WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE GHOSTBUSTER SAYS ABOUT YOU
Years ago, MySpace was a new social hub where people from all over the world could meet without the limitations or needful boundaries of physical presence, or they might share insights into their personalities by answering and posting questionnaires created by 15 year olds, or express their creativity by embedding low resolution animated GIFs throughout their profile page.
At the time I reveled in it, able to finally connect to others across the globe the way all those terrible 'modern' sci-fi movies had promised me (or forewarned against if you were to believe the cautionary tale subtext of the Sandra Bullock vehicle The Net).
With this new-found technological marvel at my fingertips, I of course stepped timidly into this new world with one goal in mind: to meet girls.
In life I can be a little shy when first introduced, so I never really mastered the confidence to approach women and simply strike up a conversation. Given the chance to get to know them I feel a tad more confident but it's that initial opener that has always been my meet-and-greet Achilles heel.
Behind the facade of my well crafted MySpace profile however, I could initiate conversation with ease. But how to go about it? What's a good opening line? What can I ask that is not only an interesting question that makes me stand out from every other new 'friend' that's telling them they look hot in their profile pic, but also gives me an answer that may help me gauge what kind of a person they may be?
For my own satisfaction it'd have to be something geeky, preferably movie based- but "What's your favourite movie?" is way too bland. I needed something fresh. Something insightful. Something… retro.
And then it came to me:
"Who is your favourite Ghostbuster?"
Suffice to say it worked. A few times. I even started using it in the non-internet world. Not just with girls I wanted to talk to but with anyone I thought I'd like to know more about.
On the surface It's a very simple question that seems to be asking something quite inconsequential, but if you think about it, in all your favourite movies or TV series involving a group of characters you probably have a favourite. And you'll almost always have a valid reason behind it, even if you're not fully aware of it.
Whether that preference comes from a single line they deliver, how they dress, who they're played by, their actions towards others- it always boils down to who you are. Your own personality. How you perceive others through your vision of the world.
So what does that have to do with the Ghostbusters?
Well it just so happens, whether the writers intended it or not, that the individual members of the spook hunting crew from Ivan Reitman's 1984 fantasy action comedy represent several different personality traits. My theory is that you can combine these personalities to form the 'body' of the Ghostbusters. Let me walk you through it…
Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray)- The Mouth.
Peter is the talkative one, sometimes it gets him into trouble, but almost always it gets him out of it. Or at least closer to what he wants. He's ambitious but only truly in the pursuit of money and lust. He's abrasive; cocky; quick witted; funny; charming; sarcastic. Basically he's a little bit of a dick. Yet he isn't the most intelligent on the team. More 'street smart' than 'book smart'.
Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis)- The Brains.
Egon did the science behind their entire enterprise: the proton packs, the traps, the containment unit. His knowledge is unparalleled and his work is tireless, but this has come at the heavy price of being socially disconnected with other humans. His emotionless approach to things is what keeps him level headed in a crisis and though he is willing to get his hands dirty from time to time, he is clearly not as adept at the physical aspects of the job as he is with the theoretical.
Winston Zeddmore (played by Ernie Hudson)- The Hands.
Winston is your typical blue collar employee. He has no real interest in the work or the study of ghosts or any other paranormal phenomenon. He is a breadwinner, simply there to make a wage, but never shying from the work. He is straightforward in his approach to every situation and is very much the everyman, the labourer, the manual worker.
Ray Stanz (played by Dan Aykroyd)- The Heart.
Ray is the emotional core of the group. He is connected to each member of the group in different ways (a clear bond of friendship and camaraderie with Peter; a mutual love and knowledge base of science and the paranormal with Egon; a good workplace-colleague repartee with Winston). His friendship with each one connects them to each other through him, uniting them, allowing them to work as a team. He is also a bit of a nerd who loves what he does and geeks out on it regularly.
If you look over each one of these profiles you will probably find some or many of these traits can be applied to your own personality, with one of them being the most identifiable to how you feel about yourself. This is a fairly well known ancient medical/psychological theory knows as the Four Temperaments, which associated four different bodily fluids with four basic states of being: choleric (ambitious and leader-like), melancholic (introverted and thoughtful), phlegmatic (relaxed and quiet), and sanguine (pleasure-seeking and sociable).
There's actually a really good Cracked.com video all about it.
If you're feeling cynical you could say it's also a little like 'cold reading', where you are convinced that you can see apparently personal specific details in a suggested statement that actually contains details that could easily apply to almost everyone. It's easy to see why you might think that, just look how similar the Four Temperaments synch with the descriptions of the Ghostbusters.
This is not coincidence, it's simply ever present. For centuries we have been provided with many differing examples of this line up throughout literature and all forms of story telling, especially when it comes to 'teams'. From d'Argtanian and the Three Musketeers, through through the houses of Hogwarts in Harry Potter, up to the kids in South Park and of course The A-team, with hundreds more examples in between from all across the globe.
But it does work, and even better is that it works when you apply it to other people. Think about your friends. Who's the mouthy one? Or the quite one? Who's the one that brings you all together? Who keeps themselves to themselves?
Now take that principle and apply it to potential partners.
For example, I like Ray. I enjoy his character and I see similarities between myself and that character, I also like those qualities in other people.
So if a girl tells me she likes Ray I know we're going to get on.
But if she likes Peter or Winston or Egon I also know what she likes about herself and other people too.
It's the perfect conversational tool. It can spark off a back & forth about your similarities or a debate about your conflicting choices, all the while feeding you info about the person you're chatting with. It's never steered me wrong in the past
So now you know what it all represents and reveals, I supposed there's only one more thing to ask yourself:
Who is your favourite Ghostbuster?
Until next time fools,
Pete
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