IQ of DU?

[HughMoran]

I know we have some highly intelligent people here - how much above average is DU?

[Orrex]

1. I don't understand the question.

[HughMoran]

3. Bursts out laughing

:rofl:

[rug]

4. .

:fistbump:

[BlueJazz]

6. LOL!

[charlie]

11. Ick of Doo?

It's a phrase in an ancestral root of French and Pig Latin, meaning "have you milked the warthog yet?"

[BobTheSubgenius]

88. I'm with Hugh.

That was funny!

[rug]

2. Hey, how did you make that poll?

[Glorfindel]

5. I'd say we're like the population of Lake Wobegon...

All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average. WAY above average, actually. :toast:

[pscot]

7. All the women are strong

All the men are good looking and all the children are above average.

[Glorfindel]

10. Well said!

:hi: :thumbsup:

[noamnety]

8. We need two polls

one where we rate ourselves, another where we assess everyone else at 20 points lower than ourselves. :)

[EFerrari]

33. LOL

[shadowknows69]

9. This is like a poll asking men their penis size

How many answers of "Two inches at fully erect" would you think you're going to get?

[BlueJazz]

12. Ok....I'll be the first....mines 2 inches.........

Wide. :)

[charlie]

13. Second

Two inches... from my knees.

[zeemike]

31. Two inches from my chin

And don't ask how I know.

[PSzymeczek]

63. And you never leave the house? n/t

:rofl: :spray:

[Glorfindel]

14. Oh, come now. Gentlemen never discuss such matters.

Do we? :evilgrin:

[alfredo]

78. Is "gentleman" an euphemism for deficient?

[TahitiNut]

29. In my 66 years of life, that question has never come up.

:shrug: No complaints, either.

[-..__...]

59. Depends on where you measure from.

Taint to tip is cheating, as is shaving to allow for the optical inch

Following curvature is acceptable but only if from the posterior position.

Tumescence/girth should be measured at the base and at the prepuce and from that an average derived... measuring from the midpoint can result in skewed figures due to penile abnormalities.

[HughMoran]

66. Uranus?

:)

[Forkboy]

103. It's about as common as a guy going into a drug store and asking for small condoms really loudly.

You know everyone just buys the Magnums and holds it on with a rubber band or something. :D

[EFerrari]

15. My IQ was pegged over 140 when I was 16 but it goes down

a few points every year. lol

And, maybe they LIED TO ME in the first place.

:rofl:

[HughMoran]

18. I wondered and mine hasn't changed - still 135 - 138

I think it's starting to go down now though - almost 50 - yikes!

[EFerrari]

21. I still love you, Hugh.

lol

:toast:

[HughMoran]

23. lol - I read my post and it sounds like I'm talking about my IQ, not my age

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

25. LOL! But who's counting?

:hi:

[Divine Discontent]

128. yeah, that's how it read. plus the question is a bit vague to begin with

it seems like you wanted to ask what do we think the avg IQ on DU is, but wouldn't you want to know what our IQ is... lol... I love the replies though. fun thread.

[HughMoran]

132. After a day of weird posts questioning my poll

I now see why some think I'm asking what their opinion of the average IQ at DU is! :think:

OTOH, maybe it was better as asking someone's IQ is offensive to some people.

[varelse]

62. Mine was scored as 142 at the age of nine

It hasn't made a damn bit of difference in the world, or in my life, though. Aside from maybe altering my preference in literature (ok... influencing the books I like to read).

Oh yeah, and it's probably dropped a good 10-20 points since then. Heh. Or maybe more.

[hack89]

16. Lake Wobegon and DU have a lot in common. nt

[RevolutionaryActs]

17. I would say somewhere around Bush level.

[lost-in-nj]

45. ...

+11s



lost

[Dr. Strange]

101. And dropping...

[Speck Tater]

19. The average person considers themselves to be above average.

Self assessments are worse than worthless. (Unless, of course, you are a super-genius like me.)

