As humans evolved from apes, brain size nearly tripled in just the last 4 million years, from 500 cm3 in Australopithecenes to 800 cm3 in Homo habilis to 1000 cm3 in Homo erectus to about 1350 cm3 in modern Homo sapiens (higher in the developed world where nutrition is good), as evolution selected for intelligence…the cognitive ability to adapt: to take whatever situation you’re in, and turn it around to your advantage. Since humans lacked the adaptive strength, speed, claws, and fur of other animals, we needed large brains to use behavior in an adaptive advantageous way.
With a cranial capacity of perhaps 2,029 cm3, Oprah has just adapted her situation to her advantage, by buying a 10% share in Weight Watchers, and watching the stock roughly triple in a few days, making her potentially $100 million richer in only 36 hours.
This type of power been dubbed the Oprah effect, and was part of the reason Time magazine crowned Oprah the most influential woman on the planet. When she famously vowed to never eat another burger, beef prices plummeted, when she endorsed a work of literature, it zoomed up the best seller list, when she plucked Dr. Phil out of obscurity, he became America’s top psychologist, and when she endorsed Barack Obama, he became the first black president of the United States.
It’s one thing for Oprah to have influence over the overweight soccer moms that watched her hugely successful daytime talk show that ran from 1986-2011, but now she seems to have parlayed her influence into even Wall-street clout, even though Oprah’s touchy-feely new age spirituality is the last thing cynical young white male Wall-street traders would be swayed by.
But they respect her money and power. People respect success, even when it comes in a form they don’t respect.
Meanwhile authoritative Forbes magazine just released their 2015 list of the 400 richest Americans, and you now need an astonishing $1.7 billion just to make last place. It used to be that the billionaire club was much more exclusive than the Forbes 400, but these days, being a billionaire is no longer rich enough for the Forbes 400.
With a net-worth of $3 billion (before the Weight Watchers investment), Oprah is still the only multi-billionaire black in North American history, but she’s no longer the only black on the Forbes 400. She’s been joined by private equity titan Robert Smith who has $2.5 billion.
Smith appears to come from a far higher socio-economic background than Oprah (his father was a PhD, Oprah’s father was a barber and her mother a maid on and off welfare) and unlike Oprah who used to be a bit of a technophobe, Smith was a high tech geek. Forbes writes:
As a junior at Denver’s East High School in the 1970s, Robert F. Smith showed a fascination for the geekiest subject there: Computer science. The transistor held particular wonder for him. This small device, a crucial valve controlling the flow of electrons within a computer, had been invented at Bell Labs. Bell had a nearby office. Maybe he should work at Bell, too.
After securing the number, Smith phoned and inquired about a summer internship. Yes, Bell did have one, he learned, but only college upperclassmen could apply. Smith had straight A’s in math and computer science. Would that count? No, Bell said, it would not. Undaunted by this initial rejection, Smith called back every day for two weeks—HR stopped answering after Day 2—and then cut back on how often he called …to every Monday for five months. Eventually, he was rewarded for his doggedness. After an MIT student didn’t show up in June, Bell called Smith. Could he come in for an interview?
The above anecdote shows that in addition to high IQ, persistence is a hugely important factor in becoming rich. It’s not just about dumb luck, as many people will have us believe. Those who become rich tend to create their own opportunities and then very skillfully exploit them.
I don’t think there’s ever been more than two blacks on the Forbes 400 at any given year, and often there’s only one. Despite being 13.6% of America, blacks are always 0.25% to 0.5% of the Forbes 400, though this may change in the next generation as some of these black billionaires pass on their fortune to children.
Interestingly, America now even has a third black billionaire. Basketball star Michael Jordan is now the third richest African American and recently became the first billionaire athlete in history, but he was not quite rich enough to make the Forbes 400. It is interesting that he recently lashed out at President Obama:
I suspect Jordan, who was at one time perhaps the most worshiped black man in America, resents seeing another black man (Obama), also from Chicago, dethrone him in status by becoming the first black president. Jordan probably subconsciously thinks that as a man of extreme height and athletic talent, he is the one who everyone should worship, and not someone like Obama who Jordan seems to view as an unworthy successor.
