From 1960-1984, Japan was a solid medal producer at the Olympics, but from 1988-2000 its athletes tended to crumble under the incredible pressure exerted by the Japanese media to win one for the nation. A friend who lives in Japan wrote before the 2004 Olympics:
"When Japanese athletes compete in the Olympics they feel they are representing, not only their country, but also their race and all its members. When a Japanese is leading in a race the announcer's voice becomes flushed with emotion. When interviewed after competition, swimmers and judo-ists say they can't remember what happened, so great was their emotion. In fact in the moments leading up to a competition, Japanese seem almost paralyzed by nervousness. They are not competing for themselves, but for their coach, their team, their family, and everyone. If they win, it was not because of their own effort, but because of everyone's support. Their greatest emotion then is relief from the relentless pressure. If they lose, they have let everyone down. They cannot be good sportsmen and congratulate their opponents with a smile because their minds are elsewhere thinking about how they will apologize to their supporters."
In 2004, Japan bounced back, increasing its total medal haul from 18 to 37, moving from 14th position in 2000 to 6th position. Currently, they are in 8th place in 2008.
My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
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35 comments:
The Japanese in many ways have the opposite of the Usain Bolt mentality I commented on after your "Sprinters" article. (Bolt seems to live totally in the moment, he is playful and confident, he prefers to party than train, he doesn't worry about the future, and seems not to have a care in the world.) The Japanese are pretty much as you described. The problem is, in athletics there is a concept known as "caring too much." What happens to athletes who take their competitions too seriously is that they get way too nervous and often choke, as the Japanese have in the past. Such athletes often overtrain (a concept pooh-poohed by many coaches but which is in fact very real) and do things like lose sleep the night before out of sheer nervousness. (The best competitors are so relaxed they will do things like fall asleep on the team bus on the way to the stadium.) But as in Bolt's case, the character traits associated with excessive nervousness (the opposite of sociopathy if you will) are also correlated with a certain kind of society,In Japan's case one with low infant mortality, high literacy, low crime, and a high GDP -- the opposite of Jamaica's.
One sidenote. There was an interesting role reversal at these (and the '04) Olympics in the person of Kosuke Kitajima, who repeated as champion in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke, cementing his title of greatest breaststroker ever (no one has ever defended either of those crowns before). After winning in Athens he raised his fists and let out a primal yell, which act was interpreted by the American swimmers as bad sportsmanship (though it in fact paled next to many American celebrations). In the intervening three years American Brendan Hansen, his main opponent, used that behavior as motivation to set both world records and win both world championships. Hansen is 6' 1", 180, a tough-looking and tough-talking (though likeable) Pennsylvanian who trains in Texas. But he choked at Olympic Trials and didn't make the team in the 200, an event he was heavily favored in. And at the Olympics, he finished .4 off his best time in the 100 breast to finish out of the medals. Meantime, the 5' 9" 155pound Kitajima won both gold medals, breaking Hansen's world record in the 100 breast in the process. As I said, a role reversal.
A coaching opportunity for Mr. Usain Bolt?
That's rather amazing to hear (and not a little sad), coming from the country that refined Zen practices in martial combat as early as 1400, later transferring those principles most earnestly to sport. Miyamoto Musashi must be rolling in his grave to hear that his descendants have forgotten the way...
"When I stand with my sword in hand against a foe, I become utterly unconscious of the enemy before me or even of my own self, in truth filled with the spirit of subjugating even earth and heaven." - Musashi
To add to the pressure for tribal representation, many Japanese struggle with the tensions from a supriority-inferiority complex vis-a-vis the West. In their very hierarchical view of the world, Japan falls both above (crime, disunity, selfishness, will)and below the west (culture, technology, blonde & big round blue eyes).
During the boom years in Japan when I was in Tokyo, the Japanese saw their star rising as the US looked to share the same fate as the British Empire (culuminating in Bush Sr. throwing up in PM Miyazaki's lap at a state dinner). The feeling in some parts of Tokyo must have been similiar to pre-WWII Imperial Japan.
An event my nissei friend told me captured this tensions. His older Japanese friend several times equally asserted and questioned him "Nippon ichiban desho?" jabbing his index finger in the air. (Japan is #1 no?!). The guy wanted to believe it so badly, but he just could convince himself.