[HughMoran]

28. I never considered that - was wondering what people were joking about - I retook IQ test recently

It never occurred to me that many people can barely remember taking one of these tests. I was curious as my GF is a MENSA member and I wanted to know if I would qualify - turns out we have nearly identical IQs - lol.

[JuniperLea]

120. That happens more often than not...

[timeforpeace]

20. Mentat level at least.

[shadowknows69]

22. Dude, you got some spice I can buy?

[proteus_lives]

71. The Spice must flow!

[lumberjack_jeff]

24. I am not very smart, but I can lift heavy things. n/t

[EFerrari]

27. And I have wide hips.

lol

:rofl:

[TahitiNut]

26. In what respect, Charlie???

:dunce:

[steelmania75]

30. I'm at 139....so close to 140

[HughMoran]

32. Doesn't that make you want to take the test over and over again 'till you get over 140?

lol

[steelmania75]

35. They tell me that it ranges from 130-150 everyday.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. and fortuantely I was at the high end when I answered the poll !

[comrade snarky]

90. Before and after coffee?

[ThomCat]

34. Just because we have SOME very intelligent people here

doesn't mean the average is above average. We have a whole lot of people here who don't know issues very well, argue primarily from emotional positions, just like to cheer, are followers, or only know what they have been told that sort of sounds good to them.

Over all, I'm guessing the IQ here is maybe slightly above average.

There has been a brain drain here over time. Real Activists don't tend to last long at DU. Anyone who is too vocal at supporting any lefty position, or any position that is outside the status quo either leaves disappointed or is removed eventually. Look at the history of the Feminism and LGBT forums as two places where that history has been obvious. DU is a centrist site and is not kind to non-centrists, no matter how intelligent they are. That kind of brain drain doesn't help the average IQ here either. What is left is a larger group of people who have less strong opinions and know less about those issues.

Yes, there are some brilliant people here. There are some amazingly intelligent people here. It would be wrong to assume that everyone here is therefore overly intelligent.

[HughMoran]

36. I had no idea this was a controversial "us" versus "them" topic

Perhaps a political IQ question would be fun as well.

BTW, I have been observing behavior here for several years now and people will often state their IQ is high or state broadly that DU has many brilliant minds - I was curious where DU falls on the spectrum. There are basic reasons to assume that DU is above average though - heck, even Free Republic probably has a higher-than-average IQ score.

[sutz12]

80. "With respect to what, Hugh?"

:rofl: Freepers? Right.

[-..__...]

37. As if anyone would lie, cheat...

or be a bit dishonest on a poll like this. :eyes:

[countingbluecars]

39. Just numbers

that should not be used to define or limit an individual. Traditional IQ tests don't measure such things as musical, artistic, or mechanical aptitude- not to mention emotional or people skills. But what do I know-I voted imbecile.

[HughMoran]

42. If you look at my signature

You'll see that I generally agree with you. Also, intelligent people often have issues with "execution" - i.e. using what they got.

[-..__...]

49. What it also doesn't measure...

is common sense, life skills and the ability to recognize simple things like looking both ways before crossing the street.

[armyowalgreens]

81. It measures the intelligent capacity of the brain.

Which basically means that it measures how efficient the brain is at using logic to find the proper solution.

That doesn't mean that someone who has an IQ have 200 is going to be a physicist. And it doesn't mean that someone with an average IQ is going to be a janitor.

It does, however, give an intellectual advantage to a person with a higher than average IQ.

[JuniperLea]

121. That is the first time I've ever seen it properly explained on DU...

Kudos for being the smartest kid in class today!

:yourock:

[tularetom]

40. I'm a Cal graduate - I don't need no steenking IQ

[EFerrari]

41. I would have sold IQ points on EBay to be able to be at Cal

had EBay existed at the time. Cal was like a miracle to someone like me.

On the other hand, maybe a good thing I didn't have the option. lol

[HughMoran]

43. Explain the goodness of "Cal" to a easterner

??

