Zimbabwe to use gold coins as tender to reduce use of US dollars
(www.bignewsnetwork.com)
You're viewing a single comment thread. View all comments, or full comment thread.
Comments (41)
sorted by:
IQ is a testing process that is slanted to a particular type of thought process. There are ethnic differences in how minds work, different strengths and weaknesses are present in different ethnic brain structures. The IQ is a western thought process analysis that deals with a certain way of thinking. Orientals typically have a more structured and analytic way of seeing and processing information, the Occidentals are more innovative and explorative. I do not have enough data on African processes to determine their method reasoning, but I have no doubt that it is different. Not better or worse, but different. We have all been seeing things from a particular lens that is biased by our ethnicity derived culture. The end product is that everyone brings different resources and processes to the table. If we recognize and develop these different methodologies we can maximize the human potential. Diversity is a strength to maximize potential, but it can also be used as a weapon to sow discord. If you think that Africans are inferior due to the state of the continent, please see my above post as to why all the chaos has been going on for centuries. It isn't an accident. Western influence in Africa is designed to keep them from progressing. Africa has massive amounts of natural resources that would make it extremely wealthy and powerful. Instead those resources are taken and making some folks that same wealth. Think it is purely coincidental?
Lol...
Ok smarty.
Why dontcha do a little research on:
"IQ levels needed to attain X."
It will fucking open your eyes to everything. Might even 'crystallize' some thoughts.
Historically, several of the most innovative and brilliant minds have failed miserably in IQ tests. Einstein was considered barely functional and could not carry out some fairly simple functions that most "normal" people could easily perform. Nikola Tesla had abnormal sensory issues and anti-social behaviors. Eccentric thought processes do not conform to conventional patterns that are standardized to evaluate intellect. I'm afraid that many of the societal norms that have been established are constructed around a fairly narrow perspective. Problem solving and environmental awareness is more highly developed in primitive cultures, as noted in studies perform in polynesian island natives. Body language is highly developed in many primitive societies that are uncommon in our advanced society. We don't value these aspects of intellect and do not quantify them. There are many factors to intelligence. My point is that we use an IQ test to put people into a category. The people that created this test had a specific point of view and a particular bias toward specific attributes. There are people that cannot read, but are successful in many areas, do you consider that they are morons because they cannot perform an IQ test? I'm not saying that the IQ test has no value, I am merely pointing out that it is not all inclusive of all forms of intelligence.
Yes, you are right. The continent is packed with a billion Einsteins and Teslas.
I'm sure you understand what I am saying. The average human being is pretty ignorant and pretty stupid, but there are brilliant minds in every country. Whether they have a chance to develop or not is not the question. The fact that they would perform terribly at an IQ test is limited by their education and exposure to advanced concepts. The majority of the human population is of average intelligence, hence the "average". IQ tests are designed for specific areas of knowledge and thinking processes.
You haven't spent a lot of time in Africa.
No, not a lot. Only been to two countries. Both poor as hell. Djibouti and Tunisia. What I did find were people doing things that we take for granted with junk and scrap, that I would have never imagined or thought possible. Most of Djibouti chews on a mildly narcotic plant root, but if I was born there and lived there, it would be depressing as hell. Tunisia was a bit more advanced, but they actually have resources, whereas Djibouti has nothing except one port. No other resources. About the saddest place I have ever seen.
I haven't been to Mediterranean Africa, but travelled through Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Ethiopia, Zambia, South Africa, and Namibia. I only spent 15 years on cooperative projects throughout the continent and admit this is only a tiny snapshot in time. We can talk geopolitical, cultural, tribal and geographic reasons for the socioeconomic status of Africa all day long, but the only semi-advanced infrastructure I saw over the course of 15 years is the result of foreign aid and foreign investment. Most of the neocolonial resources have long been overgrown and are in disrepair or have been nationalized and require continuing aid input to maintain operations.
I loved the time I spent throughout Africa and I met some amazing people. I got to work with their top scientists in my discipline, but spent more time out in the rural, mud hut regions. Regardless of the educational level, I was forever dumbfounded by the utter inability of most of the people to discern cause and effect, actions and consequences. Definitely not an IQ measure, but more of an inability to work toward medium and long term goals that THEY defined as important.
Introduction of gold coins might actually help adjust that seeming lack of delayed gratification behavior, yet ironically, the gold standard is primarily a European based construct.
You have far more experience than I do. I guess I must must be a glass half full kind of guy. I tend to believe that most people are good and most people are relatively intelligent. I could be wrong. Lord knows that the more I see of the average American and their knowledge of history, geography, political structure of different types of government, and well... Pretty much everything that doesn't have to do with pop culture. I hate to think that the human race is actually getting dumber, but perhaps it is a matter of priorities. There are extraordinary people with incredible minds. I have met a couple, but I have to admit, they are relatively rare. I run into a lot more average minds. I'm not a genius, but I at least attempt to do most everything myself. Except for writing code, it bores me to tears and I hate it with a passion.