“I think religious people are less likely to have trait Y” was one form I thought that comment might have taken, and it turns out “trait Y” was “intelligence”.
Now that I’ve heard this detail, it’s easier to understand what misguided ideas were going through the speaker’s mind. I’m less confused now.
“Religious people are bad at jobs” sounds to me like “chewing gum is dangerous” — my reaction is “What are you talking about? That sounds wrong, and also… huh?”
By comparison, “religious people are less intelligent” sounds to me like “chewing gum is poisonous” — it’s easier to parse that statement, and compare it to my experience of the world, because it’s more specific.
*****
As an aside: I spend a lot of time on Twitter. My former job was running the EA Forum. I would never assume that any group has zero members who say offensive things, including EA.
That’s exactly what I mean!
“I think religious people are less likely to have trait Y” was one form I thought that comment might have taken, and it turns out “trait Y” was “intelligence”.
Now that I’ve heard this detail, it’s easier to understand what misguided ideas were going through the speaker’s mind. I’m less confused now.
“Religious people are bad at jobs” sounds to me like “chewing gum is dangerous” — my reaction is “What are you talking about? That sounds wrong, and also… huh?”
By comparison, “religious people are less intelligent” sounds to me like “chewing gum is poisonous” — it’s easier to parse that statement, and compare it to my experience of the world, because it’s more specific.
*****
As an aside: I spend a lot of time on Twitter. My former job was running the EA Forum. I would never assume that any group has zero members who say offensive things, including EA.