>I don't believe it's possible for anyone in capitalist society
>to wholly escape this ideological trap. If (as we always spontaneously
>assume) individuals exist prior to and autonomous of any and all social
>relations, then there must be some individual essence in each to be
>identified and explained. Intelligence (g) is merely one of the more
>sophisticated forms of this vulgarity.
>
Yes, yes, yes.
I was tracked through the LA public schools system -- in accelerated classes, starting in 7th grade. I spent my last six years of school surrounded by "high IQ" types who went on to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Caltech, etc. I remember feeling like a loser when my parents decided I could not apply anywhere but UCLA.
Based on my knowledge of these people I would say that what they all had in common was solid basic skills ( in reading and math), an exceptional facility in manipulating symbols, parents from a professional background with high aspiration, and a great anxiety about achievement. After each test, all these kids, who had spent hours studying, would pace the halls worrying out loud that they had failed the test. By this they meant that maybe they'd gotten a B+. Nobody failed anything. But sometimes they got a B. Big tragedy. Other than that there was nothing especially notable about them. None of them were especially nice people. They became professors, investment bankers, senior scientists; they went off to kibbutzes in Israel. I don't remember any that had any especial appreciation or understanding of the arts....or even a desire to understand. I don't remember any acts of bravery beyond a kind of roue cynicism.
The proliferation of tests and grades and obstacles is there to reinforce the notion that those who have made it did so for some objective reason related to individual worth. Oh, and to crush any possiblity of creative thought or action.
Joanna