The Conservative Edge

Some of you may recall my post about a particular column written by Kathleen Parker. I was moved to write her in response to her piece, as she insinuated that we, as readers, should suddenly be as nice to Barack Obama as we were hateful to George Bush. I merely wanted to remind her that many people learn to be hateful or judgemental from the ideas presented by columnists and writers such as herself.

It appears that another column written by Kathleen Parker is due a response as well. The April 10 edition of the Dayton Daily News featured her commentary, in which she asserts that Obama’s method of world leadership utilizes his ability to listen to others, and shows his humility. There is nothing wrong with being able to listen or being humble. The trouble is, Parker thinks that testosterone is what makes a man arrogant and aggressive, and the lack of testosterone is what makes a man a good listener. This is a great misrepresentation, and a hasty generalization.

Parker completely overlooks the principle of personality types. She is blindly accepting the recent notion that testosterone-powered male leadership is the cause of America’s problems. As I noted before, columnist William Kristof maintains that since Wall Street is dominated by male traders, it was testosterone that drove men to make poor trades, resulting in the market’s nose dive. Parker is making a similar point. She says that, “If George W. Bush was a cowboy, Obama is a group hug.” She also claims, “Unfortunately, most of world history seems to have pivoted on the balance or imbalance of hormones, with testosterone presenting the greatest challenge.”

Nonsense. If that were true, Parker would effectively be ruling out the opportunity for female leadership, since women suffer more hormonal and mood swings than men ever do. It is a gross oversimplification to think that a man’s social skills and decision-making process is controlled solely by his testosterone levels.

What makes an individual a listener or a talker? Why do some people recharge their batteries in solitude, while others get energized in social gatherings? It’s simple. The personality type—or psychological profile, if you will—determines most of a person’s typical behavior. It has been discovered that there are several personality types. We have, for example, the thinking introvert who uses his senses to make logical and reasonable decisions. There are also extroverted people who have keen intuitions, and enjoy the whole conversational and social processes. Furthermore, we all have minor, opposite sides that complement our preferred behaviors. The introvert actually has a warm, social part of his personality that must be exercised from time to time. Conversely, the extrovert must recognize that he must pay attention to his quiet self, and nourish the inner man away from the noisy crowds.

I would encourage anyone to find out more about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. You will be able to find out your personality type by taking a simple test. The test is simply a set of questions that ask you about your preferred way to handle certain situations, and how you choose to make judgements and decisions. For example, I found that my Type Indicator is expressed as “ISTJ.” This means that I am an introverted person (the “I”) who uses fact and more linear thought (the “S and “T”) to arrive at a clear judgement (the “J”). I’m proud to say that I have the same profile as Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein. No kidding.

So, I think Kathleen Parker has it all wrong. If Obama is a good listener, maybe he has introversion as his dominant process. If he is instead an extrovert, then maybe he chose to exercise his complementary side while he was in Europe, using his minor ability to be humble and listen to others. I just hope he can keep his humility with those he actually governs here at home.