Here is a recent article about a Japanese judo champion who expressed a feeling of total emptiness after losing at the Olympics.
http://tinyurl.com/5wguob
>>
Tearful judo king Suzuki "empty" after Beijing humiliation
Former Olympic and world judo champion Keiji Suzuki said he felt "empty" and was considering his future in the sport after suffering a humiliating -100kg first round defeat at the Beijing Games on Thursday.
"I didn't do what I wanted to. I couldn't use any of my techniques. I have nothing left," a tearful Suzuki said after he was defeated by Mongolia's Naidan Tuvshinbayar with a tackle throw (morote-gari).
"If I step onto the tatami again, I may probably be thrown again. I'm really empty now," he said.
<<
OK, but aren't the Japanese supposed to be unemotional and very cool? Ah, but they have high IQs and this might work against them. I don't think Usain Bolt, for example, has the pressure of his race our country on his shoulders, or the *capability* to understand such a concept.
Tangent: In court documents filed recently over financial irregularities Ben Johnson's lawyer argued that Ben is mentally retarded:
The suit also claims Futerman ought to have known that Johnson was incapable of understanding complex legal documents since psychiatric experts hired by the lawyer -- and paid for by Johnson -- concluded in February 1989 that "there is overwhelming evidence that Mr. Johnson is intellectually retarded," the newspaper reported.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=13972f0f-3a4a-49e4-9df7-0cfcc366b7a5
Japanese fighters in the MMA world are somewhat of a cliche, often referred to as RJF (random japanese fighter) because they don't do very well, despite the sport of MMA more or less starting there and being huge there, and inventing (some) marital arts. Usage: "Hendo tapped out some RJF in under 3 minutes at PRIDE 3"
The Japanese started taking themselves too seriously in the mid 80's. After all, this was the time of the bubble economy and the rising yen. This was the time when the Japanese viewed and presented themselves as a unique, divine creation; totally separate from the rest of the human race. Worse, the 1988 Olympics was in Seoul, where the Japanese athletes felt even more pressure to show their innate superiority to the Koreans. Japan was coming off its bubble in 1992, but still felt special in 1996.
12 years of post-bubble recession combined with painful economic restructuring as well as the rise of China and Korea have reduced the feeling of specialness that the Japanese used to feel in the 80's and early 90's. So, the pressure on their athletes as representatives of their race has reduced as well. Thus, their athletes are now performing better.
I moved to Japan in summer of '91. The Japanese were really quite insufferable at that time.
Interesting,that the Japanese athletes in some respect cant win;if they do, they must humbly give credit to others. If they lose,its on them. (Reminds me of JFK's maxim,"Victory has a thousand fathers,etc"-Tho in that case he may have been making a Momo Giancana reference...) Meanwhile Michael Phelps is waiting on his Million dollar check,his new deals,closing on the new house,lining up the babes,scheduling the TV shows,first Jay,then Jimmy,Conan?--gotta think about that one. All in all our system is better for the athlete,but Japan is not being destroyed by an Immigration Holocaust;so I guess it all evens out!!
In 2000, the total fertility rate in Japan was 1.44 [CIA, UN 1.29], and by 2008, it had plummeted even further, down to 1.22 [CIA, UN 1.27 - although note that UN numbers represent some sort of a five-year rolling average]:
List of countries and territories by fertility rate
en.wikipedia.org
In another generation or two, the nation of Japan will be effectively extinct [if it isn't effectively extinct already] - the younger readers at iSteve will [by the grace* of God] live to see the day when Japan is little more than a memory.
*The grace of God as regards the younger readers at iSteve - not as regards the extinction of the Japanese race, the obviation of which eventuality could obviously benefit from the intervention of a little of the ol' Grace of God.
the median age in Japan is now 43, up from 22 in 1950, and rising. given that, the performance is good.
(from 2003)
http://tinyurl.com/5aubxu
Interesting that there was an apparent change in pressure or coping skills in the late eighties; what social changes had been brewing? I wasn't surprised to hear the explanation, it fits what little I know of the culture, but I would have incorrectly supposed that aspect of the culture would be stable.
color me skeptical, but is it not possible that they just had some off years? the issues u mention regarding pressure might just as easily be applied to chinese athletes except the chinese came through in 2008. in 2004, the overwhelmingly favored male chinese gymnasts failed spectacularly to deliver golds for the nation. the chinese coach was forced to sign a contract saying none of the gymnasts would get injured and famously said he'd jump off a high building this year if the men's team won anything but gold this time around.
i'm not saying culture has nothing to do w/ the amount of pressure brought to bear on the athletes, but lots of pressure doesn't assure failure. in any case, japan seems to have recovered recently and can even claim the greatest breaststroker in history. if kitajima's teammates were on par w/ him, they might've challenged the US team for gold on phelps' last event. as it is, his performance alone allowed japan to hang on for bronze.
