dagblog - Comments for "Putting "Dumb flatfoot" into sharp focus"

Sometimes (as in the

jollyroger — Fri, 22 Aug 2014 11:41:47 +0000

In reply to This was my exact thought.

Sometimes (as in the expression, "uh-oh, I am dating myself--I remember when the Beatles came on the tv while we were watching Ed Sullivan") we reveal more about our own characteristics (eg, age) than we might have intended .

Which is to say, (without being so vulgar as to put an actual number to my own actual IQ...) I took 104 to be about half of what a thinking person ought to score, give or take four points.

That said, it has been my experience that people who score around 120 are pretty slow thinkers, so (not that I have any granular data ) I figured that folks coming in at 104, (besides being what I might call half-wits) were likely to be pretty dumb.

All of which is to say, I don't really know what I'm talkin' 'bout here.

I believe/agree that tests

A Guy Called LULU — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 16:03:01 +0000

In reply to I find it hard to believe a

I believe/agree that tests are very poor at determining fitness of a person to handle high stress jobs with intelligence for years on end. Somewhat related, based on my experience in younger days in Texas, small town cops were often hired after being fired by a big city force. A state license to be a cop might be a good idea if it is not actually one that is in affect now in most places.

I find it hard to believe a

EmmaZahn — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 15:32:28 +0000

In reply to This was my exact thought.

I find it hard to believe a police department would just give an IQ test. An aptitude test seems like it would be more appropriate. Of course, someone would have to define what aptitudes and their degrees have to be met just like IQ and that would probably generate even more lawsuits.

Still, seems like the best way to staff a large force. Not sure it would work as well in a small town where the talent pool is naturally very shallow.

If 100 is average, then the

NCD — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 15:19:31 +0000

In reply to This was my exact thought.

If 100 is average, then the average American is dumber than a cop. who wudda thunk...of course IQ tests don't include celebrity news/gossip, MLB/NFL/NBA standings/players, sitcom plots/characters or other infotainment stuff Americans brains are overly replete with....

A Guy Called LULU — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:35:52 +0000

In reply to This was my exact thought.

I am of the opinion that groups develop a group personality based on various factors, one of which is the affect of dominant personalities within the group. That dominant personality may or may noy be the formal leader. Sometimes dumb asses come to rule the roost.

A first reaction to this story is that in a group like a police force or an army rifle squad, for instance, which has or develops a tendency to handle potentially explosive situations with brute force, it would seem to be a wise policy to insert smarter people into that group every chance that came about. That assumes my belief that smarter people are less likely to encourage dumb ass attitudes and actions.They would be more likely to shift the group personality in a smarter direction. I seriously doubt that a very smart person instituted a policy of rejecting very smart people from the police force.

This was my exact thought.

Verified Atheist — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:41:37 +0000

In reply to What is the average IQ of the

This was my exact thought. 104 is (slightly) smarter than average. What this (probably) means (assuming a normal distribution of intelligence for the officers) is that most officers are smarter than average, while some are not. I have no idea why JR thought this was meaningful.

What is the average IQ of the

EmmaZahn — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 12:28:28 +0000

In reply to Putting "Dumb flatfoot" into sharp focus

What is the average IQ of the general population?

Standardized IQ tests are designed so that the average (mean) IQ score in the general population is 100. An ‘average IQ score’ or ‘normal IQ score’ can be defined as a score between 85 and 115 – that is, between plus and minus one standard deviation from the average.

What do you think a cop's should be?

Who else would be stupid

Resistance — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 03:15:21 +0000

In reply to Putting "Dumb flatfoot" into sharp focus

Who else would be stupid enough to take on the job?

Criminals and disturbed people, trying to take your life and if you should defend yourself you might find you are now charged as a criminal,

I wouldn't be interested in the job because maybe my IQ is better than theirs?

Maybe the essential element is bravery? and I don't have that either.