Zombies Ruin Everything

The ultimate nerd in the role of the ultimate hero hardly seems like an appropriate fit, doesn’t it? This is clearly ISTP’s role to save the world with guns, one-liners, and a well placed kick to the enemies’ head.

And normally, that is the case. But being as how most of this takes place inside of a computer, it changes the dynamics of everything and puts the power of a demigod into the hands of the type most suited for online godliness- INTP.

Considered to be one of the three types that most desire their independence, Neo’s life must be an aggravating one; working in his obscure cubicle, the world of the Matrix is saturated with a sickly green color everywhere and the hollow nagging from his boss only makes things seem that much more depressing.

You know the story- the world is a digital play land that’s actually run by machines.

Machines that don’t mind getting their tendrils sticky in some human goo.

So it only makes sense that when he’s contacted by a group of “hackers” that he would turn out to be the one that’s meant to save everyone. After their initial release from their stasis pods, a group of rebel humans collect them and plug them back into the system, only this time programming them with the ability to perform superhuman feats in order to fight their enemies- “agents” of the system, which can be anybody.

“One of us! One of us!”

So let’s go over this in type theory.

A guy who realizes that there’s something wrong with the world is trying to figure out what to do with his life but can’t put his finger on what the problem is exactly. Eventually finding out that world is run by a massive army of robots, he begins to fight back in every way that he can in an attempt to free humanity from the strangling grip of oppression, slavery, and everything else that a human with free will wasn’t meant to endure.

Part of the problem with recruiting would be that no one believes you. I mean, you’ve gotta be crazy to believe this, right? The world seems fine. Only it isn’t and there’s only few that really get this and live their lives around a solution.

Not all INTPs like this movie necessarily, and just about anybody could relate to it, but it’s the INTP that will take a special interest in the story about a man fighting their iron-fisted enemies for the sake of true freedom. That independence thing up there wasn’t a joke. Their entire lives are dedicated to, not excess, but being able to do anything and everything they want to do with no outside influences affecting their self-rule.

When asked by Morpheus why Neo doesn’t believe in fate, he responds with “…Because I don’t like the idea that I’m not in control of my own life.”

And there you have the foundation for the entire structure that the INTP builds their life around. Responsibility is one thing, it doesn’t have to weigh you down or keep you dependent on people, but to have little control over what you can say, do and think keeps the INTP up at night.

INTPs may often use metaphors to explain their points and ideas to get them across to you and they can be highly convincing. A type may hear, understand, and agree with the INTP’s ideas on life, only to reject when they go back into the world at large as part of a defense mechanism- what the INTP says may weigh heavily on the person and it’s easier to say “It’s too much. Too crazy.”

“Will it be CRAZY to poop in my hands and smear it all over myself?? WILL THAT BE CRAZY?! Okay. Agreed.”

And it is, regardless of the truth involved. INTP’s are known to go off the rails in their thoughts and theories to the point where no one can convince them otherwise. While the ESFJ may follow the mainstream crowd in an effort to keep everyone happy, the INTP goes off on their own proverbial island and refuses to leave, remaining as immovable as the society whose ideas they reject.

If you’ve ever known an INTP, they’ve probably shown you a video like this-

Or this…

Or this–

Because of just about everyone’s natural belief that others think the way that they do, INTPs are no exception. They obsess, prod, and argue that others are looking for the same freedom as them and anything less than complete liberation from laws, rules, guidelines that you don’t agree with is accepting death. Who knows, perhaps Patrick Henry was INTP?

Notice that by the end of the movie, Neo is actually flying. And what is flight associated with? Taken from dreammoods.com-

“If you are flying with ease and are enjoying the scene and landscape below, then it suggests that you are on top of a situation. You have risen above something. It may also mean that you have gained a new and different perspective on things. Flying dreams and the ability to control your flight is representative of your own personal sense of power.“

It’s why hummingbirds are consistently voted the most power-hungry animal year after year.

Jung says that there is no true “How-to” handbook for what dreams mean as each subject’s dream is unique to them. So even if it’s the same dream as someone else, it can have a different meaning. Still, Jung’s work was what paved the way for so many ideas and theories used as common practice today so dream interpretation is currently a bit more defined.

The above quote makes sense for Neo as flying has always been a symbol of freedom in many ways; nothing in your way, no borders or boundaries, and if Neo can fly in this world- what can’t he do?

He can’t stop this bus.

Keanu Reeves does a great job playing the character too. While his default setting is normally “Huh?” in the first place, it fits for Neo, an INTP. Emotions are pushed out of the way in favor of learning every single thing they can about the mind and what it can do. So for Neo to react subtly to everything wouldn’t come as natural for an actor like Will Smith or Nicholas Cage, who were offered the role first. We may not have gotten an INTP in that case but an ENFP like in Men in Black. Where Reeves says “Whoa.” Smith would say “Day-mn!” and the scene may have lost it’s awe.

The INTP may have a calm demeanor but their stress is usually reserved for social settings in which human interaction is involved and the options in their mind range from, “Say nothing, nervously standing in the corner” all the way to “Talk about the collapse of civilization and how those around them need to upheave their life so as to fit the coming Apocalypse.”

“Apocalypse? Day-mn!”

Major disasters are another day for them, part of life and something to take in, not cry about- while a simple exchange between strangers is what has them freaking out.

Though it can’t be argued- if knowledge is power, INTPs would be kings and rulers. As much as they would hate telling anybody what to do.

“To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself.”

This entry was posted on 09/19/2013 at 2:35 pm and is filed under MBTI Rationals, MBTI Stuff with tags intp, mbti in fiction, neo, the matrix. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.