Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site v1.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!philabs!v1!charliep From: charliep@v1.UUCP (Charlie Perkins) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Re: Discussion about Mensa (emalf) Message-ID: <114@v1.UUCP> Date: Thu, 20-Dec-84 19:29:45 EST Article-I.D.: v1.114 Posted: Thu Dec 20 19:29:45 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 24-Dec-84 02:44:14 EST References: <205@unc.UUCP> <992@opus.UUCP> Organization: IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Lines: 32 ------------------------------- I think what's bugging people about Mensa is the tension between the following two facts: a: I.Q. is supposed to be "inherited" and not "earned", and b: People are therefore excluded from membership for no fault of their own. This is very "Un-American". What's worse is that exclusion is taken as a clear indication of "inferiority" -- much as if a black person were excluded from a whites-only assocation and then regarded as second class because he was not "in". Probably one reason that many people join Mensa is to try to get a better understanding of themselves. This is especially true if they have somehow received special treatment during their lives and therefore feel less able to relate to the people they encounter during their everyday lives. This effect could be exaggerated by the strong taboo associated with discussing one's relative "intelligence" with others. Even people in Mensa never do that. So, a lot of people may never become really comfortable with the subject. I suspect that a large proportion of netnews readers would be welcomed into Mensa. I'm sure many would then find other poorly understood groups to denigrate. A thought: On a broader scale of things, the difference between A. Einstein and (say) R. Reagan is really not that much. Charlie P. -- Charlie Perkins, IBM T.J. Watson Research philabs!v1!charliep, perk%YKTVMX.BITNET@berkeley, perk.yktvmx.ibm@csnet-relay