A big point of the video was that IQ fluctuated with the amount of poverty. Higher poverty sabotaged IQ by as much as 14 or 15 points.
Being poor makes you do stupid things, and get distracted by short term gains vs long term gains
Part of what makes up the human advantage is the ability to defer rewards.
when you are poor, this gets sabotaged.
How do I drag out my IQ without sounding... cringe-worthy? I'm sure there's not a way so I'll just put it out there. My IQ is 172. I can't agree with you due to my everyday experience. Either that or I should be furious with my family for dumbing me down when I could have been some kind of Prometheus Society level intelligence.
I can, however, agree that it can have a tendency to influence how people use or allow themselves to use their intelligence. If you're genius level in a dirt poor family, the expectation is that you're going to grow up, become wealthy, and then support everyone. Add to that that families who don't understand upper or lower levels of intelligence don't know how to support children/teens on either end of the spectrum. So they don't use those assets properly. Who wants to live up to those kinds of failures and expectations?
I can have the best hammer ever made in the history of hammers but if I can't swing it worth a hoot, I'll never use it properly. Same thing.
the lowest limit of upper class
This is thought provoking. Could be a statement of 'affluenza', whereby a person who has a lot still manages to view themselves as impoverished relative to others. On the other hand, could indicate contentedness given that you do count yourself in the upper class. The 'lowest limit of the upper class' certainly leaves a lot of room for poetic license.
Is increasing your personal wealth still a major priority for you?
Only insomuch as I have several goals in terms of savings, retirement, hobbies, and a small bucket list.
I don't really consider myself "well off" yet I have obtained (by myself) a house, several expensive hobbies and forget that my friends don't have nearly as much ability to absorb financial debt or expenses. I'm the only one in my family to have a college degree or professional employment for that matter and the next closest person is there because she's married to someone who got some kind of settlement from the military.
Having come from dirt poor to the lowest limit of upper class, it 100% is a lack of character. I watch the rest of my family struggle on a daily basis because they buy something every time they get an impulse or can't keep their money to themselves so they get dragged down too. Just to prove this to the entirety of the rest of my family, I dropped $400 to get my sister's truck fixed. It was her excuse that she couldn't get anything done because it wasn't drivable. 3 months later, they blew up the engine by running it into the ground and not taking care of it (neglected fluids). The whole rest of the family kind of sat there with their mouths hanging open, knowing that not only did she just prove what I'd been saying about money and income but also knowing that she single-handedly just ruined any generosity they might have received from me. The collective sphincter-clenching was palpable and could be heard halfway across the state.
It's as simple as this: Say you're going to do something and then stick with it no matter the cost. If you tell yourself you're going to do better, outline how and stick with it. If you tell yourself that you're going to not spend anything you don't have to for 2 weeks, stick with it. If you tell yourself that you're tired of being broke and living in wretched conditions, do something about it and stick with it. That's all it is. Make a statement, stick with it.