people are smart because they have the resources to be. academic intellect is better nurtured when an individual has the energy, space, time, money, and support they need. no one is born smart, people are born into environments that allow them to be smart. it’s important to speak up on racism/sexism/ableism/transphobia/homophobia in schools for this reason.
I’ve been saying this. People born into $ for this reason especially have a huge head start to be “smart”.