Mensa
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
<GUIDE> <BODY>
<HEADER> IN PROGRESS </HEADER>
<P>
Mensa is an international volunteer-run social club. To qualify for membership, an individual must score at or above the 98th percentile in a recognised test of intelligence. Worldwide, there are [number?] national Mensas, the largest being in the USA and the UK, which each have around [no?] members (members are known as Mensans).
</P>
<HEADER> History of the Society </HEADER>
<P>
During the [decade?]there were developments in the field of intelligence testing. This was a relatively new area, and for the first time it was possible to measure objectively the abstract characteristic called intelligence.
</P>
<P>
Two British gentlemen, Lance Ware and Roland Berrill, had the idea of forming a social club for those who scored exceptionally highly on these new tests. The aims of the society were to be two-fold; to allow intelligent people to meet and socialise with those of a like mind; and to foster intelligence and promote research into it.
</P>
<P>
The founders wanted to name the group after the Latin word for the mind ('mens') but decided this would sound too much like one of the many gentlemen's clubs in London. Instead they opted for Mensa (the Latin for table) to reflect the round-table nature of the society - the only qualification for membership would be a high score on an intelligence test, there should be no discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, age, success or wealth.
</P>
<P>
Mensa in those days was quite unlike the society that exists today. The number of members was much smaller, and confined mostly to the London area. There was an unwritten rule that the prettiest woman member would always be elected to be Secretary of the club. It was a while later [how long?], under the leadership of Victor Serebriakoff, that the society began to expand, with national groups being formed elsewhere in the world. American Mensa grew particularly quickly, as all children were and are tested for intelligence at school. The society at that time accepted these SAT scores as qualification for membership.
</P>
<HEADER> The Society Today </HEADER>
<P>
Today, Mensa is a well-established society with branches throughout the world. Sadly, the second part of its founding ideal (research into and fostering of intelligence) has mostly fallen by the wayside. Members instead concentrate on having a good time. Volunteers organise meetings in their local areas that vary from simple get-togethers in the pub, to trips to places of interest and even holidays.
</P>
<P>
Particularly infamous are the weekend gatherings. A group of Mensans will descend on a hotel for a weekend where a selection of events have been arranged to span a couple of days. There will be trips out, dances, meals, pub crawls, treasure hunts (which are often pub crawls in disguise), games and competitions. Not to mention the late-night parties in someone's room. For many members, this is the chance to catch up with old friends that they only see once or twice a year.
</P>
<P>
The atmosphere at weekends and meetings is invariably friendly and welcoming. A non-member attending a regular meeting was heard to comment that what she had enjoyed the most about her evening was how accepting members were, "There was no pressure to conform. I didn't feel like I had to be wearing the right clothes or drinking the right drink. It was a refreshing change not to be judged like that."
</P>
<P>
Many members also run or participate in little mini-societies devoted to a single subject. These Special Interest Groups (known as SIGs) cover many different subject areas such as literature, film, sport, cult television shows (such as Dr Who or X-Files), politics, games, religion and many more. One of the largest SIGs in the UK is devoted to the organisation of, and attendance at, parties.
</P>
<HEADER> Intelligence Testing </HEADER>
<P>
The testing of intelligence has always been a controversial subject. Many maintain that it is not possible to objectively measure such an indefinable quality. Others feel that the tests used discriminate against members of particular social groups (the white middle classes in particular). Tests, such as Ravens Advanced Matrices, have been developed that do not favour those from one group or culture over another, and the society accepts membership from those who have passed these 'culture-fair' tests. In fact, a culture-fair element is included as standard as part of the test for entry to British Mensa (among others), and an individual can be offered membership on the basis of their score on that section alone.
</P>
<P>
Mensa itself has not been immune to problems with testing. It was originally intended that the society should be for those who scored in the top 1 per cent of the population, but it was discovered that an error with the test that had been used in the early days of the society had meant that members had been accepted with scores lower than they should have been. Rather than retest every member and force some to leave, it was decided to expand membership to the top 2 per cent of the population.
</P>
<HEADER> Mensa in the News </HEADER>
<P>
Unfortunately, the society has received a great deal of bad press over recent years with accusations of eugenics and anti-semitism being frequently recycled. Often this is due to the actions or beliefs of individuals who also happen to be (or claim to be) members of the society and has nothing to do with Mensa itself. As a round-table society (see above), Mensa cannot impose any condition on membership other than scoring at a required level on a specified test. It certainly cannot screen potential members for their political beliefs or morality, or make any other kind of value judgement about its members.
</P>
<P>
The press often convey the impression that Mensans think themselves an intellectual elite, better people than your average man on the street (when nothing could be further from the truth). If the latest Public Enemy is (or claims to be) a Mensa member it becomes a convenient stick for the journalist to beat both the person concerned and Mensa with.
