aren't that bright.
I think the NFL should be ashamed. They're basically confirming the results of the Bell Curve without sticking that label on it.
In reality--just my opinion--brains and brawn aren't always equal in an individual, and the brawny guy usually isn't the brainy guy. The brawny guy is good for entertainment purposes, but the brainy guy moves our world forward, so we should never conflate the contribution of the two. I've long thought we need to de-emphasize sports. Whoever came up with the term sports "stars?" That's anti-intellectual.
My son got put on the 8th floor of Jayhawk Towers one year (KU) and that's the floor the basketball players stay on. He would tell us how girls were frequently visiting their floor and doing the basketball player's homework. That's just ridiculous.
So, yes, IQs vary from birth, but an average IQ person can go a long way in this world if he/she has the support of parents early on for reading, studying, exploring, setting goals. Encouragement and developing a love of learning is essential in the formative years--so, to be sure--blacks who come from single-parent families are not going to get the same advantage as those who come from two-parent families who really want them to succeed.
There's a cultural aspect to this--in any inner city, you can see black kids out playing on the neighborhood basketball court at all hours of the night. They're all hoping for a shot at the big leagues. That's their ticket out, they think. Those who actually succeed are a tiny, TINY minority. The rest, because they opted to play ball instead of study, are in the same straights as their parents were. It's sad really.
Then, look at Asian children--their parents (on average) are very strict about academics. Those kids don't get to go out and shoot hoops with the black kids. Same with many Jewish and white kids. Their adult lives and successes are directly related.
The idiocy of "there is no right answer in math" is fueling the downfall of our children.