What does everyone think of Mensa?

[sui generis]

Just curious. I started to post this in the form of a poll but quickly realized that it would degrade into flames.

I personally think the idea of Mensa is on the up and up but my personal experience with members of Mensa is that emotional intelligence is not one of the prerequisites for membership. I bring this up because several times I have seen Mensa played as a trump card in conversation here too - which is kind of funny considering that most people on DU are actually pretty smart to begin with, petty disagreements aside.

I realize a discussion like this could take the form of "reverse snobbery" or Mensa bashing and I don't want to go there. I would like to hear some objective insight though from members and non-members (don't have to identify yourself as such).

-Sui

[trotsky]

1. I used to be a member.

I qualified with my SAT scores in high school, so I was pretty young when I joined. Maybe it would be different for me now as an adult, but from the few meetings I attended, I didn't see the big deal. One important thing I learned from Mensa is that a high IQ (or, more accurately, the ability to score well on certain kinds of tests) doesn't necessarily make you an interesting or even knowledgable person.

[lapfog_1]

24. ditto

received an invite. Went to a meeting or two. Not much there.

Later a took a "Mensa membership test" and passed that as well, only this time I didn't
follow up by going to a meeting.

[patriotvoice]

2. Trumping with a "membership" card is puerile, however

being a MENSA member is respectable.

[benburch]

3. I was a member long ago.

Had some fun at the parties. Some people were too full of themselves, but others were great. Lots of kinky folks there too.

[ChickMagic]

4. I've never joined

I started to, but I went to one of their parties and
everyone seemed aloof. I prefer Densa!

[sui generis]

8. I went to some long time ago

I thought the organization had some "noble" ideas, but I had a hard time finding it in practice. I figured heck I can be insecure and neurotic and paranoid all on my own, but that was probably self-fulfilling at the time! I'm sure I was being very subjective at the time.

I'm pretty sure what colored my experience to the negative wasn't the organization itself but some of the people I came in contact with. I also knew some really funny guys who ended up at MIT and Cal Tech who never had another thing to do with Mensa after the first few meetings, and I just really haven't thought much about it since until I started seeing it bandied about here.

[ChickMagic]

49. That was what I felt

I panic when I'm put on the spot,andthat happened
fairly freqemtly. If your town has a Philosophy
Forum, that's much more relaxing.

[emald]

5. i was asked to join when living in Nome Alaska some years ago

but when I met some of the folks in the local group I decided to forgo the idea. Just something about the sneering one oneupmanship, the constant battle to see who was the "smartest". Intelligence is only a small part of a persons makeup and something very hard to quantify anyway. Some of the socially stupidest people I've met were part of this group. They looked down on anyone not in the group and even those in the group had pecking orders, not unlike barnyard animals.
I was not impressed with this group nor the organization. But, who cares?

[mainegreen]

6. Whatever. Its a club.

Seriously, how do you measure intellect? What kind of intellect? Personally, I subscribe loosely to the idea of multiple forms of intelligence. Musical intellect, body intellect, logic intellect, verbal intellect, spacial intellect , what have you.

My wife has an understanding of language that I never will. She can pick up new languages easily, understands the real workings of grammar and syntax, and I can barely spell, let alone form a sentence with decent structure. Yet if we make 2 left turns she's completely lost, while I can remember the spacial layout of just about everywhere I've ever been easily. Does Mensa take this into account? Can you get into Mensa by showing what a great dancer you are, what great understanding you have of the geometry and flow of a body's movement? Mensa is what it says it is: a high IQ society. Thats the key: high IQ. What is IQ? The ability to do well on IQ tests.

Personally I suspect most of us have one area where we would excel beyond others, its just a matter of finding it.

[Benhurst]

21. ...

:thumbsup:

Although I've scored highly on intelligence tests, I have always suspected they reflect a certain type of intelligence, that shared by persons such as myself who do well on the tests and the academics who write them.

