I am beyond happy! I made a real, (semi) tangible change in the world.
Read my below letter to the BBC
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Original Message:
From: [my email]
Sent: 29 June 2009 17:49
To: NewsOnline Complaints
Subject: Complaint Reply Required
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8121599.stmIn this article, the following is written: "Accelerated mental development, for example, slows down social and mental growth and the result can be a lop-sided and maladjusted individual."
The view that highly advanced mental abilities stunt social growth is contested by the Gifted and Talented community. As shown here (and in other studies):
"Profiles of the two SMPY groups show them to be well adjusted and interpersonally effective. The generally high scores of the SMPY group members, compared with those of the random eighth-grade sample, indicate that the gifted radical accelerants and nonaccelerants are mature, academically advanced, and interpersonally effective."
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10017.aspxWhile famous educational psychologist Leta Hollingworth did find that those with IQs three and two-thirds standard deviations above the norm did encounter some social difficulties, very few people have such high IQs and, even then, not all encountered these difficulties. This does not substantiate the usage of "slows" unqualified, as if, in every case of extremely high intelligence, the result is an individual with underdeveloped social skills.
It is true, however, that accelerated mental development often leads to slowed mental growth, as those possessing advanced mental abilities are often understimulated and unaccommodated in a regular or unaccelerated school environment.
Even this does not justify the rather extreme prognosis of a "lop-sided and maladjusted individual" that the article profiles the gifted as. While there have been cases where an individual's extreme academic preciosity resulted in the described unfortunate end, these cases are rare. Of course, there are indeed many who have been wounded by society's ever-present, but painfully latent, command to mental uniformity. However, "lop-sided" is too strong a word to describe these occurrences, connotating mental instability. [In the "heat of the moment," I just attacked whatever annoyed me in the quote, but I now realize that the crucial "can" in the quote kind of summarizes this whole paragraph. Whoops! :)]
Thank you for your time!
[my real name]
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From: bbc.co.uk
To: [my email]
Dear Mr [my last name]
Thanks for your e-mail.
The sentence which you quoted was the view put forward by psychologist Peter Congdon.
It was not the intention to give the impression that this was presented as fact by the BBC, and in light of that possible confusion, it has been attributed more clearly to Mr Congdon, with the addition of the word "can".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8121599.stmI hope this addresses your concern.
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Indeed it does, BBC. Indeed it does.
