They come in all ages. If you can find the local chapter, they can send you a schedule book of all the special interest groups. There’s something for everyone.
** http://www.mensa.org/ **
Put me in the just-not-interested column.
Sure, Mensa is elitist – obviously. But my understanding (for which I will gladly take correction) is that the club was formed because people in that smarter-than-the-average-bear category were finding it difficult to meet people who could or would talk to them about subjects they were interested in.
I have never had this problem. I do not choose my friends or acquaintances on the basis of IQ, and I have friends who like to talk about politics, friends who like to talk about cooking, friends who like to talk about current events, friends who like to talk about law . . . and I neither know nor care what any of their IQs are. I neither know nor care what my IQ is, for that matter.
I do belong to a club or two with other people where a common interest binds us together – a book club, a wine club – but I don’t see how a high IQ can be considered an interest. Smart people are no more alike, or more likely to enjoy each others’ company just because they’re smart, than dumb people are to enjoy each other just because they’re dumb. In fact, I’m sure I’d have far more fun with a dumb person who liked current movies – not film, movies – than I would with a smart person who liked quantum theory.
If I had a better idea of what the club was about, other than to solve a problem I do not personally have, I might be able to work up a modicum of interest. As it is, I have none.
I gotta jump in here. Some are saying that MENSA is some elitest, snobbish organization that only cater to such.
Well, honestly, what is the big problem with asking that it’s members be of some above average intelligence? This doesn’t mean all the members of the organization are going to be snobs, my mother was a member. If anyone taught me to be tolerant of those different than me and focus on the individual and his or her assets before coming to a conclusion.
You bet your sweet ass she was knock-down, drag-out smarter than any person I have ever known in my life. I have not met a person that can surpass her intelligence. What she did have in academic smarts she lacked greatly in other ways. She was horribly deficient in athletics, thinking like a regular person (street smarts as we might call it) was beyond her recognition. But I think being incredibly smart does not make one elitest or snobbish.
Someone mentioned professional sports, I believe specifically the NFL. Well, yeah, most professional athletes are looked upon as gods for their physical abilities on a court, arena or field, yet, the smartest people are looked upon as snobbish or assholes because they are smart? I think that’s a pretty sad state of affairs when the athlete is seen as something to worship; but to view intelligence as a means to feel someone is snobbish is unfair. I mean, sheesh, those of like minds will congregate and this is life folks, in this case intelligent people hanging out with intelligent people. Heck I hang out with Libertarians, YOU PEOPLE on line, with my AOL buddies when I want to let loose and party like I have never partied before, with my family when I need closeness, with my fellow tech friends when I want to talk about computers and technology, etc.
What it comes down to is that we all have roles in life. I don’t think for a second that MENSA members sit around and compile a list of people who have less intelligence than themselves. Shoot, I never went to a meeting with my mom but she came back feeling energized like she was with people that challenged her. I feel the same way when I go to a computer conference…
Anyhow, to make a long post even longer, I think that MENSA is great for those that want and can be a part of it. For those that can’t get in, who cares, find an interest you enjoy and pursue that rather than dwelling on the fact you don’t “classify” in the realm of their requirements…if you only make $20,000 and the country club requires you make $100,000 do you think that’s snobbish? Cool, think it then but don’t blame them, there are rules in life.
techchick68: Someone mentioned professional sports, I believe specifically the NFL. Well, yeah, most professional athletes are looked upon as gods for their physical abilities on a court, arena or field, yet, the smartest people are looked upon as snobbish or assholes because they are smart? I think that’s a pretty sad state of affairs when the athlete is seen as something to worship; but to view intelligence as a means to feel someone is snobbish is unfair.
I was the one who brought up football, and I did it to
address the very question you ask.
Football teams get the best athletes because they’re trying
to win football games.
I’ve been responded to a bunch in this thread, but nobody
responds to my central point - I don’t see a good reason
for the exclusionary rule Mensa has.
