Doug Skrecky wrote:
>
> Cryonet Message #17199 From: Ettinger
> Subject: Free will and responsibility
>
> >It is a never-ending source of amazement that bright people can make the
> >simplest and grossest mistakes--and that, no matter what you say or how
> >clearly you say it, someone will misunderstand it.
> >
> I used to be a member of Mensa, an organisation where even the village
> idiot has to have an IQ in the top 2% to join. People on welfare showed up
> at meetings. People who were apparently mentally ill showed up. One even
> boasted about how crazy "it" was. In short lots of people showed up who
> could not add two plus two and reliably get an answer of four. I am no
> longer a member of Mensa.
Did these people actually show membership cards or were they just
loiterers?
Although in one respect, I have to agree with you: I've never met so
many idiots as those on the mensa usenet groups.
> This experience forced me to make a clear distinction between IQ and
> common sense. If the entire population suddenly acquired ten extra IQ
> points, nothing much would change. If the entire population suddenly was
> gifted with 10 extra common sense points, our society would be
> transformed overnight.
> Bums in the street would vanish, because begging is a harder way to
> acquire funds, than working a job.
Doug, I suggest you check this out first. Panhandling flourishes
wherever one can make more from it than being a day laborer, and I've
never found a person holding a 'will work for food' sign who was
actually interested in working. Someone with 10 extra common sense
points would see through this con.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:40:03 MDT