Disgusting
seriously!
peepee doesn’t even know what “private equity” is.
she’s so fucking retarded.
and without any doubt robert smith’s test scores were lower than mine. a lot lower.
yet peepee is such a fucking fucktard and wannabe personal toilet paper to rich assholes she thinks this guy is legit.
he ain’t peepee. even obama is an affirmative action case. has he ever released his SAT? or even his LSATs? hey, Elliot Spitzer has released his, or said what they were at least…perfect.
he’s like so many blacks in ZA and that rE-dOnk-ulously man-voiced girl from stanford…Liz Holmes…
potemkin people.
they’re put ups peepee.
if you had more social intelligence you could see through them.
if you want legit black billionaires look at nigeria.
I didn’t say he was a genius, only that I think he has a high IQ, and by high I mean 120+
Even blacks who benefited from affirmative action (and I’m not saying he did or didn’t) have to be smart because there’s competition from other smart blacks for the best affirmative action spots. Indeed I’d expect the higher the IQ, the MORE a black benefits from affirmative action
Anyone who got straight As in math AND computer science is likely above 120 IQ, especially if they did so at a high school that looks like this:
peepee has the typically mentally retarded prole’s “understanding” of finance.
weight watchers is pure THEFT…from proles like peepee. only proles would buy its stock. does it even have one?
peepee still doesn’t GET IT.
STILL WAITING…
FOR PEEPEE TO GET IT…
IT!
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=secreatariat+belmont
STILL WAITING…
THE DISTINGUISHED WHITNEY COLORS…
[Pumpkinperson: redacted personal attack from end of this comment, Oct 22, 2015]
Personal attack redacted
STILL WAITING ON PEEPEE TO POST ON THE SINGLE GREATEST FREAK IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD…
HINT…
IT WASN’T GENES…
OR RATHER…
GENES WERE ONLY A SMALL PART…
AND STILL THE FREAK THAT IS SECRETARIAT IS…
UN-EXPLAINED…
APPARENTLY IN-EXPLICABLE.
AND THAT’S A HORSE AND THAT HORSE’S SPEED.
EXPLAINING HUMANS IS “A WHOLE ‘NOTHER LEVEL”.
“that is a record which may stand forever”…
said the tearful announcer in 1973.
guess what?
it still stands.
as do secretariat’s records in the derby and the preakness.
no human record has stood for so long.
mennea’s 1979 200 m in mexico city had stood for 17 years, but was surpassed by michael johnson’s 19.66 in th atlanta olympic trials.
beamon’s mexico city long jump was beaten by mike powell in 1991.
yet that horse…
his records still stand.
in ALL THREE OF THE TRIPLE CROWN RACES.
DESPITE…
BREEDING
AND LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY FOR THE RIGHT FOAL..
IT’S ALMOST AS IF STEVE SHOE WERE GIVE FREE REIGN TO BREED HIS TELOSIANS…
AND…
FAILED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s much easier to raise the AVERAGE level of a particular phenotype through selective breeding than it is to raise the HIGHEST level of said phenotype.
For example, if the cost of living became so high that anyone who wasn’t a billionaire couldn’t afford to live, the AVERAGE IQ would go way up. but the HIGHEST IQ might not go up quite so much.
So there might be some kind of genetic trade-off, at least in the short-run. You sacrifice a higher standard deviation to get a higher mean. and a lower SD means fewer Secretariats.
It would be a very easy thing to calculate.
This. Weight Watchers preys on people who have no idea how to diet and buy in to any fad diet.
PP remember when I said Oprah isn’t a good person? Here’s one great reason.
PEEPEE IS SO FUCKING RETARDED SHE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT PRIVATE EQUITY IS…OR WHY IT IS.
IT’S STUPID. THAT GUY MAY BE QUITE CLEVER, BUT THE pe INDUSTRY IS SUCH THAT HE NEEDN’T BE CLEVER AT ALL, AND VERY LIKELY ISN’T.
BUT HE MOST ASSUREDLY WILL HAVE SOME ELITE EDUCATION CREDENTIALS.
