# Posting Your IQ is the Same as Saying "Please Disregard Me" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 14, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048 "2010-04-14T08:37:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/61 "2010-04-15T18:23:04Z")
I agree with the OP. There’s very few times when one’s IQ is appropriate to an internet discussion. If you’re telling the truth, then you ought to be able to make a good point without it. If you’re lying, then you’re basically conceding the argument because you’re lying. Intelligence should speak for itself, and hell, even smart people can belief some really stupid things for really stupid reasons. To me, it’s not much different than someone who tries to stroke their ego by bragging about their bench max as a way to win an argument about something athletic, or claiming they went to a more prestigious school, or my personal favorite “I used to work at the CIA/FBI/NSA and I have secret information I can’t tell you about but it proves me right.” I LOVE those ones. So yeah, whenever I see claims of IQ come into a discussion to which it isn’t directly relevant, I do find it harder to credit the rest of that persons argument. That all said, I do think it’s important to consider that chances are the average IQ on the internet isn’t going to be 100. Consider that a lot of the lower end of the curve probably isn’t going to even be able to use a computer, and of those that can, chances are a lot of them are probably less likely to engage in discussions, so I’d guess the average IQ on the internet is probably at least a little higher, maybe 110ish. Of course, I still think that, even if it’s a believable claim, it doesn’t help one’s argument, and I’d still question people who claim obnoxious numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/62 "2010-04-15T22:19:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > My dick’s IQ is 163, as he keeps reminding me. > > He’s a smug bastard, but I don’t tell him that because his size intimidates me. Yeah? Well, my dick is so big it has its own dick, and my dick’s dick is bigger than your dick. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/63 "2010-04-15T22:24:34Z")
My dick is so big I whipped it out in church and all the altar boys pointed at the priest and started laughing. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/64 "2010-04-15T22:27:48Z")
If you can’t pound 8" nails into an oak board with your penis, then really, what good are you? IQ is seriously overrated. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/65 "2010-04-15T22:29:51Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > If you can’t pound 8" nails into an oak board with your penis, then really, what good are you? IQ is seriously overrated. > > -XT Pounding 8" nails is nothing. Try pulling them out. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/66 "2010-04-15T23:12:53Z")
Mind pictures…multiplying… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/67 "2010-04-15T23:19:59Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > That all said, I do think it’s important to consider that chances are the average IQ on the internet isn’t going to be 100. Consider that a lot of the lower end of the curve probably isn’t going to even be able to use a computer, and of those that can, chances are a lot of them are probably less likely to engage in discussions, so I’d guess the average IQ on the internet is probably at least a little higher, maybe 110ish. Of course, I still think that, even if it’s a believable claim, it doesn’t help one’s argument, and I’d still question people who claim obnoxious numbers. Things were much better before domain addressing and the web, which let the riffraff in. Sure there were idiotic flame wars, but they were sophisticated idiotic flame wars. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/68 "2010-04-15T23:26:15Z")
[QUOTE=Lobohan] Pounding 8" nails is nothing. Try pulling them out. [/QUOTE] I always thought such a test was the female equivalent… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/69 "2010-04-16T11:06:03Z")
I decided not to join Mensa because my scores were just barely adequate, so I figured I’d be one of the dumbest members. I prefer the illusion of smartness by hanging with average people. It’s also why I don’t post here much. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/70 "2010-04-16T14:26:37Z")
We’d take you. We’d just put you at the slow table. ETA: Consider the plight of [this](http://www.etsy.com/listing/40718880/vintage-desktop-figurine-little-mensa-ma?ref=sr_list_2&ga_search_query=mensa&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title) poor soul, tormented by the very thought of being in the **top 98%!** ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/71 "2010-04-16T14:51:01Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > That all said, I do think it’s important to consider that chances are the average IQ on the internet isn’t going to be 100. Consider that a lot of the lower end of the curve probably isn’t going to even be able to use a computer, and of those that can, chances are a lot of them are probably less likely to engage in discussions, so I’d guess the average IQ on the internet is probably at least a little higher, maybe 110ish. Of course, I still think that, even if it’s a believable claim, it doesn’t help one’s argument, and I’d still question people who claim obnoxious numbers. Someone’s never been to Yahoo- or Wikianswers. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/72 "2010-04-17T02:18:02Z")
My IQ was tested when I was two and I scored eleventy-seven hundred. Not bad for a toddler. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/73 "2010-04-17T02:32:00Z")
my IQ is 14 inches long! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/74 "2010-04-17T03:01:23Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > We’d take you. We’d just put you at the slow table. > ETA: Consider the plight of [this](http://www.etsy.com/listing/40718880/vintage-desktop-figurine-little-mensa-ma?ref=sr_list_2&ga_search_query=mensa&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_page=&includes%5B0%5D=tags&includes%5B1%5D=title) poor soul, tormented by the very thought of being in the **top 98%!** 😃 Nitpick, though. 98th percentile actually does mean top 2%, not top 98%. Although, with the inauspicious syntax of “the top 98% percentile,” it’s easy to parse it in a way that suggests it’s the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/75 "2010-04-17T05:31:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That would be pretty good on the Kelvin scale - it would be about 295. Let me know when you are using the Rankine scale, you might be worthy of a conversation. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/76 "2010-04-17T13:01:38Z")
I made this [bell curve chart](http://i42.tinypic.com/20p3sh.png) a while back. Pun intended. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/77 "2010-04-17T13:34:39Z")
Wait, are we talking about people who claim their IQ supports their argument? Because while I’ve seen a lot of people brag about their superior intelligence on the Dope, I’ve never seen anyone do it to win an argument. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/78 "2010-04-17T14:05:28Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I made this [bell curve chart](http://i42.tinypic.com/20p3sh.png) a while back. > > Pun intended. 😃 That’s while flaccid, yes? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/79 "2010-04-17T18:29:43Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > That’s while flaccid, yes? 😉 Flaccid, and measured seconds after one emerges from a cold swimming pool. Seriously, I’ve participated on a bunch of message boards, none of which are the type that are dominated by teenagers, gaming guilds, or other groups known for posts that make YouTube comments seem erudite in comparison. I’ve never seen the proclamations of superior individual or group intelligence and intellectualism anywhere else online but at the Straight Dope. I’ve seen the penis size contests elsewhere (“I’m only ten inches long, and …”), but not the bragging about IQ (“I’m a bit on the slow side, with an Stanford-Binet tested IQ that barely qualifies me for Mensa, and …”). ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048/80 "2010-04-17T20:15:42Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Seriously, I’ve participated on a bunch of message boards, none of which are the type that are dominated by teenagers, gaming guilds, or other groups known for posts that make YouTube comments seem erudite in comparison. I’ve never seen the proclamations of superior individual or group intelligence and intellectualism anywhere else online but at the Straight Dope. I’ve seen the penis size contests elsewhere (“I’m only ten inches long, and …”), but not the bragging about IQ (“I’m a bit on the slow side, with an Stanford-Binet tested IQ that barely qualifies me for Mensa, and …”). You must not frequent programming forums/news groups. There’s always one or two. Usually not directly involving IQ, but plenty of people claiming “multiple degrees in Science from Harvard and Yale”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posting-your-iq-is-the-same-as-saying-please-disregard-me/536048.md?page=5)