My aggressive journey to say a few words. (AKA) I'll be saying stuff that won't matter to many of you but it'll ALL mean something to me.
You know, it's funny when people call you weird for doing something like hugging a water fountain or licking a spark plug. What if I said that that's perfectly normal because I do it too? Could it THEN be called normal? I'm here to say yes it could.

Let's say you're walking through amish country wearing a poncho because it's raining. One of them might think you're strange because it looks like you're wearing a trashbag in the rain. Living in the city (and remember, we're imagining this stuff) you might think it's fine. Now, is it weird to wear the poncho then? I don't think it is.

Example 2... You're walking around in the mall, when you see someone wearing a lot of black (including the make-up) and spiked hair. You think they look odd/weird but maybe they see people like themselves all the time at school or wherever they like to hang out. Is the clothing in this case weird? No, I can't justify that it is if the poncho isn't.

Now, for an extreme makeover scenerio. You see someone wearing a Barney costume at the local grocery store. What do you think about that? It's weird, maybe even mausiating, having to behold such a site, right? What if he just got back from a shoot of the show? He wouldn't think it strange to be in dinosaur costume, would he? So, is is weird? I bet you can guess this one by now... no way!

Yes, I know, "You're ignoring the weird actions of others." But now I'm not. Let's move to those issues now.

So, we're walking... walking... getting tired... sitting down, but oh no! What's this? It's a young man sitting upside down in the chair, reading the newspaper. Is this weird to you? Maybe. Is it weird to him? We don't know, BUT if he's reading a newspaper you can guess he's used to sitting upside down which means that he's most likely not going to say it's weird. What if he was just sitting there, you ask? Well, just think about the guy that IS reading too... if there's more than one of them it can't be too weird, right? Exactly!

Oh my goodness! What's that?! Is that a little girl eating the bark off of a tree? Why yes it is. She seems to enjoy it too. I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this but just in case... Do you think she does this often? Maybe she's poor and that's all she can find to eat. You wouldn't call this sweet, innocent, little girl weird would you? Of course not because we're civilized caring people here. Now, what if she is just eating it for the fun of it? Well, who taught her to eat it? Someone must have said it was ok so it can't be too weird to at least that person and the girl. Again, you'd be outnumbered in this case so... it's not weird either.

I think a good way to put this would be, "weirdness is in the eye of the naive" (boy I hope I'm spelling that right). The less you know about someone or some group of people the more likely you are to say they're weird without understanding the lifestyle you have may seem weird to them to. Just know that that person just might have read this and knows not to think you're weird so, just do the golden rule thing and "do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

One last thing and then I shall allow you to ponder what I just tried to say. The only way that I have heard (though I'm not sure how accurate it is) to tell if someone's saying you're weird is by an old wife's tale... "if the cartilage in your nose is itching, someone is saying you're weird". The statement's origin is unknown but well known to my family and friends, perhaps you've heard it? Oh, and if it does itch, the way to get rid of it is to bite your ear and smack your chest with the side of your hand. It will make them feel weird too.

Capt. over and out!

Comments (Page 1)
2 Pages1 2 
on Jan 06, 2005
Amusing article, fair male half of sarandon, but it also has a good message. Hmmm...is writing poetry all over random articles of clothing weird to you? because it's perfectly normal for me.
on Jan 06, 2005
not now it isn't.

Capt. over and out!
on Jan 06, 2005
Great article! I'm writing my accelerated reader report with the same basic idea in mind.

I really blow at leaving comments, but it's definitely refreshing to know that there actually ARE people who are willing to understand others.
on Jan 06, 2005
I can't say i'm always so willing to understand people, though i try, but i certainly am good at telling others to.

Capt. over and out!
on Jan 07, 2005
I had this rather long and eloquent (at least I thought so) response picking apart the whole argument of what is and isn't weird when I realized that most of the post was just there to get the readers mind in gear for the real point of the article

The less you know about someone or some group of people the more likely you are to say they're weird without understanding the lifestyle you have may seem weird to them to


We are too quick to dismiss those we don't understand, and we could benefit immensely from taking just a bit of time to try to learn about what makes others tick.
on Jan 07, 2005
Nice reminder that we shouldnt judge others on their appearance
on Jan 07, 2005
Not judge them at all actually
on Jan 07, 2005
I once saw a guy walking up the street in broad, sunny daylight with plastic grocery bags tied on his feet, hands and head. Was he weird?
on Jan 07, 2005
Rightwinger~ I think you can figure this one out. I'm too tired to go into detail, but I'm sure you can process it on your own.

Zoomba~ I'm glad you remembered to reflect on what I was really trying to say here. I guess it's just like me to try and find a funny way to put the serious issues into perspective. Really, not knowing someone is no reason to judge. Then again, knowing them doesn't really even justify it. Thanks for the comment. I give you an insightful for it.

Island~ it's been a while, how ya doin'? anyways, nice comments. I think you got the idea here.

One last thing for now. Even if you are thinking about judging people now and you realized it's wrong just try and remember that when you're walking around and see people you'd think are weird or are acting weird that really you're just thinking that because you don't know enough.

Capt. over and out!
on Jan 07, 2005
Heh, you know, after I started hanging out with you and Shaun last year nothing is really weird to me anymore. You guys have shown me what my perspective of weird was. Now that I've seen it so many times it just doesn't appear weird to me. So really nothing appears weird since I've seen a lot of weirdness from you guys. Does this make sense?

~carebear~
on Jan 07, 2005
Amusing article. Don't judge a book by it's cover - to put it another way! Good reminder to a lot of us.

on Jan 08, 2005
Does it make sense? Of course it does. I've been saying that the whole time.

You're right, books don't deserve that kind of pressure.

Thanks for the comments.

Capt. over and out!
on Jan 08, 2005
As I've said before....if you hang out with a group of people that are....."different" in more ways than you can count, nothing surprises you anymore. I've been in band for most of my school career and there are people from all walks of life there.....so, with this exposure to different people, ideas, customs, and humor you are much more understanding and accepting of them. The only thing that would surprise me now would be...........uh.........if someone exploded in front of me, that's about it. Everything else would probably be expected.

Good article, Capt.!

~Zoo
on Jan 08, 2005

Captain, entertaining and instructive article. I think perhaps your friend Stacey should read this.


Oh and btw, what is your obsession with ponchos?

on Jan 10, 2005
Ponchos are fun... when you wear one it's almost impossible to not feel like smiling. Try it if you don't believe me, and see for yourself. (Well, wear 'em when it's not raining, that's the best time.)

I've told her about it. I think she's read it too. Thanks heather.

Capt. over and out!
2 Pages1 2