MENSA

[Dixon Carter Lee]

A friend of mine told me he was interested in taking the test for MENSA, and it got me thinking about when I was a member, and how much I didn't truly enjoy it, and the dues were large, though it was nice to have the card in my wallet.

I was a member in the early 80s, and they had a lot of SIGs back then (Special Interest Groups), many of which were in the entertainment field. Now that I'm in LA, the land of contacts, I'm wondering if I should re-join and check out some of the Movie Industry SIGs.

Is anyone here a current MENSA member? I'm sure it's changed a hell of a lot in the last 25 years. What do you think of it now?

(And, for the record, most MENSA members don't really think I.Q. tests tell the whole story of a person's worth, or even intelligence. It's just a club.)

 

[Wil_E_Harden]

MENSA in CA

MENSA is a very active organization in California, generally, and especially in the Southland. Although I never bothered with membership I did attend a number of events and have several friends who are active in various chapters between Santa Barbara and San Diego.

You will make excellent contacts, although not too many of them in the Hollywood-LA central chapter. (That chapter is a great source for picking up beautiful, bright but emotionally disturbed young women who know that panties really are intended to be ankle warmers.)

The San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Oxnard-Ventura, Canyon Country, Orange County, and San Diego groups are best for networking. Orange County and Santa Clarita are dominated by posturing idiots.

My direct experience with these groups is as recent as August of this year. I just moved to coastal central Florida so I can't offer a lot more recent help.

Follow the tracks. Some of them lead to very witty snow bunnies on vacation.

 

[Closet Desire]

Now that's something...

...I haven't heard about lately. Brings back memories. Several of my friends were members when we were nucs in the Navy. I'm afraid to take the test now in case what KillerMuffin says about middle age men's brains shrinking!

Seriously though...here's a story that you might find amusing and...no...it isn't a dig at Mensa members.

I went to meet and listen to Isaac Asimov in 79 or 80 in Hampton VA. A large throng of MENSA members had taken the front two rows and surrounded the poor man like vultures on a carcass. Nobody else got a chance to get close to him so we were all bit miffed. The MENSA crew all sat down raptly at attention as he began his talk. He started like this...

"I've just been informed that the local chapter of MENSA has elected me honorary president. (LONG PAUSE) I think it's an honor of rather dubious distinction."

The crowd erupted in laughter and the MENSA members, in unison, melted into puddles in their chairs like the wicked witch of the east in OZ. For the rest of the talk you could seem them squirm from the heat of eyes burning into the back of their heads. It was cruel...but...there you go.

I only remember one other thing about that night. I did get to meet him and shake his hand. I asked him how you get to be a good writer, explaining that I wanted to write as good as him. He replied simply: "Read lots of good writing."

One of those really important moments in my life. Wonderful man.

 

[CreamyLady]

Sorry. I can't pass the entrance exam.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Panties as ankle warmers -- that's funny.

So, the San Fernando Valley chapter, eh? Hmm. I think I'll check it out, see what the dues are like now. Supposedly I'm allowed to re-join any time I like.

Thanks.

Great story about Asimov. I actually know his granddaughter, another writer (though not nearly as good).

 

[Closet Desire]

Cool...

...his books made me love reading.

 

[Comshaw]

Asimov, I've read all of his sci-fi books. At last count I believe he has about 200+ books in print. Not all of them sci-fi stuff. He has a wonderful way of explaining things in layman's language. Right up my ally. If there's any Asimov fans out there, what pen name did he use when he first started to write sci-fi?
MENSA? With an IQ just a bit beyond Forest Gump, this here undereducated, backwoods northern boy just ain't cut out for such things. Besides, I've never been a joiner. The only organization I was a part of was the U.S. Army. And they had to come drag me off! Why the hell start volunteering now?
Take a biker group for example. you have a group of 30 or 40 guys that want to be rugged individualists. So what do they do? They all buy the same black leather clothes, ride the same make of bike, drink and raise hell in the same places as all the other "individualists". Aw hell now ya got me wandering off the subject. As my pappy use to say:"Buy you books and send you to school and what the hell do you do? Tear the pages out and eat the teacher!"
Comshaw

 

[KillerMuffin]

I was in MENSA a while ago. Then they found out I can't add. I can't, I never did it enough to do it without my fingers, always used a calculator. I only retained a membership for a year cause dad paid for it.

They like smart people anyway, not smart asses.

