Upon reading that title that contained the acronym, IQ, which stands for “intelligence quotient” and has been stigmatized beyond all reason, there’s a strong likelihood that it resonated with you in memory of all the people you’ve either observed or been the target of dehumanization.

Often, they are targeting a particular person in either the third person or the first person, and just as often, they are directing their pseudo-intellectual disdain for an entire group of people. They are people convinced that their IQ is larger than what they perceive your IQ to be.

The acquisition of the intelligence quotient is a uniquely tenuous process.

The IQ isn’t an estimation based on personality, opinion, identity, or alignment.

Although different examinations can provide varying results, a single test is going to provide a specific number that reflects your current (yes, I said current, which most investors in the validity of the IQ will disagree with) cognitive ability. It isn’t going to ask you questions such as, “Do you often feel like you’re more intelligent than everyone around you?” or, “Does your identity align with counterculture?”

The IQ test is very impersonal, and although it can be administered in various ways, the most considerable method being a combination of written and verbal testing from an accredited specialist, two people from polar sides of the political, social, cultural, or religious spectrum can receive the same score.

I, myself, have been actually tested twice in my life.

By actually, I’m referring to online quizzes that are truly inaccurate.

Apparently, once when I was younger, in which no one who accompanied me to the test can recall even a ballpark approximation of my results, so I am skeptic as to whether this ever happened or if it was an actual IQ test. Secondly, when I first began college, and I tested in 130s. I was never informed as to what scale this was being tested on, and I don’t know if scales actually vary or if institutions simply perceives scores differently, although, on most scales, this falls in the “superior intelligence” range within the spectrum. You know how I feel about that? I don’t feel anything about that. I simply do not care.

You know why?

Because the IQ ultimately means nothing.

Someone who tested relatively high on the IQ is telling you, a person who might test at a 163, Einstein’s IQ, or at a 107, that a person’s IQ ultimately means nothing.

Yes, an IQ might provide a ballpark estimation as to what a person’s current cognitive ability is, but there have been numerous studies within the field of science, the most cold-hearted, empirical, and important tool we have in modern civilization, that a person’s IQ can be significantly increased and decreased. When you get the chance, do some research on Dr. Howard Gardner, a former professor of Harvard university, who developed the theory of multiple intelligences, in which he asserted that the IQ test was far too limited. His research wasn’t based on feel-good progressivism, either. It was sincere, empirical research that employed the scientific method.

Would you pass judgment on a person who was born without an arm?

Do you find fault in a person whose vision is so poor that they require corrective lenses?

Do you believe in belittling someone for a feature that they cannot control?

If you say no, then, why pass praise on a person who might be the fastest runner amongst their peers, yet never cared to try out for he track team? Why accredit the person with the wide wingspan, 6’3” stature, and natural muscle tone with more athletic prowess than the actual quarterback who chose to train themselves and excel in football?

Lastly, with relation to my original point, why accredit the person who speaks of their intelligence has being superior to those around them yet asserts that they “simply don’t try” with more intellectual prowess than the student who chose to commit to their studies, train their mind and exercise critical thinking, and achieves high grades?

If you feel like I’m referring to you as one of these people, then I’ll interrogate you directly. Why do you feel entitled to recognition for a quality that you claim yet do not prove? Why do you feel that you deserve as much if not more recognition than the aforementioned student who trains hard and exercises critical thinking in the pursuit of knowledge and intellectualism? Oh, yeah. I forget you’re too cool or smart for that. You heard Rick Sanchez say, “School’s not a place for smart people,” and you felt that this endowed you with the right to claim recognition for intelligence without proof. Because of the aforementioned Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, this doesn’t exclude intelligent people to those who achieve high grades, it doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to simply claim intelligence because you can just tell how special and smart you are. I, myself, have been guilty of feeling sufficed with claiming intelligence and feeling intelligent, yet failing to commit myself to excellence. Now, that I’m in college with a GPA close to a 4.0 and an academic plan that assures an honors’ stamp on my degree, I seek to compensate for my past shortcomings and excel in the future in some form of graduate school.

By the way, in case you feel that I degraded "Rick and Morty,"you should understand that "Rick and Morty"is my favorite show currently airing on television, and it’s on its way to becoming one of my favorite shows of all time.

Although the show is important in a philosophical vein, it takes place in high concept, sci-fi/fantasy situations that are related to the real world, and can’t be directly applied. Rick saying, “School’s not a place for smart people,” doesn’t mean that intelligent students should drop out of school. It simply means that grades aren’t everything. Which I reinforce with my reference to the theory of multiple intelligences, however, I find it unreasonable to use this as an excuse to deride those who do achieve high grades.

So, the important message to receive from this article, which has been scattered due to an impassioned desire, is that the intelligence quotient is more tenuous than people would like to believe, and it’s much more than just a claim, but it ultimately means nothing. Your hard work, dedication, mental training, constant self-evaluation, and passion are what define your success in your identity, and those that claim intelligence without ever seeking to prove it besides espousing countercultural, culturally defining, or controversial opinions that assert themselves as smarter than thou may or may not be intelligent, but do not pay their rambling any mind.