State IQ's and the Election
I assume that this subject has already been kicked around at great length by the more enlightened weblogs. I have not yet picked up reading around again, enough to have any idea of what everybody has been talking about. This is merely my own take.
A friend sent me a list showing how the average IQ's of the different federal states correlated with the Presidential candidates that polled best there. Here is a site from which this info may have come. (http://chrisevans3d.com/files/iq.htm ) And here is a site that claims the figures are one big hoax. ( http://www.isteve.com/Web_Exclusives_Archive-May2004.htm#38115.6465670139) Nevertheless, considering the stuff that has gone on in all the various states over quite a few generations, the rankings generally seem quite likely to me, and they ought to be a shocker -- but undoubtedly aren't -- to those on the rightward end of the political spectrum, to see that the highest 16 states in average IQ, according to that list, were ALL won by John Kerry!
Apparently, by this accounting, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the top three smartest states in the Union, in that order. No surprises there, except New Jersey.
The three states wallowing at the bottom and therefore solidly for GWBush were, from the lowest up, Mississippi, Utah, and Idaho. No surprises there at all.
The state in which I now live but am not by any means a native of, Virginia, was No.17 and therefore the highest Bush state.
But everybody knows that methods of determining IQ are generally debatable, and besides, from where would they get the data to determine such a thing as a state's average IQ? But there it is, and, as I said, it sounds stone logical to me.
I just wonder why, at 24th, Oregon is so far down the list. With all the political mavericking they've done through the years, along with Minnesota (11th), I would've thought that it would rank a lot higher. Higher anyway than Washington, the state, which is given as 13th. Not, of course, Washington, D.C., the diamond-shaped place (with a chunk bitten out of it) where I was born and raised. It isn't in the list, I guess because it's not considered a state, though of course it is. A solidly democratic place, D.C. ALWAYS goes for the best candidate, and according to the census, it is No. 1 in percentage of college graduates and gave Bush the lowest percentage of votes.
The other surprise for me is, as I suggested, how New Jersey made it into the top three. But I have a lot more to say about that entity later (if I haven't already). Anyway, bully for them!
A friend sent me a list showing how the average IQ's of the different federal states correlated with the Presidential candidates that polled best there. Here is a site from which this info may have come. (http://chrisevans3d.com/files/iq.htm ) And here is a site that claims the figures are one big hoax. ( http://www.isteve.com/Web_Exclusives_Archive-May2004.htm#38115.6465670139) Nevertheless, considering the stuff that has gone on in all the various states over quite a few generations, the rankings generally seem quite likely to me, and they ought to be a shocker -- but undoubtedly aren't -- to those on the rightward end of the political spectrum, to see that the highest 16 states in average IQ, according to that list, were ALL won by John Kerry!
Apparently, by this accounting, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey are the top three smartest states in the Union, in that order. No surprises there, except New Jersey.
The three states wallowing at the bottom and therefore solidly for GWBush were, from the lowest up, Mississippi, Utah, and Idaho. No surprises there at all.
The state in which I now live but am not by any means a native of, Virginia, was No.17 and therefore the highest Bush state.
But everybody knows that methods of determining IQ are generally debatable, and besides, from where would they get the data to determine such a thing as a state's average IQ? But there it is, and, as I said, it sounds stone logical to me.
I just wonder why, at 24th, Oregon is so far down the list. With all the political mavericking they've done through the years, along with Minnesota (11th), I would've thought that it would rank a lot higher. Higher anyway than Washington, the state, which is given as 13th. Not, of course, Washington, D.C., the diamond-shaped place (with a chunk bitten out of it) where I was born and raised. It isn't in the list, I guess because it's not considered a state, though of course it is. A solidly democratic place, D.C. ALWAYS goes for the best candidate, and according to the census, it is No. 1 in percentage of college graduates and gave Bush the lowest percentage of votes.
The other surprise for me is, as I suggested, how New Jersey made it into the top three. But I have a lot more to say about that entity later (if I haven't already). Anyway, bully for them!
posted by Carl (aka Sofarsogoo) | 3:40 PM
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