Having high intelligence is high-wire act
A news release shares information, but it rarely tells the whole story.
Last week, this item appeared in my email inbox: Charlie Steinhice, a manager in the Information Delivery Division of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, has been appointed vice president of the board of trustees of the Mensa Foundation.
Pretty straightforward stuff. Local man does good. Polite applause to follow. In the news business, we call this a “brief.”
But there is a back story here to unpack.
For 20 years, Steinhice has been a member of Mensa, an organization for people who score in the top 2 percent on certain intelligence tests. His new post installs him as a leader in Mensa’s national grant-giving arm.
To some people (presumably in the bottom 98 percent), Mensa will make Steinhice seem suspect. Because, you know … smart people, who do they think they are, anyway?
Stereotypes aside, Steinhice has an interesting life story.
He’s on a lifelong quest to visit every county in United States. He believes solar eclipses can be life-changing. And he and his siblings once tried singing “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “Viva Las Vegas.”
And there’s this: Steinhice once dropped out of college and worked as a convenience store clerk for three years, because, well, intelligence doesn’t automatically pay for tuition.