AS…HMMM…AS ONE OF ITS INVENTORS, TED FORSTMANN, SAID…
IT’S A WAY TO RAISE MONEY FOR PENSION FUNDS.
IT’S GAY.
THE HEAD OF CREDIT SUISSE IS NOW A TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED BLACK GUY FROM COTE D’IVOIRE.
HE’S NOT UNQUALIFIED BECAUSE HE’S BLACK.
HE’S UNQUALIFIED BECAUSE HE’S TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED.
HE’LL BE OUSTED IN 12 MONTHS.
MARK MY WORDS.
AND I EVEN OWN A LOT OF A CREDIT SUISSE ETN.
IT’S STUPID. THAT GUY MAY BE QUITE CLEVER, BUT THE pe INDUSTRY IS SUCH THAT HE NEEDN’T BE CLEVER AT ALL, AND VERY LIKELY ISN’T.
Maybe this is too simplistic, but the way I see it:
Anytime there is a job where you can become a billionaire without being clever, there will be competition to get that easy money.
Anytime there is competetion, you need to be clever enough to outsmart the competition
Hello Denizens of Pumpkin Person’s blog:
This is the Commenter formerly known as the Notorious Lion of the Judah-sphere. I was trying to abstain from HBD commenting through the rest of the year, but since I’m so addicted to HBD I couldn’t quit. So I figured why not deign myself to speak with the legions in the blogosphere and start commenting again.
I’ve chosen this new persona given that my previous one had some comments I wasn’t proud of and there was a troll that was trying to parody me. I hope this will give me a fresh start. Thank you everyone for your support as I try to re-ascend the Ladder of HBD Commenting Greatness.
Great to have you back. Sorry your comment had to wait in comment moderation, but ever since that parody of you, I instilled stricter moderation and IP screening.
But I knew it was really you when I saw the eloquence. 🙂
Got a new image too.
Except…it’s not showing up 😦
Yes, it’s there!
Looks like you got your own blog too which your usename links to:
https://survivalonthenewfrontier.wordpress.com/
One extra step in ID verification.
I may consider blogging at some point. I need more ideas though.
You’d be a fantastic blogger. You are articulate, bright, rational, objective, honest, fair, candid, revealing, humble and UNBELIEVABLY knowledgeable.
But for selfish reasons, I’d rather have you commenting on this blog, than doing one of your own.
Weight Watchers is UTTER TRASH.
I though you were supposed to be some sort of nutritionist.
WW used to provide good advice on portions and nutritionally balanced meals.
I don’t know what it is like now, it may have morphed into a strictly money grabbing business these days, most everything does, but in the early years they gave excellent information and advice.
That’s part of my job.
WW is part of Big Food. Big Food drives all of these “programs” that continuously spike insulin, and as I’ve documented, insulin is the cause of weight gain; insulin makes us fat.
All big diet companies are in it for repeat customers. They are dishonest to their customers and they all need to die (the businesses, that is). They are useless in teaching the average person how to eat right.
Oprah is a snake for buying stock in this, she knows how to prey on people’s stupidity, looking for their quick fix to lose weight be getting “advice” peddled to them by scum who only want to profit off of people’s ignorance.
I give the complete opposite advice and, not surprisingly, I get results AND my customers aren’t repeat (they will be once I get my gym running though).
These companies are full of slime and they need to be abolished as they take advantage of people’s ignorance to make money, all the while people continue to get fatter, wondering why what they’re doing isn’t working (because the “advice” they were given was garbage) and Oprah, the snake, bought into the garbage.
Coca-Cola “funds” obesity studies. Coca-Cola funds studies that conveniently find that sugar and their soda don’t literally cause obesity. Big Food and other multi-billion dollar conglomerates profit off of people’s stupidity to believe whatever the media—Oprah, Weight Watchers et al—put out, and the country suffers as a whole because of it.
“only want to profit off of people’s ignorance.”
This is pretty much the foundation of capitalism. This is the god of modern society. If you take a stick and hit someone in the head and take their money you are a criminal, but if you are smart enough to get them to sign up for payday loans ad infinitum you get to be man of the century and they lick your boots.