The Great Genius Of Bamboozling (Such A Fun Word)
Congratulations.
You scored high enough on a test
that cost you sixty bucks
to prove you’re smarter
than most of the people
who kept their sixty bucks.
Now, for the low annual fee of $107,
you may join the club
and receive:
A card that says you are smart,
Access to a newsletter no one reads and the quiet satisfaction of knowing
that lesser minds cannot afford
to confirm their mediocrity
quite so officially
There are no secret handshakes.
No shared research grants.
No actual problems solved.
Just the warm glow
of having paid good money
to be told what you already suspected
about yourself.
Remember:
True intelligence is recognizing
that the smartest move
might have been
keeping the sixty bucks
and the hundred-and-seven
and simply going about your day
without a laminated reminder
that you once outscored a roomful of strangers
on a timed puzzle booklet.
But where’s the status in that?
Welcome to Mensa.
Please tip your proctor on the way out.
Intelligence is free.
Membership is not.