[fudge stripe cookays]

58. Spot on.

I can write like nobody's business-- technically, creatively...won a couple of writing scholarships in high school.

I'm creative and can draw, paint, craft, whatever. I'm also very good with directions, reading and making maps and I can almost always find my way back somewhere when I've been there once.

But put a mathematical equation or chemistry formula in front of me and I'll collapse like a slobbering baby, completely incapable of performing the most basic thought process.

:thumbsup:
fsc

[omega minimo]

7. Is that a trick question?

:think:

[sui generis]

12. thanks. you made me re-read my question

:P

I was being more stream-of-conscience than scheming when I asked it -

[omega minimo]

27. I wuz bein sillee.....nother suggestion tho

Next time you could put "blue or red?" in your OP title and stay in GD with the "Hooters" thread.

A discussion of the color of nipples is under advisement.

:freak:

And now that we're in the Lounge, speaking of Emotional Un-Intelligence, have you ever dealt with Scientologists? :rofl:

[tularetom]

9. I don't like them

They think they're so damn smart!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I can think of one useful thing about Mensa:

They'll never let Bush join.

[sui generis]

15. damn you I'm just getting over throwing out my back yesterday

that didn't help

[MrBenchley]

11. It's a club, and like all clubs

there's good and bad....

[sui generis]

13. EXCUSE ME A FUCKING LOUNGE TOPIC?????

we've been moved into the fried chicken recipe war forum.

Thanks!

(or, how to get deleted on your own thread, by sui generis)

[XemaSab]

18. It's boiled ribs today!

Welcome to the lounge!!!!!

[sui generis]

20. b-bbbboiled ribs?

oh oh oh that's a crime against nature.

Therefore I will have to try it at least twice to see if I like it better the second time. Still trying to wrap my head around the boiling thing though. If I chicken out can I still toss them on the grill later?

[XemaSab]

25. I am not the person to ask

I will leave the carnivores to their petty flame wars...

And as far as Mensa goes, I've never been a member or known any members, but I've sure known a lot of really smart nutjobs. Some would even say that I am one myself. :P

[sui generis]

31. heh -

I rather have a fondness for nutjobs m'self. Life is entirely too short to take everything as a mortal challenge.

[omega minimo]

28. Like thisee here: "Is Mensa Blue or Red?"

:sarcasm:
:kick:

[sui generis]

32. you know

you're probably dead on with that!

(smacks forehead, reaches for V8)

:P

[omega minimo]

34. "Don't make me go Mensaeval on your ass!!!!"

When my gigantic and colorful lobes wonder at a lot of the mendacity and men-density and madness on this maddening board, it seems we are teams............. wait! I feel a haiku coming on:

One are two or threen
Red or blue or in between
Yay for my MY team!!!

[sui generis]

40. cute - got a smile out of me

immortals regret
mildly daringly, naive
rapacious grinning

[omega minimo]

44. lol

In the coming year
Consolidated efforts
Enlighten the dim

:thumbsup:

[BikeWriter]

53. And exactly what do you have against The Lounge?

Huh? :shrug:

[TheBaldyMan]

54. I think their tests are fixed

I sat two tests a short time apart. The one where I admitted I was educated to post-grad level said I was qualified to join mensa. damn near same answers on both.

[fudge stripe cookays]

59. .

:rofl:

hee hee
fsc

[khashka]

73. Everything is a Lounge topic...

There are rules here though.


1. Everything is allowed.
2. Nothing is beyond us.
3. You post in all caps again and I swear I'll make you cry like a baby.


Khash.

[AngryAmish]

14. I don't think anything of mensa

My meagre intellect prevents me from considering anything but professional wrestling and beer.

[sui generis]

17. beer good

:toast:

[AllegroRondo]

16. I went to one meeting

and never went back. The local group here seemed more interested in showing each other how smart they were than anything else. Reminded me of parties where people try to impress each other by showing off the expensive stuff they own, only in this case it was with brains, not money.

