Posts tagged My Original Posts

Inspired by this post, in which Stephen Colbert comments on Jason Richwine’s claim that “the average IQ of immigrants in the United States is substantially lower than that of the white native population, and the difference is likely to persist over several generations.” Putting aside Stephen Colbert’s hitting-the-nail-on-the-head-perfect response that white people are not the native population of the United States, I have some bones to pick with Richwine and those elements of the blogosphere that have defended him.

Much of the writing in defense of Richwine’s dissertation has focused on the over-politicization of academia, which is a legitimate phenomenon, but, to my mind, ancillary to the discussion at hand. Richwine and his associates made what they knew to be a radical and socially incendiary set of claims, for which they would need extremely persuasive and empirical evidence. Frankly, whether or not Richwine’s study reflected his claims is less important than the way in which he interpreted that data.

A group of people tested lower on IQ tests. What does this tell us? Does it tell us the objective intelligence level of test-takers? The cultural leanings of the test-takers or the exam itself? The data only supports the provocative conclusions if we take for granted the premise that IQ scores are capable of accurately reflecting the objective intelligence level of the test-takers, a premise which has already been undermined if not entirely disproven by previous, peer-reviewed, and scientifically sound studies. Richwine’s publication suggests that they controlled for language proficiency and cultural biases—and even if that were entirely possible to do with any guaranteed amount of accuracy (of which I’m not convinced), that still presumes that the IQ test is capable of objectively determining intelligence, with a definition of intelligence that is more or less universal and stable over time.

Yet several factors undermine this assumption, such as the fact that many individuals’ scores change vastly over time, or the fact that socioeconomic status often predicts IQ results. Many scientists, from paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould to psychologists Peter Schönemann and Denny Borsboom to cognitive scientist Reuven Feuerstein, have pointed out that the fundamental methodology of the IQ test is outdated. It ignores some of the most significant advances/expanded schools of thought within the fields of psychology and cognitive science in the past 50 years—structural cognitive modifiability, mediated learning experience theory, neuroplasticity, differential susceptibility, complexity neuroscience (conceiving the brain as a complex adaptive system), etc. And that’s not even going into the genetic and anthropological studies disproving the concept of race as a stable and biological trait, although that is obviously relevant in this case. 

So, long story…less long: yes, academia is politicized, and yes, un-PC claims get a lot of flak. But Richwine and like-minded academics can’t expect to make extreme claims without an extreme preponderance of evidence, and the very basis of Richwine’s study—the idea that IQ scores are accurate representations of objective, genetically-determined intelligence—is faulty. Don’t write provocatively and then complain when people are provoked; and above all, don’t use outdated methodologies to support outdated claims, and then cry “liberal witch hunt” when your peers and the public call your work, in a word, outdated.

Christine’s relationships with the Phantom and with Raoul are actually a pretty fascinating analogue for the Virgin/Whore paradigm. The Phantom represents her impure and “unladylike” traits - her ambition as an operatic soloist, her morbid curiosity, her lust. Raoul represents her “purer,” more socially acceptable traits - her innocence, her desire to feel safe and protected, her childlike affection (emphasized by their mutual childhood memories together).

And I love the way Sierra Boggess plays this dichotomy. During “That’s All I Ask of You,” she’s giddy, enthusiastic, and fond. Whereas “The Music of the Night” is without question as close to an onstage orgasm as a relatively old-school musical staging is going to get.

I already kind of hated the character of Raoul de Chagny, but wow, I have never found him more unlikable than in the Phantom at the Royal Albert Hall, played by Hadley Fraser. I don’t know how intentional it is, but if he rolls his eyes at Christine one more time I’m gonna reach through my computer screen and punch him in the fucking throat

I work in a hotel, and every time I order pizza from this particular pizza place they give me 5-10 free cookies so that I’ll put little ad pamphlets out (to entice our guests into ordering from them idk). We already have a stack of them, but the delivery dude gives me cookies every single time. (Tonight it was 7.) It’s awesome, it’s like getting away with murder

I happened upon someone’s mindcast for the Charlie Bone series and I realized that I don’t think I could watch any adaptation of it that didn’t have Ioan Gruffudd as Uncle Paton. I didn’t even know my headcanon was that strong, but I saw Viggo Mortensen for Paton and I was immediately like NO OBVIOUSLY IOAN GRUFFUDD JFC WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU