November 15, 2023 by Sahiba Jassal (‘24)
Did you know that to be considered “averagely smart” you should have an IQ of around 100? Well, Sahiba has a quick one-question pop quiz for you: What IQ does a smart car have? If you said anything that implies a smart car would be in the “deficient IQ” range of 70 or below, or would just not have a score because… well… it’s a car… then you’d be correct! So why is it that, if a smart car isn’t even averagely smart, we call it a “smart” car?
Let’s set the scene. Your math class was just assigned a project and, good news, you can choose your group! You’re dumb. You need to pick a partner that knows what they’re doing and can carry the project without your assistance. Let’s scan the classroom together. Taking a look to our left we see Suzie Q. Suzie is bound to be valedictorian of her class, on her way to MIT next fall, owns her own tutoring non-for-profit organization that helps youth around the world learn math who don’t have access to schooling, and (of course) has an IQ of 140. Good option, right? Now, taking a look to our left. There we have Smart Car. Smart Car is unenrolled in high school, didn’t even go to elementary or middle school, has no non-profits to their name, and zero IQ. With whom would you rather work on your math project?
Still not convinced Smart Cars are stupid? Well, I’m sure the famous Hunger Games and Five Nights at Freddie’s actor Josh Hutcherson can convince you. He himself said, “Smart cars are so stupid.” (Or at least he’s said those words individually before at some point in his life). If Josh Hutcherson thinks Smart Cars are dumb, so should society.
So sure, a Smart Car will get you from point A to point B. But before you put your trust in a Smart Car to be intelligent, you should ask yourself two questions: “WITASCTDMMP?” and “WWJHD?”
Would I trust a smart car to do my math homework?
What would Josh Hutcherson do?