Consider Mensa members: Humbly intelligent or arrogant genius? Feel free to generalise, stereotype or to note exceptions.
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ANSWERS: 22
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I don't know anyone in Mensa to be fair. Not that I don't know some very intelligent people but if they are members they keep it quiet. So I would have to hypothesise humbly intelligent as no-one I know has ever mentioned it. That said IQ tests aren't really a measure of intelligence. I know many people that perform poorly on IQ tests yet have minds like a razor in their particular field.
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I don't know if I have ever met someone who actually was a member of Mensa...I have met and enjoy friendships with those whom I consider to be at the genius level. My experience, however, has been that the more arrogant the person is, the less intelligence he/she possesses....arrogantly ignorant is not pleasant to be around.
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I've met some Mensa members and they have both..
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Absolutely gifted in their intelligence. No two ways about that. Arrogance or Humility... both. Those are characteristics that are tought by the parents. The intelligents is a gift.
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The few people I have known that were Mensa members were extremely arrogant and loved to point out how smart they were...they wore it like a badge of honor, and loved to make fun of others for being insuperior. I am aware that I am stereotypng, as I'm sure there are many who are humble...but that's just been my experience.
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A friend was solicited by Mensa to join.He never called them back.His reason is that he has an aversion to groups.
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I have known some Mensa members and just like in any organization, they vary from humble to arrogant and all points in between. Just as an aside, Geena Davis is a member of Mensa and in my humble opinion, one of the nicest people in show biz.
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All the above... they are people after all... I have met some "mensa members" however who had to make me wonder if they were even intelligent enough to be a member... Sometimes I think they hand out mensa cards on the side of the street! LOL
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The very existence of an organization like MENSA bespeaks of a certain arrogance or elitism -- "Associating with you hoi-polloi isn't enough for me; I need a place where I can be around my *own* kind..."
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My impression when someone makes it known to me that they are a Mensa member is that they are a bit insecure. I'm not trying to be unkind I just never personally felt the need to have my intelligence confirmed by an organization. I wonder if you have to pay dues to get their confirmation of your brilliance? It's kinda of the same thing with beauty contests, I guess.
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Just ordinary people. There are some of the types you describe as there are in all groups of people.
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Most are probably just ordinary people, but sometimes you'll meet people who feel the need to, out of the blue, tell you they're Mensa members within the first couple minutes of meeting them. Run away from those people.
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Right across the board...but I do feel that those who need to announce the fact that they are..are in fact a little insecure...This is a measure of IQ only..not of emotional intelligence or any of the other equally valid scales of abilities.
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My only rule is that if they tell me they are in Mensa.. they are either lying or really insecure.
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I think once you feel that you're elite - you stop yearning to better yourself. That's what I don't like about Mensa - it's like it's the top - lets tout around telling everyone how brilliant we are. I'll bet anything that the smartest 5% of Mensa members look at the people who just barley passed their qualifying Mensa exams as morons, just like those people look at me :)
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The one Mensa member that I know of on AB was extremely intelligent and not the least bit arrogant. One of the nicest people I have ever "met". He did not make this announcement or allude to it on AB ever which was humbly intelligent as far as I am concerned.
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I only know one person I went to high school with who passed the Mensa test. He's a bit eccentric and I finally stopped conversing with him as he was always trying to tell me what to do. He's never married or had any other type of committed relationship and I'm sure he's pretty lonely. I think he does feel a wee bit smarter that the average person he comes in contact with and sometimes plays with them like a cat with a mouse.
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I only know of one person in Mensa, and he generously offered to number-crunch for me if I ever found a team ready to develop the first Type II Phaser. He's on AB. I thought that was highly kind of him.
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There are new medications for them
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I have met hundreds of people in Mensa and surprise, surprise, they are as varied as the users of Answerbag. I have been married to two of them, and I have not found them to be any different than anyone else. I always wonder why people seem to think there has to be something wrong with the 50,000 people in the US alone, who have found a club they like, and people they like to be with? Let's see, Mensa has a special interest group for motorcycle riders, and for goat growers, and for needlepointers (like me), and well, can it be, for Q & A users. Go figure?
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Why is their a need to hate or dislike strongly those who have a higher level of intelligence? Why in the world should they hide it? You can display your talent without being arrogant. This overwhelming focus on the humility of those geniuses who happen to be humble ignores the problem of suppression of intellect. There are some who are so gifted that it's crazy but since everybody around them feels uncomfortable with it, they ignore or suppress it. We tend to forget that people of "average" intelligence can be extremely judgmental and have the unique ability to demean and exclude those who appear to be exceptional, since they are in the majority. And others who can't operate at that level want to judge those who do because of envy or jealousy, perceiving the genius as arrogant or obnoxious simply because they are geniuses.
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For me it's just one merit against all the other demerits I have. I didn't like myself very much. I was the kid with glasses, eating his lunch alone in the schoolyard. Bad social skills, worse at learning, and the worst in sports. I never needed confimation; I was send to a psychiatrist since I was different. A freak or nerd if you will. So I ran a few tests, but didn't care. At that age you have other things on your mind right? I was tested at Mensa 10 years later, out of someone elses curiosity. Never cared for membership untill another 10 years later, just to see if I'd fit in better. And you know what? They don't differ from other people! But you can imagine rude & inconsidderate folks were filtered out. I find them civilised, social, friendly and modest. Some a tat tired from corrupt leaders with not even half a brain, claiming to know better for their own selfish interest. That's arrogance for you. But you know what makes my day? Making witty jokes on AB, maybe give some helpfull advice. Getting ratings from you people, so to let me know I'm still appreciated. I'll gladly return the favour :-)
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