The old thread http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=332910&PageSize=25&WhichPage=1 has been closed, so I am starting a new one...
I think the situation has worsened, so I wrote a blog:
https://sites.google.com/site/highiqsocieties/
Is anyone stupid enough to join these days? I was too young when the above thread was started 5 years ago and didn't even know about my IQ, but now... it is just worse, and absolutely ridiculous.
I think if I joined everybody would laugh at me!
Anybody still in any of those societies?

Quote:Original post by zer0wolf
Eh, only social rejects join clubs like that. They're not clubs for people with high IQs. They're clubs for people with high IQs and no friends.

No friends and nothing to do... Probably their choice, but that obsessiveness with these things doesn't even seem to be a sign of real intelligence... :)

Most high IQ societies are simply resume padding material, but Mensa International offers a lot of perks and discounts. It's worthwhile to at least look at them.

Clicky

These are just benefits offered directly from Mensa, a lot of places, like museums, offer discounts to Mensa members.

Well, truth being said, the people running those societies are well above average intelligence, in the same sense as the people running the Church, Scientology or any similar profit organisations that exploit the individual.

The bottom line of all these has been, for millenia, that they tell you you're special if you do as they say and keep paying. Sometimes an unverifiable or supernatural claim or promise is added to the mix, but that's optional. Which is fine, though, because people want to believe, so they will believe pretty much everything.

And believe it or not (no pun intended), it works. People do what you say, people pay, and if you do your job right, people will even happily die for you. Plus, soon enough you will have enough acolytes who are more than willing to do the marketing work for you.
If your club only gets enough power, even the people who are not members will worship you, and will neglect all reality and bend truth to whatever you say.

Which, all in all, is a very intelligent business model if you think about it, since you can eat from golden plates and travel in private jets while your followers do the work.

If membership in that IQ society costs 50 dollars per year, all you need is to find 2.000-3.000 people who are willing to pay you those 50 dollars every year, and you never need to work again in your life. If you find 10.000 or 15.000 of them, you can afford to run orgies in your house in Malibu every night. If you find yet a few more, you can have your own jet.
In return, all you need to do is tell them that they are the smartest people in the world, which seems asked not too much compared to the benefits :-)

It is interesting you mention this because I had thought the same too. They make you feel "special". It is one of the secrets of business, commercials etc.
Well, the list I had found is this (I am sure there are more): http://www.iqsociety.org/?page_id=1012.
Some are neutral I think, albeit not "useful", but some are totally insane, and it should be clear from their names, without even looking at their websites.

I was always somewhat attracted to Mensa. Maybe I'm naive but I take the "table" meaning at face value. I guess it depends on why you want to join. If you just want to be "better" than everyone else you're a deuchebag. But in real life I usually don't get to talk about things with my peers on a deeper level. I wouldn't mind meeting with a group of people on a regular basis to have some intellectually stimulating conversation.

Kind of like gd.net but for RL.

*SIGH*
if you are above average intelligent, you find it hard to fit in at school, often get bullied a lot. you grow up and find out that there are groups of people with similar problems. you join one of those groups only to learn that you are now arrogant, elitist asshole. i guess some people are just destined to be miserable :(