BBC apologises after Mensa guest says anyone with an IQ of 60 is a ‘carrot’

[Sparkle]

A leading member of high IQ society Mensa sparked outrage as he described anybody with an IQ of 60 as a ‘carrot’ on live television.
Peter Bainbridge made the ‘offensive’ comment while appearing on BBC Breakfast, forcing the show’s presenters to later apologise and read out complaints live on air.
Viewers contacted the programme to voice their complaints about the remark made during a discussion on IQ testing, saying that it insulted people with learning difficulties.

Linky

I think that although this comment was a little insensitive, it wasn't intended to offend.

Maybe they all have good vision...

[rogerdraig]

maybe i should complain that they seem to think people with learning difficulties all have low IQ's mines well over 140 ( proper test not online ) and i am Dyslexic

bit over sensitive i feel some are ( best Yoda voice )

[danielf]

An IQ of 60 or lower would put you in the bottom 0.25% of the population. One person in very 400, or 150,000 people in the UK.

That said, it does look like an off-the-cuff remark which would be probably wouldn't be offensive in the right company. Unfortunately for Mr. Bainbridge, National Television isn't that.

I watched it before going to work and people where just not listening to him .He went to great pains to explain that IQ is worked out as a comparison to the average .So if the population had an average IQ of 100 then someone with an IQ of 60 would be a carrot. And there are over 300 different methods of measuring IQ so a person with learning difficulties would not be measured in the same way that the average person is measured

I'd bet that every single person who complained to the BBC was offended on behalf of someone else. I despair of our society, we really have completely lost the ability to hold things in proportion. Everything has become an excuse for outrage.

[thenry]

A leading member of high IQ society Mensa sparked outrage as he described anybody with an IQ of 60 as a ‘carrot’ on live television.

i actually laughed reading that. lets be honest he could have said worse.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by martyh

And there are over 300 different methods of measuring IQ so a person with learning difficulties would not be measured in the same way that the average person is measured

The whole point of IQ testing is that people are measured in the same way. There are different tests, but they all aim for the same result: a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.

[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by danielf

That said, it does look like an off-the-cuff remark which would be probably wouldn't be offensive in the right company. Unfortunately for Mr. Bainbridge, National Television isn't that.

Exactly, you never know who's watching...

Originally Posted by danielf

The whole point of IQ testing is that people are measured in the same way. There are different tests, but they all aim for the same result: a normal distribution with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.

actually i can't remember if he said "different types" or "different ways" ,i suppose there is a difference .

Either way it was just an off the cuff remark that meant nothing and the numbers he used where just off the top of his head

---------- Post added at 18:21 ---------- Previous post was at 18:15 ----------

here's the video anyway so people can judge (scroll down)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...Breakfast.html

[joglynne]

As far as I am concerned, having heard the offensive remark, this just goes to prove that a high IQ does not make a person any more able to live in society or relate to his fellow human beings than the people he regards to be less than human due to their reduced IQ.

I have been tested and came out in the top percentage of what is purported to be a intellectual gauge of a persons level in general society but refused the membership I was offered after reading some of the elitist garbage spouted by many of Mensa's members. Having a high IQ does not absolve one from learning how to interact with other people or of realising that 'off the cuff remarks' can be offensive.

My family have, over the years, fostered many young people who would have trouble getting an IQ of 60, they have been a joy to all who came into their lives, but I doubt whether they would have had the intellectual skills to voice their indignation at being likened to a carrot so I consider a complaint on their behalf to be totally in order.

[rogerdraig]

i still think that the insulting thing is that people assume a learning difficulty means a low IQ not the comparison of 60 IQ to a vegatable

[Sparkle]

What if I were to say "I've often found the word "dog" offensive to dogs. The proper term is "canine". "

"My mutt doesn't get offended when called a dog, as he's just a mutt so I get offended and complain on his behalf."

If a person of a 60 IQ doesn't get offended from a remark, I really don't see why anyone else should complain on their behalf, especially from a so-called "off-the-cuff" remark that wasn't intended to cause offense.

I think we have an awful lot of people in this country who just look for any excuse to get offended about something.

[rogerdraig]

"learning difficulty" here means anything that can hinder you learning in a normal way so deafness dyslexia and autism are all in there

[joglynne]

Originally Posted by rogerdraig

i still think that the insulting thing is that people assume a learning difficulty means a low IQ not the comparison of 60 IQ to a vegatable

Roger I agree, there are different tests that can be taken and someone with learning disabilities would not be disadvantaged when taking such tests and many such children/young people have been shown to have higher than average IQs.

However some forms of IQ testing are sometimes used to established the level of Learning Disability and to establish what avenues could be used to help with some lower results being used to help diagnosis and plan treatments/training regimes.

Calling anyone a carrot may sound amusing, silly, or just 'off the cuff' insensitive but it is still an insult.

Originally Posted by Sparkle

What if I were to say "I've often found the word "dog" offensive to dogs. The proper term is "canine". "

"My mutt doesn't get offended when called a dog, as he's just a mutt so I get offended and complain on his behalf."

If a person of a 60 IQ doesn't get offended from a remark, I really don't see why anyone else should complain on their behalf, especially from a so-called "off-the-cuff" remark that wasn't intended to cause offense.

I think we have an awful lot of people in this country who just look for any excuse to get offended about something.

Sparkle a dog is a dog it is also canine. A human being can be male or female but is never a carrot. I am surprised that you can't see the difference. Just because you don't intend to cause offense by your post doesn't mean that you are not guilty of doing so.