Our Intelligence Services

[LDAHL]

So I saw that new CIA recruitment video. Apparently their key demographic is narcissists with social anxiety disorders.

And then I saw that the Postal Service has been operating a program to scour social media for “inflammatory” posts.

And I thought Andrew Comey was ridiculous.

[Tybee]

So I saw that new CIA recruitment video. Apparently their key demographic is narcissists with social anxiety disorders.

.

Well, I have social anxiety but not narcissism.

Maybe I could work for them part-time.

[rosarugosa]

Well, I have social anxiety but not narcissism.

Maybe I could work for them part-time.

Your sense of humor is subtle, yet delightful!

[LDAHL]

I remember being interviewed for a security clearance and being asked a lot of questions seemingly aimed at determining if I had a lot of violent thoughts, or whether I ever felt suicidal. The thinking then was we wanted people on a very even keel to manage violence on an industrial scale. In those days, they also wanted to be positively, absolutely certain that you weren’t gay before they would trust you with your little compartment of secrets.

They also wanted to make sure you weren’t in bad personal financial shape, and that you wouldn’t overthrow a government unless you had permission. It also seemed to help if you didn’t have any family living in certain countries. I remember having to sign something to the effect that I wasn’t a spy.

Nobody in those days cared about your intersectional coordinates or pedigree. Sometimes I miss the Cold War, at least for its clarity of purpose and simplicity.