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Are you a control freak?

B

Blue Velvet

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Jul 4, 2004
21,929
265
And if so, how much of one are you in your daily life? At work, home, school or even out with friends?

Any examples of how you manipulate and attempt to shape the environment around you would be great...

There's been a lot of talk here recently on MR about Steve Jobs being a control freak... maybe Apple users are all like that, open masochists with a strong control freak nature hidden within. Secret 'tops' at heart.

Am I a control freak? You betcha. Moderators and designers usually are. ;)
 
Yes, if I don't think someone is doing something right it will drive me nuts until I get a shot at it. I tend to get over pushy.
 
I think it totally depends on the instance, for me. Sometimes I don't care at all and I'm a great "passenger." Other times, I must be in control or the sh*t will hit the fan.
 
Not in most things...but I love converting those around me to the Mac side...

I live only with my Dad, and we each get to control certain things; I control the temperature (he likes it HOT, but I can't sleep unless its freezing), while he controls the TV volume, which means barely audible...
 
shecky said:
absolutely. what good designer isn't?
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Well, exactly. That'll be 9.65/12.2. ;)

But extending it to other activities too? What's the difference between being a good leader and being a control freak? Good leaders delegate, right?
 
Yeah...unfortunate habit of mine. If its done wrong, then I have to do it, damn it all! Only problem is that I'm rarely much better.
 
i have always told my students "show me a good designer and i will show you an anal-retentive control freak" :)

Blue Velvet said:
But extending it to other activities too? What's the difference between being a good leader and being a control freak? Good leaders delegate, right?
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true... i heard a great quote once from somewhere: "the best way to be stressed out all the time is to try and control everything." the only place i try toi live by this is when flying - you just HAVE to let them (airlines, TSA, etc.) take control of the whole experience or you are going to be freaking the whole time. i add to my lack of controlling with some Xanax in these instances :)

i do think that good leaders (The Steve, etc.) ARE control freaks but they hire people to give tasks to that are at least as controlling as he is, that way the legacy is passed all the way to the janitors.
 
Am i a control freak? I dont care much about what other people do - it's their prerogative, but i like to have my workspace set up in the way i like it.

Blue Velvet said:
Am I a control freak? You betcha. Moderators and designers usually are. ;)
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I disagree with the moderator part. Most, if not all of the moderators I've come across on internet forums fall into one of 2 categories. They're either really laid back and fun to talk to - they became mod's cause they were a big part of the community. Or they were power-hungry idiots who ignore other people's opinions and shouldn't have been made a moderator in the first place. Rarely are they control freaks that want to be in control simply to be in control.

Are there exceptions to this rule? Probably, but I've yet to find a moderator who couldn't be put into one of the two categories based on how/why they became a mod and how they act as a mod. Black and white? Yup. But it's as i see it.
 
NoOneButMe said:
I disagree with the moderator part. ...
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Perhaps so... although from my experience, there are definitely shades of grey and what's more, people can exhibit different qualities depending on which side they got out of the bed that morning.

You overlooked the ;) in my statement though. :)
 
Like many people who keep a cat or two in the household, I am used to controlling the light switches and can openers. The felines are in charge of just about everything else.

In selecting fabrics for a wallhanging or quilt, well of course I'm a control freak. I will preview / "audition" fabrics for days or weeks. I am even willing to go nuts over what I will put on the back of a wallhanging. That, of course, is an inside joke between me and the eventual owner of the item, since the casual viewer will never see the back.

In general, my attitude is often live-and-let-live. I could be seen as having some inconsistent values. That's just shorthand for not following some party line. Doesn't bother me in the least.

But maybe Blue Velvet is wondering if I'm the type to stand up in the Chinese restaurant as we are constructing our orders (to be shared) and to say loudly enough for the whole back kitchen to hear, "No! No! We are NOT getting the house fried rice. The roast pork or the shrimp, take your pick."

Yeah, sure, I've done that :eek: once or twice...
 
Blue Velvet said:
Perhaps so... although from my experience, there are definitely shades of grey and what's more, people can exhibit different qualities depending on which side they got out of the bed that morning.

You overlooked the ;) in my statement though. :)
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I assumed the ;) meant that there were other jobs that could have fallen under the same label - you need to be a control freak to be good at the job. My mistake i guess :)

Though i don't think a forum moderator is really a job. It's always seemed like more of a "Hey, I spend a bunch of time in this community, lets see what i can do to help out" kind of thing. Something you do for fun, you know?

And I was referring to how they moderate as a whole - based on multiple conversations and interactions with them over a period of time, not a single day / post :)
 
I tend to get fidgety if Im not in the drivers seat of a situation. Such as driving. I don't think I would make a good driving instructor.
 
MacNut said:
I tend to get fidgety if Im not in the drivers seat of a situation. Such as driving. I don't think I would make a good driving instructor.
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Nobody from the New England would make a good driving instructor.
 
I'm kinda weird. Most of the time I am laid back and chill and don't care how people do things as long as its done and done well. Other times I take the situation by the reins and delegate and I'm on people's @$$es.
 
MacNut said:
I wonder why they even bother in Boston.:p
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Well they need to teach you how to double (and triple) park and that red means 3 more cars can go through.

Oh and how to switch 4 lanes on 95 in bumper to bumper traffic in like 3 seconds without using a turn signal.
 
zioxide said:
... red means 3 more cars can go through...
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well in NY when they started up with striped intersections and 'Don't block the box' and cams that sent tickets... that did kinda ruin the five-taxi caravan through reds that used to save some time if you could get right behind one of them!
 
I'm a control freak. I get really irritated if something isn't done my way:eek:

Then again, it seems to be genetic; the whole family is one giant control freak:eek::p
 
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