Any argument other than the one I just mentioned above is a side issue from my main point. It's been a long thread. A long, increasingly stupid thread.
I can only respond to what you write. I don't possess a crystal ball that allows me to discern which words you mean and which are just frustration and rambling.
I think it's pretty clear who has specifically said that to portray Intelligence 5 as anything other than how they prefer is "wrong." It's also easy to see who supports such assertions without asserting it themselves - check to see who is giving them XP. You were pretty quick to take my jokes as accusations of others having "badwrongfun." One wonders why you haven't taken others to task who have very clearly said their preference is the "right" way to do things.
You've made a few unsound arguments here. For instance, it's not immediately apparent why someone would have given XP to a post. As I mentioned, in the block you're responded to with this, that I think you've decided what certain argument mean in general and aren't looking for subtleties that may appeal to others. I've often enough given XP to a post that I don't agree with, but appreciate either the humor within or the argument made. My giving of XP isn't intended to imply agreement -- I use posts for that -- but to indicate appreciation for the post. I can appreciate posts I disagree with. Given that's how I use XP, I don't expect others to do so either. Also, I'm pretty sure that if I went back through the thread and found every post you gave XP to and then declared that you must hold those opinions based on your giving the XP, there'd be a number of points where you'd disagree.
Secondly, my not taking someone else to task doesn't invalidate anything I've said to you. Perhaps I have enough respect for you to want to engage in discussion. Perhaps I find that a given speaker isn't worth trying to chastise do to past interactions. Perhaps I just felt like talking to you because something you said overcame my apathy and caused me to post. Perhaps I feel that any argument I'd make towards another poster has already be adequately made by others. Any, all, or none of those may be true. My not going after people you think I should has no validity in determining my honesty or intent in addressing you.
I think the whole IQ discussion is silly and in no way applies to D&D 5e. It might have been relevant in other games, but it's completely irrelevant now.
I think it's silly, but because I think it's exactly as relevant an someone wants it to be. As far as I'm concerned, that discussion should have gone,
"I use INTx10 = IQ to gauge how smart a character is."
"Cool, I don't because I don't like the implications of that, but I understand why it would be useful to you and your group."
"No, you must also agree to use INTx10 = IQ!"
"Sure, man, good luck with that."
Instead we get pages of people that don't really follow the statistics or the nature of the data or what IQ is (trying to hit all sides here) arguing over what the proper way to map IQ to ability scores is and how that way prove the other person wrong in how they do it. It's all arbitrary, and if it's helpful to someone to do it one way because it gives them useful benchmarks, that sounds very relevant. To them. I'm not going to gainsay it (although, in a different circumstance of apathy, I might offer some opinions), but I'm also not going to sign on an use it (unless I see it's value). I'd personally rather discussion the score with the player, figure a mutually acceptable path forward, and get to gaming. Of course, I also use point buy, so this isn't even an issue for me. My apathy increases.