[Triana]

19. Mensa is not an accurate measure of intelligence, emotional or

academic. It is a measure of a person's ability to pass logic tests. I'm not a Mensan (just a Densan) but have been around quite a few of them and gone to their meetings and get-togethers. I did not find them any more 'intelligent' or 'evolved' or interesting - either emotionally or intellectually, than anyone else. Of course, maybe I'm just too Dense to be able to see their intellecual and emotional superiority. ;) I can say emotional maturity is certainly not a Mensan trait the way I've seen some of them fight amongst themselves, and the way the conduct their personal relationships. I know of one that seems to be just an emotional 'machine'. You know, like Spock. The person is just not 'there' emotionally, except in rare instances when they seem to go through the motions (not E-motions, just the motions of emotions). The person is oddly insensitive to others. Pleasant enough, seems OK, but - velly strange. Does get angry, but that's about the only emotion this person has.

[FuzzySlippers]

22. Why should I pay to hang out with a bunch of geeks

when I can do that for free here in the lounge?:shrug:

[Jamastiene]

23. Well, off topic but related...

I finally joined one of the all A and B students type organizations. I have found that it sends me emails advertising discounts for things I cannot afford and offers scholarships if I send in essays talking about certain issues they pick. To be honest, I'm too busy with school work and running the household to participate.

According to most of my teachers, I am smart enough that I could join Mensa if I so desired, but I fear it would be another group I joined and felt left out by time restraints. :shrug:

Btw, the mental doctor who placed me with my current therapist says I have an extremely high IQ but a low EQ because I'm liberal, so I don't put much credence to what a low EQ means. If you vote liberal and think liberal, her definition of you is that you have a low EQ. In other words, if you have compassion, you are emotionally retarded. :shrug:

Great. She can call me what she wants to call me. I'm not voting for Bush.

[sui generis]

29. well that doctor is wrong

To have a low EQ as a prerequisite for being liberal? Let me guess which way that person votes . . .

Jamastiene I certainly don't believe you have a low EQ, and most particularly because you consider yourself "liberal". What a nasty thing for her to say to you!

I'd love to hear her rationale for that assertion.

I think that any work anyone does that contributes to the body of human knowledge and experience is a "noble" enough purpose, without club memberships.

[Jamastiene]

39. Yeah, that pretty much sums up how I feel about it.

She said that because I was complaining because my supervisor at a post for a work study I had at community college was campaigning for Bush in 2004 using school property and that students who visited him were printing Christian Coalition flyers out on school property too. I complained to the school and they sent me to therapy for mental problems for that. She agreed with the party line and I've been hearing "hate the sin love the sinner" from my therapist ever since. That pretty much sums up how this town works. While it does seem to be a blue county in the end, they grumble about liberals all the time here. I wish I could find out who is voting blue and liking it here, so I can team up with them and maybe not be considered certifiably insane. It makes no sense to me. :shrug:

Edited to add:

I do wish that some DU'ers would come and watch before the next major election in the Guided Studies center here. I'd love to have some more witnesses. I know of no Du'ers in this county other than me as of right now. I NEED WITNESSES in 2008. Ya know?

[SmokingJacket]

26. I'm leery of "special clubs" in general.

I don't really see the difference between Mensa and a country club that requires a certain income to join -- except that the country club is more democratic, in that technically anyone has a chance of eventually earning a lot of money. If you're a few IQ points short, too bad for you!

I'm really not sure what the attraction to such a group would be. Many people with high IQs are interesting people, but so are many people of lower IQ. Finding a group of people with the sames interests as you would make more sense, if you're looking for friends.

Now, I have no experience with Mensa, but my instincts say that such a group would be filled with people who join in order to feel special, ie, insecure people. There would probably also be many people who are not particularly insecure, but who have failed to make friends elsewhere, and blame the stupidity of "average people" for their own social failures. Not a fun crowd!

I'd rather join a book club or something.

