Mensa: Is it a waste of human intellect?

Riddle101 · 13-11-2008 10:39pm #1

I'm sure most of you know what Mensa is. Those who don't, Mensa is an organisation made up of extremely intellegent people with a high IQ. The the organisation is said to be the largest, oldest and well known organisation and it goals are
(1)To identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity
(2)To encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence
(3)To provide a stimulating enviornment for it's members

Here's my problem. We have an organisation mad eof of some of the smartest minds in the world and yet what exactly do they do. You would think that an organisation like Mensa would put their brainpower to good uses like researching a Cure for Cancer, Aids or developing othe types of cures. They discover new scientific wonders, or they could very much help mankind any different ways. But instead they rarely do anything. I mean it just seems like a waste of intelliegence and to be honest it's quite disappointing to see the lack of interest they have in other things other then themselves

Then again i may be wrong, if i'm wrong then please let me know where i went wrong. But my point is, Mensa for all it's smarts dosen't have the intelligence to put their minds together

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 10:40pm

Yeah, all they do is send me word puzzles.

Aren't we supposed to be curing cancer??!

axer · 13-11-2008 10:41pm

Maybe they know something we don't.

Kinetic^ · 13-11-2008 10:43pm

Neesa wrote: »

Yeah, all they do is send me word puzzles.

Aren't we supposed to be curing cancer??!

Not so smart handing over a yearly subscription for word puzzles, are we?

Riddle101 · 13-11-2008 10:44pm

Bet you anything someone's gonna come on here saying that Mensa are actually an evil organisation who are trying to take over the world:D

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 10:45pm

I don't pay. I did their silly tests and they send me puzzles...

What can us intelligent Minds of Mensa do when some "members" still claim Pi to be equal only to 3.1415926535897932846?

tony1kenobi · 13-11-2008 10:46pm

Riddle101 wrote: »

(3)To provide a stimulating enviornment for it's members

If they highlighted this facility more people would join. Is it just hand jobs?

CreepingDeath · 13-11-2008 10:47pm

Riddle101 wrote: »

You would think that an organisation like Mensa would put their brainpower to good uses like researching a Cure for Cancer, Aids or developing othe types of cures.

Maybe they decided that the world is over populated and let natural selection run its course. That would be best for humanity... a few savage population cuts.
Or maybe they're building giant flying saucers to start afresh on some other planet.

Ruu_Old · 13-11-2008 10:47pm

C:/DOS, C:/DOS/RUN, RUN/DOS/RUN!

camel toe · 13-11-2008 10:48pm

mate of mine forced 1 of tese mensa members to give him hed yrs ago.

13-11-2008 10:48pm

it's just a recognition as far as i can tell.. was gonna go for it's test but realised that it would look so stupid on a cv. i think? maybe certain employers would like it....

tedstriker · 13-11-2008 10:49pm

You don't need to be part of an organisation to achieve anything. Perhaps all these mensa people are working on cancer cures in their garden sheds, alone.

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 10:49pm

Deleted User wrote: »

it's just a recognition as far as i can tell.. was gonna go for it's test but realised that it would look so stupid on a cv. i think? maybe certain employers would like it....

You have to do a few tests. They calculate your average...

13-11-2008 10:52pm

Neesa wrote: »

You have to ddo a few tests. They calculate your average...

just effort to be honest.. don't need someone to tell me how smart i am :cool:

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 10:54pm

Good, that's great. that's really self-confident of you. That's wonderful. Fantastic. I'm sure a smart individual like yourself wouldn't want me to patronise you, 'cause you're a smart little wonder, you are. Well done.

Ryaller · 13-11-2008 11:00pm

camel toe wrote: »

mate of mine forced 1 of tese mensa members to give him hed yrs ago.

I'm guessing you're not a member?..

tony1kenobi · 13-11-2008 11:01pm

camel toe wrote: »

mate of mine forced 1 of tese mensa members to give him hed yrs ago.

Could you force your mate to teach you how to spell?

13-11-2008 11:06pm

Neesa wrote: »

Good, that's great. that's really self-confident of you. That's wonderful. Fantastic. I'm sure a smart individual like yourself wouldn't want me to patronise you, 'cause you're a smart little wonder, you are. Well done.

lol you made a funny

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 11:09pm

Deleted User wrote: »

lol you made a funny

Yes, and you understood that "funny." Well done. That's really good of you. We're all so proud.

13-11-2008 11:12pm

Neesa wrote: »

Yes, and you understood that "funny." Well done. That's really good of you. We're all so proud.

what the fuck's up your gee that's makin you so pissed off?

PurpleBerry · 13-11-2008 11:18pm

Deleted User wrote: »

what the fuck's up your gee that's makin you so pissed off?

I'm not pissed off. And I don't need anyone who's not pissed off telling me that I'm pissed off...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

13-11-2008 11:19pm

way to ruin a thread.