Mr Sailer, how about more discussion on this Russia situation, please. This crazy bitch Rice has laid down the gauntlet today apparently.
We are going to start WWIII over f******* Poland?
If Poland had any brains it would declare neutrality until the end of time. How many stompings does it take before they get the message?
Now we are committed to defending Poland as if it was Maine or Virginia? F*** YOU, CONDI!!!
I am finally aligned with the Bush haters. Pat Buchanan has been right all along. These neocon psychotics have bled us dry and crashed the economy and now they are going to call up our boys in a draft to defend Poland?!
We are going to have a violent civilian revolt in America against the New World Order scum.
Anonymous said; """"I don't think Usain Bolt, for example, has the pressure of his race our country on his shoulders, or the *capability* to understand such a concept."""""
This is a rather odd post. Firstly, the fact that Africans have a lower average IQ does not mean that they are animals who are incapable of human thought. I would assume this person has had very little contact with black people outside of hip-hop videos. Second, the Bell Curve theory says the average IQ of black people is lower, but you have no way of knowing whether Usain Bolt is on the high end or the low end of the distribution. You cannot assume that he is less intelligent than you simply because he belongs to a group of lower average IQ.
Now, in response to the article, it is true that Japanese people are very unified and a win at the olympics is something that we celebrate as a country. The West is used to spreading throughout different nations and European culture being spaced through them. Japan is different in that Japan is the home of the Japanese people, the home of an individual and distinct people and culture. This is the sort of thinking that results from that. Korea is becoming similar, as is China.
anonymous: I don't think Usain Bolt, for example, has the pressure of his race our country on his shoulders, or the *capability* to understand such a concept.
Hey - how come Anon can get away with a remark like that, but I get censored for wondering if Cullen Jones might be a little light in the loafers?
Damnit, I'm gonna take my ball and go home.
wongba: if kitajima's teammates were on par w/ him, they might've challenged the US team for gold on phelps' last event. as it is, his performance alone allowed japan to hang on for bronze
No joke - Phelps was behind by a good half a body length or more when it came time for his butterfly leg [and we had had the world-record-holder, Aaron Peirsol, to swim our backstroke leg].
That Japanese dude is greased lightning on the breastroke.
PS: Oddly enough, we had the same problem with our Women's 4x100 medley relay - Rebecca Soni [who mopped up in the 200m breastroke] had an awful leg, and Leisel Jones left her in the dust. [Doubly ironic in that we had had a pretty strong backstroker, in Natalie Coughlin, for our lead-off leg.]
Probably just as well though - someone as juiced to the gills as Dara Torres doesn't have any business sniffing gold, even if it's just a relay.
Interesting you mention the Japanese media. At the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, there were more Japanese reporters keeping tabs on Brendan Hansen's races than there were American reporters. After Hansen finished his races, he would be surrounded a mostly Japanese reporting crew asking him questions in the post-race interviews.
Japanese not doing well in Ultimate Fighting is probably the result of too much middle-classness. Getting hit in the head for a living? Not something people who can be accountants or engineers would choose.
I've seen docs on Sumo guys, and the coaches/trainers complaining about how "lazy" and such the current generation is (the training is totally brutal). Many of the traditional martial arts masters in Japan are taking in foreign students because the native Japanese won't put up with the rather brutal training methods needed to master the crafts. And when I say brutal, I don't mean necessarily abusive mentally/physically, but punishing physically. To set in muscle memory automatic responses.
Phelps underwent a fairly brutal physical training regime, 5 hours in the pool each day every day, followed by 4 hours of dry land training. I think in the US, there are factors that encourage middle class fighters and athletes into brutal training whereas in Japan they do not.
IMHO, it's the competition for women. If you are a middle class guy, and work at a cubicle, even if you are an engineer or accountant and make good money, you're nothing compared to the drug-addicted but "edgy" indie guitarist, on the bubble motocross rider, or minor celebrity with a drinking and drug problem. All of whom will have more social pull with all women in your dating age target, and would prefer the more "macho" and high-testosterone status guy.
