On my way home from work, I happened to flip to a Christian radio station, and the talk show host was interviewing a guest who apparently had written a book using the metaphor of Hollywood monsters to describe different personality types. So, for example, a “werewolf” would have one set of problems in his or her social relationships, while a “vampire” would have a different set, and so on. When I tuned in, the guest was describing how some people were a “mad scientist” type, who tended to give people advice out of a sense of pride and superiority rather than out of sincere compassion.
This led the host to say, “You know, there’s another type of person, and I don’t know, is there a monster for this one? It’s the kind of person who wants to give you advice because they know the right answer. You know what I mean?”
“Oh yes,” says the guest, “They want to tell you what to do because they know the right—they THINK they know the right answer.”
“They’re so sure—”
“They’re so sure they have all the right answers, and it never occurs to them that other people might be in different circumstances, or have different needs…”
“Is there a name for that monster?”
“Well, no, no, that would be a good one but I don’t have a monster for it.”
And I’m laughing out loud, because I’d recognize that monster anywhere.
It’s called an evangelist.