Tell you what - I’m going to start an all-white club. It’s
not elitist, we’re not going to say we’re better than
everyone else. So it’s not elitist at all.
Why does it exist? So white people can meet other white
people, and eat other white people’s cooking. We’re not
better, we just want to be alone together.
bup,
I think I said it very succinctly when I said:
There are people I know that are members of many organizations that I would never become a member of. For example:
-
A gym — this does not impress me, interest me nor do I get any satisfaction from working or out hanging out with many of the people there. If you want to get technical how about the “elitest” many of the people I have known, do know and have encountered within the realm of a fitness club then I think you found the ultimate in “elitest” attitudes based on what you say. If you want to pull on the IQ and the snobbery of MENSA then please tell me how can I or my friends interpret many in a fitness club, the imagery of having the perfect body is the ultimate in being snobbish – but I don’t accuse people of such until now. I have friends and family that are very much into working out at the gym yet I have friends that see them (them = those that work out) as being the elitests because they have an idea that the “fit” person is only looking at them and stating “I am prettier and I have oh so nicely toned muscles, unlike you, you slob.”
-
I am not into Christianity. I have family members that are very Christian. I mainly hang out with people based on their person, the one I know as a human. However many of my family’s Christian friends look at me like I am the devil. Some might call that snobbery, elitest or whatever but hell they have a different belief in God and how our world works than me. I choose not to associate with them as they choose not to associate with me. Just like any group of people, they hang out with like people as I do.
So, what I am saying is that MENSA is a group of people with higher IQs than most of the populace…why does this bother you? They have a set of standards, not unlike any group of people on this earth that is a member of a specific group. Sheesh, as a white Libertarian, blonde, blue eyed 32 year old woman I couldn’t become a part of what is considered a typical black, urban gang…it’s the rules of the world. They wouldn’t accept me and I wouldn’t want to be accepted. We think and act differently. Is this bad, no, but I don’t think to poopoo one membership driven organization like MENSA is a positive thing if anything it either shows you are being elitest or you are feeling snuffed by the powers within the MENSA organization. Sheesh, they are intelligent people sharing ideas, thoughts and insights to the world as they see it, much of which would fly over our heads. Since I had a mother that was a member I must see something you don’t.
It still amazes me that people aren’t as up on this stuff as they should be. We are human but we aren’t robots. We get involved in things we feel are most important to us as humans. I hate to think what this world would be like if we all were the same color, the same religion, the same intelligence, the same everything…and there would be no sex and procreation if we were all the same sex…spose we could all be like flowers and be asexual.
Grasp it for what it is, we are all different, we all are different. Enjoy this fact rather than dwell on the fact someone may have more than you, but what it comes down to is how you perceive your life and how you live it not what others have that you don’t. <something I try very hard to do every day even though it’s so damn hard >
BTW bup, I forgot to add, my father and both brothers are a member of a men’s only club here in my city. It started back in the 1800’s and the rules have changed little.
Yep, they exclude women. Do I think it’s fair, nope, but then again I don’t like that socialite bullshit either.
We women can show up for functions that are sanctioned by the club’s members and board like Mother’s Day but my father goes to drink and play backgammon every Friday with his buddies.
You know what really sucks from my perspective on this issue? Is that because I have a uterus, tits and a high voice I am excluded from this “club” and it’s a damn excellent place to network for business contacts. But I am not crying in my beer over it. I am making my own contacts through the people they know and getting ahead by it.
The point of Mensa -duh- don’t you people read the bylaws? is to have a place where the rest of us can go to talk about bup behind his back.
Is that elitist? So be it.
Being a natural Spanish speaker myself, that was also my first thought. Pretty ironic, huh?
Funny, a woman who wants to inform someone about her Mensa membership might proclaim: “Yo soy una Mensa,” which could easily be misunderstood by an uninformed individual as meaning: I am stupid. 
Anyway, if I am not mistaken, the name is derived from the Latin word for table (as in a round table), in an intent to symbolize the egalitarian nature of the organization.