A Sting That Smarts

I've been seeing ads for a new show this fall called Scorpion. It's about a team of geniuses who ... I'm not sure, solve crimes or something. It's brought back a pet peeve of mine about how movies and TV depict smart people.  After years at the University of Waterloo, and working in software, I've spent a lot of time around smart people, and the popular depictions of them aren't very realistic.

Among the standard fallacies:

• A person who is smart in one area will be smart in all areas.  If they can do math, they'll also be good at interpreting literature.
• Intelligence trumps knowledge and experience.  It's fine to show a smart kid beating a grandmaster at chess, because we can assume the child deduced centuries of accumulated knowledge of chess strategy on his own.
• Smart thinking is always quick.  Unique insights never require contemplation.
• Non-mathematical intelligence manifests itself as magic control over people.  A person gifted in psychology will have a svengali-like influence on others.
• Genius can come up with a solution regardless of the resources available. Any problems you see in the world are apparently just a result of lack of intelligence.

It's kind of weird because geek culture has unprecedented acceptance, and our economy depends on innovation more than ever. Smart people are a more important part of society than ever, yet pop-culture still struggles to understand intelligence itself.

...From My Cliched, Dead Hands

Lots of people have aspects of their lives that are totally unexpected, that run counter to our preconceptions.  For instance, I mentioned watching the Daytona 500, not what you'd expect for a liberal Canadian hipster.  Then when I was researching Tom Morello for that post a few days ago, I came across the fact that he's also a huge Trekkie, and even did a cameo appearance on Star Trek: Voyager.

That sort of thing happens so often in our modern and complex society, that it actually stands out when people play into their stereotypes.  I had one of those moments when Chad Kroeger and Avril Lavigne did an ad for the Junos.  As with any liberal Canadian hipster, I already think of the Junos as the symbol of emphasising popularity above all else, and it would be hard to pick anyone to better reaffirm those feelings.  Were Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen not available?  Then there was the story of how Marc Ouellett, Canadian Cardinal and Papal candidate, went into the priesthood after an injury made him rethink a career in hockey.

The same thing happened when news came out that the NRA is going to sponsor a NASCAR race, in Texas no less.  There'll be all sorts of morality questions asked in the media, but I'm asking:  Does the NRA really need more visibility or positive public relations among NASCAR fans?  Surely they should be sponsoring an art show in New York or a poetry jam in San Francisco.  But then, Tim Hortons does spend a lot sponsoring hockey and curling, so maybe there's something to this seemingly redundant advertising.

Eurodynamic

Today I saw a truck whose owner was proclaiming his allegiance in the European soccer championship.  But not in the usual way with a flag out the window.  Instead,the flag had been wrapped around the front of the side mirrors: same display of patriotism, no aerodynamic penalty.  Do I even have to tell you the flag was German?