Thanks, Susan
Cain for raising the status of introverts with your book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, and,
in the process, creating a condition I call, “Introvert Envy.” Now that people are aware that admired people such as Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor
Roosevelt, Mother Teresa, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Albert Einstein, Barbara
Walters, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks are introverts, many extroverts are relentless in their
quest to secure a place amongst introverts.
Having been
unwillingly subjected to the Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) during a degree-seeking period in
my life, I know well the humiliation of being looked upon as an anti-social
navel-gazer when that big “I” was revealed during a peer evaluation activity. Thanks
to Cain, the dreaded “I” designation is now highly coveted.
Extroverts claim
they qualify as introverts if they like to read books, enjoy some alone time,
or sometimes listen to others. Never mind that these same people love being the
center of conversations, thrive on public performances, interrupt others
mid-sentence so they can share their more important thoughts, and can never be
contacted because they are always on the go.
Despite the
fact that Jungian Theory in no way supports the notion that one can change from
extrovert to introvert through declaration, choosing to believe is apparently the
only validation these pretenders need.
One might
hope that since so many extroverts now want to become one of us introverts, the
status of introverts has now been raised. Think again every time you hear one of
the pretenders say, “He/she needs to be more outgoing (friendly, gregarious,
affable, genial, jovial, cheerful, lively, etc.).”
Christmas is
just a few weeks away. I choose to believe that Santa Clause will come down my
chimney with a new car. White. Small. Good fuel economy.
Clipart: Free Desktop
And I believe sprinkling fairy dust on my omelet will make me 27 years old again. btw, Ms. Introvert, have you ever heard the expression "doth protest too much"? ( No meanness intended. I'd guess my MMPI assessment would pretty much match yours.)
ReplyDeleteVanilla, I'm pretty sure your scores would be similar to mine. Protesting too much? Maybe, but this reminds me of the people who have wanted to claim Native American heritage when they discovered that meant having a money tree to harvest.
DeleteYesterday scrolling through Beloved's fb newsfeed, I really came to understand what you were on about with "introvert envy." Amazing how many have jumped on that bandwagon. "Describes me perfectly" one of the most common comments.
DeleteI'm glad Ms. Cain's book has brought success to her, but I don't think it has helped introverts a lot. Her intent was to make introverted people better understood, but that backfired.
DeleteAh, the power of positive thinking. Or is it wishful thinking? Or . . .
ReplyDeleteLiving here on this secondary road, and driving only a few miles a year, (church is a mile down the road), fuel economy is not top priority. Features like good road clearance and 4WD are much more important. As to color, I believe "champagne" most closely matches the dirt on our road.
Secondary Roads, men are just so practical. : )
Delete