Biden vs. Trump

[_Icarus]

Wow, what if Biden chooses Tammy Duckworth as his VP?

Trump has already got FOX News attacking her and calling her names. They couldn't possibly hope to win with this strategy... could they?

A woman, a minority, a combat vet, and a disabled one at that.

https://Twitter.com/votevets/status/128 ... 42243?s=20

[_Some Schmo]

Donald Trump is empirically not a moron. There is a wide spectrum of psychological dysfunction, stupidity if your will, that is not moronic. If I had to guess, I think the word moron is being used not because it is accurate, but because of the response it elicits from Trump. If someone is a moron they are not considered capable of being totally on their own. And that characterization pushes all of Trump's buttons, because it synthesizes much of what Donald Trump fears.

Yes, it's fair to say I'm using the word colloquially. He's such a moron, I doubt he knows that ranges of IQs that have their own names.

I disagree, however, that he's above average.

Here's where I suppose I disagree with your overall thesis: I don't think having a crippling emotional condition can be teased out of how a person performs intellectually. They are intertwined. For instance, I know that when I am frightened, my IQ drops. Sometimes when I'm in a crowd, my IQ drops. If I'm excited, my IQ can drop. When my IQ drops, I'm dumber for that period of time.

So if a person is in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety (or any intense emotional state), their effective IQ will be diminished over that period. I suspect that over time, you lose whatever potential you might have had without that crippling condition, due to the lack of practice functioning at a higher level. I imagine we could say about anyone that their potential intelligence is higher, but that's not measuring their actual output. People can act smarter or dumber over time.

It's like a high performance vehicle with the emergency brake stuck engaged. Sure, the car could potentially go 160, it was built for it, but because this particular car has a massive issue, the best it can do is 50 before the various systems start breaking down.

I guess the other thing I question is whether an IQ is actually a static statistic about any given individual (assuming its accuracy in the first place). Like body mass, I think people's intellectual capabilities fluctuate over a lifetime.

[_Some Schmo]

MeDotOrg, this conversation reminds me of when Bill Parcells was talking about a team's record. It was something to the effect that a team could have all the talent in the world, but if their record at the end of the season is 2-14, they are a 2-14 team. I've always loved that sentiment. Potential is great to the extent it's realized.

I mean... if someone constantly acts like a moron, people are going to believe he's really a moron. You can't blame them for that.

[_Some Schmo]

MeDotOrg, this is really the crux of my argument.

It doesn't matter how he answers the questions once you realize he's a moron, so you can all stop taking it seriously.

The fact that so many people take what he says at face value or that it's coming from a reasoned place is the thing that likely drives me the most crazy.

If we could just hammer home the fact that the vast majority of what he says is nonsense because he's not very bright... meh. It still wouldn't help.

I'm just blowing off steam.

[_MeDotOrg]

MDO,

How do you arrive at his IQ number? Also, north of 100 has a of leeway. Like. Is he 101? Is he a stable 160?

- Doc

If I had to guesstimate, I would say 110-125 range. I arrived at this conclusion by wetting my finger and sticking it in the wind. It truly is a guess, Doc. I would be genuinely surprised if he was less than 100 or more than 135. I know that's a fairly broad spectrum of the I.Q. scale. It would be interested in seeing if anyone who is an expert in the field has done an evaluation.

and Some Schmo: In the colloquial sense, I know exactly what you mean. Reasonably intelligent people who should know better behave than to like idiots and morons nevertheless do so. But If Donald Trump were truly an idiot or a moron in the clinical sense of word, we would actually feel sorry for him. Donald Trump chooses to act the way he does not because he can't see, but because he refuses to see. Part of his behavior is just being a contrarian who hates the rules. And in that sense, when you compare him to a moron your are being unfair to morons because their behavior is without guile and ulterior motives.

I picked a rather semantic battle. I think we basically think the same things. It's either debate about picayune points or watch another YouTube video about dogs making friends with other animals. I've been unemployed since March ;-)

[_EAllusion]

"Moron" no longer means its archaic meaning of intellectually disabled. It just means someone who is stupid or behaving stupidly where "stupid" allows for a more diverse range of intellectual function. Trump is a very dumb person, but he probably isn't intellectually disabled. He's plausibly in the borderline range of intellectual functioning, and if he's not there, it ain't much better than that.

That people think otherwise is a testament to the power of the halo effect material wealth creates.

[_Some Schmo]

and Some Schmo: In the colloquial sense, I know exactly what you mean. Reasonably intelligent people who should know better behave than to like idiots and morons nevertheless do so. But If Donald Trump were truly an idiot or a moron in the clinical sense of word, we would actually feel sorry for him. Donald Trump chooses to act the way he does not because he can't see, but because he refuses to see. Part of his behavior is just being a contrarian who hates the rules. And in that sense, when you compare him to a moron your are being unfair to morons because their behavior is without guile and ulterior motives.

Completely understand where you're coming from here.

So I guess that's the fine line we're slicing: just how much of his behavior is intentional? You're giving him more credit than I.

I've argued many times that he isn't some genius who knows just what to say in order to get people to follow him, and that it was all just him saying what idiots think because he thinks like an idiot. He acts like an idiot. He tells lies like an idiot. People are attracted to others with whom they can relate, so, ya know... idiots. The rats like this piper's song, because the rats have endowed him with magical powers. That's it.

Just like calling him a moron is an insult to real morons, calling him above average is an insult to more than half of humanity.

[_honorentheos]

..., calling him above average is an insult to more than half of humanity.

Ummm...


Just joking with you, Schmo.

[_DoubtingThomas]

..., calling him above average is an insult to more than half of humanity.

Ummm...


Just joking with you, Schmo.

You were obviously just joking, but Some isn't very intelligent.

[_Jersey Girl]

I thought this was damn beautiful. Please watch the video in the article.


‘Bye Don Jr.’: New Attack Ad Turns Trump Son’s Words Against The President
MeidasTouch takes Donald Trump Jr.’s attacks on Biden and applies them to the president instead.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-t ... 8fc10df9c3