EGarrett
31st July 2007, 08:20 AM
I typed up this post for another forum about intelligence, but I figured people might be interested in it here too. I pulled out the most provocative comment for the subject line.
It's from the 6/25/07 episode of Howard Stern on Sirius, Robin's News segment. Transcript by me, with some small attempt to organize when they talked over each other. Actual segment is about 2:25.
____________________________________________
ROBIN: There's a girl, two years and two months old, who has been admitted to Mensa.
HOWARD: Wow.
R: The British Chapter.
H: No s--t. What's her IQ?
R: 152, according to...
H: Geez.
R: ...the psychologists who have tested her. They said she performs on what would be the level of a 5 or 6-year-old.
H: These geniuses never end up doing anything great. Like you always go...
R: Yeah, they sit around and talk to each other.
H: You get really excited and you go, "You know? She's probably gonna grow up and invent, like, the next big thing."
R: Save the world.
H: Or, cure for cancer. And they never do anything. A lot of them actually, just kind of sit around and get all freaky and mental.
R: Well, the one whose got the highest IQ ever...she writes a column! (laughs)
H: Yeah. About havin' a high IQ.
ARTIE: I think a lot of them get bored with life, too. Like, y'know, they're on a different level. I don't know.
H: If God gifted me with that kinda IQ, I would try to do some great things with it. I wouldn't just sit around like a *****' *****.
A: (laughing) Like we do now?
H: Yeah. I'm not smart!
A: Think about the last 40 minutes.
(they made fun of someone on their staff going to Disney World alone for the whole last 40 minutes of the show before the news started)
H: Think about how much funnier it would've been if I had a high IQ!
R: Well Mensa, which is a Latin word for Table, seeks to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, according to its website. I haven't seen much from it. It also seeks to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members, as well as to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence.
H: Mmhmm.
R: So, a little 2 year, 10 month old girl. And her Mom says that she's quite proud of her daughter. She says her daughter shows all the signs of brilliance...
H: I wish she'd be the president. You know, none of these people even become president.
MOM: (soundbite plays) We definitely noticed the way that her brain works. She's able to reason with us. She's able to take in information around her, and she picks up things very quickly in the verbal area, and the motor area. And, her ability to reason--
H: (cutting off soundbite) Look at her Mom all proud, because she thinks...
R: Yeah, "I did that." She's takin' full credit.
H: Yeah, she came from me.
H: And y'know what, she's probably average intelligence.
R: Well, she was the reason the daughter was tested in the first place. She thought her daughter was brilliant. So, she got her tested and it turned out she was right.
H: A couple of years, those parents will be taking orders from that kid.
R: (laughing) That's right.
H: You'll see.
R: And liking it.
H: They're a little too excited.
_____________________________________
My comments...
First, natural ability alone doesn't make those things happen. Just because someone is on pace to be 7 feet tall, it's kind of silly to assume they're going to be an NBA star. Hell, the person might not even like basketball, let alone practice it for the years needed to be great, even at that height. Natural ability doesn't include passion, ambition or experience. Those are just as rare, and finding both in one person...almost never.
Third, just for fun, a year or so ago, I made a chart comparing the standard deviation of IQ and Height, but I've been thinking for awhile that high IQ is slightly more rare than height. By the comparison I made, an IQ at this girl's level is only equivalent in deviation to an adult male being a little over 6'7", which doesn't seem to warrant a news story to me, which would indicate that also.
And, lastly, it's somewhat interesting that Howard Stern's sound guy, Fred, who has a genius-level IQ, plays a game where he beats all-comers in general trivia, and whose show persona is built around about how bizarre and anti-social he can be...remained quiet during this segment. No words or sound effects (Howard handles the news soundbites). Then again, Fred might've just been in the bathroom or not paying attention.
It's from the 6/25/07 episode of Howard Stern on Sirius, Robin's News segment. Transcript by me, with some small attempt to organize when they talked over each other. Actual segment is about 2:25.
____________________________________________
ROBIN: There's a girl, two years and two months old, who has been admitted to Mensa.
HOWARD: Wow.
R: The British Chapter.
H: No s--t. What's her IQ?
R: 152, according to...
H: Geez.
R: ...the psychologists who have tested her. They said she performs on what would be the level of a 5 or 6-year-old.
H: These geniuses never end up doing anything great. Like you always go...
R: Yeah, they sit around and talk to each other.
H: You get really excited and you go, "You know? She's probably gonna grow up and invent, like, the next big thing."
R: Save the world.
H: Or, cure for cancer. And they never do anything. A lot of them actually, just kind of sit around and get all freaky and mental.
R: Well, the one whose got the highest IQ ever...she writes a column! (laughs)
H: Yeah. About havin' a high IQ.
ARTIE: I think a lot of them get bored with life, too. Like, y'know, they're on a different level. I don't know.
H: If God gifted me with that kinda IQ, I would try to do some great things with it. I wouldn't just sit around like a *****' *****.
A: (laughing) Like we do now?
H: Yeah. I'm not smart!
A: Think about the last 40 minutes.
(they made fun of someone on their staff going to Disney World alone for the whole last 40 minutes of the show before the news started)
H: Think about how much funnier it would've been if I had a high IQ!
R: Well Mensa, which is a Latin word for Table, seeks to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity, according to its website. I haven't seen much from it. It also seeks to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members, as well as to encourage research into the nature, characteristics, and uses of intelligence.
H: Mmhmm.
R: So, a little 2 year, 10 month old girl. And her Mom says that she's quite proud of her daughter. She says her daughter shows all the signs of brilliance...
H: I wish she'd be the president. You know, none of these people even become president.
MOM: (soundbite plays) We definitely noticed the way that her brain works. She's able to reason with us. She's able to take in information around her, and she picks up things very quickly in the verbal area, and the motor area. And, her ability to reason--
H: (cutting off soundbite) Look at her Mom all proud, because she thinks...
R: Yeah, "I did that." She's takin' full credit.
H: Yeah, she came from me.
H: And y'know what, she's probably average intelligence.
R: Well, she was the reason the daughter was tested in the first place. She thought her daughter was brilliant. So, she got her tested and it turned out she was right.
H: A couple of years, those parents will be taking orders from that kid.
R: (laughing) That's right.
H: You'll see.
R: And liking it.
H: They're a little too excited.
_____________________________________
My comments...
First, natural ability alone doesn't make those things happen. Just because someone is on pace to be 7 feet tall, it's kind of silly to assume they're going to be an NBA star. Hell, the person might not even like basketball, let alone practice it for the years needed to be great, even at that height. Natural ability doesn't include passion, ambition or experience. Those are just as rare, and finding both in one person...almost never.
Third, just for fun, a year or so ago, I made a chart comparing the standard deviation of IQ and Height, but I've been thinking for awhile that high IQ is slightly more rare than height. By the comparison I made, an IQ at this girl's level is only equivalent in deviation to an adult male being a little over 6'7", which doesn't seem to warrant a news story to me, which would indicate that also.
And, lastly, it's somewhat interesting that Howard Stern's sound guy, Fred, who has a genius-level IQ, plays a game where he beats all-comers in general trivia, and whose show persona is built around about how bizarre and anti-social he can be...remained quiet during this segment. No words or sound effects (Howard handles the news soundbites). Then again, Fred might've just been in the bathroom or not paying attention.