Geniuses in public life?

Bill Park

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Nov 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/8/98

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This morning, Hollywood actor James Woods was a call-in guest on
Howard Stern's talk-radio show. In the course of the interview, it
was mentioned that Woods has an IQ of 185 (not to mention a certain
equally extreme physical endowment). He attended MIT (presumably
graduated, too), while spending most of his time in New York "chasing
an actress," instead of attending classes.

I can only think of three other people in public life with Mensa-level
IQs or better:

Marylin vos Savant -- author

Alicia Witt -- actress

James Sununu -- presidential adviser

Who are some other examples?

Bill Park
=========

Whojgalt

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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In article <parkF20...@netcom.com>, pa...@netcom.com (Bill Park) writes:

> In the course of the interview, it
>was mentioned that Woods has an IQ of 185 (not to mention a certain
>equally extreme physical endowment).

Jesus! Both in the same person? If anyone wants to clone
a race of supermen, there's your donor.

As to your question, didn't I hear somewhere that Mira Sorvino
is Mensa material? And what about Stephen Hawking? If he's
not qualified, I nominate him for an honorary membership.
(And if he's not, its gotta make you question the qualification
standards themselves)

--Kyle Bennett

gmbe...@mindspring.com

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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pa...@netcom.com (Bill Park) wrote:

>This morning, Hollywood actor James Woods was a call-in guest on

>Howard Stern's talk-radio show. In the course of the interview, it

>was mentioned that Woods has an IQ of 185 (not to mention a certain

>equally extreme physical endowment). He attended MIT (presumably
>graduated, too), while spending most of his time in New York "chasing
>an actress," instead of attending classes.
>
>I can only think of three other people in public life with Mensa-level
>IQs or better:
>
> Marylin vos Savant -- author
>
> Alicia Witt -- actress
>
> James Sununu -- presidential adviser

Isaac Asmilov
grandma Rosalie

Richard Schwartz

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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Bill Park <pa...@netcom.com> wrote in article <parkF20...@netcom.com>...

>
> I can only think of three other people in public life with Mensa-level
> IQs or better:
>
> Marylin vos Savant -- author
>
> Alicia Witt -- actress
>
> James Sununu -- presidential adviser

More than 2% of the general population can qualify. It should
go without saying that the sub-population who achieve stature
in public life (except by accident of birth) is of higher average
intellectual capability then the general population, therefore
significantly more than 2% of those in public life are likely to
qualfiy.

95% or more of graduates of any Ivy League school (or
similarly exclusive institution of higher education) are Mensa
qualified simply by virtue of their prior test scores. Most would
qualify easily on a pure IQ test as well. Graduates of these
institutions make up a disproportionately high percentage of
the group of public, private, and entertainment sector figures
considered to be in public life. And those who may have
attended lesser-known institutions, yet compete successfully
against the top-tier grads day after day in public life, are also
likely to be qualified.

Here are a few who most likely would qualify:

Bill Clinton -- Yale Law School Graduate, Rhodes Scholar
Hillary Rodham Clinton -- Yale Law School Graduate
Bill Bradley -- Princeton Graduate, Rhodes Scholar
George Bush -- Yale Graduate
Barbara Bush -- Wellesly Graduate (if I recall correctly)
Brooke Shields -- Princeton Graduate
Tiger Woods -- Stanford Attendee (not sure if he graduated)
Newt Gingrich -- holds a Ph.D., not honorary if I recall correctly
Colin Powell -- no idea what degrees, but still very likely
Bill Gates -- Harvard drop-out
Henry Kissinger -- Harvard professor

Not saying this applies to everyone in public life by any means.
My gut feeling about Jesse Ventura isn't particularly strong with
regard to IQ, for example. But it isn't very hard to find lots of
Mensa-level IQs in public life. Not hard at all.

-rich

Test user

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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Let's not forget about Jodi Foster. Didn't she graduate with honors from
Yale?
Richard Schwartz wrote in message
<01be0bf9$aee5a380$0709...@smokey.rhs.com>...

Richard Schwartz

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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Test user <qu...@tnaccess.com> wrote in article
<36471...@206.155.214.4>...

