Paul Krugman’s MBTI
I’m always curious as to how people stumble upon my blog. In recent days, it seems many folks are curious as to Paul Krugman’s MBTI and have literally been typing in “paul krugman mbti” into their handy dandy Google search box. Although I have yet to out Krugman, I apparently come out on top of the natural search rankings. Go me. For those who did not follow that jibber jabber. No worries – obscure web marketing speak.
Anywho…drum roll please…
Paul Krugman = INTJ
Obviously, this is completely unreaseached and a hypothetical guess on my part, but given that I’m an INTJ and I love Paul Krugman and I’ve seen him on the Colbert Report once (I’m not a regular – don’t you worry, my liberal friends), I am 78% sure that he’s an INTJ.
Anyone else agree? Disagree?
24 and Torture
As I watched an abnormally unsuspenseful episode of 24 last night, two thoughts drifted into my TV numbed mind. First, this president is an idiot. You obviously retreat your troops until you can secure the CPU device as the terrorists have the ability to destroy your infrastructure and kill millions of Americans with a blink of an eye. Obviously. And two, wow…24 really makes the case for torture.
I have to admit that I was slightly surprised that Obama led with the closing of Guantanamo Bay on the very first day of his presidency. With all eyes on the US economy, the closing of the navel based seemed…well, less of a priority. And yes, I understand that it was probably meant to signal the dawn of a new era of US foreign policy, one that would no longer promote democracy and due process for it citizens, but not extend the same rights to those who exist just beyond its borders. That being said, I still found it odd, not because Obama’s actions were odd, but odd because the potential torture and imprisonment of hundreds/thousands of people seemed like less of a priority than the economy.
And that’s when I realized…Fox Media is slowly warping my mind. 
But more seriously, I struggle with topic of torture. As a left leaning liberal, I should be adamantly opposed to torture…that the ends do not justify the means. But as a realist who fundamentally believes that there is evil in this world, I am secretly glad that there are Jack Bauers out there to do my dirty work. It’s like this scene in A Few Good Men:
He’s right. I can’t handle the truth.
MBTI: The S Acid Test
Of all the MBTI dimensions, the N/S always seems the hardest to explain, but the one that I most intuitively feel when I first meet a person. Here is quick test that I came up with to assess whether a person is an S or an N. It’s not always failproof, but generally gets the job done.
Side Note: Obviously, I realize that it’s not very nice of me to go around and type people and many people (mainly Ps) may have an issue with me “putting people into boxes.” To that, I say get over it. At least I’m not using labels and logos, right? 
The Desk/Closet Test
The straightest path to N/S-ness is to meander by your co-worker’s desk or rummage through your friend’s closet. (Legally, of course.) To quote from Isabel Briggs:
The Sensing types, by definition, depend on their five sense for perception. Whatever comes directly from the senses is part of the Sensing types’ own experience and is therefore trustworthy.
What that also means is that Ss are very aware of their sensory experiences and are visual vacuum cleaners, sucking up the visual details of their surroundings. Especially, that not so rare strain of STJ that makes up roughly ~20% of the population…ya know, the Monica-types that take orderliness it to the next level.
So, the acid test:
S(TJ) Desk
So, why are STJ-desks this way? 1) Because STJs are naturally anally retentive. JK. (I still love you, Christine!) and 2) Because STJs enjoy being organized, are constantly aware of the sensory environment and could literally not function if their work desk was messy as they perceive it to be a huge distraction. Other Ss have similarly neat desks but with varying degrees of neatness with SJs tending to be more neat than SPs. The one exception from the general pattern is desks of ESPs, which can be in utter and complete disarray, which brings us to the desk of an N.
(I)N Desk
N desks at their best are slightly disorderly and their worse are unending piles of paper, a clutter of dirty dishes and layers of coagulated dust and dirt. Basically, Ns can be pretty gross with INPs leading the pack. The INJ can be relatively messy as well but the J preference forces a certain level of organization that may lend method to the madness. INTPs are the worse, hence the characterization of the absent-minded professors, with ENJs exhibiting far less degrees of messiness than average N.
Other quick screens:
1. Are they inspired by ideas, theories and original ways to solve problems? –> N; Or do they tend to rely on what’s tried and true and weigh experiential evidence and solutions more highly than novel ones? –> S
2. If you asked them to stare at a Coke can for 30 seconds and then gave them another 30 seconds to write what they thought of the Coke can, would they tend to write in bullet points and describe the can by physical details (cylindrical, red, 6 inches tall) –> S. Or would they write in paragraphs and bring in symbolic elements of the can? (Americana, soda wars) –> N
3. If they are female, do they tend to accessorize well? –>S Do they keep their shoes in plastic boxes? –> S Do they use labels to organize things other than files? –> S
4. At work, does your boss often ask you to re-format documents even before reading the materials? –> S
The Black-Brown Divide. Remember that?
