Latest news with #HelenLewis
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Progressives trapped in 'misinformation bubble' about transgender youth treatments, Atlantic writer admits
A withering new report in The Atlantic says progressives have been easily duped by misinformation on youth transgender medical treatments, falling for myths from linking them to reduced suicide rates to believing American standards for such treatments are evidence-based. "Many common political claims made in defense of puberty blockers and hormones" amount to nothing more than "zombie facts," The Atlantic's Helen Lewis wrote on Sunday, using a term for sound bites that are repeated as accepted truth when they've been repeatedly discredited. "Many liberals are unaware of this, however, because they are stuck in media bubbles in which well-meaning commentators make confident assertions for youth gender medicine—claims from which its elite advocates have long since retreated," she wrote, later saying, "We can support civil-rights protections for transgender people without having to endorse an experimental and unproven set of medical treatments—or having to repeat emotionally manipulative and now discredited claims about suicide." Among the anecdotes Lewis cited were ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio admitting in front of the Supreme Court last year that studies have shown no connection between blockers and hormones and saving the lives of troubled youths. The Supreme Court would ultimately rule 6-3 in that case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, to uphold a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors with gender dysphoria. "[T]he movement has spent the past decade telling gender-nonconforming children that anyone who tries to restrict access to puberty blockers and hormones is, effectively, trying to kill them. This was false, as Strangio's answer tacitly conceded. It was also irresponsible," Lewis wrote, citing a 2024 study in England finding no rise in suicides after the restriction of puberty blockers there in 2020. Yet, proponents of youth gender treatments continue to frequently invoke the emotional language of suicide to bolster their case, she fretted. Lewis also took exception to the idea that the evidence supporting gender transition for adolescents was based on scientific study and evidence, calling it "perhaps the greatest piece of misinformation believed by liberals." The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) also came under fire in Lewis' piece, as she said documents show, even internally, that the organization had doubts about recommending youth gender treatments, and only wanted to publish reviews that supported its desired conclusions. WPATH didn't respond to a request for comment. In a similar fashion, last year, Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the medical director of The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, admitted reluctance to publish research that didn't serve the purpose of promoting youth gender treatments, for fear it would be "weaponized." Lewis urged fellow progressives to pierce the "misinformation bubble." "On the left, support for youth transition has been rolled together with other issues—such as police reform and climate activism—as a kind of super-saver combo deal of correct opinions," she wrote, noting democratic socialist New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani has pitched funding gender transition for minors as part of his platform. "But complicated issues deserve to be treated individually: You can criticize Israel, object to the militarization of America's police forces, and believe that climate change is real, and yet still not support irreversible, experimental, and unproven medical treatments for children."
Daily Mail
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis: In search of genius? Don't look in East Anglia
The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis (Jonathan Cape £22, 352pp) What does it mean to be a genius? It takes more than extraordinary accomplishments or a high IQ. Being a genius, Helen Lewis argues in her lively book, is as much about the society that has given the label as it is about the person themselves. Tim Berners-Lee, for instance, is too self-effacing to play the role – but his invention of the World Wide Web underpins all the accomplishments of today's tech bro 'geniuses'. The concept of genius has evolved. In Roman times, you could be possessed by a poetic muse, or 'furor poeticus'. In the Renaissance, the idea of 'great men' took hold; the Romantics developed the notion of the genius as a garret-dwelling oddball who coughed up blood as he composed works of towering genius. These days, our geniuses are mavericks who move fast and break things; they are still nearly always male. If every society has their own categorisation for genius, does the concept even exist? Lewis has particular fun describing the lengths some have gone to crack the question. In 1904, the scientist Havelock Ellis came up with a list of just over 1,000 British geniuses. People in East Anglia, he concluded, have 'no aptitude for abstract thinking', while those in south-west England are 'sailors rather than scholars'. Dublin had produced 15 geniuses and poor Sligo none at all. Later, the psychologist Catharine Cox Miles embarked on an eccentric project to estimate the intelligence of past geniuses, doling out an IQ based on the length of their entry in a biographical dictionary. This was bad news for Cervantes and Copernicus, who were given an IQ of just 105; Goethe, meanwhile, scored 210. Shakespeare didn't qualify. In the 1990s, the psychologist Hans Eysenck decided there was enough data for a 'rough portrait' of genius. He (and it should 'clearly' be a he) should have a Jewish background, be born in February and lose a parent by the age of ten. He should die either at 30 or at 90, 'but on no account at 60'. He should have gout. Lewis is such a well-read guide to intelligence that at points you wish she'd been bolder. However, she is insightful on the loneliness of the very intelligent. In the 1980s, high-IQ societies were asked for a name for their members. The most appropriate term they had was 'outsider'.