Wagon · 14-11-2008 10:07am

Deleted User wrote: »

way to ruin a thread.

Dont mind the vagina. I'll try and bring it back to life...
...
...
...
...I wonder how Stephen Hawking has sex?

4zn76tysfajdxp · 14-11-2008 10:10am

Deleted User wrote: »

just effort to be honest.. don't need someone to tell me how smart i am :cool:

Neesa wrote: »

Good, that's great. that's really self-confident of you. That's wonderful. Fantastic. I'm sure a smart individual like yourself wouldn't want me to patronise you, 'cause you're a smart little wonder, you are. Well done.

Deleted User wrote: »

lol you made a funny

Neesa wrote: »

Yes, and you understood that "funny." Well done. That's really good of you. We're all so proud.

Deleted User wrote: »

what the fuck's up your gee that's makin you so pissed off?

Neesa wrote: »

I'm not pissed off. And I don't need anyone who's not pissed off telling me that I'm pissed off...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Deleted User wrote: »

way to ruin a thread.

Arguing on the internet isn't very smart...

kasm · 14-11-2008 10:11am

Wagon wrote: »

Dont mind the vagina. I'll try and bring it back to life...
...
...
...
...I wonder how Stephen Hawking has sex?

Carefully?

Rob_l · 14-11-2008 10:15am

Mensa is pointless, its a social club with silly restrictions nothing more.

Tawny · 14-11-2008 10:23am

Wasn't there an episode of the Simpsons where Mensa take over the council or whatever and are rubbish at it?

Really intelligent people are best left to their own devices. Fine line between genius and insanity and all that.

biko · 14-11-2008 10:31am

Riddle101 wrote: »

Here's my problem. We have an organisation mad eof of some of the smartest minds in the world and yet what exactly do they do.

I think you're getting it backwards. Mensa as an organisation does not work like that (I'm not a member so can't vouch for that). However the members are employed elsewhere curing diseases etcetera.
Mensa is like a social club for people that want to network and enjoy intelligent conversation. It's a sharing of ideas rather than a workplace if I understand it correctly.

Marcus.Aurelius · 14-11-2008 10:58am

Neesa wrote: »

I'm not pissed off. And I don't need anyone who's not pissed off telling me that I'm pissed off...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Your vast and superior intellect is hardly making an appearance on thread yet. :pac:

Incidentally, how is mensa supported anyway? I used to get them crappy puzzles all the time after about 50 IQ tests.

I do a PhD part-time, a lot of us are in mensa, but realistically, we're all off our rockers. Most scientists are nutjobs anyway. :pac:

javaboy · 14-11-2008 11:08am

Riddle101 wrote: »

Bet you anything someone's gonna come on here saying that Mensa are actually an evil organisation who are trying to take over the world:D

Maybe it's RTDH's day off?

chin_grin · 14-11-2008 11:15am

"PI IS EXACTLY 3"

Marcus.Aurelius · 14-11-2008 11:28am

chin_grin wrote: »

"PI IS EXACTLY 3"

Shhh, don't let the spacetime hear you say that. :eek:

getz · 14-11-2008 11:32am

i am not a member of MENSA but i am a member of another less intelligent organisation called DENSA

Dave! · 14-11-2008 11:43am

It's not like this is all they do all day.... sit around and talk about how smart they are..... They have jobs, and use their intelligence in various other ways.

Zulu · 14-11-2008 11:54am

Nerds.

The lot of them.

EamonnKeane · 14-11-2008 11:57am

Tawny wrote: »

Wasn't there an episode of the Simpsons where Mensa take over the council or whatever and are rubbish at it?

Really intelligent people are best left to their own devices. Fine line between genius and insanity and all that.

Indeed. Down with the bourgeois intelligentsia! A real leader has to be the mediocre son of a mediocre previous leader: nobility in the blood!

And what's all this crap about curing cancer? That's a job for research labs, not social clubs.

And as for your original question - is it a waste of human intellect - perhaps it is, but not so bad as school.

Nic'name · 14-11-2008 12:05pm

I went to do the test one day, the place was filled with a bunch of **** talking about their achievements...I was like er I was on Gridlock once (NET2 school quiz show with Mooney which was fixed I tell ya!). Anyways I went just to see...plus I've this embarrassing thing where I like tests. Then they announced if you qualify you have to pay something like 90quid a year for the priviledge of receiving 4 newsletters on about 2 subjects a year. I qualified but I was way too intelligent to pay that....:L:L:L

EdgarAllenPoo · 14-11-2008 12:24pm

Why would you join an organization who's only purpose is to show people how intelligent it's members are? Never really understood that, if you have a high IQ then good for you but unless merely knowing you have a high IQ can directly get you laid, pay your bills or otherwise improve your life then what's the point.

Nic'name · 14-11-2008 12:33pm

GDM wrote: »

Why would you join an organization who's only purpose is to show people how intelligent it's members are? Never really understood that, if you have a high IQ then good for you but unless merely knowing you have a high IQ can directly get you laid, pay your bills or otherwise improve your life then what's the point.

