Despite marketing efforts, American Mensa has experienced declining membership for the past several years, and they refuse to address the reason for that: severely disturbed, harassing and predatory members. The group's local, regional and annual gatherings are full of aggressive members who have harassed and even assaulted other members with impunity.
Sexual harassment is a constant feature in this group. Sexually aggressive older men are so common there's an acronym to describe them: DOM (Dirty Old Mensans). For years, a member from New York nicknamed "Orange Man" because he wears that color constantly, has attended the Annual Gathering ("AG"), at which he grabs younger women and shoves his tongue in their mouths while fondling them. Women's complaints have had no effect. There is no policy or procedure for dealing with this problem. Complainants are told that someone will get back to them in a few days, and then.
nothing. Phone calls and emails
are ignored.
It's not uncommon for Mensa events to be 75% male, yet nobody wants to address why this is the case. Technically, society is harsher for intelligent women than for intelligent men, so by that theory there should be a higher incentive for women to join, right? Nobody wants to look at the issue.
Other members have criminal records for assault, sex crimes and, even attempted murder. Often their crimes are against other Mensans. A Regional Vice Chair from Florida, Mel Dahl, stabbed a man in a bathroom. That's right-- a leader in this organization stabbed a man. Another member in New York, Steven Finkelstein, brutally assaulted and financially defrauded multiple female Mensans, and was only stopped because the law stepped in and sent him to jail. Mensa didn't even reprimand him, let alone suspend his membership.
Finkelstein is not the only Mensan to be convicted of crimes against other Mensans, yet the group refuses to even look at the problem, let alone make decisions about it.
Many of the predatory members are longtime Mensans because the rest of society avoids them, and are therefore over age 55. The younger adult members have formed special interest groups (SIGs) in which they avoid these predators, and can better address harassing conduct. There is GenX SIG is for members born 1961-1981, and the GenY SIG is for members born 1976-1995. Sounds like a great solution, right? Well, not so fast. Several chapters have already banned age-based SIGs, and if member Stanley Korn and his Ombudsman buddy Dave Cahn have their way, that ban will go nationwide. Meanwhile, that duo is silent as lambs about addressing the harassment issues that fueled those groups in the first place.
Pamela Donahoo and her cronies refuse to make any changes that will address the problem. Membership continues to decline. What's it going to take, Mensa?
Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free." Not for me, it isn't!
After getting my graduate degree from Brigham Young and leaving the university, I felt wanting for intellectual opportunities, so I joined Mensa, the alleged high-IQ society, and what a horrible shock I received when attending one of their gatherings, which turned out to be nothing more than a celebration of vice and sin.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the event, held at a conference hotel, was the presence of many women, from their 20's to their 70's, dressed immodestly and behaving suggestively. I have no idea what this is supposed to do with intelligence, and my suspicions were arisen almost immediately. Several of them tried to greet me, with hugs and kisses inappropriate for anything but a married couple, and with this greeting- "Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free." What is that supposed to mean? I had to avert my eyes to avoid "wardrobe malfunctions" as this inappropriate groping was taking place. Eventually I retreated to the mens room to collect my thoughts and keep my mind pure.
As I walked around the gathering, I noticed people wearing identifying tags, with color codes and symbols, like some kind of a cult. Several people were drunk and alcoholic beverages (of which I never partake) were freely available. This is intelligence? There was card-playing going on, and some kind of board game involving sheep.
"Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free."
Amidst all this debauchery, people stuffing their faces with pizza and alcohol, and immoral, degrading conduct, I tried asking a few people what the blazes was going on, and someone asked me if I had taken "the Vow." Vow? What vow? I had no idea what they were talking about. They sent me down a corridor, and as walked I passed rooms with closed doors and strange sounds coming from them. Some had music, some had laughter, and some had the sounds of whipping and screaming. There was one where they were chanting in some language I did not recognize. Now I am really frightened of what I had gotten myself into. At the end of the hall, people were waiting to enter this large room, and I heard some of them discussing this vow and what would happen after they took it.
Then into the room walked this heavy-set fellow with a beard, and a GOAT on a leash! I do not know what was done with that goat, and I would probably be sick if I did. I turned around and left.
"Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free."
Yeah, free of morals, dignity, decency, and prudence. How can this possibly be a high-IQ society? I felt ripped off. From now on I am limiting my social experiences to church-centered activities. And I believe somebody needs to investigate this Mensa society, explain why there is so much sex and drinking going on, what this vow is all about, and what they're doing with goats behind closed doors.
