“What One Word Describes Your Current State of Mind?” The New York Times asks, via an Election Wordtrain that operates rather like a word cloud. Readers can type in or select a word that describes how they feel, and identify themselves as Obama or McCain supporters, or “Neither.” (Downside: you can only submit one word an hour, so choose well.)
You can then play around and see which words were submitted by Obama supporters, and which by McCain supporters. The bigger, darker words at the top are the most popular selections, while the smaller, faded words below apparently had less clickable clout. The blue-red distinctions, meanwhile, reminded this user of a two-tone mood ring.
Of course, the top words–“hopeful” and “anxious” are two–are the same regardless of whether you’re looking at Obama or McCain supporters’ selections. You know what they say: it takes a Wordtrain to bring people together.
Jane Kim is a writer in New York.