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Genius trap: why great work isn't solo act
Opinion We've long-known calling a child a 'genius' can backfire. Labelling a young person this way tends to shift the focus from effort to identity, from learning to performing, from growing to protecting an image. But only recently are we beginning to examine the damage done when we call an adult a 'genius.' Helen Lewis's new book, The Genius Myth: a Curious History of a Dangerous Idea, takes a hard look at how society's obsession with lone brilliance distorts our view of work, worth and leadership. From an HR and career perspective, it's a timely reminder that what we reward, we encourage — and the genius myth is something we should be actively dismantling. The term 'genius' evokes images of solitary brilliance: the brilliant coder who writes an entire platform in a weekend; the visionary leader who sees 10 years into the future; the creative who burns bridges with colleagues in pursuit of their art. These characters are always exceptional and often unmanageable. We tolerate their bad behaviour, dismiss their impact on others and reframe collaboration as interference. We do this because we've been told this is what it takes to be great. At work, we've seen the ways that poor behaviour by geniuses ripple across organizations. The CEO whose verbal abuse is tolerated because of their track record. The technician who refuses to document their work, forcing the company to become dependent on them. The creative director whose toxic leadership causes turnover but whose ideas are so celebrated HR is told to find workarounds rather than hold them accountable. In each of these cases, the genius label becomes a shield. And the people around them are asked to adjust, accommodate and absorb the fallout. What if this is not the best way? More importantly, what if this story is costing us better work and healthier teams? This is not just an issue of fairness. It's an issue of quality. The best work being done today — whether in engineering, education, design, health care or policy — is collaborative. The challenges we face are too complex for any one person. We need teams who can think across disciplines, draw on diverse perspectives and build on one another's work. We need psychological safety, shared accountability and honest feedback. Genius culture undermines all of this. It teaches people to protect their status rather than share their ideas. It rewards showmanship over humility. It treats feedback as a threat rather than an improvement. It also distorts our understanding of growth. When someone believes they're a genius, they often become unwilling to fail — and failure is essential to learning. I see this in employee development all the time. Those who see themselves as 'the best' often plateau early. They avoid stretch assignments where they might reveal weakness. They resist coaching. They struggle to collaborate. When things go wrong, they blame others. In contrast, those who value process, effort and learning tend to improve consistently over time. They don't need to be the smartest person in the room; they want to be part of the best team. Managers and HR professionals can start to dismantle the genius myth by paying attention to how we praise and promote. Are we rewarding the person who solves the problem alone or the one who brings the right people together? Are we celebrating visibility or impact? Are we building roles around individuals or around the needs of the organization? Are we investing in leadership that supports others or that sets them on fire for the sake of brilliance? FAUXELS / PEXELS We can also take a hard look at succession planning. Many companies still rely on the idea of a singular visionary, someone who will emerge as the next great leader. More often, what we actually need is a strong bench — a mix of talent that complements and challenges one another. When we frame succession as a team sport rather than a solo race, we get leaders who are generous with credit, focused on results and secure enough to build up others. At the employee level, we can start pushing back against the myth in our own career narratives. We should be wary of employers who idolize individual stars and dismiss the role of teams. In interviews, we can ask how collaboration works, how success is measured and how failure is handled. We can choose to align ourselves with organizations that value contribution over charisma. For those in leadership roles, we can model the humility real collaboration requires. None of this means we stop striving for excellence, but it does mean we stop pretending excellence lives in one person. The best ideas often emerge from disagreement. The smartest decisions come after feedback. The most effective solutions are built through iteration. Greatness isn't a lightning strike. It's a relay race. Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. Perhaps the most radical message in The Genius Myth is this: the story we tell about how great things happen matters. If we tell the story of the lone genius, we will reward isolation, ego and entitlement. But if we tell the story of the team, we will reward listening, learning and shared success. It's not just a better story. It's a truer one. We are all the stewards of workplace culture. We help decide what gets noticed, celebrated and retained. Let's stop feeding the myth. Let's make space for brilliance to be something that emerges between people, not from above them. After all, the best workplaces don't run on genius. They run on trust, effort and the quiet power of people working well together. Tory McNally, CPHR, BSc., vice-president, professional services, is a human resource consultant, radio personality and problem solver. She can be reached at tory@
Irish Independent
28-06-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
From Elon Musk to Paul McCartney – who can we really call a genius?
In her new book, Helen Lewis makes a persuasive case for why we need to focus on great ideas and not the egos of 'geniuses' Most people believe geniuses exist, but we prefer to keep the concept at arm's length. Calling someone in our social circle a genius – especially if they claim to be one – feels laughably excessive. The myth survives by keeping it at a distance. Helen Lewis, journalist for The Atlantic and author of Difficult Women, isn't out to debunk genius itself. The 'myth' in the title refers to the myth-making that bolsters someone to the status of a genius. Her scepticism is less about the concept than those who embrace and propagate the label.
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Is there any such thing as a political genius?
You can tell an awful lot about a society by who it labels a genius. You can also learn from who it excludes from that category, who it enables and what it is prepared to tolerate from them. The tortured poet, the rebellious scientist, the monstrous artist, or indeed the tech disruptor. All of these archetypes feature in The Genius Myth, the new book by the journalist, author and podcaster Helen Lewis. She joins Hugh Linehan to talk about so-called geniuses, from Elon Musk to The Beatles, the modern influence of concepts like IQ, and what it takes to be a political genius.