[eyepaddle]

35. I'm with you, the only

clubs I'd join are ones based on a given interest--for me the only one I'm in now is a local paddling club (Yes, yes, I know, that was fairly predictable!) but a book club is potentially interesting.

With clubs like that you at least know you have one interest you share.

As far as MENSA specifically, I don't know, I've never met anybody in MENSA, have never been to a meeting, and have no concrete idea as to what the requirements are.

On the other hand, if it makes somebody happy to be in, well, good for them I suppose!

[sui generis]

41. I was strangely excited

by your first paragraph. . . and then I saw your little paddler dude.

:evilgrin:

[eyepaddle]

43. !

:rofl:

I don't think of myself as prude, but I never realize how "paddling" can go in a few different directions! :rofl:

Heidi was the first one to point that out to me :blush:

I think "whitewater club" sounds like I'm trying to hard to show off how much of "macho daredevil" I am or something. (I'm not that macho, I just like being on the water doing stuff)

Are there other clubs for different styles of "paddling?" ;)

[melody]

30. It's very handy

For espousing membership, therefore proving yourself intelligent, and/or using it to deride such notions as "intellect". ;-)

And yes, I was a member, which is about as important as mentioning you're an expert Saint Bernard at the Saint Bernard games. Another Saint Bernard is responsible for the Alpha primate game rule that "Saint Bernard intellect" is superior, meanwhile there are myriad forms of unmapped and unmeasured intelligence which are just as important, if not more.

MENSA, as someone else said, is like every other club. It definitely shows you that high IQ does not equal intelligence. lol

edited to repair grammar

[sui generis]

36. good point

Even the IQ measure itself is adaptable to regional and national statistics, which means that "genius" is relative to the population you compare to.

Definitely an organization that views "intelligence" in terms of very two dimensional standardized testing is missing out on some very important human experience, and people who are overly concerned with superior "intelligence" as a major component of their identity probably have some personal growth ahead of them.

It's too bad; it does seem like many of our experiences are colored by the negative more than the positive, especially when Mensa membership is used as a conversational weapon. It's not one that I would pick.

[achtung_circus]

33. I'm a member.

I joined way back when, went to a few meetings and was turned off. I rejoined in a different, larger, city recently. At the general meetings and get-togethers it's the same old, same old.

Nothing turns me off quicker than someone saying "my IQ is X". At the Christmas general get-together one geek had brought copies of his latest book, a peurile piece of crap, to flog to the members. Our hosts had apparently kept every book they had ever owned and had them anally arranged and displayed, I believe, based on a few hints, to demonstrate how erudite they are. Sorry, a 30 year old general history textbook doesn't deserve shelf space.

Where Mensa is good is in the SIGs, the Special Interest Groups. They are where the good stuff happens.

[swag]

37. I hear they throw great parties.

[spinbaby]

88. They apparently party without drinking

I used to know someone in the hotel industry who said that Mensa conventions were very desirable to have because they had a reputation for not getting drunk and obnoxious.

[Left Is Write]

38. I have no idea.

I qualified for membership with my ACT score, but I never looked into joining. I suspect it would have been full of people who might intimidate me!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

42. A friend of mine joined in the hope of meeting intelligent men

She reported back that there were mostly men there but that they had the social skills of a sponge.

[alarcojon]

78. I joined in the hope of meeting intelligent women

They seemed to have more emotional maturity than the men, but none clicked with me. I did like some of the special interest groups though - not all of the members are emotional dunces.

[Rabrrrrrr]

45. We can't say what EVERYONE thinks about Mensa, but I'm not so keen on it

I have often been tempted to join, but then wonder why... it costs money, and from what I hear from others, and as you say, emotional intelligence and maturity is not a requirement. And smart people can be as annoyingly dumb as the regularly dumb people.

And I don't know that many job interviewers would relaly give a damn if someone was a member of Mensa or not.

[sui generis]

46. I suspect that putting it on resume

for anything but Operations Research positions could probably count against you. OR guys are supposed to be weird and prickly until they get old and eccentric.