Yesterday I played the opposite of hookie, but for some reason, it felt a little illicit. A good friend invited me to Amherst in SF, a yearly alumni event where top Amherst faculty hold “classes” for former alumni. It was great. Being out of school for so long, it was nice to soak up the intellectual vibe that is Amherst (as I pretended to be an Amherst alum).
The first lecture that I attended was The Hispanic Vote: did anything change in 2008? As it turns out, the Hispanic electorate voted 2 to 1 in favor of Obama over McCain and was the deciding factor in several key battleground states. In Florida, white voters voted in the same proportion for McCain in 2008 as they did for Bush in 2004, and the difference maker was the overwhelming support by Black and Hispanic voters. Some of the key factors that contributed to the swing in votes came from some obvious Republican blunders in strategy. Since the early 2000’s Republicans had been making inroads in courting Hispanic votes due to the social conservative affinity between the two groups (and the fact that the GOP out spent Democrats 4:1 on spanish speaking media in earlier elections). In 2006, the Bush administration enacted the New Cuban policy that restricted family trips back to Cuba from 3 times in a year to 1 time in 3 years. Needless to say, Cuban Americans, a vocal group in Florida, were pissed. Factors like these along with others helped Obama win in Florida.
**
Although this wasn’t the main premise of the speech, I’d like to just take a mere moment to reflect on the black-brown divide that was coined in the aftermath of the California and Nevada primary elections in which Hispanic voters voted 2 to 1 in favor of Hillary. Ya know, the black-brown divide that never was.
I feel much more connected to my government. Both Obama and Hillary inspired me to care and participate in our civic institutions in way that I never had before. But as connected as I now feel to our government, I feel as equally disconnected to my citizenry. In the second lecture I attended, Professor Danielle Allen posed the question What is citizenship in the 21st century? Being a more “practical” person, I have to admit that I thought the lecture would be too esoteric to be useful, but many things she said resonated with me.
Professor Allen set up the construct of “political friendship.” Borrowing from Aristotle’s idea that every virtue is the mean between two extremes, Professor Allen put forth that political friendship sits in the middle of domineering and acquiescence as illustrated by the image below of Central High’s integration after the advent of Brown vs. the Board of Education.
The meeting in the middle of the two women…that ideal is the very essence of political friendship. Friendship without the emotional aspect. Respect in spite of differences.
For me, as the primary season dragged on, our political friendship diminished and no where was it more evident than in the accusations of prejudice and racism thrown around by our more enlightened left. It was sad for me to witness how quickly we used race to justify Hispanic and other minority voting patterns. We Obama-voters make individualized and nuanced decisions around our presidential choice, but Hispanics and other minorities who don’t vote for Obama are doing so out of their inability to stomach the idea of black president. The irony of it all…
Political Friendship. It’s a nice thought. Prof. Allen also emphasized the idea of loss and repair given that we live in society where majoritism creates winners and losers. I wish that I could say it’s all in past. That the election is over, a candidate won and that’s all folks. And while all those things are true, my trust as a citizen among other citizens has diminished and wonder if it will ever be fully repaired.
It Bends Towards Justice
Hi Friends & Family,
Quite inspired by Obama’s speech tonight, I went digging into my lit files for this essay:
http://www.granta.com/Magazine/Granta-77/What-We-Think-of-America-Michael-Ignatieff
I had picked up this issue of Granta when I was still living in London during a time when America’s popularity was at an all time low. The invasion of Iraq and the unilateralism shown in our government’s actions had made an “impression” on the Europeans. The essay was a part of a larger compilation entitled “What We Think of America.” Needless to say, the messages were mixed.
Among the slew of essays both negative and positive, I found this one written by a Canadian Harvard professor, and like Obama’s speech, I found it inspirational and wanted to share it with you all on this most historic of nights. =)
-Wendy
—–
“How long? Not long, because the arm of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”-MLK
Voters Guide to San Francisco Propositions
VOTE YES ON A- To approve bond measure to re-build SF General Hospital to seismic standards or the only trauma center in the city will be shut down by 2013
VOTE YES ON B- To set asside 0.00025% of property tax fund to set aside to establish an affordable housing fund to help elderly home owners, first time home buyers, and families who do not make 80% of the city’s median household income.
VOTE YES ON C- To prohibit city employees from serving on commissions and boards unless otherwise specified as required in the commission/board’s charter. Although sweeping, this helps to prevent inherent conflict of interests that city employees employed by a specific department may have in representing that department as they serve on specific board or commission.
