The Q melt down begins...

[Caliman73]

127. There are different tests.

They all have their weaknesses and strengths. IQ is tricky and controversial because of its historical use to deny services to minorities and its role as an excuse for discriminatory practices.

There is a distribution and you are correct that half the population is below the 100 mark, however depending on the test the ranges are different. 70 or below is typically considered intellectually disabled (the current term for what was called Mental Retardation).People who fall below 70 are typically inhibited in functional activities like reading, writing, and even self care tasks. The average range appears to be from 90-110 where the largest majority of the population lies. 85-90 is typically seen as "low average".

I think it is more about critical thinking skills, the ability to discern evidence and reputable sources, and exposure more than IQ.

The saturation of right wing media from AM radio, to Fox and other networks, to the internet, has allowed people to stay inside of a bubble where they get information that confirms their predilections.

A lot of times, "going down the rabbit hole" is about feeling aggrieved, disempowered, and isolated. A lot of these conspiracies are born out of a, not completely unwarranted, distrust of government and authority. That is not to say that there is any validity to the actual claims, but more about how the government does hide things from us.

If you think back historically, the Spanish-American War had a flashpoint with the sinking of the Maine, which was blamed on Spain. The reality is that Spain was likely not responsible for the sinking. Similarly, our full on entry into Vietnam (we had already been there since Eisenhower) was linked to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was basically made up by the Johnson Administration. We only learned after the fact, about the sterilization projects with Black women, the secret testing of birth control on Puerto Rican women, the Tuskegee experiments, and other things that the government has done and covered up.

Some people take this skepticism too far, and start listening to any crack pot with an "explanation" that fits into their already held or learned beliefs. They lose perspective and they invest emotionally into the situation. Like people in abusive relationships that continue to think that "this time, he is really sorry for smacking me, and he will change."