I was curious and thought it would look good on my CV. My dad who hires and fires engineers in his line of work said "Yeah if you want to look like a pretentious prick." Lol tis true plus you can learn how to do well on those tests and they only factor in logic intelligence...Which is stupid, what about emotional intelligence or social skills.

KnifeWRENCH · 14-11-2008 1:39pm

Decker Tasty Hangar wrote: »

Arguing on the internet isn't very smart...

I disagree.

consultech · 14-11-2008 1:52pm

All MENSA does is provide a membership card so its members - who ordinarily can't make friends - can ego-****. I had my IQ rated at 148 in 6th year in school and a teacher at the time was like: "Oh you should definitely join MENSA, fantastic organisation".

When I asked what they do, and how being a member could benefit me, she replied: "Oh, well I'm not really sure; But you can tell people you're a member and let everybody know how intelligent you are." - It would seem that this is about the extent of members' motivation for joining.

Plenty of "members" in MENSA alright...

javaboy · 14-11-2008 1:57pm

consultech wrote: »

All MENSA does is provide a membership card so its members - who ordinarily can't make friends - can ego-****. I had my IQ rated at 148 in 6th year in school and a teacher at the time was like: "Oh you should definitely join MENSA, fantastic organisation".

When I asked what they do, and how being a member could benefit me, she replied: "Oh, well I'm not really sure; But you can tell people you're a member and let everybody know how intelligent you are." - It would seem that this is about the extent of members' motivation for joining.

Plenty of "members" in MENSA alright...

Did the definition of irony crop up on the linguistics part of the IQ test?

Rev Hellfire · 14-11-2008 2:02pm

I think mensa is great, in my experience to date reviewing cv's anyone who's put it down on their cv is typically someone you don't want to hire because they have been without exception egotistical nut job.

Without it I might actually have to interview them.

consultech · 14-11-2008 2:16pm

javaboy wrote: »

Did the definition of irony crop up on the linguistics part of the IQ test?

Point taken, but I'm hardly carrying a membership card. My reference was to lend weight to my opinion of MENSA, as opposed to spouting un-informed conjecture.

Nic'name · 14-11-2008 2:17pm

I would love for a member to post! Any of you out there?

From the Mensa.ie faq

Is Mensa an elitist organisation? While it is true that some of the members of Mensa are at or near the top of their chosen field, we are still governed by the same social rules and norms that apply across the rest of the population, so the short answer is - No.

EdgarAllenPoo · 14-11-2008 2:25pm

Nic'name wrote: »

I would love for a member to post! Any of you out there?

From the Mensa.ie faq
Is Mensa an elitist organisation? While it is true that some of the members of Mensa are at or near the top of their chosen field, we are still governed by the same social rules and norms that apply across the rest of the population, so the short answer is - No but we'd like to be.

Fixed that for you.

Nic'name · 14-11-2008 2:29pm

Brilliant!

Or "No, but we pretend to be at our awkward soirées during role playing it beats making eye contact with the opposite sex."

somethingwitty · 14-11-2008 3:14pm

Well theyre not really there to DO anything as such!
Its just a group for people of a high IQ to get together. And just because they have a high IQ doesnt really mean that they would be intelligent enough to go out an solve all the worlds problems!
A persons IQ suggests more their ability to learn, and not what they know already.

Their members range from binmen to teachers...what exactly could THEY do to cure cancer??!

There are many different types of intelligence too...

Sure isnt the person with the highest IQ known of today a lazy bum who has no job and just sits on his couch all day and eats??!!

Insect Overlord · 14-11-2008 3:17pm

So, for anyone who's just arrived in, the point of this thread goes something like this:

People who like sports join sports clubs and everybody's fine with that.

Musicians get together in bands and that's just dandy.

But people who have strengths in more obscure areas shouldn't have their own social club because that celebrates their intelligence, which makes them all egotistical, elitist snobs.

:rolleyes:

EdgarAllenPoo · 14-11-2008 3:20pm

somethingwitty wrote: »

A persons IQ suggests more their ability to learn, and not what they know already.

Not necessarily true, my IQ has tested at 136 and I find it very hard to learn/retain,reguritate information.

Nic'name · 14-11-2008 3:25pm

What obscure areas though? None of us are in sports teams because we'd potentially be able to play sports.
It does seem egotistical. It's like, I dunno, a bunch of people who get together because they look great.
Can they not join clubs relevant to their obscure abilities so rather than sitting around boasting.
People who get into Mensa are people who can do well in IQ tests.
I qualified for Mensa when I was 18 and the only obscure thing I can do is basic arithmetic real quick in my head which is great when you're broke in Tesco and don't want to disgrace yourself at the till and I don't fancy spending the evening chatting about it and making jokes like, "there are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who do not."

Mensa: Is it a waste of human intellect?

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