VOTE YES ON D- To allow the the City’s charter to amended such that it may vote to provide funds to develop Pier 70 if the Board approves Pier 70 development plan.
VOTE NO ON E- To not require the additional signatures for recall elections of local officials.
VOTE YES ON F- To allow Mayor, Sheriff and DA elections to occur in even-numbered years, which would coincide with presidential elections. This helps to increase the democratic nature of these elections as there is higher voter turn-out during even-numbered year elections.
VOTE YES ON G- To allow SF city employees to purchase pension credits for parental unpaid leave. This does not have a negative fiscal impact on the city.
VOTE NO ON H- To not allow the city to unilaterally approve revenue bonds to pay for any public utilties facilities without approval. Gives too much public funding power to elected officials.
VOTE NO ON I- Adds an additional layer of bureaucracy by created an office of independent ratepayer advocate to provide pricing recommendations to the Public Utilities Commission.
VOTE YES ON J- To create a historic preservation commission to preserve historic buildings in SF. Other major metropolitan cities like NYC and Boston have comparable boards.
VOTE YES/NO ON K- Arguments for both sides. Voting Yes decriminalizes prostitution, allowing sex workers to more often report cases of abuse and violent attacks. Yet, the measure does not seem to go very far in regulating industry, which may increase supply of sex workers without the benefits of “legalization” – regulating of health standards, increase protection of sex workers.
VOTE YES ON L- To lend support and future funds towards Community Justice Center to help residents of the Tenderloin.
VOTE YES ON M- To prevent landlords for harrassing and badgering tenants to force them to vacant properties in order to raise rent prices.
VOTE YES ON N- To raise transfer fees on real estate sales of properties worth more than $5M to 1.5%
VOTE YES ON O- To allow the city to asses a Access Line Tax, which will replace the Emergency Response Fee, to fund 9-1-1 service.
VOTE YES ON P- To consolidate MUNI and the Transportation Authority into one organization vs. having separate departments for city transportation.
VOTE YES ON Q- To allow small business with less than $250k in payroll expense to be exempt from payroll expense tax while making it such that small partnerships must pay taxes on profits from practices.
VOTE NO/YES ON R- Frivolous
VOTE YES ON T- To provide adequate levels of funding for substance abuse programs
VOTE NO ON U- The proposition would make it the City’s policy to ask the elected House and Senate officials to vote against additional funding in Iraq. Frankly, it’s not our place to pass a proposition to let officials know. We should vote them in and out of office based upon their voting positions.
VOTE YES ON V- To encourage the Board of Education to reverse its decision to withdraw funds for ROTC programs in high schools. Children should be given choice of the electives that they choose in school. It seems moralistic for the Board of Education to make a sweeping judgment that affects all students.
Red Pill Politics’ Guide to California State Propositions
Hi Everyone,
Hiatus
I will be back eventually with commentary and personal reflections on life post-Hillary, but to distract myself in the interim, I am now devoting my energies towards a new blog – aptly named Jaded Palate. I was always an emotional eater.
That’s all folks
This email says it all:
Dear Wendy,
I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.
On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.
I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.
When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.
I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.
I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.
I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.
In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.
I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.
Sincerely,
Hillary
Hey Obama Supporters, Let’s Make Up
We’ve been arguing for awhile now. You said some things you shouldn’t have. I said somethings I shouldn’t have. You called me racist. I called you delusional. You said I was a cynic. I said “damn right.” You called me uneducated; I called you uppity and out of touch.
I told you were smoking something serious if you think “change” is created through flowery displays of oratorical skills by an inexperienced newbie. You said “it’s time for a new way of looking at things. Let’s get people involved in the process.” So, now that it’s close to being over, let’s make up. We are all on Team Blue, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
In the aftermath of this intensity, there’s emotional baggage strewn across the country – from California to New York, from Pennsylvania to Florida. There are hurt feelings. There are those who felt that they were wronged in the process (mainly by media who have very much stacked the cards in favor of one candidate over the other) and when fall rolls around, they won’t be chanting “Yes, we can.” They’ll be muttering under their breath “Yes, I guess…”
So, what to do? I don’t know. The wounds are still fresh and the other side still feels the need to sprinkle on an extra layer of salt. Maybe in 2 months, we’ll all feel differently. Maybe enough time will have passed that we’ll remember what brought us together in the first place. Maybe we need an “In Treatment”-style reconciliation where one side says, “Yes, I get it and sorry for calling you racist. It’s a mean thing to say.” But if my past break-ups are any indication, we’re in a for a rough one.
