Thanks, youp, your comments are very interesting.

IQ is something I have actually studied in depth, so I think I can contribute a few more thoughts to this discussion.

First note that IQ is a measure of POTENTIAL, not of success. But yes, statistically those with potential should trump those with less potential - leading to the effects you describe.

Unfortunately the modern world is a clusterf*** - there is just no other way to describe it. Wealth, to a large degree, can become a hindrance to intelligence. While the poor will always suffer the IQ reducing effects of malnutrition/disease etc, the rich suffer greatly because their lives have become too easy. The modern environment has created this obscene culture of entitlement, anti-intellectualism, and the worship of everything that is vacuous and fleeting. Social media is awash with fashion trends, celebrity gossip and pop music - all readily consumed by the richer masses.

The rich have lost the ability to do things for themselves (obviously I'm generalising), they've lost the ability to even THINK for themselves! Thus we now observe the Flynn Effect has gone into reverse, dropping the IQ of society on the whole. Scarily this is COMBINED with your very valid point about the weak surviving to further "pollute" the gene pool - so to speak. Incidentally, if anyone has objections to these comments being non-PC, then kindly get the hell out of here and never visit my page again. I have no interest in dealing with brainwashed drones.

The future is rather bleak - for multiple reasons. This is why I believe that it is prudent for everyone to start thinking along survivalist lines, not in a panicky build-an-underground-bunker kind of way, but to the degree that they have working contingency plans available in case they will ever need them.

When the inevitable does occur, there will be much pain and suffering. It angers me greatly, because much of it has been brought on by selfish greed. Had society developed along better lines, there would have been no need for anyone to suffer. But here we are, breeding like rabbits on Viagra and wondering why things are in rapid decline. One can only hope that the next iteration of society will learn from the mistakes of the past. History indicates that this is unlikely...

I'll go check out The Jolly Herectic, thanks for the suggestion and for taking the time to share your insights.