The Flynn effect is neat, Tore. A common theory now is that the division between rural/urban has been eliminated in advanced societies due to the proliferation of technology has reached such a point that rural denizens no longer miss out on the stimulating effect it has. Pretty cool, eh?
Anyways, even if one accepts the ameliorist standpoint it will take several generations for the lagging populations to approach a level wherein the disparity is negligible. Even if, say, tomorrow we could eliminate the problem for all babies born from there on out, the disparity would still haunt society until all prior generations died off.
If we take black Americans as an example, their average IQ scores have improved faster than the mean; however, when one readjusts for the Flynn effect throughout the general population, the cumulative gains are only a few points. Granted, the difference between two standard deviations and a standard deviation and a half is important, but it's still significantly below average.
The other issue is the notion of a ceiling; if that ceiling doesn't exist (or is a long way off), it is feasible that those groups at the upper ranges will continue to pull away from the average group at greater and greater rates. It's an odd thing to note, but people do have a tendency to self-segregate along IQ lines, and this tendency manifests itself in mating as well.
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Have mercy on the poor.
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