quick bits
Loren, I have taken the Meyers-Briggs before, and I am actually an ENFP. I consistently score low on thinking tests. I’m more of an intuitive/feeling kind of guy. As the site (under career options) suggests, I can work rationally but only by a sort of “reverse engineering” approach from my basic intuition. Because my blog only presents one side of my personality, I may appear more inwardly directed than I really am and more logically structured. I agree that the test is amazing indicator of personality. I have been known to make serious errors in judgement by trusting my intuition, and am ill-suited to being a pedant. However, they tell me that it’s a great personality type for teachers.
Oh, and Jonathon, you aren’t “the only one to miss the shot of Journalism is the Holiest Profession serum.” I’ll have a lot more to say about that when I return to the Evans/Agee discussion later. For a brief span of time, journalists were actually able to dig deeper into things (the photo-essayists like Gene Smith come to mind), but even then journalism was hopelessly shallow. I know lots of them; I’ve been interviewed by a few; but journalism seems to me to be slightly below the ethical level of advertising. At least pitch-men have no illusions about what they do.
I don’t usually read Salon, but edrants has pointed at a really good article about failing to appreciate some writers. I could write a great deal about that too; I may return to it later.
hey advertisers are worse than journalists. even if I agree with you that “At least pitch-men have no illusions about what they do” (which I don’t) there’s still one little problem: advertising is all about big claims – none of us believe it to be true when the voice-over actor says “this is the best ___ ever!” because we’re jaded and suspicious (and well-trained to be). Unfortunately it’s been PROVEN that children are incapable of making that distinction. Much of our social training is at the hands of shills.I talk too much but who the fuck cares? I hit 4 homers in a world series game!love,Reggie Jackson