Baggage Check: Kind of Dumb

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Dr. Andrea Bonior dives into the world of psychology.

IT'S NOT OFTEN that I have the privilege of opening our parent paper and being called -- along with at least half of my friends and family -- "kind of dim." Never one to shy away from even the most outrageous of arguments, though, I read the aforementioned accusation in full, hoping it was satire. But if it was, it was woefully unsuccessful. And indeed, I do feel dimmer having read it, since my time would have been better spent clearing my sinuses.

To debunk every fallacious argument within Charlotte Allen's piece would be an exercise in exhaustion, but there are a few that the psychologist in me just can’t ignore:

1) "Evidence" that women are dumber:They are more likely to be diagnosed with disorders such as Morgellan's Disease (a controversial syndrome that quite possibly involves delusions of parasitosis). But there's simply no connection between the frequency of a psychological disorder within a given demographic and the intelligence of that group. In fact, men are more frequently diagnosed with schizophrenia, a disorder whose delusions are often much more severe than just being bitten by bugs. Memo to Ms. Allen: Incorrect argument plus invalid use of said argument equals two wrongs not making a right.

2) "Evidence" that women are dumber: Men have slightly fewer car accidents per miles driven. But by the author's own admission, men drive many more miles: psychologists, and sports fans, would just call this a practice effect. Helpful hint: Don't use Ms. Allen for picks for the Super Bowl.

3) "Evidence" that women are dumber: Men have larger brains in proportion to their bodies. Wow. Are we really going there, in the 21st century? What's next, bloodletting? News flash, Ms. Allen: Squirrels' brains are proportionally larger than humans'. I guess I'll serve acorns at my next book club.

Perhaps her most insidious argument is the one that intelligence is defined wholly by mechanical/spatial ability and lack of emotionality. As fun as it is to think of a robot -- or even just my stapler -- as brilliant, as a trained psychologist I must point out that there has yet to be conceptualized a singular unit of intelligence. Most likely it is made up of many facets, not the least being verbal ability, in which women consistently excel.

But I guess someone who believes that women will be forever outnumbered as Supreme Court justices and brain surgeons (despite the fact that females now outnumber males in many law and medical schools across the country), cannot really bother with things like research.

None of this, of course, is intended to bash men. In fact, my entire gripe is that such broad strokes -- whether they be about a race, a class, or yes, a gender -- are at best, inane, and at worst, quite damaging.

Then again, perhaps I shouldn't get so worked up. Ms. Allen might call me hysterical.

Talk back to Dr. Andrea by leaving a comment below. To ask a question for Baggage Check in the Express print edition, e-mail baggage@readexpress.com or submit an anonymous question here.