[cycloon]

Take the statues debate. Right object to toppling statues, saying it's whitewashing history. History is complex and needs to be debated and taken in context, they say. Then they attack anyone trying to contextualise or debate things, call them raging commies, and insist that their whitewashed chocolate box version is the only one that gets heard.

This is the one that gets me. It's so blatant I can't quite believe it works. But then again, given that it's SO BLATANT, I can kinda see how it does.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Do I have to put up the diagram of the Bell curve again?

[cycloon]

Yes, intelligence is part of it, but it's not the whole story. There are plenty of 'clever' people who are fucking thick as mince when it comes to anything outside their remit (and even within, at times).

[Bones McCoy]

Yes, intelligence is part of it, but it's not the whole story. There are plenty of 'clever' people who are fucking thick as mince when it comes to anything outside their remit (and even within, at times).

Critical thinking takes a bit of practice.
We don't teach it in schools, and it isn't encouraged in polite society.

People want to hear "what you reckon", not some swotty thought experiment on hidden agendas and motivation.

You sell far more tickets for the ghost train than the speak your weight machine (James O'Brien)

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Yes, intelligence is part of it, but it's not the whole story. There are plenty of 'clever' people who are fucking thick as mince when it comes to anything outside their remit (and even within, at times).

Like I've said, there are components to 'intelligence', and it's best described by whether or not a person 'acts intelligently'.

[Tubby Isaacs]

[youngian]

Cats are nothing like cheese but academics and pundits (Matt's increasingly the latter) don't feel any need to have to tell us. Goodwin would be wiser to let it slide.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha.

[Bones McCoy]

Nice, and something we could all build on.

a) Don't let the cheerlearerd for Brexit / Trump wriggle off the hook.
b) Open the conversation to introduce their common funding streams (Hint: They're almost all common).

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's making a spectacular arse of himself again.

After writing an article in the Mail on freedom of speech, he got a not very nice surprise. Another academic revealed Goodwin had threatened to sue him for an article he didn't like, and published the email proof. Lots of people laughed at Goodwin. He then posted this.

The well-known "I threaten to sue you, you're not allowed to reveal it" rule. Goodwin has since upgraded this to the emails being "copyright".

[mattomac]

It’s freedom of speech Matt.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Portes hasn't called in the libel lawyers yet. I guess he believes in free speech.

[MisterMuncher]

If you think direct reportage of your own words and actions count as smears, isn't it time to examine the possibility that you're a bit of a twat?

[Bones McCoy]

Yes, intelligence is part of it, but it's not the whole story. There are plenty of 'clever' people who are fucking thick as mince when it comes to anything outside their remit (and even within, at times).

I've always suspect those are thick people with an aptitude, or a lot of tutoring.

I'd bandy the word "savant", but I have a feeling it has a very specific meaning that I don't know.

[Tubby Isaacs]

It gets worse. By far the most acrimonious disputes are around trans rights- nothing to do with Brexit at all. And note the sly "they don't accept Brexit" bollocks for 90% of academics (v man of consistent principle Goodwin, who went from Remain to No Deal).