From: apowell@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Being ashamed of being in Mensa
Date: 14 Aug 92 01:37:09 -0600
Organization: Memphis State University

Wes Orr writes:

>Overall I think that > talking about one's intelligence is egotistical and
arbitrary.  I believe > that my dad is in Mensa yet he is the most
self-centered person I ever met. > I don't mean to imply that membership and
self-centeredness go hand in hand > but in his case I believe it does.  For him
it is a way to show that he is > somehow better than others, although he is
flawed interpersonally.  I don't > think he realizes his interpersonal flaws
nor the connection between this > and bringing up how intelligent he is.  It
takes a certain intelligence > to read social cues and in learning how to
relate to others.  In his case > this is most certainly absent. >  > If one is
truly intelligent it will come out in the way they talk.  If one > feels the
need to broadcast their intelligence it seems that they are > looking for a way
to feel superior.
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Wes, I feel that your comments are unfair.  First of all, I don't exactly go
around with a sign on my chest that says "Hi! I'm smart!  Don't you wish YOU
were?"  However, I KNOW that I am smart; there is nothing arbitrary about it. 
What's more, I have never needed a standardized test score to tell me that I am
smart either; even if I had never taken a standardized test I would still know
that I am smart.  Being intelligent is just part of what I am, just as having
brown hair and ten toes is part of what I am.  The difference is that in our
society I can freely talk about the fact that I have brown hair and ten toes,
which, like having above average intelligence are traits that not everyone in
our society has, but for some reason I am not allowed to talk about the fact
that I am smart.  

I think that you are also intimating that people who join Mensa lack the social
skills to make friends who do not have high IQs.  Speaking for myself I have
friends from all walks of life, including the educated, the uneducated,
children, adults, the learning-disabled, the mentally-retarded, the technical,
the artistic, the rich, the poor, and the highly intelligent.  I have
thoroughly enjoyed conversations with all of them, and I feel that all of them
have their own special, wonderful things to offer--they all address different
aspects of my personality.

Mensans address the smart side of my personality--the side that cannot find
anyone who is willing to play cards or games with me because I always beat them
whether I try to or not; the side that occasionally enjoys trying to find
solutions to complicated problems by talking the problems out with someone who
can understand them fully; the side that likes to learn new things in which
mostly HiQ people are interested.  However, being a Mensan represents only a
small part of what I am; I also enjoy owning and driving a 5.0 Mustang and
listening to country music, things that are considered by people such as you
who would like to stereotype Mensans as being typically "un-Mensan."

Besides, being in Mensa is fun!  I especially enjoy the special interest
groups, which are usually NOT intellectual in nature, such as the "temperance"
special interest group in our local chapter whose members are dedicated to the
cause of stopping worldwide drinking by drinking all of the world's alcoholic
beverages before anyone else can, and the "restaurant" SIG, which visits a
different restaurant each month.

Another thing that I have noticed about Mensans is that I have never met one
who was conceited or egotistical about being smart; I have seen more of THAT
sort of behavior from smart people who are not members of Mensa.  In fact, our
chapter allows anyone to attend the meetings, whether they are Mensans or not. 
Why don't you join Mensa and see what it is all about before you condemn it?

                                                
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa