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zendell
Free Thinker
Joined: Nov 11, 2007
Posts: 1174
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 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject: Mensa - organization for intelligent people |
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I heard about this organization awhile ago and the IQ thread reminded me of it. Mensa is for people whose IQ is in the top 2% of the population. That's the one and only requirement for membership. They offer about 200 Special Interest Groups and provide social interaction with other intelligent people as well as other benefits. They have 100,000 members in over 40 countries. I think some aspies here may be interested. I wouldn't be surprised if an aspie created Mensa and I think there are probably lots of aspies who are members.
Mensa information - http://www.mensa.org
I'm not a member. If anyone here is a member, I'm interested in what you think of it. |
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Dhp
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jul 31, 2007
Age: 35
Posts: 181
Location: Florida, United States
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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| There are two requirements: the aforementioned one, and 2 - you have to be a egotistical jerk. My opinion, but it stands. |
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MusicMaker1
Snowy Owl
Joined: Dec 10, 2007
Age: 37
Posts: 154
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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| I heard that another requirement for membership is to pay them a huge sum of money every year.... not sure how much it is though... |
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Dhp
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Jul 31, 2007
Age: 35
Posts: 181
Location: Florida, United States
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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| By the way, I'm hopefully not a jerk, but I have met people from Mensa...you don't want to meet them. |
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2ukenkerl
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 20, 2007
Posts: 4625
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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| AW, I met one person in mensa that seemed nice. Unfortunately, she DID agree with Dhp, and is probably not a member any more. I don't think the dues are that high, but why pay if you can't see a benefit. |
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Grey_Kameleon
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Feb 21, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 189
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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| If the only benefit is a head trip, that would explain why the members may tend towards snootery. |
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CityAsylum
Venio. Exeunt omnes.
Joined: Jan 08, 2008
Posts: 3513
Location: NYC
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:55 pm Post subject: |
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Actually, Zendell is on the right track - a lot of people join who spent their school years hearing how 'retarded' they were, when in fact they were being bullied because they were so different. (Yes. Many Aspies.)
Acceptance in Mensa is often the first 'proof' they have ever had that they aren't so stupid after all.
But, as others of you have noted, many Mensa members are simply egomaniacal jerks 
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Last edited by CityAsylum on Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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2ukenkerl
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 20, 2007
Posts: 4625
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| Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Grey_Kameleon wrote: | | If the only benefit is a head trip, that would explain why the members may tend towards snootery. |
Yo would THINK that they would appreciate smart people, and try to enjoy learning and being challenged. From what I have seen/heard, that is generally NOT the case. It was a nice CONCEPT though, just like TRUE communism is. They both meet the SAME fate for the SAME reason. 8-( |
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Whisperer
Velociraptor
Joined: Oct 14, 2007
Posts: 458
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:15 am Post subject: |
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Meh, I probably don't qualify - I'm just below the borderline.
I considered joining once and seeing if I could get along with those but I kept getting the feeling that even if I did luck out on the test and make it in I wouldn't be comfortable there.
I've heard what they say too; though I don't want to jump to conclusions - whenever someone mentions Mensa someone has to mention the elitism thing. . . there must be something going on.
I'm not sure what to think of supposedly very high IQ people who are very unpleasant - like for example some guy at another forum who implied he was in Mensa; his entire demeanour, avatar and sig was a huge trolling bait of wanton condescending remarks right and left.
Once, looking for info on "giftedness", I ran into this tiny forum called "Gifted Geniuses" - with Mensa-like imagery on the banner and galaxies and whatnot - and like, every thread was like a copy and paste from Wikipedia on String Theory or some such with two or 3 replies; 10 active posters at most. Not only it was insipid; the site owner had his posts full of words like "pathetic", "laughable", "sad", "idiots", etc. . .
Then again, one reason I hate my job is that it implies an environment where people get away with being stupid and mediocre through social networking; yesterday I was in this meeting with IT people - myself trying to clarify something about an application they were basically selling us - and I almost lost it trying to get them (my boss included) to grasp the issue I wanted to point out (I don't think anyone understood - not even after 3 times).
I guess it's an annoying range to be - not really belonging to anything.
Last edited by Whisperer on Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:43 am; edited 3 times in total |
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sinsboldly
Free Range Aspie
Joined: Nov 22, 2006
Age: 57
Posts: 7613
Location: Oregon, USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| Dhp wrote: | | There are two requirements: the aforementioned one, and 2 - you have to be a egotistical jerk. My opinion, but it stands. |
well, you don't HAVE to be, but in the 20 some years I have been a member, it certainly helps!
Merle
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Alpo is up to $4.00 USD a can and that is $12.00 USD in dog dollars! |
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spudnik
Cheeky Monkey
Joined: Feb 20, 2008
Posts: 3419
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:37 am Post subject: |
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| What are the mensa requirements, regarding IQ, I do have an IQ of 137, but it hasn't helped my in any way, other then useless trivia, I have no degrees to show for it, and I am glad I don't, there are to many people with a useless piece of paper working retail. |
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IdahoAspie
Deinonychus
Joined: Nov 30, 2007
Posts: 383
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:41 am Post subject: |
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| Mensa is an idiotic organization. If they were smart, they would know that an IQ score doesn't have any real meaning. |
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CityAsylum
Venio. Exeunt omnes.
Joined: Jan 08, 2008
Posts: 3513
Location: NYC
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:51 am Post subject: |
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| spudnik wrote: | | What are the mensa requirements, regarding IQ, I do have an IQ of 137. |
Different IQ tests have different scores, so it is the percentile for that particular test you took that counts to Mensa.
The requirement is that members be in the 98th percentile, or better. Intertel and the Top One Percent Society require that you score in the 99th percentile.
I cannot even imagine what good it would do to mention such a membership to anyone; it's not as if you could put a thing like that on your résumé, or mention it with a straight face during a job interview - it really ticks people off.
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sinsboldly
Free Range Aspie
Joined: Nov 22, 2006
Age: 57
Posts: 7613
Location: Oregon, USA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:00 am Post subject: |
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| CityAsylum wrote: | | spudnik wrote: | | What are the mensa requirements, regarding IQ, I do have an IQ of 137. |
Different IQ tests have different scores, so it is the percentile for that particular test you took that counts to Mensa.
The requirement is that members be in the 98th percentile, or better. Intertel and the Top One Percent Society require that you score in the 99th percentile.
I cannot even imagine what good it would do to mention such a membership to anyone; it's not as if you could put a thing like that on your résumé, or mention it with a straight face during a job interview - it really ticks people off. |
well, it's sorta like hanging out with other Aspies. . I can barely stand to hang with other Aspies. .. and I can barely stand to hang with other Mensa folks. But they are people like you and you get to be around people that are smarter than you, too and frankly how often does THAT happen, I mean that is refreshing right there. I get to feel sorta 'normal' for a while, If being around others like you makes you feel 'normal'. You also get to not feel like such a dork just because you are smart, and all their lives they have been sorta like Aspies are. . a fish on a bicycle.
Merle |
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Chadk
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Mar 22, 2008
Age: 17
Posts: 66
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 1:09 am Post subject: |
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| IdahoAspie wrote: | | Mensa is an idiotic organization. If they were smart, they would know that an IQ score doesn't have any real meaning. |
Something about a hammer and a nail springs to mind.
Well said. |
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