The Losers in LIfe's Genetic Lottery
Peter T.
location: New Hampshire
listening to: Too much of everything!
registered: 1999.05.20
posts: 3017
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I just listened to a so-so On Point Radio episode regarding brain enhancing drugs and treatments. What
stood out to me was a doctor who cited the following statistic: 51 million Americans have an IQ below 85 and
14 million of them are children. His point was that this severely limits the economic opportunities available to
this group. So often we hear the poor belittled as being lazy, or stupid, or whatever. Truth is, there are
profound limits on what these people can do for employment. And in a globalized economic world that
increasingly rewards intelligence, these people will be left behind. WHAT IS OUR OBLIGATION TO THEM? I’d
say it’s considerable!More facts I subsequently learned:Those with an IQ in the 75-90 range are 88 times more likely to drop out of high school, 7 times more likely to
go to prison, and 5 times more likely to live in poverty. Low IQ is also linked to suicidal feelings. No one chooses their IQ, in fact, genetics make up between 40-80% of it, so much for the environment, huh?Anyway, I was floored that I was so woefully ignorant of this data! Something to ponder. Too many folks with
puffed out chests, healthy egos, and fat bank accounts don’t realize that a significant portion of their success
was due to having been on the winning side of life's genetic lottery. http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/02/14/can-science-make-us-smarterPeter T.
Peter T.
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I just listened to a so-so On Point Radio episode regarding brain enhancing drugs and treatments. What
stood out to me was a doctor who cited the following statistic: 51 million Americans have an IQ below 85 and
14 million of them are children. His point was that this severely limits the economic opportunities available to
this group. So often we hear the poor belittled as being lazy, or stupid, or whatever. Truth is, there are
profound limits on what these people can do for employment. And in a globalized economic world that
increasingly rewards intelligence, these people will be left behind. WHAT IS OUR OBLIGATION TO THEM? I’d
say it’s considerable!More facts I subsequently learned:Those with an IQ in the 75-90 range are 88 times more likely to drop out of high school, 7 times more likely to
go to prison, and 5 times more likely to live in poverty. Low IQ is also linked to suicidal feelings. No one chooses their IQ, in fact, genetics make up between 40-80% of it, so much for the environment, huh?Anyway, I was floored that I was so woefully ignorant of this data! Something to ponder. Too many folks with
puffed out chests, healthy egos, and fat bank accounts don’t realize that a significant portion of their success
was due to having been on the winning side of life's genetic lottery. http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2018/02/14/can-science-make-us-smarterPeter T.
