Densa

Densa is a fictional parody association of Mensa International. "Densa" is a play on the words: "Mensa" and "dense." It is a fictional society analgous to Mensa. Just as Mensa is a society for people who have an exceptionally high IQ, Densa would be a society for people with an exceptionally low IQ. The word is usually used for comical or satirical effect. For example, some one might say a member of Mensa is a member of Densa or should be a member of Densa for doing something dumb. It is almost always used in a light-hearted manner with a wink and a nod.

The concept of an organization for the mentally dense originated in "Boston & Outskirts Mensa Bulletin (BOMB)", August, 1974, in "A-Bomb-inable Puzzle II" by John D. Coons. The puzzle involved "The Boston chapter of Densa, the low IQ society." Subsequent issues had additional puzzles with gags about the group, and were widely reprinted by the bulletins of other Mensa groups, before the concept of a low IQ group gained wider circulation in the 1970s, with other people creating quizzes, etc. A humor book called the The Densa Quiz: The Official & Complete Dq Test of the International Densa Society was written in 1983 by Stephen Price and J. Webster Shields. cite news | last = McGowan | first = William | title = A Sense of Belonging | publisher = The New York Times | date = 1987-08-23 | url = http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=956947011&sid=6&Fmt=2&clientId=76566&RQT=309&VName=PQD | accessdate = 2007-06-28 }} Not available through New York Times archival service, but available through Proquest.