But if I had to hire someone for a meet-the-public job, my initial reaction would be to grab the next resume.

[hyphenate]

47. Once upon a time

I used to be part of a science fiction/Star Trek group that had a lot of highly intelligent members. Yes--they were--I was--a nerd.

A friend of mine, after he left that group, went into a Mensa group by virtue of his SAT scores. Now this guy is intelligent, but I suspect that he just knows how to test well, because if you track the various components that actually make up "intelligence" he is lacking in many of these actual areas. He does not truly possess common sense, nor emotional maturity, nor various skills that are requisite in today's society: he has zero mechanical ability or tech ability; he tends to have no talent in anything other than counting money; and he is often anti-social. (I posted last night about how crass he can be in social gatherings outside of his purview.)

A lot of the people who had been in my old SF group tended to be a bit on the snobby side, and I suspect that Mensans are similar, since there are quite a few high IQ people in SF. Intelligence on a purely intellectual level is only a single aspect of our lives, and hardly accounts to more than a hill of beans if the person does not have good interaction skills, is able to communicate on a variety of levels, is capable of relating to those who do not have a similar level of intelligence, and possesses the far more important trait of common sense.

However, since Mensa, and other social clubs like it, have a cross-section of people from every economic level, you will see such a cross-section of emotional and social levels as well. Some people will be far less mature than others, while others will be filled with far more wisdom and sense than others.

I don't see much difference in any group of people, whether the criteria to entrance is IQ, level of wealth, military experience, social level or what have you. There are good people and bad, there are nosy people and those who keep to themselves, there are civil people and there are anti-social ones as well. Even among those in a group like Mensa, you have those whose IQ is just above average and those whose IQ can not even be calculated properly because it's so high and these factors are as devisive as any other. People try to make a big deal out of these things, while to me personally, the real, whole person is of far more significance than single elements of their general makeup.

I've stayed away from groups like these and many others for a long time, simply because isolating myself to one part of my personality is not good for all the other parts of who I am. I get exasperated enough with every day life that keeping it at bay is not necessarily a good thing either!

[necso]

48. I think that "intelligence"

is a somewhat poorly understood concept -- and that "measuring it" too often amounts to no more than testing to see how well (and how quickly) people adhere to (and follow) some line of conventional, "official" thought. And too often this line of thought is a single track, narrow minded, no room for alternatives, specific "intellectual" culture-centric (or school-centric) type of thing.

And too often the testing amounts to something that is too conventional, too establishment, too white and too male.

I think that a better metric may be how well (and how quickly) people think (perceive) in the way that they naturally do.

Of course, that metric may measure less well how well one will fit into the establishment machine. And a metric that measures how well one has picked up the "official" line (and way) of thinking is probably necessary too... so that we can grind out more bots.

That is, how well someone does on some "intelligence" test means very little to me... I try to judge a thing based on (and in) its natural context.

And I can't help thinking that many fine minds are shunted aside because of such testing.

[necso]

52. And, of course,

one can have different types of intelligence (at different levels) beyond that type of intelligence that (perhaps) can be reasonably, fairly said to characterize him (or her -- but this really does go without saying, I think, at least when I am speaking), and it is the composite of these little facets that makes up something like overall intelligence. (Enlightenment and transcendence are alike in this.)

Human nature, character and abilities can be very complex, and any single perspective of a complex phenomenon is unlikely to be adequately illuminating -- except if the phenomenon is not really that complex.

