The thing that “average” people need isn’t so much a textbook as a recognition that maybe intelligent people are better role models than the latest football star or rapper.
If you don’t have the status the advice that you are giving won’t be heard.
Rappers are probably a bad example. Most if not all of the great rappers are notable for being extremely intelligent, especially in the sense that IQ measures.
Some people use their intelligence to do intelligent decisions; those would be good to follow. Some people use their intelligence mostly for signalling intelligence (see your local Mensa for examples); those would be bad to follow.
The necessary part of the low-IQ person’s strategy would be to recognize the former from the latter. Unfortunately, those good role models often don’t fit the popular stereotype of an intelligent person. They often even don’t consider themselves to be highly intelligent.
Some anecdotal data: Despite me generally expressing contempt for Mensa in LW forums, I actually do recommend people I consider smart to go take the Mensa IQ test. Not to join the Mensa, only to do the test; to calibrate on their own intelligence. A few people who later did the test successfully at first completely denied the idea of being highly intelligent. And it’s actually those people I would recommend as the best role models. But if they don’t recognize themselves and even actively deny their intelligence, how should their neighbors recognize them?
The thing that “average” people need isn’t so much a textbook as a recognition that maybe intelligent people are better role models than the latest football star or rapper.
If you don’t have the status the advice that you are giving won’t be heard.
Rappers are probably a bad example. Most if not all of the great rappers are notable for being extremely intelligent, especially in the sense that IQ measures.
Most if not all of the great X are notable for being extremely intelligent. For any X to arrive at the very top you probably also need to be smart.
Rappers are much more cerebral than football players, as a class, as a profession, as an endeavor. There’s no rationalizing around this.
Rap battles reward quick wit as few other things do (maybe improv theatre/comedy also?)
People need to stop equating single parameters with anything, like Villiam Bur does in the original post.
Some people use their intelligence to do intelligent decisions; those would be good to follow. Some people use their intelligence mostly for signalling intelligence (see your local Mensa for examples); those would be bad to follow.
The necessary part of the low-IQ person’s strategy would be to recognize the former from the latter. Unfortunately, those good role models often don’t fit the popular stereotype of an intelligent person. They often even don’t consider themselves to be highly intelligent.
Some anecdotal data: Despite me generally expressing contempt for Mensa in LW forums, I actually do recommend people I consider smart to go take the Mensa IQ test. Not to join the Mensa, only to do the test; to calibrate on their own intelligence. A few people who later did the test successfully at first completely denied the idea of being highly intelligent. And it’s actually those people I would recommend as the best role models. But if they don’t recognize themselves and even actively deny their intelligence, how should their neighbors recognize them?