> Let's not forget about Jodi Foster. Didn't she graduate with honors from
> Yale?

Don't know about the honors, but I do recall that she went to Yale.

-rich

Alphawoman

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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Rich points out:

>95% or more of graduates of any Ivy League school (or
>similarly exclusive institution of higher education) are Mensa
>qualified simply by virtue of their prior test scores.

Hmm... off the top of my head, how about Harvard alums Al Gore (and Tipper too,
right?), Tommy Lee Jones, Mira Sorvino, Matt Damon, and Conan O'Brien; Cornell
alums Christopher Reeve and Jimmy Smits; Cornell drop-out Huey Lewis; and
Columbia drop-out Jack Kerouac.

**alpha**

----------------------------------------------------------
Email: alphawo...@hotmail.com

gmbe...@mindspring.com

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Nov 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/9/98

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gmbe...@mindspring.com wrote:

>pa...@netcom.com (Bill Park) wrote:
>
>>This morning, Hollywood actor James Woods was a call-in guest on
>>Howard Stern's talk-radio show. In the course of the interview, it
>>was mentioned that Woods has an IQ of 185 (not to mention a certain
>>equally extreme physical endowment). He attended MIT (presumably
>>graduated, too), while spending most of his time in New York "chasing
>>an actress," instead of attending classes.
>>

>>I can only think of three other people in public life with Mensa-level
>>IQs or better:
>>
>> Marylin vos Savant -- author
>>
>> Alicia Witt -- actress
>>
>> James Sununu -- presidential adviser
>

>Isaac Asmilov

Oops - didn't mean to imply that I was in public life, although I am a
member of Mensa. That's just my sig line.

>grandma Rosalie

Jerry Bryson

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Nov 10, 1998, 3:00:00 AM11/10/98

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Whojgalt <whoj...@aol.com> wrote:

>
> Jesus! Both in the same person? If anyone wants to clone
> a race of supermen, there's your donor.

But he only has enough blood to operate one at a time.

--
Failure doesn't mean you can't;
It just means you haven't

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Dec 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/1/98

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Try www.mensa.org/prominent.html for a list of prominent Mensans. Hope

Dongzu wrote in message
<6wM32.906$k82.9...@hme2.newscontent-01.sprint.ca>...

morp...@my-dejanews.com

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Dec 2, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/2/98

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Oh well, I guess sometimes highly intelligent people do dumb things.
Afterall, they are human beings. The last time I checked, individuals
do dumb things throughout their lives. Some people just are able
to do dumb things to a lesser degree than others.

Jerome A. Schroeder

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Dec 4, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/4/98

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Suppose you were offered a real 10 million bucks to walk thru your downtown
mall wearing a tutu, would you do it?

Jerry
AnthBotti <anth...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:19981129160523...@ng29.aol.com...

> Sharon Stone claims to be a Mensan, but the question thus arises: if
she's so
>smart, why did she agree to be in "Police Academy 4" and "Basic Instinct?"
>
> Ju-u-u-u-u-ust wondering...
>
>
>

>Anthony Botti
>Worldwide Chairman*, ARGO
>

Jerome A. Schroeder

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Dec 4, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/4/98

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AnthBotti <anth...@aol.com> wrote in message

news:19981130072902...@ng-ce1.aol.com...

>morpheme wrote:
>
>>
>>I think she liked the color of the money they showed her for doing those
>>films. So in a round about way, it was a very smart thing she did.
>>
>
> She got paid, yes -- but at considerable cost to her credibility as an
>actress, not to mention the cost to her reputation (she is viewed by many
as a
>bimbo).
>
> So I would say she wound up a pound down on the deal -- and I wouldn't
say
>that was very smart at all.
>
>

>Anthony Botti
>Worldwide Chairman*, ARGO
>
>* also National Chairman for US and Scotland

You don't know her personal financial and career status at the time. If she
were broke and her career in hiatus, she'd be a fool not to.

Jerry

Baileejean

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Dec 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/6/98

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>Suppose you were offered a real 10 million bucks to walk thru your downtown
>mall wearing a tutu, would you do it?