American Mensa, Ltd. Reviews
Despite marketing efforts, American Mensa has experienced declining membership for the past several years, and they refuse to address the reason for that: severely disturbed, harassing and predatory members. The group's local, regional and annual gatherings are full of aggressive members who have harassed and even assaulted other members with impunity.
Sexual harassment is a constant feature in this group. Sexually aggressive older men are so common there's an acronym to describe them: DOM (Dirty Old Mensans). For years, a member from New York nicknamed "Orange Man" because he wears that color constantly, has attended the Annual Gathering ("AG"), at which he grabs younger women and shoves his tongue in their mouths while fondling them. Women's complaints have had no effect. There is no policy or procedure for dealing with this problem. Complainants are told that someone will get back to them in a few days, and then.
nothing. Phone calls and emails
are ignored.
It's not uncommon for Mensa events to be 75% male, yet nobody wants to address why this is the case. Technically, society is harsher for intelligent women than for intelligent men, so by that theory there should be a higher incentive for women to join, right? Nobody wants to look at the issue.
Other members have criminal records for assault, sex crimes and, even attempted murder. Often their crimes are against other Mensans. A Regional Vice Chair from Florida, Mel Dahl, stabbed a man in a bathroom. That's right-- a leader in this organization stabbed a man. Another member in New York, Steven Finkelstein, brutally assaulted and financially defrauded multiple female Mensans, and was only stopped because the law stepped in and sent him to jail. Mensa didn't even reprimand him, let alone suspend his membership.
http://www.nysun.com/new-york/former-member-of-mensa-is-convicted-of-welfare/27212/
Finkelstein is not the only Mensan to be convicted of crimes against other Mensans, yet the group refuses to even look at the problem, let alone make decisions about it.
Many of the predatory members are longtime Mensans because the rest of society avoids them, and are therefore over age 55. The younger adult members have formed special interest groups (SIGs) in which they avoid these predators, and can better address harassing conduct. There is GenX SIG is for members born 1961-1981, and the GenY SIG is for members born 1976-1995. Sounds like a great solution, right? Well, not so fast. Several chapters have already banned age-based SIGs, and if member Stanley Korn and his Ombudsman buddy Dave Cahn have their way, that ban will go nationwide. Meanwhile, that duo is silent as lambs about addressing the harassment issues that fueled those groups in the first place.
Pamela Donahoo and her cronies refuse to make any changes that will address the problem. Membership continues to decline. What's it going to take, Mensa?
Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free." Not for me, it isn't!
After getting my graduate degree from Brigham Young and leaving the university, I felt wanting for intellectual opportunities, so I joined Mensa, the alleged high-IQ society, and what a horrible shock I received when attending one of their gatherings, which turned out to be nothing more than a celebration of vice and sin.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the event, held at a conference hotel, was the presence of many women, from their 20's to their 70's, dressed immodestly and behaving suggestively. I have no idea what this is supposed to do with intelligence, and my suspicions were arisen almost immediately. Several of them tried to greet me, with hugs and kisses inappropriate for anything but a married couple, and with this greeting- "Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free." What is that supposed to mean? I had to avert my eyes to avoid "wardrobe malfunctions" as this inappropriate groping was taking place. Eventually I retreated to the mens room to collect my thoughts and keep my mind pure.
As I walked around the gathering, I noticed people wearing identifying tags, with color codes and symbols, like some kind of a cult. Several people were drunk and alcoholic beverages (of which I never partake) were freely available. This is intelligence? There was card-playing going on, and some kind of board game involving sheep.
"Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free."
Amidst all this debauchery, people stuffing their faces with pizza and alcohol, and immoral, degrading conduct, I tried asking a few people what the blazes was going on, and someone asked me if I had taken "the Vow." Vow? What vow? I had no idea what they were talking about. They sent me down a corridor, and as walked I passed rooms with closed doors and strange sounds coming from them. Some had music, some had laughter, and some had the sounds of whipping and screaming. There was one where they were chanting in some language I did not recognize. Now I am really frightened of what I had gotten myself into. At the end of the hall, people were waiting to enter this large room, and I heard some of them discussing this vow and what would happen after they took it.
Then into the room walked this heavy-set fellow with a beard, and a GOAT on a leash! I do not know what was done with that goat, and I would probably be sick if I did. I turned around and left.
"Welcome to Mensa. Mensa is free."
Yeah, free of morals, dignity, decency, and prudence. How can this possibly be a high-IQ society? I felt ripped off. From now on I am limiting my social experiences to church-centered activities. And I believe somebody needs to investigate this Mensa society, explain why there is so much sex and drinking going on, what this vow is all about, and what they're doing with goats behind closed doors.