I hope that I haven’t given the impression that I’m doubting the intelligence of any of the players in Destination X, because I’m not. Geographical knowledge, well, that’s maybe a different matter, but knowledge and intelligence are by no means the same thing. Now, episode 4’s ejected player, Chloe-Ann, revealed that she was a member of Mensa. During the show many of the other players singled Chloe out for her intelligence, which the editors gleefully used to heighten the shock when she was out.
Incidentally, I stopped paying the fees and let my Mensa membership lapse. This is not the reason for that, but personally, I never found that anyone who learned that I
was in Mensa was very impressed to find it out. In fact, it was while this was
passing through my mind watching the show on Thursday that it brought to mind
probably the most ignorant comment ever made about Mensa to me. This was about five
years ago An acquaintance I’d only met a few times got onto the subject of
quizzing. “Well,” he asked at one point, “never mind pub quizzes and leagues,
what have you won?” Well, I have done well in lots of things but haven’t won a
lot of biggies, so I replied, “Mastermind and Brain of Mensa”. His brow
furrowed. “Mensa?” Then it darkened. “Jimmy
Savile was in Mensa.”
In all honesty I couldn’t think of anything to say. Had I
possessed any wit at all I might have said, “Yes he was. And you know, Adolf
Hitler was in the Mothers Union and Jack the Ripper was in the Salvation Army
as well?” But then, they weren’t, to the best of my knowledge while Savile was definitely
in Mensa.
On reflection, I think that my actual reply which came after
a few moments of silence was ‘Yes, I believe he was. I never met him.’ And I
don’t know that anything other than that reply, and walking away after saying
it would frankly have had the slightest effect.
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