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From: jans@mako.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Flame re: Mensa and appended apology
Message-ID: <459@mako.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 12:45:13 EST
Article-I.D.: mako.459
Posted: Tue Dec 18 12:45:13 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Dec-84 23:31:10 EST
References: <5189@duke.UUCP>
Reply-To: jans@mako.UUCP (Jan Steinman)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 50

In article <5189@duke.UUCP> crm@duke.UUCP (Charlie Martin) writes:
>... I am still -- well, offended is probably too strong a word;
>discomfited? -- by the part of your message about "elitist
>organization".  Mensa is not all that much an elitist organization...

There are people of high IQ who do not have access to the outlets of 
expression afforded those of us in netland.  A large number of Mensans are
housewives, prisoners, expatriots, etc. who do not have access to the 
social and intellectual situations found in the software profession...

>... My suspicieon is in fact that a lot of the feelings that people with high
>IQ's often get of being alone in a crowd, and of being left out come from
>some interaction of a sort of clever hans effect... and the usual difficulty
>getting these people to obey the rules...

While a clever person in the computer industry is admired and respected, that
same person in society is often ostracised as an "egghead", which leads to
alienation, which leads to charges of snobbery.  The poor soul then seeks out
others with the same >affliction< and is then branded as "elitist".

I might agree with many of the charges leveled at Mensans, if the organization
were, perhaps, a campus chapter.  Look at fraterneties!  Talk about elitism!
But Mensa is truly egalitarian.  (Trying to figure out what is meant by
"egalitarian bigot" makes my head hurt.)

I joined at a time when I was spending eleven months a year overseas on
military bases.  As a civilian and an up-trhough-the-ranks engineer, I felt
doubly isolated with little in common with either GI's or officers.
Correspondance with Mensans in various special interest groups kept me from
going bonkers or becoming an alchoholic like most of my peers.

I now maintain my membership as resume fodder, and am not very active.  My
carreer provides me with ample stimulation and exposure to all kinds of
brainy people.  The point of this rambling and seemingly pointless response is
that people have many reasons for doing something as simple as driving a car. 
To suggest that all Mensans share a common viewpoint, are elitists, wear
socks, etc. is on par with Hitler's characterizations of Jews.  One need only 
look to Cambodia to see what happens when this point of view gets out of
hand...

Charlie says he is not a Mensan.  I would like to thank him for his tolerance,
and hope that such tolerance will eventually remove one of the forces that
drive many people to Mensa.

(I flunked spelling.  All flames about spelling and grammer should be sent to
 Jerry Pournelle on net.micro.  All flames regarding content will be carefully
 read.)
-- 
:::::: Jan Steinman		Box 1000, MS 61-161	(w)503/685-2843 ::::::
:::::: tektronix!tekecs!jans	Wilsonville, OR 97070	(h)503/657-7703 ::::::