Prairie Home Companion and “all the kids are a little above average”

I think I’ve seen one of the top ten stupidest headlines ever created (although I probably should reserve judgment, no doubt humans have not yet reached the zenith of stupidity). It is authored by someone named Charles Murray and in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal.

The headline that caught my eye:

Intelligence in the Classroom:  Half of all children are below average and teachers can only do so much for them. ^[1]

With a headline like that, I didn’t even bother reading the article.  It reminds me of the saying they have about Lake Wobegone on the Prairie Home Companion, “where all the kids are a little above average.”  I always got a chuckle with that, but I knew it was a joke.  This guy is dead serious. 

I have another headline for him: 

Half the people in the U.S. have IQs below 100.

How’s that for a scoop. Erich, did you learn about this at the Media Conference? 

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