The only thing dumber than an idiot is a member of the intelligensia. They think they're too smart to learn from the idiot, even if he jumps off the cliff first.

 

[splitLiquor]

mensa

I was a member in the early 80's also, in Dallas and in AZ.
I couldn't see paying their exorbitant fees to continue
their existence when they were so close to bankruptcy.
All I got was their crummy magazine which was only good for
the jokes anyway.
I still carry the card, though.
And, my Mensa cert is still hanging on my wall.
Most of them were too uppity for me anyway.

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: mensa

I still carry the card, though.
And, my Mensa cert is still hanging on my wall.
Most of them were too uppity for me anyway.

Why carry the card (still after all these years) and hang the certificate if it represents people who are too uppity for you? Seems inconsistent to me, at best.

 

[splitLiquor]

milestones

milestones don't reflect the people you have passed.
the card/cert are symbols of distinction for me.
I rarely tell anyone that I was a member of Mensa, though,
because people immediately become defensive. What I have
accomplished has little to do with the people around me.

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Is that the Men of South America club? It's a scam. I tried that once. They made me take a test and after I passed, I had to send in a lot of money. But I never did get my beefcake calendar. What a ripoff!

 

[teresafannin]

I passed the test & went to a meeting or two,also back in the 80's. It was amazingly boring & I never officially joined. At the few meetings I went to, I nearly fell asleep due to the lack of interesting, intelligent conversation.

 

[splitLiquor]

BrainyBeauty and teresafannin

BB, you want a beefcake calender?
and, tf, you want interesting meetings?
Why didn't you say so?

 

[teresafannin]

Sorry I didn't respond, been off line most of the weekend. I would try to talk to different people, but they had all known each other since the club started & they really didn't want new people, just the membership dues. They wanted to talk about how brilliant they were & I just don't have a real big ego, so sat there & listened. I have a lot of other interests, books, music, politics & they didn't talk about anything except their IQ's, so I thanked them for their time & got involved with other groups that I had more of an interest in.

 

[splitLiquor]

thanks

tf, thanks.
Yours were the exact impressions I had upon a few visits
to Mensa meetings. Everyone wanting to talk about how
intelligent they were. I'm not much on touting that
information. I've found that it only alienates me from
the people I'd rather talk to.

 

[Thumper]

No Beefcake...wabbitcake OK?

Hey M...I'll send ya a calendar...large amounts of money are optional...but much appreciated

I can even deliver it personally!

*just don't tell her it is the local pharmacy calendar with my pic pasted on it*

Even Dixon's threads are vulnerable to the flirt virus hehehehehehe

I took the online test for Mensa it said I had a good chance of passing the test and then told me what to do to take it and how much it would cost...I decided against it to save the money for porno AND since there was no mention of an increase in my chances of getting laid by smart chicks.

Does that qualify me for automatic membership???

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: No Beefcake...wabbitcake OK?

I decided against it to save the money for porno AND since there was no mention of an increase in my chances of getting laid by smart chicks.

Ah, but that was implicit. If you go where you know they are, isn't hunting better?

 

[Thumper]

Damn..just damn!

Trick situations.

They should advertise that possibility...of course then again they would get the bane of KillerMuffins existence...*see KM's thread on unsolicited emails* knocking on their doors...

Oh well...Lit is a better place I think...

 

[Darowyn]

I wouldn't want to spend my time with a bunch of people who feel superior because they got lucky in the genetic lottery.
I would be elegible, but it seems no more relevant than joining a club for dark haired, hazel eyed people.
I had no choice about my colouring, and no choice about my intellegence.So there are no moral aspects to intellegence nor any reason to flaunt it.
I can see the sense of forming clubs on the basis of interests, activities and achievements. I write, I love to read stories and I love sex, and I guess that is why we are all here, and are normally pretty good company for each other.
They would probably be boring anyway. Use your brain to find ways of having fun, Dixon.
I always have!
By the way, I shaved my beard off to change my image when I had to start again. It took weeks before I could look in a mirror and not see my brother's face. I'd forgotten how alike we used to be after 18 years bearded.

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: Damn..just damn!

Oh well...Lit is a better place I think...

It is, actually. All the Mensans are here anyway- at least the fun ones! I think the proportion here is a little higher than 2% of the board membership. Wonder what that means?

 

[splitLiquor]

probably means

that the ones of us here got tired of rec.mensa long ago, too.