I was listening to the Mind Pump Podcast and in the course of the conversation, one of the hosts asked what everybody’s favorite dinosaur was. He added that this was important. I chuckled about this diversion, as I think most kids (especially boys) have an opinion in this space.

My answer is easy: I always preferred the brontosaurus, now known as the apatosaurus. I liked the idea of a quiet, gentle giant pensively chewing plants in a body of water. This creature always stood in stark contrast to the T-Rex, the aggressive bully of childhood’s dinosaur landscape.

I consider these kinds of preferences a kind of projective test, telling you a bit about the person sharing their preference. I’m not an in-your-face kind of person, and am not likely to (purposefully) rock your world with a phone call or email. I always had a more mild personality, and even at a young age, the apatosaurus drew me in.

And the same host who asked the question? He described persons who answer “T-Rex” to be a “generikid,” a portmanteau I’d never heard but found satisfyingly succinct. The apatosaurus fans among us appreciate this kind of comeuppance.

Bonus: What Dinosaur Are You?