Intelligence takes many forms. There are book smarts. There are street smarts. There are body smarts?
For those who pay attention to such things, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is in the news. It may be trivia question a few years from now, but for our purposes, only the present is real, or as real as it gets or is likely to be.
ALS, which used to be called Lou Gehrig?s disease, is a scourge and whatever promotes a cure is welcome. Many have accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge, people as diverse as Mauricio Sulaiman and Wolf Blitzer, Tiger Woods and Lil Wayne, Martha Stewart and Hulk Hogan, Ronda Rousey and Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga and Joan Rivers, Chris Christie and Justin Bieber, Charlie Sheen and Rob Ford, Ted Cruz and Lindsay Lohan, and Mark Zuckerman and Kermit the Frog.
There has, however, been some blowback. President Obama, presumably busy with other things, refused to be doused with ice water, no matter how worthy the cause. U.S. diplomats, members of the military, and the House of Representatives have been forbidden to participate. And a Roman Catholic diocese in Ohio is discouraging its 113 schools from joining in.
But of more interest than Joan Rivers and Rob Ford, interest being relative, is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge of former rapper turned fight promoter, 50 Cent. In accepting the challenge, he in turn challenged his former best friend and present-day voodoo doll, Floyd Mayweather, to accept the challenge as well, but not without some score-settling.
Having an ax to grind and willing use whatever forums are available, 50 Cent is making sport of mocking Floyd Mayweather. There may be plenty to mock, especially if mockery rocks one?s boat, but mocking Money?s intelligence, more specifically his inability to read, is a low blow.
According to 50, ?I got a phone call from my man Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy said he?ll put it on the actual show. We don?t want to put pressure on you. We know you can?t put pronounce those words in the Harry Potter book, so we?re going to let you read Cat in the Hat.?
That 50 Cent chose Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss to prove him point speaks volumes about his own education. Children?s books are fine?for children?but presumably 50 Cent is all growed up, even though you would know it from the video below.
Mayweather the defensive master has gone on the defensive by reproducing two checks totaling $72,276,000. However impressive, if redundant, those numbers may be, it?s a bad move. Being rich doesn?t make one intelligent, as Donald Trump and scores of others keep reminding us. It may buy respect, of a sort, but not the kind of respect one can bank on. To not dignify 50?s remarks doesn?t make one a pussy, it makes one smart, which returns us to the subject of intelligence or lack thereof.
Intelligence takes many forms. There are book smarts. There are street smarts. There are body smarts. And Floyd Mayweather?s body intelligence is off the charts.
When Max Baer was asked if he blew his career on wine, women, and song, he replied, ?Two out of three ain?t bad.?
One out of three ain?t bad, either.
But who?s counting?
