By the numbers, I “qualify” for Mensa. But why should I join? I saw on their website that there are some benefits to membership, but what are the more intangible benefits, if any? Any Mensa members who can elaborate? Also, how do you personally view members of Mensa, if you are not one? Thanks in advance for your replies.
I’m considering joining in order to network. I’m having a very tought time finding a job.
OK, spelling “tough” as “tought” might have disqualified me…
The chapter near me has a monthly games night. That sounds like fun, and it’s not something the people I otherwise hang out with are really interested in. They also have regular social/ networking events like lunches and hiking.
Haven’t joined yet myself, though. Kind of unsure whether people would think I was being pretentious. I work in a field where people skills are valued more than “smarts” and they’re sometimes seen as mutually exclusive. On the other hand, I think it would be refreshing to hang out with a group of people that doesn’t feel that way.
5 years ago, I was against Mensa. I’d known Mensans when I lived elsewhere, and found them arrogant. Then, I bumped into a science fiction writer and his best buddy at a science fiction convention. A wonderful evening ensued with me winding up getting a back rub and, during dinner, having one hand massaged by each of them. At some point, I mentioned I was a member of the SCA. The writer’s best buddy mentioned that he knew of an organization where you could have even more fun with fewer clothes: Mensa. The look that crossed my face, they told me later, said, “Oh. And you were such nice people.” :rolleyes: Somehow, they talked me into going to a Regional Gathering, RG for short. I didn’t expect to enjoy myself, but it was Labor Day weekend and I had nothing better to do. I figured I’d stay a polite 3 hours and leave. I left 3 days later.
Why did I join? RGs (the joke is the leading “o” and trailing “y” are omitted when spelling). RGs are noted for good hugs, better chocolate, wonderful conversation, and vicious card games. Any Dopers in Detroit, they’re having one this weekend and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Oh, and tell them “CJ” says “Hi.” I’m also a regular at my group’s monthly Games Night, where the game play is skilled and vicious, and double, triple, and quadruple entendres reign supreme (Note: Only attempt the last one with a spotter!) 
To give you an example, at a double-deck hearts tournament, one player looked at her cards and said “This hand really sucks!” This prompted the retort “Hands don’t suck, they jerk!” I enjoy the company immensely. I don’t have to worry about being weird; heck, by their standards, I’m even attractive! The company I’ve found in Mensa is a bit like the company I’ve found on this board only, since it’s enjoyed live rather than over the internet, the hugs and chocolate are real.
That said, arrogant, obnoxious Mensans do exist, although they’re the ones whose company I try to avoid. I haven’t found any at Games Nights; I have found them at other functions, especially the ones concerned with group politics. If the person you’re talking to shows no evidence of a sense of humour and fails to pick up a straight line, they may be one. Run. That or toss out a straight line and see who picks it up.
Me, I love being a Mensan, not for the bragging rights but for the company, hugs, puns, and chocolate. Like you folks here, they’re my kind of people.
CJ
Not just Mensan, Hell’s Mensan, and yes, that is an actual subgroup!
I don’t know that my opinion should be considered as heavily as others, since I’ve only had interactions with one person who belonged to Mensa. (Although there may have been others, and I just didn’t know about them. Maybe they keep themselves well hidden…)
Anyway, the person was very snobbish of his Mensa status, which was odd to me since he never finished college, had two deadend marriages and a nowhere job, in addition to being enternally unhappy. He was, however, somewhat amusing (enough to get me into bed) and was very nice (as long as we didn’t discuss his Mensa standing, in which case he became “mightier than thou”). I think that had less to do with his Mensa standing, and more to do with his overall personality.
So, I had his kid (who is way smart, and ditched him. But, I understand he’s still a member of Mensa.
Clarification: I ditched the guy, not the kid. :smack:
The kid is cool and is a keeper.
My father is a member of Mensa, and years ago, I was told that I would be accepted if only I apply (an old I.Q. test I took qualifies me). I hadn’t really pursued it until I read Siege’s post, but now they sound like a really great group of people that I would very much like to be a part of. Just like him, I belong to a LARP (though not as hardcore as SCA), and have been looking for other people who share the same interests.
Thank you, Siege, for sharing your experience. I’m going to call my contact here today.
Adam
Oh, and Siege, might I ask where your Mensa group is?
Adam
Many years ago a friend talked me into taking the Mensa test with him. I figured he would pass with flying colors but I didn’t think I had a snowball’s chance in Hell of passing. The irony is that I passed and he didn’t.
Anyway, I joined and was fairly active for while but over time I gradually stopped going to the meetings and finally just dropped my membership. They have Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) so you might check and see if there are any in your area you would be interested in.
As others have said, you find some really nice people and some total jerks. Most of the people I knew were just ordinary folks.
Pardon my ignorance but could you enlighten me as to what LARP and SCA are.
Thanks
Surely. SCA stands for “Society for Creative Anachronism” (link). They are a very large (several chapters throughout the world) organization dedicated to recreating the arts of pre-17th-century Europe. Their activities mainly include outdoor Medieval-style combat (the weapons are made of rattan), but are not limited to that. Siege would be able to give you much more detail.