Now, MMA allows you to be macho, without getting arrested, and beat those edgy bad-boys in the mating game. Japanese engineers and accountants seem to have just given up, and substituted massive amounts of porn and such.
If you look at a lot of MMA guys, a good number counter-intuitively come from middle class backgrounds. Whereas serious Japanese fighters in traditional Karate, etc. mostly come from poor backgrounds where hey, getting kicked in the leg hard every day is a step up.
[It might be that middle-class dichotomy that accounts for Olympic failure-success for Japan. Americans "can't" afford to fail because hey, it's their ticket to women of their choice, while Japanese feel the crushing pressure of expectations and no real payoff for winning, romance wise.]
I remember a wonderful quote by a British sports commentator on a Japanese marathon runner:
'Sakeo, winning might not be enough for him!'
Richard
"Hey - how come Anon can get away with a remark like that, but I get censored for wondering if Cullen Jones might be a little light in the loafers?"
I dunno, possibly because I provided some factually accurate info with a link too? Quite a few of my comments don't make it through the filter here, FWIW.
Notice that nobody had a problem with my remark that Japanese have high IQs; if you accept that some groups have high IQs then you'll also have to accept that some have low IQs, anything else is PC.
Bolt's actions, such as leaving a 9.55 on the table in lieu of showboating, were idiotic; combined with his cohort's IQ it is entirely logical and perfectly fair and honest to assert with substantial confidence that he has a low IQ.
The same mentality is evident in Ninja Warrior. Several weeks ago, I was watching an episode with friends. An American contestant who was in Japan teaching English to elementary school children, some of whom were present to cheer him on, flubbed pretty early. The interviewer said in a matter of fact manner, "You have brought shame to your students". Everyone laughed; it just seemed like such an extreme comment.
Usain Bolt and his coach have solved the technical problems that others said couldn't be solved for somebody that tall. Sounds like somebody has a lot on the ball.
Many of the sprinters who have long, productive careers, such as Carl Lewis, Frankie Frederick, Michael Johnson, and Ato Bolden (NBC's color commentator at these Olympics) seem pretty bright.
It's amazing to me that so many people, including some bright ones here, expect these athletes to be something they're not.
They run, jump swim, etc. They are not postponing the acceptence of a Rhodes scholarship to compete in Peking. Phelps and Bolt can barely make it through a 30-second interview post-race without whipping out the full compliment of cliches. Bolt is who he is, the young product of an uber-macho culture; his mindless showboating is as natural as breathing.
The Japanese media are stifling for athletes. The Red Sox have been very careful with access their 2 Japanese pitchers.
Brutus
I can't let a discussion of Japanese Olympic athletes pass by without mentioning Shun Fujimoto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq-C5-vIim8
Talk about 'taking one for the team'.
I have already posted this somewhere else about how Have you noticed how the North East Asian trio of China, Japan and South Korea tend to display the best sporting prowess in Asia. These three always dominate the Asian games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Asian_Games
So North East Asians outscore other Asians in both IQ and sporting prowess! Because blacks tend to perform very well in some sports and tend to have low average IQs, I had expected something similar. I thought lower IQ South Asians, South East Asians and Middle-Easterners will easily dominate those geeky N.E. Asians in sports. But it is those geeky ones who do well in sports as well (at least within Asia.) Even as far as the football world cup is concerned, it is these three who tend to qualify from Asia with Iran (a nation which tends to perform quite well in sports within Asia just behind the N.E. Asians) and Saudi Arabia (full of hired Africans and very few Arabs). Sometimes I wonder if Iranians has a lot of genetic similarity with Europeans. I mean I still remember the Iran Portugal match in the world cup and it were the fairer white skinned Iranians who looked like the Europeans while the brown skinned Portuguese who looked like the typical Asian team.
"Miyamoto Musashi must be rolling in his grave to hear that his descendants have forgotten the way..."
The Japanese have "forgotten the way" because they have become so Americanized/Westernized.
