Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with personalities

Who done it?

kiki_s — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:53:44 -0800

Significant historical and/or political figures since 1945? For my (university) World History Post 1945 class, students are asked to write a 6-8 doubled space term paper on "significant [world] personalities [who] made lasting contributions to culture and society." Suggested persons are as followed: Che Guevara, Nelson Mandela, Eva Peron, Martin Luther King Jr., Dalai Lama, Valclav Havel, Aung San Suu Kyi and Rigoberta Menchu.

Although any of the before mentioned personalities would suffice, I would like to explore topics which are more unfamiliar to me. In order to conduct proper research, recently significant personalities (around 90s or sooner) are not an option as proper secondary sources are unlikely to be available.

Suggestions?

Bring On The Big Dogs?

Xurando — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:05:59 -0800

Should I put myself in the midst of big egos again? About 10 years ago I made the decision to exclude persons with big egos from both my personal and professional lives. I have been fairly successful at doing this and the result is a happier, calmer life. My reasons for choosing this strategy were a sense that, it was all about them, that they were generally incapable of listening, that a true equal partnership was impossible, that they would always take credit and/or throw me to the wolves in order to advance their career. Recently I've come into contact with some egotists and had the feeling that I could have richer fuller life if I let them into my life on a limited basis. Is this a good decision? How can I interact with this type of person without getting hurt or taken advantage of? How can I work effectively with egotists, is partnership possible?

Which historical figures can be classified as "passive-aggressive" or performed historical "passive-aggressive" acts?

jeremias — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 09:49:40 -0800

Which historical figures can be classified as "passive-aggressive" or performed historically "passive-aggressive" acts?

weirdoes in love

e^2 — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 15:11:18 -0800

How to argue with a man who calls himself a sociopath. So the love of my life happens to have a somewhat odd personality (but one I'm sure many of you out there can relate to), which I love him for but which doesn't always interact well with my odd personality. He's the "unemotional" type -- that is, he has emotions, but he doesn't express them so much, and he has a really hard time understanding and dealing with others when they are being "emotional." As in, when we argue I tend to get all worked up and frustrated and upset, which drives him nuts because he hates to see me upset, and because he feels he just can't argue that way.

These are generally fights over small things that I know full well that I blow out of proportion, but it bothers him and makes him feel that he's not good for me (when in fact he makes me incredibly happy and I'm just a little too attached to having things my way.)

Sometimes he even talks about giving up on people entirely and going away to Alaska somewhere where he doesn't have to deal with the rest of us and our crazy emotions. He's definitely loving, but way more logical, certainly more Zen, in his approach to argument.

Advice from anyone on how I can be better at this, maybe even make him feel less inept rather than more? Or at least refrain from making his occasional nihilistic despair worse?

Androgynous Radio Personalities

omidius — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 12:15:38 -0800

RadioMediaFilter: I have a sneaking suspicion radio personalities on popular music stations are purposely selected for their androgynous-sounding voices. I've noticed in several different markets now, radio station personalities on popular or alt rock stations do not typically have the male or female vocal characteristics. You know it, that nasally, high-pitched, fast-talking voice often accompanied by shrill but short-lived laughter. Personally, I find it nauseating, but that's not the point today.

My marketer's mind assumes this is done to reach both sexes, not alienating the other due to our subconsious "attraction/unattraction" to voices of the same sex.

Let your mind decide who you are listening to, but is there any substantiated/documented truth to this theory?

Do you find that you like or dislike most people? Why do you think that is?

dame — Thu, 09 Sep 2004 14:13:15 -0800

Do you find that you like or dislike most people? Why do you think that is?

MeFite Stairway to Heaven

Keyser Soze — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 21:33:24 -0800

Who would you want to meet if you died, went to a heaven, and there was a great big Metafilter reunion in the sky, free drinks? Who would you beat up? Do you think it's best we don't know each other personally?