[EFerrari]

60. It was this amazing place, with great teachers and even if you were poor

you could get in if you worked hard enough.

My family had no money for me to go to college. My high school adviser never even asked me if I wanted to go to college. He just assumed I'd go waitress somewhere after graduation.

But, Cal had scholarships and grants and loans so even if you were someone like me and you worked really hard for your grades, you could make it in.

Does that make sense?

[HughMoran]

65. Yep

I was also poor and had to go to UMass (state school) @ $750/year and earn good enough grades (avg >B+) to earn a transfer to NU's engineering school. The only reason I could afford the $7500/year tuition is it was a coop school where I could earn money between quarters. I also had to take out loans.

I still can't figure out how I'm going to send my kids to school :(

[EFerrari]

70. When you get down in the weeds, pm me.

If there's money somewhere, we'll find it. :)

[HughMoran]

73. Looks like Cal needs money - "Cal State pushes proposals to close budget hole"

By TERENCE CHEA, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

(07-07) 17:32 PDT San Francisco, CA (AP) --

California State University system officials said Tuesday they are working on plans to close a massive budget deficit that will likely include more fee hikes, enrollment cuts, layoffs and employee furloughs.

The 23-campus system, which has about 450,000 students and 47,000 employees, faces a projected $584 million shortfall in 2009-10 based on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to address a $26 billion state budget deficit.

"There are no good options," Chancellor Charles Reed said at a special meeting of the Board of Trustees in Long Beach. The board is expected to vote on a plan to address the budget deficit when it meets on July 21.

CSU officials are proposing a plan to furlough nearly all of its employees for two days a month and reduce payroll expenses by about 10 percent. The plan would save an estimated $275 million and prevent deeper cuts to college course offerings, but the administration must first secure authorization from the university's employee unions.

So far only the California State University Employees Union, which represents 16,000 nonacademic employees, has agreed to the furloughs. The Academic Professionals of California, which represents 2,400 student services employees, has voted to negotiate with the administration.
...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/07/state/n095201D50.DTL&type=health

[EFerrari]

74. They will be a mess for a while. But the bureaucracy won't know it.

Because I had to, I learned all the places you can find scholarship and grant money. That's what I meant.

[HughMoran]

76. Yes, I was thinking that's what you meant

I will be desperately hunting around for cash in a few years - perhaps we'll still both be here posting then. :)

[PSzymeczek]

64. Once upon a time (Pre-Ronnie)

Wasn't tuition/books/fees FREE?

[EFerrari]

68. I think tuition was free. n/t

[tularetom]

53. Well, you would have loved it at the time I was there (mid 60's)

With all the crap that was going on then it's a miracle I ever graduated.

I was a vet, married, 2 kids, in engineering. That's probably why.

[EFerrari]

69. Mario, is that you?

lol

:loveya:

[tularetom]

114. Ya know I feel like Forrest Gump when people start talking about those days

Because I was there. I was going up to the Avenue one day to get something to eat and I walked through Sproul and there was a big crowd surrounding a cop car. Turned out it was that time they had that Jack Weinberg guy in the car and the crowd wouldn't get out of the way to let them take him to jail. The car actually sat there for a day or so with him in it before they got the people out of the way. I was from the conservative engineering school and I didn't know yet WTF was going on.

A few years later after I graduated I was working on the Shattuck Avenue BART station and one day after work we all walked up to Telegraph for beer. We were met by a big bunch of Alameda Co Sheriffs who wouldn't let us through. There were helicopters and all kinds of shit going on. We heard later it was the first big confrontation over Peoples Park.

I loved living there then but I could see it might not be the greatest place to raise two kids. The house we lived in after I went to work got burned down in the 1991 Oakland Hills fire. We were long gone by then.

Thanks for reminding me of those days. It was a time that changed the world.

