# IQ and thongs

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-iq-thongs
- Themes: humour, judgement, labels
- Life situations: being labelled, feeling stupid

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A Vietnamese-Australian comedian's joke: as a schoolboy he asked his dad what IQ meant. 100 is average, 120 intelligent, 140 university; 80 you'll struggle; 'and if you've only got an IQ of 60, you're so stupid you can't even tie up your own shoelaces.' 'Is that why most Australians wear thongs?'

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

this was by that Vietnamese comic over in Melbourne who was said when he was at school, he heard about IQ. So, he went home and asked his dad, "What does IQ mean?" And his dad said, "If you've got an IQ of, say, 100, you're kind of average. 120, you're intelligent. 140, you can go to university. If you've only got an IQ of 80, you'll struggle. And if you've only got an IQ of 60, you're so stupid you can't even tie up your own shoelaces." And that's when the kid said, "Is that why most Australians wear thongs?"

## Teaching point

Told against judging people by narrow measures like IQ.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A comedian's dad said people with an IQ of 60 can't tie their own shoelaces; the boy asked if that's why Australians wear thongs. Ajahn Brahm laughs, then asks why we judge people by narrow measures. Being different isn't being wrong. It's up to all of us to make room for people, not exclude them.

## Source

- [The Nature of Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 10 February 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvMmZICc1Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:37 to 34:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvMmZICc1Y&t=2017s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Is Nibbana Guaranteed? | Ajahn Brahm | 02-03-2007](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpFwlHmG224) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:51 to 42:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpFwlHmG224&t=2511s