</P>
<HEADER> Who or what is a Mensan? </HEADER>
<HEADER> Famous Mensans </HEADER>
</BODY> </GUIDE>
<HEADER> IN PROGRESS </HEADER>
<P>
Mensa is an international volunteer-run social club. To qualify for membership, an individual must score at or above the 98th percentile in a recognised test of intelligence. Worldwide, there are [number?] national Mensas, the largest being in the USA and the UK, which each have around [no?] members (members are known as Mensans).
</P>
<HEADER> History of the Society </HEADER>
<P>
During the [decade?]there were developments in the field of intelligence testing. This was a relatively new area, and for the first time it was possible to measure objectively the abstract characteristic called intelligence.
</P>
<P>
Two British gentlemen, Lance Ware and Roland Berrill, had the idea of forming a social club for those who scored exceptionally highly on these new tests. The aims of the society were to be two-fold; to allow intelligent people to meet and socialise with those of a like mind; and to foster intelligence and promote research into it.
</P>
<P>
The founders wanted to name the group after the Latin word for the mind ('mens') but decided this would sound too much like one of the many gentlemen's clubs in London. Instead they opted for Mensa (the Latin for table) to reflect the round-table nature of the society - the only qualification for membership would be a high score on an intelligence test, there should be no discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, age, success or wealth.
</P>
<P>
Mensa in those days was quite unlike the society that exists today. The number of members was much smaller, and confined mostly to the London area. There was an unwritten rule that the prettiest woman member would always be elected to be Secretary of the club. It was a while later [how long?], under the leadership of Victor Serebriakoff, that the society began to expand, with national groups being formed elsewhere in the world. American Mensa grew particularly quickly, as all children were and are tested for intelligence at school. The society at that time accepted these SAT scores as qualification for membership.
</P>
<HEADER> The Society Today </HEADER>
<P>
Today, Mensa is a well-established society with branches throughout the world. Sadly, the second part of its founding ideal (research into and fostering of intelligence) has mostly fallen by the wayside. Members instead concentrate on having a good time. Volunteers organise meetings in their local areas that vary from simple get-togethers in the pub, to trips to places of interest and even holidays.
</P>
<P>
Particularly infamous are the weekend gatherings. A group of Mensans will descend on a hotel for a weekend where a selection of events have been arranged to span a couple of days. There will be trips out, dances, meals, pub crawls, treasure hunts (which are often pub crawls in disguise), games and competitions. Not to mention the late-night parties in someone's room. For many members, this is the chance to catch up with old friends that they only see once or twice a year.
</P>
<P>
The atmosphere at weekends and meetings is invariably friendly and welcoming. A non-member attending a regular meeting was heard to comment that what she had enjoyed the most about her evening was how accepting members were, "There was no pressure to conform. I didn't feel like I had to be wearing the right clothes or drinking the right drink. It was a refreshing change not to be judged like that."
</P>
<P>
Many members also run or participate in little mini-societies devoted to a single subject. These Special Interest Groups (known as SIGs) cover many different subject areas such as literature, film, sport, cult television shows (such as Dr Who or X-Files), politics, games, religion and many more. One of the largest SIGs in the UK is devoted to the organisation of, and attendance at, parties.
</P>
<HEADER> Intelligence Testing </HEADER>
<P>
The testing of intelligence has always been a controversial subject. Many maintain that it is not possible to objectively measure such an indefinable quality. Others feel that the tests used discriminate against members of particular social groups (the white middle classes in particular). Tests, such as Ravens Advanced Matrices, have been developed that do not favour those from one group or culture over another, and the society accepts membership from those who have passed these 'culture-fair' tests. In fact, a culture-fair element is included as standard as part of the test for entry to British Mensa (among others), and an individual can be offered membership on the basis of their score on that section alone.
</P>
<P>
Mensa itself has not been immune to problems with testing. It was originally intended that the society should be for those who scored in the top 1 per cent of the population, but it was discovered that an error with the test that had been used in the early days of the society had meant that members had been accepted with scores lower than they should have been. Rather than retest every member and force some to leave, it was decided to expand membership to the top 2 per cent of the population.
</P>
<HEADER> Mensa in the News </HEADER>
<P>
Unfortunately, the society has received a great deal of bad press over recent years with accusations of eugenics and anti-semitism being frequently recycled. Often this is due to the actions or beliefs of individuals who also happen to be (or claim to be) members of the society and has nothing to do with Mensa itself. As a round-table society (see above), Mensa cannot impose any condition on membership other than scoring at a required level on a specified test. It certainly cannot screen potential members for their political beliefs or morality, or make any other kind of value judgement about its members.
</P>
<P>
The press often convey the impression that Mensans think themselves an intellectual elite, better people than your average man on the street (when nothing could be further from the truth). If the latest Public Enemy is (or claims to be) a Mensa member it becomes a convenient stick for the journalist to beat both the person concerned and Mensa with.
</P>
<HEADER> Who or what is a Mensan? </HEADER>
<HEADER> Famous Mensans </HEADER>
</BODY> </GUIDE>
