Sunday, August 3, 2008

Random musings

Commercials: There is a commercial for some brand of "nut snack." Several times when not really paying attention, it sounded like the announcer was saying "nut sack." Then I noticed there is a different version of the commercial where he says just "snack." So have other people heard what I heard?

Then there is a Target commercial where a man says he is Salma Hayek. I swear. Am I hearing this right? Because he doesn't look like the Salma Hayek I am thinking of. She's a little bustier, for one.

Maybe it's my ears.

I have also been pondering the commercial for the matchmaking service. I can't remember which one. Maybe eHarmony. And the guy says you fill out the form and then you are matched based on your answers. But how many people really know what they're like?

I know two people who swear up and down they never want to be like their mothers, but they've ALWAYS been exactly like their mothers in the exact traits they can't stand and want to avoid. Another friend was recently told she is disorganized, and she was appalled and angry at the very idea. But she IS disorganized. Last week alone she misplaced at least 7 items that I know of. And my ex believed he was honorable. I think we can all have a good chuckle about that one.

I know I have also expressed an opinion of myself and had people look at me like I am crazy, so they obviously do not see what I see.

So assuming the same is true for most people, how can anyone accurately describe themselves to someone else?

And then my mom told me she had a friend who had signed up for one of those and described herself as being in her 40s, which she is not. The friend's response? Do you think *they're* telling the truth? Which kind of defeats the purpose of the whole exercise, don't you think?

But back to the people who believe they are telling the truth about themselves. This is why I love sending out personality tests to my friends. I always find it fascinating how they rate themselves on various criteria, and I wonder what they think about how I have rated myself. Is there eye-rolling and chuckling in disbelief?

Then think about how everyone looks out on the world through their own veil of past experience, education, social encounters, and everything else that makes up the pieces of their personal puzzle. If we all have skewed views of ourselves, how can anyone believe they see the world properly? What else might be out there that we don't see or understand?

Which leads to the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. Two people can see the same car accident, yet report different things. It doesn't mean one of those people is lying. They might both be telling the truth, but it's the truth as they saw it, from their perspective, through their veil.

I'm not really taking this anywhere. I just find it all extremely interesting. People are interesting.

I'm going to go find some good personality tests. :)

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