November 2004

How Do I Fit In?

Musings by Beth Weiss, Region 3 WebSpinner

As published in Interloc, November/December 2040, No. 363

When I was a kid, I sometimes wrote my entire address. I started with the street number and then included every step I could think of until I reached the galaxy and the universe. No matter how much I enjoy Mensa and devote myself to it, it isn’t the entire universe. But it does have a lot of layers and not everyone knows how being a “member of Mensa” fits into Mensa’s overall structure.

I must have really wanted to figure out relationships when I was a kid, because I also was big on drawing my family tree to as many levels as I could gather. Once I drew it, I named the relationship I had to each person on my family tree. I was probably one of the few fourth graders who really understood the difference between a “second cousin” and a “first cousin once removed.”

Mensa has its own relationship tree — and all of us who are members of Mensa fit into it.

I can say I’m a “member of Mensa,” which is absolutely true, but it isn’t particularly precise. It’s probably Mensa-like of me to want to be precise as well as accurate. (If it isn’t Mensa-like, then it’s likely just a consequence of having a high AQ. [Anal Quotient].) Looking at it this way, it becomes clear that I am a member of my local group — in my case, Dayton Area Mensa, which is fondly known as DAM. I am also a member of Region 3, which is one of the 10 regions of American Mensa, Ltd (AML). And AML is a National Mensa that has gained recognition from Mensa International, Ltd (MIL).

There is an overall Mensa (Mensa International, Ltd.), but strictly speaking, I am not a direct member of it — my membership comes through my relationship to American Mensa, Ltd. There are direct members of MIL; people who don’t belong to a national country-based Mensa are direct members.

There are gatherings and events at many different levels as well, some of which have confusing nomenclature. Most parties, games nights, dinner outings and monthly meetings are organized at the local group level. Dayton has a monthly Games Night. Columbus has a weekly Can We Talk get-together. Southeast Michigan has a Monthly Meeting with a speaker.

Regional Gatherings are typically presented by a local group (or two), and may draw people from all over the region — and other regions as well. Regional Gatherings, or RGs, as they are commonly known, can be any combination of speakers, games, tournaments, socializing and food. The balance of the ingredients varies by region — and even by local group!

The Annual Gathering, Mind Games and an occasional Colloquium are all national events. A local group steps forward and volunteers — and then puts on an event for everyone.  Because I’m connected at all of these different levels, I get to participate at all of them!

For example, I wrote an article about my travails with costumes for the October issue of MPulse, Dayton’s local group newsletter. I’m the WebSpinner for the Region 3 Web site, which has information about all 16 of the local groups in the region, as well as pictures from recent Regional Gatherings. By writing this article for Interloc, I’m participating at the national level. An article I wrote for the Region 3 Web site was recently published in mc2, which is the magazine of the Mensa Canada Society, so I even get to be involved with other national Mensas.

Since we’re all Mensans, we’re all related, especially if we consider Mensa our family of choice. And now you know how that family is all connected!

By the way, your first cousins have the same grandparents you have. Your second cousins have the same great-grandparents. Your third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents. Your parents’ first cousins are one generation removed from you, so they’re your first cousins once removed. Your grandparents’ first cousins are two generations removed from you, so they’re your first cousins twice removed. If that doesn’t seem easy to you, then you’re not alone! See how much easier it is to understand Mensa’s family tree!

Beth Weiss takes a “bough” at mbeth@bweiss.com. She is a member of DAM, Region 3, AML, Hell’s M’s, ACM, Hadassah, two PTOs and Girl Scouts of the USA.

©2004, Beth Weiss, all rights reserved