[EFerrari]

115. I loved my time there. The first year was the year of the apartheid

demonstrations for divestiture. It was like coming back to home to a place you'd never been before. A bunch of people came to speak but in particular, I remember Jessie Jackson. He was very good and Sproul Plaza was packed out to the street. ;)

[Number23]

44. Hugh, I know you're trying but this OP is a mini-Fail.

The fact that three people have voted to call THEMSELVES morans is a bit of a problem.

:)

[HughMoran]

46. Lol - I did consider that morans are not capable of voting

:rofl:

Hey, you can't take life too seriously. I will believe after this poll that DU is 10-15 points above average however.

[Number23]

51. One of the reasons I think you're cool. You've got a sense of humor

and you don't take yourself too seriously.

When I saw a post from someone above actually trying to convince you that this was a controversial topic here, I knew this thread would go down hill fast. But glad to see it's still all in good fun and that the perpetually sour and bitter haven't shit on this -- yet.
:hi:

[HughMoran]

52. Well, there might be an explanation for that

I've been really intolerant of the perpetually miserable of late and I have a feeling that most of them either can't see or choose to ignore my posts :D

:hi:

[miyazaki]

47. Great! I can pick my IQ. From where i'm at, I can only go up.

[flvegan]

48. Somewhere between

Genius



and

Super-genius

[angrycarpenter]

50. The only thing an IQ test measures is how good you are at tests.

Mine was measured by a psychologist at 185 at age 13. I was a lousy student but I loved the challenge of a test. There is no way I am that smart. If I am a genius it never did me one bit of good.

[HughMoran]

I've always been critical of test taking as a measurement

I also happen to be a good test taker, but that never did me any good. My strength is my dogged determination and obsessive desire to solve problems.

...as it says in my signature...

[Warpy]

57. Thanks for saying that, I'm also great at test taking

It's just reality I screw up.

And you're right, after a certain point, unless you're very one sided, it just fouls up your life.

[Greyhound]

82. Depending on the test, you may well be a genius, we're not that uncommon.

What America doesn't do is to utilize the tremendous capacity for thought that exists here. Instead, we denigrate thoughtfulness and repress the natural curiosity that nearly all children posses. Contrary to our PR, America is not about creativity nearly as much as it is about enforcing conformity.

Good IQ tests are not a measurement of test-taking ability, they gauge a person's capacity to accurately extrapolate from limited information, thus the quotient. If you are a carpenter, as your handle suggests, and your IQ is that high, I'll wager you are an exceptionally good carpenter that thinks up new and innovative ways to get your job done, and have done so for your whole career.

[angrycarpenter]

84. That describes me pretty well.

but sitting here jobless and broke I just don't feel that smart. Just goes to prove that foresight is not a huge part of intelligence.

[Greyhound]

92. It's not you and it isn't your fault, Smart has nothing to do with the US anymore,

if it ever did. Your icon is from Network, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=216105531921215883&ei=LTdUSpn3L5HWqAOLwbWlBg&q=network&hl=en&emb=1&dur=3">watch it again, Paddy Chayefsky wrote this masterpiece and nailed the future we are living 35 years ago.

The speech that Arthur Jensen (Ned Beatty) gives to Howard Beale is balls-on accurate.

Use your talents to do it on your own. There are millions of us and we will be depending on each other for survival very soon. Just hang in there, they want you to give up.

[slampoet]

54. You phrased the question wrong. It is not HOW MUCH ABOVE the average.

Your chart shows the averages and gives the range. IT DOESN'T show HOW MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE.


If DU was 20 above average it would mean that our IQ's ranged from 110-130


You screwed it up.

[HughMoran]

56. Damn it!

I wish I could go back and change my vote to "imbecile" now - drat!

:)

[Warpy]

55. I'd put the average 105-115. After all, people need to be smart enough

to log onto a computer, read posts and understand them well enough to reply, and reply in standard English while respecting the lax but well enforced rules against harassment and thick headed trollery.

