Any ex-Mensa (etc.) members out there?

Apparently there aren’t any Mensa members on Fluther. Bummer.

there are but theyr’e not exes

I thought once you were a member, you were a member for life?

No, you have to pay dues to stay a member. You’re “Mensa-qualified” for life, unless you destroy lots and lots of brain cells, I guess.

I thought the same thing @casheroo did. I didn’t realize yuo had to pay dues to be a member. So does Mensa actually have local meetings?

I would bet there are a few members on Fluther, or at least people who qualify. If you word a question just simply asking who is Mensa qualified, you will probably get some people to respond.

Yes, American Mensa and national Mensa chapters everywhere have local groups, which meet fairly regularly as a rule. You can Google “American Mensa” and find a group near you if you’re interested.

@Sorceren I don’t think I qualify. Isn’t the Mensa requirement the 99th percentile for IQ? The few times I have taken an abbreviated version of the test I don’t make it in. I usually test in the 96th or 97th percentile when I take an IQ test.

Last time I checked it was 98th for Mensa. Look around: if 8 of your friends seem average, go test!

@Sorceren I assume you are a member? Was your original question posed because you have not renewed your membership? Or, because others in your group are leaving and you want to understand why? Can you tell me why you have enjoyed being a Mensa member?

No, I am not a member; I “voted with my feet” and didn’t renew some years back. No regrets. But I asked this and another high-IQ-related Q because someone using a Mensa logo as his icon (hi, MENSAN!) answered another question I’d asked months ago.

I’ve always been fascinated with intelligence in others because my own was recognized and celebrated early on—though not enough to give me a swelled head about it (I hope). When I was 12 I asked about joining Mensa but was told by my teacher that they didn’t take anyone under 18—which was FALSE! And so I dropped it for a few decades. After I did join in 1999 the national Mensa organization and its “leadership” went from being a truly protean, fairly horizontal, member-driven group to an increasingly top-down-managed, censored and restricted, money-driven group riddled with politics, infighting and Risk Management, within a very short time. Too much like American politics and the direction our country’s taking for me.

Since I tend to seek out people who can supply their own end of a great conversation, I have since met several other ex-Mensans. I was curious about others’ reasons for dropping their membership, so I asked.

Why I enjoyed it? I gained a lot of perspective, and with it the ability to poke fun at myself. The individuals I met, the games and resources I discovered. I didn’t give up any of that just because I no longer tithe to the great god Merchandising, Licensing & Marketing, and I certainly don’t miss the high-IQ people I met who lacked common sense and/or whose ethical compass didn’t work.

@Sorceren Thanks for the explanation. I certainly understand wanting to seek out others who have a high IQ. Too bad the Mensa organization took a negative turn.

I was a member of Mensa, but I couldnt afford the membership any more, or even, to be honest find anything in common with other members.
I’m the classic waste of intelligence; I’m a security guard doing night shifts for minimum wage.
Ah well, such is life eh?