LARP stands for “Live-Action Role Playing”, which is a blanket term used for any club or activity dedicated to live-action pre-gunpowder combat (as opposed to tabletop gaming). Such clubs include SCA, Dagorhir, Amtgard, and the much smaller Darkon, which is what I belong to. SCA uses rattan (bamboo) weapons, whereas Dagorhir, Amtgard, and Darkon build their weapons out of hard-cell foam (hence my old handle, FoamFighter). Some clubs “pull their shots” (hitting with only enough force necessary to feel contact), while others hit as hard as they need or want to. It may sound dangerous, but LARPing is actually an extremely safe and responsible sport with few serious injuries.
Apologies for going off-topic here.
Adam
I’m not a member of MENSA (I was in the gifted program in school but seriously doubt I would pass a MENSA test or even be considered the least bit gifted anymore so I’ve not even looked into the possibility of taking the tests) but since moving to Nebraska in January, I have had the opportunity to hang out with a group of members a few times a month. The company is pretty nice and it allows me, as a social outcast, to have some sort of interaction with other people, who despite being really intelligent seem to be down to earth as well.
I’ve yet to run into any of the snobbish stereotypes that I’ve heard others describe and will actually miss my Friday night trivia games and monthly poker tournaments with them when I move out of state in a week. It’s not about bragging rights… it’s about camraderie amongst those that have similar thoughts, ideals, and opinions.
I am not a member, but have a friend who is. He had been trying to get me to join for a long while, and finally I agreed to attend a meeting with him.
The good: The people are smart, and it was fun to play cards at a high level. You don’t usually get that.
The bad: It was a living stereotype - People trying desperately to outdo each other with bad puns, the cultural conversations ranged from science fiction to fantasy, nothing else, and the gathering was full of people who loved to argue for argument’s sake, rather than trying to find truth. People seemed to take on the most bizzare and offensive positions just so they would have people to argue with.
There are a lot of people who love all those things that I didn’t. Many here at SDMB, for sure. If I were to sum it up, I’d say if you are a geek or love geeky people, then go for it. You’ll find a lot of people just like yourself. If you are looking to broaden you horizons, don’t count on it. It is a very homogenious group. One other thing - almost universally, they are underemployed.
Just my honest impressions.
By definition, Mensans do not fall in the middle of the bell curve in at least one area (that of IQ test taking ability). I’ve found that many Mensans also don’t fall in the middle of the bell curve in many other areas of their lives, as well. This makes Mensans more interesting to me. It makes Mensans less desirable to people like my inlaws, who are very comfortable watching the most popular TV shows, drinking the most popular brands of beer and soda, and working at the most common sorts of jobs.
I usually enjoy the company of Mensans. I know that when I mention my latest excursion into the bookstore, I will get glances of sympathy. It seems that we all need a keeper when we go into bookstores. I don’t think it’s true that we ONLY read SF and/or fantasy. Heck, while I read mostly SF&F, I certainly don’t limit my reading to only that genre. I read mainstream, mystery, and all sorts of nonfiction. I’ve even read Westerns and romances, and for a while I read a “men’s adventure” series, until the original authors quit writing it. I think that many Mensans have a very strong preference for reading SF&F, but will read just about anything that catches and holds their attention.
I don’t think it’s fair to judge ANY group by going to only one meeting, or by experiences with just one member of that group. I’ve been a member of Mensa in four different cities, and the active group in each city was different. The groups also change over time as new members join and old members move or drop out or die.
I’m currently not a member, though that might change. Right now, I’m not paying dues because I can’t go to the meetings in this city…it’s not nonsmoker friendly. I’d like to go to the meetings, but I also like to breathe, and breathing wins out over socializing every time.
Mensa is basically a social club, with one requirement. If you think you might be interested, try attending a couple of meetings. Most groups welcome potential members as visitors. Ask about the meeting’s agenda beforehand, though…unless you’re already involved in the group, you probably will find that the meeting about the local, regional, or national Mensa elections are very, very boring. Most local groups also have less formal gatherings, such as game nights and lunch meetings, which might be more to your taste.
Until I interacted with Mensa members on the Dope, it seemed like a sad little group to me. I’ve never had any trouble finding intelligent, interesting folks to hang out with on my own. I’m more than willing to admit that I’m probably wrong, and that there are plenty of well-adjusted, pleasant Mensa folks with great lives. I still doubt I’d join, though.
Thanks for your response Agent Foxtrot. I know what SCA is but it just didn’t register when I read your post. (And I was a membr of Mensa? :rolleyes: ) I’m also familiar with reenactments, particularly the Civil War, but I hadn’t seen that acronym before.
Anyhow, your comments were very enlightening. Thanks.
I think you should take the test Aesiron. You would probably do better than you think you would. As I mentioned in an earlier post I only took it because a friend wanted me to take it with him. I never dreamed I would actually pass it.
I’m in Pittsburgh, and the best RGs seem to be between Pittsburgh and Chicago, although there was a good one in the D.C. area not too long ago. I also have a confession to make. I didn’t trust myself to score well enough on the test, so I ducked in on my old SAT scores and high school transcript in general.
I’m a geek. I admit it, and I’m a lot happier since I’ve come to terms with it. Come on, chances are I’ll be hanging out here or watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s rather than watching Survivor tonight! One very nice thing about Mensa for this single Doper is Mensans think intelligence is sexy, not scary! As the saying goes, “Oh baby, oh baby, O-o-oh!”
CJ
Not when the subject is job-hunting. Hang in there, pal.