That probably puts most people a hair above normal.

Freepers, not so much. Standard English isn't part of the bargain over there.

[HughMoran]

58. I'll cross-post on FR for comparison's sake

As much as I hate to say this, I'm sure they're 5-10 points above average.

[Warpy]

100. Your kidding, right?

There isn't a comparason with the DUmmies, they all no their so much more smarter because they no what's really going on instead of being a bunch of robots who just repeat what they're masters say.

The lowest IQ your going to find at FR is 120.

(http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-2-6-00-incompetence-is-bliss.html)

[HughMoran]

124. Well, yeah

I was actually kidding, though as someone else pointed out, people who post on political forums are likely higher than average intelligence.

[Warpy]

105. Hiccup!

system crash from all the illiteracy.

[PSzymeczek]

61. Approximately 145, if the theory I learned in Stats class

of basing it on my SAT score (1433)or my ASVAB GT score (147)bear out.

[JonLP24]

99. My GT scores was 111

Never took the SATS but I was smart enough to be a Warrant Officer if I chose to go down that path. Not sure what my IQ is? Are there any reputable tests I can take online?

[Fuzz]

67. Who the what now?

[EFerrari]

79. Now see, that is true FUZZ

:loveya:

[Fuzz]

116. Heh, I dated someone with the last name Ferrari for a number of years.

Last person I dated seriously before I met my wife 17 years ago.

[EFerrari]

117. Ferrari is Italian for "Smith". I bet there are a few around.

:)

[Fuzz]

118. Also true!!!!

[HughMoran]

133. My family name should have been smith

It's not, but I'm from a family of smiths turned auto-mechanic (well, now my family is mostly non-hard labor).

[ohheckyeah]

72. Before or after smoking a joint?

;-)

[armyowalgreens]

75. I've never taken an IQ test. Also, there are multiple tests with different scales...

Which will lead to inaccuracies in your data.

I have tested in the 99th percentile of my class for math, writing and reading. I don't know if that helps at all.

I also had a college level reading comprehension in 6th grade.

[Greyhound]

86. IQ is not relative to knowledge and different tests are more accurate

within certain ranges. Try http://www.free-iqtest.net/iq.asp">this one for a kick.

[armyowalgreens]

93. It says my IQ is 146.

But that site was full of spam BS. I hope I didn't fuck up my email with that shit.

[lumberjack_jeff]

108. Clearly a bullshit test. It says mine is 155.

The mere fact that, (during breaks between the morning routine) I wasted a half-hour on it belies its accuracy.

I am probably of slightly above average intelligence, but 120-125 tops.

[Renew Deal]

112. 150

Genius! :D

[bridgit]

77. Dunno

But I voted between 120 and whatever the next number was :dunce:

[progressoid]

83. Cantelope.

Or cantaloupe?

[ColbertWatcher]

85. In what respect, Hugh?

Kick and rec.

[omega minimo]

87. Dumb enuff to reply

[optimal-tomato]

89. According to three different internet tests...

Between 142 and 145, but internet tests are not that reliable, even if there's three independent sources. Huge grain of salt.

I would say near-genius, but then I'd feel like I'm horn-tooting, but I'm too humble to go into depth about how great I am. :hi:

[comrade snarky]

91. How smart am I?

I'll let Penny Arcade take that one.

[hangonjustaminute]

94. Average, as a guess.

How could one possibly know the IQ of anonymous posters?

[Fumesucker]

95. Most posters here write fairly well..

Which in America today would put them at least somewhat above average.

Just my .02 ..

[H2O Man]

96. I'm mighty proud to say

that I passed both my IQ and urine tests, before Skinner allowed me to join DU.

[HughMoran]

126. No

You failed - I peeked :P

[eridani]

97. Probably not all that much smarter than average--however

--a whole lot better INFORMED than average.

[moggie]

98. Including the lounge?

That'd make a difference.

