Member Questionnaire 1 (Capitalist Pig)
What is beauty? What is love? I know it when I see it.
What are your most important values? Independence and self-sufficiency, and the reciprocity of conduct (otherwise known as the Golden Rule).
Do you have any sort of spiritual/religious beliefs, and why do you hold (or don't) those beliefs in the first place? I consider myself to be broadly atheistic in the sense that I do not believe in the existence of a God or any other deities. I do not believe in superstition, the paranormal, or supernatural. Though I may employ these concepts in a colloquial fashion, they are mostly limited to superficial expressions of sentiment designed to convey a notion. Materialism (or physicalism, depending on who you ask) is probably the closest match to my philosophical outlook.
Opinion on war and militaries? What is power to you? They are unfortunate consequences of the dark side of human nature, but I believe that violence and armed conflict can be mitigated by unfettered globalization that is not mandated or regulated by governing bodies. States acting as sole arbiters of violence (by enforcing monopoly on the market for violence, i.e. by maintaining defense and criminal justice apparatuses that are immune to market pressures of competition and supply-and-demand) are the biggest offender and responsible for every historical and ongoing conflict that has achieved such massive scale as previous World Wars.
Free and open trade creates bonds between cultures, across whatever geographic boundaries that may separate discrete populations, even if their unique cultures seem alien and disparate to each others. The open exchange of both tangible and intangible goods spurs a progressive homogenization of ethical behavior and cultural values that benefits both civilizations in productive and unpredictable ways.
What have you had long conversations about? What are your interests? Why? Nature of man, history of man, future of man, the impact of technology on society (both the advantages and disadvantages), stuff like that. My interests focus mainly on technology, general aviation, and how I can be financially successful.
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Why? I don't know, these are fascinating topics for me. I place an importance on financial success so that I can have the means to fulfill lifelong goals, leave a legacy for my family (if I ever make one). Rather than accumulating wealth solely for whimsical and materialistic ventures or hedonistic pursuits, I want to do something good with it.
It's interesting, yes. I am not as "focused on my body" as I probably should be, but I am concerned about keeping myself within the envelope of what is considered "healthy." I do have some terrible habits I need to break myself of, and I'm always stressing about my weight (I am skinny and most people laugh at me when I say I'm getting fat, which usually translates into "I gained 5 lbs in a month.") but at one point during my early adolescence I was considerably overweight and I still suffer from the insecurities that were burned into my psyche at its most fragile developmental stage.
What do you think of daily chores? They have to be done.
Books or films you liked? Recently read/watched or otherwise. Examples welcome. The first book I ever fell in love with was Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Since then I've also thoroughly enjoyed other Heinlein works, Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and sequel The Lost World, Timothy Zahn's Star Wars novels, Frank Herbert's Dune, and the early fictional works of Tom Clancy (particularly Ryanverse content).
Films I've enjoyed are the original Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana Jones trilogy (what 4th film?), Mad Max, select James Bond titles (chiefly those starring Connery or Moore), The Big Lebowski, Ridley Scott's Alien and Predator franchise, and a few HBO miniseries like From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, and Generation Kill. The Matrix was cool, too.
Mike Judge is on my radar again with his new HBO comedy series Silicon Valley. I saw the premiere yesterday and it's very much a hit with me so far. Other TV programming I enjoy or have enjoyed include The Simpsons, Futurama, Seth MacFarlane stuff, Aqua Teen, SeaLab, The Critic, The Tick, Dr. Katz, Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill, Ren & Stimpy, ER (the early seasons), Star Trek (TOS and Next Gen), and Law & Order (original series, early seasons being the best).
There's other I'm sure, but these are all I can think of at present.
What has made you cry? What has made you smile? Why? Lots of things have made me do both, but my answer is more personal than I'd care to get for the purposes of this questionnaire.
Where do you feel: at one with the environment/a sense of belonging? At home, alone, doing something enjoyable; or at work.
What have people seen as your weaknesses? What do you dislike about yourself? I'm judgmental, selfish, ethically pragmatic, stubborn, impatient, and occasionally obtuse. I'm also sarcastic and opinionated. Cockiness and pride are my downfall.
What have people seen as your strengths? What do you like about yourself? I'm quick-witted, intelligent, fiercely loyal and compassionate to those I care about, honest, individualistic, and a survivor.
In what areas of your life would you like help? I don't want help, I can do it on my own. It's not that I view needing help as a weakness or an affront to my independence, but I don't like to rely on others because people are notoriously unreliable.
If we're talking about professional help, I do think I have some internal complications that I could use assistance in correcting, but that is not for this questionnaire.
Ever feel stuck in a rut? If yes, describe the causes and your reaction to it. Quite frequently, and it's very demoralizing. I tend to get out of it quickly by focusing on positive developments, comparing my progress to the year past, or simply occupying my mind with other things. It's mostly caused by financial instability or the slow progression toward achieving short- and long-term goals. Sometimes I think my ruts are entirely due to my impatience with the pace of life. I need to remind myself once in a while to stop and smell the roses.
What qualities do you most like and dislike in other people? What types do you get along with? I get along with people I see as similar to myself or possessing those qualities I'd like to see in myself. Strong-willed, independent, and intelligent people with focus and direction in life, and the determination to succeed (if they are not already successful). People who are down-to-Earth or even seem to have it all figured out (but will humbly admit they do not and have no delusions otherwise).
How do you feel about romance/sex? What qualities do you want in a partner? I think it's great. I don't think there's many that would disagree with me there.
Many of the same qualities I listed for the last question. I don't like docile women who feel their highest aspiration in life is to pop some kids out and be a homemaker. She can value that sort of thing if she likes, because I would maybe like a family one day, but it'd be a lot nicer if her dreams reached further than that tired tradition.
If you were to raise a child, what would be your main concerns, what measures would you take, and why? I'd do everything possible to ensure that their cognitive, emotional, and physical development proceeds appropriately and to maximize their odds for success by pushing them (without smothering them) to pursue their interests and go after their dreams.
A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward and outward reaction? I exhaust all effort to reconcile their opinion with my own, and depending on what it is I usually end up just accepting their difference of opinion. I don't really think less of people I care about for believing differently than I (isn't that the point of being free?) unless their reaction to the disagreement strikes me as close-minded. I don't typically befriend people in the first place that I think are stupid, so this has rarely been an issue for me.
Describe your relationship to society. How do you see people as a whole? What do you consider a prevalent social problem? Name one. I don't consider society to be a "thing." Society is the sum of co-existing individuals within the framework of a community or culture. The "whole" may be greater than the sum of it's "parts" but without those parts, there is no whole. Capiche?
How do you choose your friends and how do you behave around them? I choose my friends according to what I think of their character. I behave like myself around them.
How do you behave around strangers? Differently.
Member Questionnaire (Capitalist Pig)
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Originally Posted by Aylen
or provoky victimy stuff or anything. but maybe Te subtype is enough for that.
hidden agenda. 