Are the children of stupid people born stupid ? ...

[Allen]

A little research would reveal that of all the gang-related shootings in Chicago, none of the shooters have PhDs in math, science or engineering.

I'll bet they were all raised on welfare too, never having to work, nothing but free time on their hands with no responsibility whatsoever. Nothing to do but get into mischief.

[dryheat]

Stupid people are so stupid they don't know they're stupid. I've met them. I'm not the smartest guy on the planet either, but I'm not as dumb as some of the people I've met(I don't think..).

Some folks are stuck with their position. They might have intelligence but never get the opportunity to use it. So, they become really good drug dealers. Problem with that is, they think it's going to work. If not this time, next time. Every wonder why criminals get arrested again and again for the same stupid thing? Why do people blow all their money at the casino? Why has 7 trillion evaporated in the stock market in the last six months?

People who are really smart, figure out fast what works and doesn't. That might be it.

Everyone can't be that smart if you live in the hood or there wouldn't be a hood.

Then there's thinkers and doers. I'm a good reader. I know a little bit about nearly everything (and I'm still in the third percentile. I was third from the bottom in my graduating class and for some reason I'm a little proud of that). I can retain, but do I act on that information? Most times no. See my signature.

So, it's a hard life being dumb. A little luck and a lot of charity gets the dumb through it. But it's by the grace of God that it's there. Not something to be counted on.
But a good heart is respected.

[togor]

You're right about the thinking and doing. We always look for engineers that have both capacities. If a problem can't be out-thought, then out-work it.

And there are those times when even the brilliant brainiac artist-engineers have to just grind it out. Sometimes you can almost see the smoke billowing from their brains but it's just part of life. Not every task needs a Da Vinci on it, and some really just needed to be done yesterday.

[dryheat]

Edison said, the first three thousand versions didn't work (the lightbulb), we had to find the version that did(I have somewhat mutilated that quote).

[Mark in Ottawa]

You're right about the thinking and doing. We always look for engineers that have both capacities. If a problem can't be out-thought, then out-work it.

And there are those times when even the brilliant brainiac artist-engineers have to just grind it out. Sometimes you can almost see the smoke billowing from their brains but it's just part of life. Not every task needs a Da Vinci on it, and some really just needed to be done yesterday.

I like your analogy. I am a (retired) civil engineer and an amateur artist (bad sculptures and worse paintings).

[lyman]

Well there was this thing for awhile there where super rich were having lots of kids. Mostly because it was trendy.

But yeah in the 3rd world (and some US states) it's exactly as you say. And people say educating women is the #1 sure-fire thing to improve living standards and reduce birth rates and such.

sure about that?


all should have access to some education, and that may improve living standards,


however, in a lot of place the Catholic Church still has sway, so no birth control or abortion options (wanted or needed?), some don't recognize that or much of any religion, or are Muslin/Islam and in others kids are free labor, if they survive long enough,
that is all culture based,

she we sent missionaries again too far off places and tell them they need to conform to US or Euro standards, and now ?

[togor]

It's been said repeatedly that improving education of women allows them to make better choices, improves their health, that of their families. No doubt in some places it's uphill.

Missionaries can do good in places, but they also bring rules with them that seem on the wrong side of practically. For example this one from 2005.

https://khn.org/morning-breakout/dr0...ters%20reports.

The most likely way for a woman to contract AIDS then in South Africa was from a male partner. Where he got it.... possibly paid sex when working in the big city?

Some suggest condoms, but the church says "no, morality is the right answer." Which is to say that women should get infected with AIDS by their husbands and die of it, possibly orphaning their children, and somehow this will cause societal morals to improve. This is the kind of wholly-headed logic that caused people to reject church rules in the first place.