The issue is more the circumstances that lead to talking about your IQ. In an argument about something else, it is almost certainly an appeal to authority, and should be avoided. Brought up out of the blue it -is- socially inept. A discussion which turns to IQ might be an appropriate place to bring it up. (I bring up my own exceptional IQ as an argument against elitism or eugenics, such as people who think low-IQ people shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce. “Do you want me applying the same standard you’re applying to other people to you?” is a pretty effective argument when you’re more standard deviations above the other person than they are over the people they think are too stupid to reproduce/make their own decisions.)
I agree that using IQ as an appeal to authority will draw negative attention, and that bringing it up in order to use yourself as an example of a smart person who isn’t elitist would probably go over very well. But those examples are black and white. You’re not making distinctions outside the black and white “easy to interpret” areas where people begin to behave funny, so, in effect, you’re ignoring the problem I presented.
As for your “out of nowhere” comment, what would they do if I said “I’m a woman.” out of nowhere? What if I said “I’m African-American.” If they don’t react in a negative way to those, but they DO react in a negative way when IQ is brought up, that says something. Why do they react to it negatively, instead of neutrally, when there is no context in which to interpret?
Joe with the IQ of 170 will be called arrogant, a liar, an elitist, treated like a scam artist, or told he has no social skills. That’s not telling Joe he’s okay. That’s telling Joe not to talk about his difference. Let’s explore what it means to be told you can’t talk about your difference for a moment. Imagine going into a room and saying each of the following...
It’s worse then that: What do you think they think you are thinking?
People generally assume purpose, correctly or incorrectly. If you bring up your IQ, your audience is going to ask themselves -why- you are bringing up your IQ. And they’re unlikely to find any good reasons, which leave only the bad.
(Not to mention that most people who bring up IQ -are- socially inept, precisely because of social policies against bringing up IQ. It’s unfortunately a stable equilibrium. You’d need a popular movement to change the social mores there, and I don’t think most people are going to care enough to get involved in it, compared to the other social problems our society faces.)
The issue is more the circumstances that lead to talking about your IQ. In an argument about something else, it is almost certainly an appeal to authority, and should be avoided. Brought up out of the blue it -is- socially inept. A discussion which turns to IQ might be an appropriate place to bring it up. (I bring up my own exceptional IQ as an argument against elitism or eugenics, such as people who think low-IQ people shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce. “Do you want me applying the same standard you’re applying to other people to you?” is a pretty effective argument when you’re more standard deviations above the other person than they are over the people they think are too stupid to reproduce/make their own decisions.)
I agree that using IQ as an appeal to authority will draw negative attention, and that bringing it up in order to use yourself as an example of a smart person who isn’t elitist would probably go over very well. But those examples are black and white. You’re not making distinctions outside the black and white “easy to interpret” areas where people begin to behave funny, so, in effect, you’re ignoring the problem I presented.
As for your “out of nowhere” comment, what would they do if I said “I’m a woman.” out of nowhere? What if I said “I’m African-American.” If they don’t react in a negative way to those, but they DO react in a negative way when IQ is brought up, that says something. Why do they react to it negatively, instead of neutrally, when there is no context in which to interpret?
They would assume you have a reason for bringing those things up. (Or, if they couldn’t find one, assume you were a bit daft.)
What reason would you have, in their model of you, for bringing up your IQ? None of them are good.
Judgments often made about IQ statements:
http://lesswrong.com/lw/kk/why_are_individual_iq_differences_ok/76x6
I think you were asking “What do I think they think?”—your wording felt a bit tricky to interpret.
It’s worse then that: What do you think they think you are thinking?
People generally assume purpose, correctly or incorrectly. If you bring up your IQ, your audience is going to ask themselves -why- you are bringing up your IQ. And they’re unlikely to find any good reasons, which leave only the bad.
(Not to mention that most people who bring up IQ -are- socially inept, precisely because of social policies against bringing up IQ. It’s unfortunately a stable equilibrium. You’d need a popular movement to change the social mores there, and I don’t think most people are going to care enough to get involved in it, compared to the other social problems our society faces.)