Naturally stupid?

October 25, 2007 5:16am CST
Well I read the post on what a doctor said about black people naturally and genetically being more stupid than others but I do wonder do you think some people are born more stupid than others? or do you think everyone is born with the same ability and its how youre nurtured as you grow that determines how you will develop? I ask because I worked as a teaching assistant and I worked with some what I guess id call bright kids who would do well in their exams. Then I worked with some kids who frankly without mincing words were thick. They could barely read the word 'the' but they were the same age as these other children. None had learning difficulties. They did misbehave and act disruptively. So are they naturally slower or is it the way that they were raised that caused this disparity?
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2 responses
@woodlin (158)
• United States
25 Oct 07
It is not in the way they are raised. There have been instances where a "not so bright" person(s) have a kid and the kid ends up very intelligent. It was not by the help of the parents but by the effectiveness of the child's brain. I also know this for a fact too. I know someone for instance that has a teaching degree and 3 children. Of her 3 children this is the brake down.... Child #1 age 10, very smart, catches on to just about anything you try and teach her. Child #2 age 8 is not the brightest star in the sky. She can barely read at a kindergarten level, has problems remembering simple math equations and lacks in many other areas. Child #3 age 3 just started talking a few months ago, smart on many things but not with verbal or memory skills. The parent taught all the kids in the same fashion yet all 3 are completely different in capabilities. I do think people are born either very intelligent, mildly intelligent or have a down right lack of intelligence. It all has to do with the brain and its mechanics. It depends on which portions of that persons brains develops better.
25 Oct 07
Thanks for your comment its very informative so do you think that it can ever be down to your upbringing? For example if a child is naturally bright but are raised in an environment where they are not nutured and have no chance to thrive, is it a case of use it or lose it? Like will that ability disappear?
@woodlin (158)
• United States
28 Oct 07
Well I think that depends on the childs brain chemistry. If the child is born with the "smart" gene then I do not think it really matters. The reason I say this is because people with mental disabilities have given birth to very bright children before. So, not sure as to whether or not I am right but I do feel strongly that it is a natural born thing rather then a learned thing.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
30 Oct 07
I think there are some who are born less intelligent then others. I also think it has to do with survival. If you had to run and escape wild beasts to stay alive, those who would sit and ponder a problem would naturally be eaten by said beasties, while those who would rather run away would survive. So the descendants of the runners would not be as bright as the descendants of thinkers who lived in a country where there were no wild beasts chasing them and they could devote their time to raising cattle and building cities. Or ask yourself this question. If you are in charge of University administration, what ethnic group be it black, white, Oriental, or Native American/Canadian is allowed to get in at lower percentage than the others. Then that group is stupider. It needs more help. I will not say what that group is, but if there is someone of that group who is upset that they are allowed to pass at a lower level than others, perhaps they should complain and get their percentages raised up.