Freakonomics contributor Dan Hamermesh was featured on The Daily Show last night, in a piece about ugly people. Hamermesh has done extensive research on the economic disadvantages of being unattractive. His most recent book, Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful, shows how all kinds of economic benefits flow toward physical beauty — from higher salaries, to better loan rates, to attractive, educated spouses. We did a Q&A with him here.
In this segment, Hamermesh and Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones have some fun discussing whether ugly Americans should be given special legal protection.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Ugly People | ||||
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Sociologist Dan Ariely has a reallllly interesting take on looks, relationships, and identity, even invoking “The Fox and the Grapes” from Aesop’s Fables to demonstrate how our attitudes conform to the limits we were dealt in the genetic lottery.
http://zacharygrove.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/hot-or-not-adapting-vs-settling-for-the-best-you-can-get-in-life/
I am surprised that he would actually advocate for ADA style protections for the ugly. Such a law would be nearly unenforceable (beauty is in the eye remember) and would have the very real possibility of having ADA style unintended consequences of making employers even less likely to hire the unattractive people due to fear of lawsuits if that person is later fired or passed over for promotions etc.
natural selection is just weeding out the ugly genes. where’s the debate?