Over the years, I’ve had more than a small handful of people tell me that I’m ‘weird’. This isn’t said as a negative thing; in fact, often it’s even meant in a positive way, but still, to me, it seems curious that people find me weird, mainly because I think of myself as a very ordinary person. Sure, I may like to read and watch things that are, perhaps, a little obscure, but is that enough for somebody to be ‘weird’?
I’ve known people who make the conscious choice to be ‘weird’ too, as a form of self-expression and that can be quite nice. I certainly appreciate it when people have aspects which make them rather unique. But, then again, in one case, the person comes off as rather egregiously pretentious and as such are just about the only person I don’t like; I suppose the difference is that they (to me) seem as if they think of themselves as ‘better’ than everyone else, whereas others choose the path of ‘weirdness’ while respecting the ‘normal’ path as equally valid. Anyway, I don’t want to get caught up on a personal tangent! May own negative feelings, perhaps, make me incapable of accurately assessing that person.
Them aside, I’ve never found myself thinking that somebody is weird. Even when people describe themselves to me as being ‘weird’ I often struggle to see what it is that makes them so different from other people. And that’s certainly not to say that I think of everybody as the same; indeed, everyone I know is vastly different, so much so that I can’t see two easy “normal” and “weird” boxes and, perhaps, to do so would be to misunderstand human nature.
I don’t have an easy conclusion to this entry, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. I don’t particularly like being called ‘weird’ even when it is meant positively, but, of course, I appreciate that people wanted to compliment me and don’t take it badly. I suppose what I don’t like about it, is how if something is ‘weird’ it suggests that there is a way that it should be and I don’t believe that is any set way that a person should ‘be’ so it’s a word I don’t like to use to describe others (though, of course, I can understand why other people do use it.)
Going further, maybe it is even rather pessimistic to suggest that it is good to be ‘weird’ because that then suggests there is something wrong with the norm, maybe even that most people are not good. I have a great deal of respect for a large number of people, many of whom seem to be almost polar opposites, and I think all of them are deserving of equal praise and value.
What is it that makes a person weird? And what does it mean anyway?
I’ve known people who make the conscious choice to be ‘weird’ too, as a form of self-expression and that can be quite nice. I certainly appreciate it when people have aspects which make them rather unique. But, then again, in one case, the person comes off as rather egregiously pretentious and as such are just about the only person I don’t like; I suppose the difference is that they (to me) seem as if they think of themselves as ‘better’ than everyone else, whereas others choose the path of ‘weirdness’ while respecting the ‘normal’ path as equally valid. Anyway, I don’t want to get caught up on a personal tangent! May own negative feelings, perhaps, make me incapable of accurately assessing that person.
Them aside, I’ve never found myself thinking that somebody is weird. Even when people describe themselves to me as being ‘weird’ I often struggle to see what it is that makes them so different from other people. And that’s certainly not to say that I think of everybody as the same; indeed, everyone I know is vastly different, so much so that I can’t see two easy “normal” and “weird” boxes and, perhaps, to do so would be to misunderstand human nature.
I don’t have an easy conclusion to this entry, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. I don’t particularly like being called ‘weird’ even when it is meant positively, but, of course, I appreciate that people wanted to compliment me and don’t take it badly. I suppose what I don’t like about it, is how if something is ‘weird’ it suggests that there is a way that it should be and I don’t believe that is any set way that a person should ‘be’ so it’s a word I don’t like to use to describe others (though, of course, I can understand why other people do use it.)
Going further, maybe it is even rather pessimistic to suggest that it is good to be ‘weird’ because that then suggests there is something wrong with the norm, maybe even that most people are not good. I have a great deal of respect for a large number of people, many of whom seem to be almost polar opposites, and I think all of them are deserving of equal praise and value.
What is it that makes a person weird? And what does it mean anyway?
