Monday, December 02, 2013

in praise of greed, envy, IQ...,


guardian | Boris Johnson has launched a bold bid to claim the mantle of Margaret Thatcher by declaring that inequality is essential to fostering "the spirit of envy" and hailed greed as a "valuable spur to economic activity".

In an attempt to shore up his support on the Tory right, as he positions himself as the natural successor to David Cameron, the London mayor called for the "Gordon Gekkos of London" to display their greed to promote economic growth.

Delivering the annual Margaret Thatcher lecture, Johnson also called for the return of a form of grammar schools.

He qualified his unabashed admiration for the "hedge fund kings" by saying they should do more to help poorer people who have suffered a real fall in income in recent years. But he moved to forge his own brand of Conservatism, which contrasts with the early modernising of the prime minister, by claiming that it was "futile" to try to end inequality.

In highly provocative remarks, Johnson mocked the 16% "of our species" with an IQ below 85 as he called for more to be done to help the 2% of the population who have an IQ above 130.

"Whatever you may think of the value of IQ tests it is surely relevant to a conversation about equality that as many as 16% of our species have an IQ below 85 while about 2% …" he said as he departed from the text of his speech to ask whether anyone in his City audience had a low IQ. To muted laughter he asked: "Over 16% anyone? Put up your hands." He then resumed his speech to talk about the 2% who have an IQ above 130.

Johnson then told the Centre for Policy Studies think tank, which helped lay the basis for Thatcherism in the 1970s: "The harder you shake the pack the easier it will be for some cornflakes to get to the top."

8 comments:

BigDonOne said...

"...A team at the University of Colorado...used DNA gene technology to test...Prairie soil..."
When it comes to revealing The Truth, you can't beat DNA...

Dale Asberry said...

DNA is only the signature. Something much more interesting does the actual signing.

Vic78 said...

I hope the Brits are smart enough to know he was talking about them.

Vic78 said...

It could be an evolved dog whistle. You really can't directly talk about "those people" that are ruining the country; you can say stupid people are killing the country. It's also a clever way to protect their benefactors; if you were smart you'd be in my position. Competent opposition should blow that IQ bullshit out of the water immediately. If Boris is able to get promoted, the Brits deserve whatever comes their way.

CNu said...

Vic, it's a VERY ancient and VERY highly evolved dog-whistle. My faculty advisor in college wrote a book and taught a course on precisely this topic. http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/genesis-genocide

rembom said...

Great book, one of my favorite teachers. Read it, and all hail the great Prof. Chorover, and the famous "Chorover tangents" of his lectures. We could use more like him.

arnach said...

Label: Taijitu IMO

Vic78 said...

Here's a blogger's response to people like the good mayor: http://www.driftglass.blogspot.com/2013/12/depraved-and-indifferent.html.

Master Arbitrageur Nancy Pelosi Is At It Again....,

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