Yeah I'm aware of what IQ actually means but this goes beyond a lack of common sense and straight into full blown what-the-fuckery?
I mean I know my IQ and I think it's a meaningless value when you get down to it. It's a flawed measure of raw intelligence and processing power. It was enough to get me into MENSA which was the biggest waste of time, money and effort in recent years. Seriously, don't even bother trying to join unless you're into nerds talking about Star Trek, D&D or whatever card game like Magic: The Gathering is all about. But let's get back to the point.
Somebody with that much... potential shouldn't be unable to fix a simple HDMI problem which really came down to a simple connection issue. Or falling prey to what is effectively a Ponzi scheme. Or even complain about how he's getting pop-ups for software he didn't install on his PC and wonders how they got there. I guess it's just the gullibility and lack of any real world coping skills that makes me wonder how it is he's able to function in society.
From what we know of him, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to say that CoolDudeClem is functioning in society. It seems like the preponderance of his social interaction is carried out via publicly visible online comments, supplemented by pm, email and the occasional forum post. He refuses to use the phone or Skype, rarely goes out, and when he does, he avoids other people. He's said he's afraid they might think he's crazy, pelt him with bits of rubbish, or confront him with scary dogs.
One is left with the impression that the poor fellow has more than a touch of social anxiety and concomitant agoraphobia. He seems to view these problems as immutable, rather than challenges that can be overcome. And even if he achieved more insight, it's doubtful he'd have the intrinsic motivation to address these issues head-on.
Clem has demonstrated a very low threshold for frustration - at one point,
minor difficulties in troubleshooting one of his high voltage projects left him feeling suicidal. Using higher cognitive function to cope with fundamental deficits is exhausting and unrewarding for anybody. For someone like Clem who bases his self-worth on feeling clever, working very hard to be barely adequate at something most people can do with little effort is exceedingly aversive.
While Clem is always at pains to point out that he is not a retarded person, many people with severe cognitive disabilities are busy living rich, fulfilling and productive lives while he is just ranting away in his filthy childhood bedroom. "Smart" is a phenomenologically impoverished notion in so many ways.