Having worked in Formula One for many years I can offer my insight into the Japanese predilection for lower performance than would otherwise be expected. I have worked with many drivers including World Champion Jacques Villenueve as well as quality Japanese drivers such as Takuma Sato. I have also observed hundreds of Japanese and Anglo engineers plying some of the most advanced engineering on the planet. Beyond that, I am married to a mixed Asian/Caucasian woman and have significant interaction with her Asian family. Given my circumstances, and given my addiction to human observation, I believe the choking we frequently see from the Japanese relates to a lower disposition towards individual freedom and more to a group orientation. I have found that the Japanese, on average, are less capable of accepting the challenge/opportunity to dominate others and to individually asserting superiority which is the entire purpose of sport. I have seen nothing in my personal or professional life to sway me that this difference is not genetic in origin. I believe my opinion is firmly supported because some Japanese do have the right stuff and do perform well under pressure; just as some Western athletes do not have the “right stuff.”
In comparing drivers, I never found a Japanese driver to be under impossible pressure despite the fact that more than 2,000 individuals and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment rested upon the shoulders of the driver. Consider those figures, add the pressure to represent the Honda brand, and you have the recipe for epic pressure; unfortunately it just wasn't there in greater force for a Japanese than for someone like Jacques Villenueve. In fact, I would venture that Ayrton Senna was always under more pressure than any Japanese driver ever experienced even once (for with each race Senna had to demonstrate that he was truly the best). What I believe more probable, is that fewer Japanese have the ability to handle the pressure in individual events, and thus it appears they are under more pressure than is actually present. I also believe that suggesting the Japanese are under tremendous pressure is a politically correct canard that demeans a positive quality that might be more common in Northern Europeans: namely the ability to think and function as an individual without regard to your neighbor's opinion.
From my own experience, I believe that testicular response may be a part of the “choking” equation. Prior to an illness, my libido was impossible to control and my life was centered primarily on sex and relieving the intense pressure that emanated from my testicles; interestingly I also produced work of the highest dynamic. After my illness and subsequent need to medicate with testosterone, I have found that my “dynamism” and libido are directly related to pressure within my testicles I have observed this dynamic for many years. When I augment my hormonal therapy with HCG, which slightly helps with sperm production, my testicles become fuller and I find the “old pressure” returns along with the same dynamism that marked me as a young man. Since the Japanese, on average, have smaller testicles than Europeans, I believe testicular function will explain part of the choking problem. This rationale may seem strange to some, but I can assure you that testicular function has been a massive driver in my life and I have seen research to suggest it's the same with other men. As best as I can relate my experience, when your testicles are performing like an F1 car, nothing is impossible and the world is yours for the taking. Reduce performance by 25-50% and you have a massively different outlook on life.
If you match high IQ to high individualism to high testicular function, then you can expect great individual achievements from a man regardless of race. In fact, I am quite sure that if you identify similarly high performing athletes you will find they have very similar profiles across many strata. The difference may be that for the Japanese, they have developed into a highly civil , group-oriented peoples and therefore fewer Japanese have the “right stuff”. This may be the trade off to civility and it may explain why the Japanese often choke. I find this a more plausible explanation and more in-line with my experiences, compared to some mysterious “pressure” that cannot be identified.
Zylo
After my illness and subsequent need to medicate with testosterone, I have found that my “dynamism” and libido are directly related to pressure within my testicles I have observed this dynamic for many years. When I augment my hormonal therapy with HCG, which slightly helps with sperm production, my testicles become fuller and I find the “old pressure” returns along with the same dynamism that marked me as a young man.
"Well I, uh, first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love. Yes, a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly: loss of essence. Women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women Mandrake. But I do deny them my essence."
--Senor Doug
"Since the Japanese, on average, have smaller testicles than Europeans, I believe testicular function will explain part of the choking problem."
lol! i get it now! this explains why the small testicled chinese and japanese men dominated gymnastics this time around. this must explain why the testicularly challenged may and walsh dominated beach volleyball, and why the US softball team choked against the japanese team when it really mattered. it all makes sense!
"Miyamoto Musashi must be rolling in his grave to hear that his descendants have forgotten the way..."
The Japanese have "forgotten the way" because they have become so Americanized/Westernized.
Or maybe Zen-like oneness with the moment has been celebrated in Japan's literature for centuries because this oneness with the moment, the artless art, the arrow that finds its Way to the target because the one is at One with the All, etc., has long eluded Japanese individuals in real life.
Sort of like turning the other cheek in Western culture.
Real life and cultural ideals aren’t always the same.
