So there's a stupid study getting some publicity right now.
Based on average SAT scores, this study asserts that fans of Lil Wayne, Beyonce and gospel music are dumber than the fans of Billy Joel, Journey and classic rock. How did study author Virgil Griffith come up with such results? Well, his shaky methodology relies on Facebook, average SAT scores of selected colleges and a whole lot of extrapolation:
1. Get a friend of yours to download, using Facebook, the 10 most frequent "favorite music" artists at every college via that college's network statistics page on Facebook (manually -- as not to violate Facebook's ToS). These 10 artists are perhaps indicative of the overall intellectual milieu of that college.
2. Download the average SAT/ACT score for students attending every college.
3. Presto! We have a correlation between musical tastes and dumbitude (smartitude, too)!
Music <=> Colleges <=> Average SAT Scores
4. Plot the average SAT of each "favorite music" fan, discarding those with too few samples to have a reliable average.
5. Post the results on your Web site, pondering what the Internet will think of it.
Yes, I'm aware that correlation does NOT equal causation. The results are hilarity incarnate regardless of causality.
You can stop sending me e-mails about this distinction. Thanks. Source- Music that makes you dumb
I can't get too worked up about this whole thing. I think it's a joke.
There are a million factors that would go into why someone might list a particular artist or musical genre on his or her Facebook page at any particular moment. A year ago, I was listening to mostly hip-hop, now it's classic rock, but next week it will probably be something else. And anyone who knows anything about the SAT understands that it is not an "intelligence test." It is only supposed to predict first-year college success.
Much more than a decade ago, my college roommate took Kaplan courses to boost her SAT score by 80 points. Eighty points! So maybe the SAT is actually a test of how much money your family can spend on prep courses:
But longtime critics of the SAT disagreed, saying that private test preparation was unfairly distributed.Check out the study for yourself. www.Musicthatmakesyoudumb.virgil.gr
"The issue with test prep is access," said Anthony Carnevale, an educational researcher and professor at Georgetown University and a former official with the Educational Testing Service, which develop and administer the SAT. "It tends to be overwhelmingly distributed by class and by race." Source
More in BV Community
+ Beyonce Fans Are Dumb?
Beyonce and Solange Fashion Transformation
In 2001, Destiny's Child won the Grammy Award for best R&B Song for their hit single 'Say My Name.' Beyonce was 20 years old, and Solange was 15. New to superstardom, these young girls from Texas would take their time developing their sense of style.
Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com
Looking just like her mom Tina here, Beyonce began her career with hair extensions based on braids, way before she would "upgrade" to lace front wigs.
Jim Spellman, WireImage.com
Working a strange mix of accessories, Beyonce used her ensemble to promote her self-penned hit 'Bootylicious.' We do what we must to reach the top! It was 2001, and still a few more years before Bey would cement her spot without resorting to desperate moves.
Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com
At the 2001 Teen Choice Awards Beyonce and Solange continue to evoke the "classless country" look with matching neon yellow outfits and braids in clashing shades of auburn. At this time, Solange had almost no identity of her own and was totally dependent on her sister's shine.
Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com
NO TABLOIDS! Solange & Beyonce of Destiny's Child wearing Tina Knowles 2001 MTV Video Music Awards - Audience and Backstage The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center New York City, New York USA September 6, 2001 Photo by Theo Wargo, WireImage.com To license this image (231747), contact WireImage.com
Theo Wargo, WireImage.com
Solange was really just a teen growing up in the fast lane, as we can see here in this early pic. Her braids, scarf, tee and jewelry are clothing an average girl would wear.
Photo AOL
Solange and Beyonce Knowles Solange posed together in 2002 in an uncharacteristically dressed-down look for Bey. Do you think she still has that Michael Jackson's Thriller t-shirt?
L. Cohen, WireImage.com
Through this two-tone hair sculpture in the form of a lace-front wig, Beyonce shows the world that they do indeed do it big in Texas at the 'Austin Powers In Goldmember' in 2002. While Beyonce began to branch out into acting roles at this time, and slightly mature in her sense of style, Solange still seems like a non-entity totally dressed by Mom.
Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com
These two sisters made an appearance on MTV's 'TRL' in 2002 wearing distinctly different casual looks. While Beyonce took even her relaxed dressing to a costume-like extreme, Solange was still dressing like normal young person.
Kevin Mazur, WireImage.com
At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall, Bey gave a knockout performance and revealed what many would come to term the "Beyonce Look" in full force. The huge blonde mane and over-the-top sexy golden outfits were here to stay.
Frank Micelotta, Getty Images
Comments: (553)
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By: LEZD on 3/17/2009 7:16PM
Who would've thought of comparing a genre of music someone listens to to SAT scores and college? By the way, it can be proven wrong! How Callous and racist!
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By: Dan Medi on 3/18/2009 7:33PM
THIS IS A REPLY FOR LMAO@U : SO YOU ARE NOT "RACIST"...WELL YOU SOUND VERY RACIST TO ME..THROWING S--^$#@--T TO PEOPLE WHO DID NOT LEARNED ENGLISH..AM I WRONG?...DID I MISSED SOMETHING HERE?...BY THE WAY I DO NOT SPEAK ENGLISH VERY WELL..BUT CAN YOU ENLIGHT ME TELLING ME WHAT THESE WORDS IN YOUR COMMENT MEANS?..........SPAINISH, GENREATIONS, HAV EHAD, C MAE..THANK YOU VERY MUCH...CHEERS
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By: wackojackofreak on 3/17/2009 7:54PM
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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By: Luise Davis on 3/17/2009 11:34PM
Actually, the sentence should read: "correlation does not imply causation". Here in Pennsylvania, Santa comes when the weather is cold. That's correlation, but it's not causation. Santa doesn't bring the cold, and it's not the cold that brings the presents.
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By: eric on 3/17/2009 9:38PM
Come on BV's you can do better than this! Beyonce is talented, very attractive, and most people out here...especially aot of these BW are just plain jealous of her continuing success! Beyonce keep doing your thing, and just keep steppin pass these haters that wish that they were you! Go girl, and all the best to you!
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By: rebecca on 3/18/2009 12:17AM
Just because her fans aren't bright does not mean she's dumb.Trust me she's making alot more money than alot of people i know who got high scores on their SAT's and went to the most prestigious colleges.Stop hating Beyonce is young beautiful,famous and rich .What are you??
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By: Brett on 3/18/2009 8:29PM
HA! I laugh at your comment and am proud to down-rate it the fact you feel we envy the cause of an SAT failure is comical at best! You don't understand half of the trash you're talking about. I ussually keep opinons away from my wrath on histerical thinking. Sorry, you lose, don't demote this study by promoting those it "targets." Have a nice life, oh and enjoy your R&B and Hip-Hop.
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By: phyllisbeasley on 3/17/2009 11:00PM
those white folks are just crazy
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By: Catt on 3/18/2009 6:00PM
Oh, I'm sorry you're saying how everyone discriminates African Americans, but there you go saying "these white folk are crazy," Oh yeah, there's nothing racist with that sentence at all. For crying out loud, no one's dishing on African Americans, just because the two singers they mentioned were African American, DOES NOT MEAN that the study pointed out Africans are stupid and other ethnic groups are not.
For one thing- everyone who said that this is racist are as well racists. Who said that only African Americans can listen to Beyonce or Lil Wayne? A lot of white people listen to those artists as well, and aren't doing all that well on their SAT's.
Honestly, I think music makes all the difference. High class "smart" people wouldn't ever listen to rap. And that is why those people are doing well on their SAT's. Instead of wasting time on some trashy music they actually STUDY for those SAT's, and they're the people that score in the 790-800 range.
It makes me so mad how if someone says so much as to one thing about an African American they're immediatly a "racist".
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By: Ronda on 3/17/2009 11:08PM
No, but the person who wasted time on this story is.
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