Well, feisty defense attorney John Tarantino touched that third rail this afternoon, Day 16, in the Rhode Island (RI) lead paint trial.
That, of course, is the issue whether even low levels of lead (less than 10) in the blood of children irreparably reduce IQ. In many ways, given that elevated lead levels tend to be significantly lower than they were years ago and we don't see much of the retardation, convulsions, and death of earlier eras, this matter of IQ is big, sensitive and central to the trial. And, this issue is also very Information Age.
What would make more economic sense is for the focus and agita about the possible harm of elevated lead blood levels to be put on the developing child's creativity, physical attractiveness, mood stability and social skills? Those have a lot more to do with the child's eventual ability to support him or herself and not burden society than does pure intelligence. And this trial is, at its core, about the possible cost to Rhode Island of lead poisoning of children.
Why do I downplay the importance of intelligence in this economic matter? Believe thinkers such as Daniel Pink -- and I do -- and you realize that the 21st century or post-Information Age is more about putting things together, imagination, the look or design of entities and ability to connect/care than it is about raw brain power. A few IQ points here and there no longer make that much of a success difference.
For instance, in "A Whole New Mind,", Mr. Pink discusses how the global economy has migrated beyond the Information Age preoccupation with analysis, measuring, being the smartest kid in the class (think Enron) and beating up everyone else with those smarts. While it's necessary to bring along a lot of those Information Age tools, skills and assumptions to get the human race to the next level, they're not enough.
Sound far-fetched? Professions which involve creativity and caring aren't being outsourced. Computing, medicine, law, accounting are. Yes, Information-age professionals are the new unemployed in America (see them sitting in Starbucks with their laptops).
Quirky, nice Google.com is making the big bucks. Settled-in, combative Microsoft seems to be running scared.
Visionary Steve Jobs is hot. Efficient Mr. Dell is not.
I'm making a living. The managers who used to be my clients aren't and are clueless how to put it together for the 21st century.
So, in the rest of his cross-examination of the plaintiff witness Patricia Nolan regarding the supposed harms from lead paint ingestion, Mr. Tarantino might ask about any indications about associations between elevated blood lead levels and impaired creativity and the capacity to care.
As for how Mr. Tarantino did today on the overall issue of harms, he probably gets an "A," even though his questioning about preventing lead hazards did get somewhat tedious.
But he earns that "A" for confronting Dr. Nolan with the October 2005 article from the Academy of Pediatrics which pleads for funding to study the possible association (yes, association, not cause) between low levels of lead in the blood (less than 10) and lower IQ. Throughout her testimony and in her deposition, Dr. Nolan contended that even low low levels of lead can and often do cause irreparable damage including to cognitive ability. There's a question now about all that's hovering over Court Room 11.
Mr. Tarantino also made progress on refuting the supposed impact (harms) of lead on the cost of housing and increased criminality in the community. Dr. Nolan, for instance, admitted that all her references to increased cost of housing due to lead paint were based entirely on anecdote, not studies.
Deftly, Mr. Tarantino used The Hammer or the technique of reinforcement to plant in the court's mind the world of difference between harm versus the threat of harm.
Posting: 6:15 PM
Comments