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'Into the Wild's' Chris Mccandless?

Argus

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I think this is a perfect example of how MBTI is imperfect.

He was an F. According to the movie. And it seemed perfectly plausible there.
 

Synarch

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Wow, I totally thought INFP in the movie.
I haven't read the book but plan to soon.


Regardless of his type, I fine his story very inspiring.

The book basically shows that he was a tragic moron. That's Hollywood for you.
 

Argus

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We are all tragic morons. It just happens to not end in death most of the time.

Proof? Your life in a different light.
My life in a different life.
 

Synarch

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We are all morons. It just happens to not end is death most of the time.

This guy went out of his way to put himself in a dangerous situation. So, double moron. Read the book. He is sympathetic, but more in a way you might feel about the stupid, earnest kid down the street who keeps getting into trouble because he's so naive.
 

Argus

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This guy went out of his way to put himself in a dangerous situation. So, double moron. Read the book. He is sympathetic, but more in a way you might feel about the stupid, earnest kid down the street who keeps getting into trouble because he's so naive.

You don't drive on the freeway, do you? One of the most dangerous things you know do ya know.
 

WoodsWoman

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I read the book but have not seen the movie. That the book is an attempt to understand and research the real person rather than the movie brings in a lot of things that Hollywood would gloss over or leave out. I think there is potential for being INFP, but perhaps not extreme in the F or the P, which implies that the opposite could also be the case - weak T and/or J.

At the very least he was a very driven young man and some serious thought needs to be given to unbalanced uses of the various functions.

Just thoughts.
 

Totenkindly

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This guy went out of his way to put himself in a dangerous situation. So, double moron. Read the book. He is sympathetic, but more in a way you might feel about the stupid, earnest kid down the street who keeps getting into trouble because he's so naive.

Naive, yeah... but I didn't have quite that bad a feeling about him.

Theoretically, he was pretty sharp. He just really had never managed to run into a situation he hadn't been able to handle by his own mind and resolve of will before... but no kid has that level of experience to know, and he went damned further than many other kids his age who never strive beyond the box out of sheer laziness or lack of imagination.

He just had no real margin of error, and I think 95% of his peers would have died long before.
 

Argus

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"... some serious thought needs to be given to unbalanced uses of the various functions."

Sounds religious. Victor was right.
 

Synarch

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You don't drive on the freeway, do you? One of the most dangerous things you know do ya know.

You want to compare an adult driving on the freeway with an unbalanced kid rushing off into the Alaskan wilderness unprepared? Interesting.
 

Synarch

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Naive, yeah... but I didn't have quite that bad a feeling about him.

Theoretically, he was pretty sharp. He just really had never managed to run into a situation he hadn't been able to handle by his own mind and resolve of will before... but no kid has that level of experience to know, and he went damned further than many other kids his age who never strive beyond the box out of sheer laziness or lack of imagination.

He just had no real margin of error, and I think 95% of his peers would have died long before.

You're a Romantic.
 

Argus

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You want to compare an adult driving on the freeway with an unbalanced kid rushing off into the Alaskan wilderness unprepared? Interesting.

"Kids" drive on freeways too.

And yes, I do.
 

Synarch

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He just had no real margin of error, and I think 95% of his peers would have died long before.

It's actually pretty difficult to die. More difficult than we might assume. Our bodies are the product of millions of years of survival imperative. Absent physical accidents or externalities like disease, you really have to work at dying especially when young and vigorous.
 

Totenkindly

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It's actually pretty difficult to die. More difficult than we might assume. Our bodies are the product of millions of years of survival imperative. Absent physical accidents or externalities like disease, you really have to work at dying especially when young and vigorous.

Right there, dude.

The guy was traveling all over the country for months doing odd jobs under harsh environmental conditions AND was more in the bracket for "violent crime victim" -- a transient, carrying loose money, and young. (I think he did have stuff stolen from him at least once.) Only being female might have made it worse for him, as far as being a crime target.

Then into the Alaskan wild with the supplies he (didn't) have... with reduced nutrition, no doctor supervision or medical supplies really, no vitamins, no one to help if an accident happened? I'm pretty sure he got sick a few times badly, I just haven't read the book for a number of years.

Come on, I think a lot of other people his age wouldn't have made it as far as he did.
 

Synarch

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Come on, I think a lot of other people his age wouldn't have made it as far as he did.

Sure, that's logical. Let's do an experiment and send 10,000 young men into similar circumstances. 9,000 die pretty quickly once it gets cold and food runs out; 900 die by slow starvation, unwilling or unable to extricate themselves; 100 survive somehow. What would the result prove exactly?
 

Totenkindly

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Sure, that's logical. Let's do an experiment and send 10,000 young men into similar circumstances. 9,000 die pretty quickly once it gets cold and food runs out; 900 die by slow starvation, unwilling or unable to extricate themselves; 100 survive somehow. What would the result prove exactly?

Do you read? It was right here:

Theoretically, he was pretty sharp. He just really had never managed to run into a situation he hadn't been able to handle by his own mind and resolve of will before... but no kid has that level of experience to know, and he went damned further than many other kids his age who never strive beyond the box out of sheer laziness or lack of imagination.

That's all I'm saying.

You're a Romantic.

Thanks. Should I say you're a cynic?
 

Synarch

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For the record, I think he is INFP. So, I agree with Argus on that one.
 

FDG

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Right there, dude.

The guy was traveling all over the country for months doing odd jobs under harsh environmental conditions AND was more in the bracket for "violent crime victim" -- a transient, carrying loose money, and young. (I think he did have stuff stolen from him at least once.) Only being female might have made it worse for him, as far as being a crime target.

Then into the Alaskan wild with the supplies he (didn't) have... with reduced nutrition, no doctor supervision or medical supplies really, no vitamins, no one to help if an accident happened? I'm pretty sure he got sick a few times badly, I just haven't read the book for a number of years.

Come on, I think a lot of other people his age wouldn't have made it as far as he did.

I think he could have made it with more experience with hiking in a natural setting. It's kind of weird that he didn't think about it, but perhaps he wanted to get there as soon as possible. Something like an alpinism course would probably have sufficed for him to be alive, they also teach you to pay attention to the effect of snow and ice melt during the "middle" seasons
 

Bowie

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This guy went out of his way to put himself in a dangerous situation. So, double moron. Read the book. He is sympathetic, but more in a way you might feel about the stupid, earnest kid down the street who keeps getting into trouble because he's so naive.


Errr...went out of his way? What way did he have to get around, exactly? The dude was doing what he loved the second he left his car in the desert wash.

So many people see his death as an end to his means. I don't. Instead of living in a world that would've made him unhappy, he took the risk in doing what did make him happy. To me, that's all that matters. Death or not.


Jennifer said:
Then into the Alaskan wild with the supplies he (didn't) have... with reduced nutrition, no doctor supervision or medical supplies really, no vitamins, no one to help if an accident happened? I'm pretty sure he got sick a few times badly, I just haven't read the book for a number of years.

According to his journal, he ate the wrong kind of berries that gave him insane stomach problems and nearly killed him, making him extremely weak.

I will have to agree with INFP.
 
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