[lightningandsnow]

102. People lie about their IQs ALL THE TIME.

And while we do have some very smart people, I highly doubt the average IQ here is something like 135. That's the top 1% of the population.

Jesus Christ, people. My verbal IQ is very high, but my non-verbal IQ is perfectly average. It's nothing to be ashamed of, and this kind of wank only lends itself to the stereotype of liberals as intellectual elitists.

Also, IQ means very little in terms of how you interact with people and express yourself. If I did have a full-scale IQ (it wasn't calculated because of the huge gap in my scores), it would be above average but not terribly impressive. I get good marks and people comment that I express myself like someone much older (I'm 17). I mean, in certain areas I know I'm not very smart, but in day to day life I get read as "intelligent". I have a friend who was actually diagnosed as having an intellectual disability (IQ below 85) as a child, and while he has academic issues, he generally comes across as a perfectly average teenager.

[Divine Discontent]

130. don't be so quick to assume

It is easy to discern that it is unlikely that the avg IQ on DU is above 130, however, the question didn't ask what our IQ was, just what we thought the avg was on DU. ha...

My IQ has been tested (non-internet) and I received a 139. On the internet tests I've taken it's constantly over 140 up to 158, but whatever - IQ doesn't mean comprehension/common sense and most of all - compassion! I'd rather be seen as compassionate than mentally superior to 95% of the population.

[Occam Bandage]

138. I think the fact that over half of DUers think the average DU IQ is over 120

is very strong evidence that the average IQ on DU is not. Given that there is no link (to my knowledge) between IQ and political beliefs, it would be extraordinarily unlikely for the membership of an open political discussion website to have an average IQ over a full standard deviation above the norm.

[Forkboy]

104. Wile E. Coyote....suuuuuuper genius.

[Echo In Light]

106. The catch is there isn't an obvious correlation between IQ and susceptibility to indoctrination

[WI_DEM]

107. I have no idea, but I do know that IQ tests don't tell the whole story about intelligence.

[SidDithers]

109. Intelligence of the posters is entirely dependent on the forum...

:evilgrin:

Sid

[old mark]

110. 110-120.......

The really smart people like me help raise the average.




mark

[Jennicut]

111. I odn't know my IQ and I don't care. Those tests mean nothing about the real world anyway.

I say this as someone studying to be a teacher.In our classes we discussed many times that many people do not test well, does not mean they are not smart.

[Richard Steele]

113. Mine is well over 140. Clearly, the entire "IQ" concept is completely meaningless. nm

[BlooInBloo]

119. Being on the right team doesn't mean you're smarter than the other team.

[Occam Bandage]

137. But taking a Facebook IQ quiz means you're a certified genius. nt

[JuniperLea]

122. My highest score was 169...

Too bad it only means I'm good at figuring things out, and not that I'm guaranteed a massive amount of money and stunning good looks! LOL!!!

[Occam Bandage]

123. LOL I AM A GENEUS IQ IS LIEK FIVE THOUSANDS OF POINTS

[HughMoran]

125. All caps = -100 IQ points

:)

[Occam Bandage]

127. SO I AM AT FOUR THOUSANDS THAN? PRETY GOOD AMIRITE!!!

[HughMoran]

129. YOU AMRITE!!

IM BAD DOOD TOO - LETS PARTY DEWD!!1!!11!

[JuniperLea]

131. LOL!!!

I have no idea what Ignored is saying, but your mockery is gold! Pure gold!

[Occam Bandage]

135. See, this is the problem with the Ignore feature.

Occasionally you look like this. There's nothing sadder than someone who misses the joke, but thinks they're in on it.

[BlooInBloo]

136. I have no problem with ironic accidental self-pwns.

[lightningandsnow]

134. IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAANNND!

:rofl:

[Lorien]

139. Oh heck, I really don't know! Tests give me a 121-147 IQ, so I don't know

what to believe. I just wish that I had a higher "EQ", because a high IQ isn't great for getting dates when you're a woman!