[xmas74]

50. I qualified when I was 12.

I was singled out by Duke University's Talent Identification Program (I was in the top 1% of standardized test scores in the US). I took the SAT and a few IQ tests(some were Mensa tests) and was invited but never attended.
At the time I hated the thought of being singled out as a "smart kid". Twelve is a hard age to deal w/ the pressure from family and teachers and even harder to deal w/ the ridicule from your peers. And what does a twelve year old have in common w/ a forty-four year old? Very little to almost nothing. They certainly wouldn't have wanted to talk about the posters of River Phoenix or The Cure that I had hanging up on my bedroom wall and I couldn't see myself discussing the intricacies of someone's mortgage. It didn't interest me as an organization then and it doesn't now.
As to trump card, I've only used it once. I informed a pig of a boss who didn't think that a woman was smart enough to have a single thought of her own that I had been invited to join MENSA at a young age. At first he thought I had lied. Then he decided that he didn't want one of those "feminazis" working for him.
There are too many levels of intelligence. I'd rather be remembered for something besides a number.

[lady raven]

56. I did that too- in 7th grade, I think

I never had to take the SAT again, which was great, because I was depressed and suffering from severe anxiety by the time I was in HS. It was nice to not have to worry about the SAT!

Oddly enough, my room was papered in Cure posters too... Go figure.

[xmas74]

77. It was seventh grade.

That's when Duke implements the TIP program. They are sent in the results from participating schools nationwide for the top percentiles on standardized tests(I don't remember if my test was Iowa test or the MMAT. I took both around the same time since I had moved right after one and before the other).
I never took the SAT again but I did take the ACTs once in high school. I applied to a few schools who preferred the ACT over the SAT(regional preferences for each test).
And I was the spooky kid in middle school because of my Cure posters!

[Heidi]

51. I was "recruited" and so was my mom.

I've no little patience with people who've nothing better to do than sit around and discuss how intelligent they are.

In my experience, emotional intelligence is a far more valuable asset in the long run. Moreover, I'd much rather have a beer or a glass of wine with a bunch of emotionally intelligent people than a bunch of self-ordained geniuses. :shrug:

[lady raven]

55. My take...

I tested several years ago and got a high enough score. I found out later that I had qualified for membership, but I decided not to join right away because there wasn't really an active local group, and I wanted to get to know people and find like- minded people that shared my interests.

I have been hesitant to join since then because, while I have no problem with the organization itself, I am constantly hearing people bragging about being in Mensa and I find myself thinking they are self- aggrandizing idiots (Not all who admit to being in Mensa, just those who brag). I find myself not wanting to associate with that type or be mistaken for one.

Honestly, while DU isn't "in person", I find myself enjoying spending time with the like- minded people here as much as I had hoped to in Mensa.

[anarch]

57. Why, I think it's delicious,

but it's so salty, I'm sure it's not good for you.

































Oh, wait. That's vegemite.

[mdmc]

60. kick

for the smart guys!

[tjwmason]

61. Honestly - a big circle jerk.

As others have said - they only measure a tiny part of genuine intelligence, and then use that to create a special elite of "intelligent" people.

I know perfectly well what my I.Q. is - I had it tested by an Educational Psychologist as part of being diagnosed dyslexic. But I also know that it's a near infinitessimal part of my intellect - still less of who I am.

[Maestro]

62. What's funny is that in Spanish Mensa

means dumb, but on the whole the people in Mensa are definitely intelligent in problem solving, very analytical. But there are other types of intelligence, definitely! I know there is a child out in Calfornia who is severely autistic, but can draw anything at an incredibly fast pace. He's like a CAD machine. It's friggin' amazing!

[transeo]

63. I try not to

I think intelligence is multi-faceted and just passing an IQ test has nothing to do with how intelligent a person is. A test is not truly a judge of intelligence, but a judge of memorization. As Einstein said "Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from a book?".

In my book a truly intellignet person has a combination of testable knowledge (memorization and application of facts and theories) and emotional/social/communication ability.

[Dave Reynolds]

64. I don't know, I'm a male.

I do not have Mensa.

Oh...wait...:blush:

[BikeWriter]

65. I knew a waste disposal engineer who was a member...

[Missy Vixen]

66. Non-member, won't join

>my personal experience with members of Mensa is that emotional intelligence is not one of the prerequisites for membership<

My experiences have been the same. Whether or not I am a member of Mensa does not define me as a person ;-).

