07.+What+is+Intelligence+(February+2006) - Get a Free Blog

What is Intelligence? 72
Chapter Six –
How Society is Repressing Your True Intelligence
In a well known and loved British comedy TV series, about a motley
group of mainly middle aged men and ex-old soldiers, who were deemed
unfit for military service in the second world war, and thus became by
default what was known as “the Home Guard”, we have a good
illustration of how intelligence is suppressed by society.
Of course Groucho Marx said “military intelligence is a contradiction in
terms” long before this TV series, but the exploits of this hotchpotch of
pretend soldiers proved the point most conclusively, as well as giving us
a good insight into the current human condition.
In particular, the local bigwig, the pompous bank manager, Mr
Mainwaring (mysteriously pronounced as “mannering”), though totally
unsuited to a position of military command, became the captain of the
group, and weekly displayed his incompetence in a whole variety of
hilarious ways.
But his authority we see, had its compensations.
In each episode, he would find some excuse to tell the only young
member of the troop - who somehow had evaded military service likely
on the grounds of mental feebleness - that he was “a stupid boy”, in a
dismissive manner, which “catchphrase” would bring the house down
with laughter from the viewing audience.
But in actuality, to call anybody stupid, is really a very great social crime
indeed, especially a child.
For as Forrest Gump said “Stupid is, as stupid does.”
Or put differently, if we call someone stupid often enough – which
understand, might at the wrong moment only take once – they end up
feeling like it, and worse, even acting like it.
But imagine for a moment that some aliens landed on our planet with
huge skulls and brains several times the size and complexity of our own.
They might be able to compute things in their heads which we can only
do with the fastest modern computer, they might laugh at our science as