This book, which I think was first published auf Deutsch in 1936, had a lot to do with popularizing to Westerners the idea that Zen is hot stuff for macho activities.
Wonder what Prof. Herrigel’s political views were, back then?
…
Zen in the Art of Archery (Paperback)
by Eugen Herrigel (Author), Daisetz T. Suzuki (Introduction) "At first sight it must seem intolerably degrading for Zen-however the reader may understand this word-to be associated with anything so mundane as archery..." (more)
Key Phrases: artless art, highest tension, right shots, Great Doctrine, Zen Buddhism, Daisetz Teitaro
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
So many books have been written about the meditation side of Zen and the everyday, chop wood/carry water side of Zen. But few books have approached Zen the way that most Japanese actually do--through ritualized arts of discipline and beauty--and perhaps that is why Eugen Herrigel's Zen in the Art of Archery is still popular so long after it first publication in 1953. Herrigel, a philosophy professor, spent six years studying archery and flower-arranging in Japan, practicing every day, and struggling with foreign notions such as "eyes that hear and ears that see." In a short, pithy narrative, he brings the heart of Zen to perfect clarity--intuition, imitation, practice, practice, practice, then, boom, wondrous spontaneity fusing self and art, mind, body, and spirit. Herrigel writes with an attention to subtle profundity and relates it with a simple artistry that itself carries the signature of Zen. --Brian Bruya --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From AudioFile
There's more to archery than you think, according to this compact audio, which is based on a 1953 book by a German philosophy professor. His philosophical work addresses intention and personal integration, and the importance of the unconscious in dealing with life's realities. The program's lessons are so broad and practical that you don't have to be attracted to Zen or archery to be thoroughly transported by what's expressed through the teacher-student dialogue. Selecting reader Ralph Blum was a great way to resurrect the ideas in this rich and satisfying book. His academic tone inspires respect and makes the ideas even more intriguing. T.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Archery-Eugen-Herrigel/dp/0375705090/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219363391&sr=1-1
...then, boom, wondrous spontaneity fusing self and art, mind, body, and spirit. ...
Men like Insane Bolt are Zen masters, even if they never read the book. Especially if they never read the books.
"lol! i get it now! this explains why the small testicled chinese and japanese men dominated gymnastics this time around. this must explain why the testicularly challenged may and walsh dominated beach volleyball, and why the US softball team choked against the japanese team when it really mattered. it all makes sense!"
Do you know the testicle size for the Chinese and Japanese participants in the gymnastic events? Moreover, even if you did, does testicular volume explain everything or just a portion of observed Japanese tendency to choke. Would testicular volume even matter in gymnastic competition or is it more relevant in other areas such as Grand Prix racing?
Everyone loves to mention how smart Asians are. Mention another, demonstrated difference that may or may not favor Asians (who knows what is ideal for any trait), and people start crying. The same people who understand the Bell Curve for IQ cannot fathon that similar curves exist elsewhere. I merely provided insight on multiple fronts that the vast majority of people will never experience. I could be wrong in my assertions, but I am pretty sure there is something behind my line of reasoning.
Zylo
"This crazy bitch Rice has laid down the gauntlet today apparently...Now we are committed to defending Poland as if it was Maine or Virginia? F*** YOU, CONDI!!!"
Apparently she's done it in direct rogue opposition to the pacifist and co-operative path preferred by the president and vice-president?
"Bolt's actions, such as leaving a 9.55 on the table in lieu of showboating, were idiotic; combined with his cohort's IQ it is entirely logical and perfectly fair and honest to assert with substantial confidence that he has a low IQ...."
That's actually a very, well, Protestant way of looking at it. Mr. Bolt for 100 meters ran faster than any human being has run in the history of the planet earth. As this is his profession, one can only surmise that he is exceptionally successful at what he does. He could have run a few hundreds of a second faster but why? He's 22 (21 at the time) and he was living in the moment.
He set out for great success (as well as the corresponding markers of such; money, fame, women) in his profession as did you in yours. I don't know you, but I can assume that he has come a lot closer as you are probably not the best french-frier, used car salesman or ditch digger who ever lived.
When rats are tested for intelligence they are evaluated in the speed in which they find the cheese.
By this method of IQ testing, Mr. Bolt is much more intelligent than you are.
How did the Japanese team win bronze in the 100m relay? And over the Americans too. 100m!! I want an answer.
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