Julie

[KamaAina]

67. Funny, I just got accused of being a Mensa member last night

by a right-wing troll on one of the New Orleans rebuilding boards.

http://www.nola.com/forums/rebuilding/index.ssf

(post 572.2.1; IgnatiusJ == KamaAina)

[dryan]

68. I used...

to be a member. I took an IQ test and made 157. I joined a local 'club'. I was underwhelmed. Most of the people - men and women were not very interesting.

[Redstone]

69. I'd never even consider joining.

Not in a hundred years. It's egotistical and pointless, and Mrs R provides me with all the ego boosting I need.

I find it extremely irritating when people wear ANYTHING on their sleeve; patriotism, religion, IQ.

And anyone who "plays Mesna as a trump card" in a conversation is a twit and a snot. Probably a weenie too.

Redstone

[NashVegas]

70. I'm Sick and Tired of Dealing With Tampons

..

[Burma Jones]

71. Dummies.....n/t

[khashka]

72. As a member....

I rarely spend time with them.


They bore the hell out of me. Ok, we get it! We're all smarter than fuck!

But there are different types of intelligence.... And sometimes that idiot in the corner can totally rock your world.

Maybe this is reverse snobbery, but I've learned that no matter how freaking smart you are, if you listen you learn. Maybe that's the true measure of intelligence.

Khash.

[RushIsRot]

74. I have noticed that most professing Mensans do poorly at

Jeopardy.

I was a member 30 years or so ago. but like many others above, I did not find membership to be useful or interesting.

[Ptah]

75. Mensa is too wordy

I think abstract shapes are more indicative of native intelligence.

[mwooldri]

76. Naa... I tried DENSA. Too bright for them. Too dense for MENSA.

So I guess I'll have to join MORNSA. for the Middle Of the Road people.

[Crazy Guggenheim]

79. I used to be a member and it's no big deal.

[mtnsnake]

80. I'd get into Mensa about as easy as a Mensa-ite could change a flat tire

[Deja Q]

81. People are people. They either click or they don't.

The more we make certain things status symbols, the more we drive each other apart and become envious.

[ForrestGump]

82. I probably would have qualified -- good at tests -- but no way would I

join. Not a 'joiner' at the best of times, and I hate -- loath, detest, scorn -- intellectual snobs, or psuedointellectual snobs, each of which I'd guess is represented more than average in Mensa. I never even thought of joining, wouldn't know how to, and don't give a damn. I've got lots of better things to do and to concern myself with.

I agree with a lot of the posters here -- I've known IQ aces who were, in every other respect of their lives, dumb as two bricks. Common sense, social skills, artistic ability, situational intelligence related to survival: these are all things that won't get you into Mensa but that are arguably more important than 'intelligence' as measured from imperfecrt, biased standard tests.

I don't disrespect Mensa members -- and it's sorta cool when some Hollywood type (Geena Davis, for example) busts the stereotypes by turning out to be a Mensa member -- but I wouldn't join them if they came begging, slide rules in hand, for my patronage. As Groucho said, any club that would have me as a member...

[FuzzySlippers]

83. Slide rules?

What century are you living in?

:rofl:

[ForrestGump]

84. Hey! Stop making fun of my favorite fashion accessory!

:-(

[FuzzySlippers]

85. You need one of these to complete the look.

[ForrestGump]

86. I appreciate you always thinking of my welfare

:P

If I only had a pocket...

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

87. I have a friend who was recently accepted into Mensa

No big deal- he is INCREDIBLY intelligent. He's heavily into chess, and he plays worldwide via the web, and he wins. He's played Kasparov several times (he won't tell me how well he did).

His problem is ego- he KNOWS how smart he is, and this acceptance has made him a wee big smug. Other than that he's not a bad guy to know.

I've never bothered taking the test, but could probably pass it if I studied hard enough (just kidding). However, I see no real need to stroke myself, so I'll pass on it. I have better things to do.