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!