Believe it or not, many people consider Avatar wrong merely because the humans lost, and one human fell in love with an alien. This is an example of subjective morality.
I considered Avatar wrong for very different reasons. Don't get me wrong, cheese is good- I'm just not a fan of cheese pizza.
I'ld'a liked it better if Tsu'tey had been the love interest for Sully instead of Neytiri, but that's just my personal flavor of "weird." The thread was titled "Are you weird?" right?
Exactly. It always bothers me when people will call themselves a weirdo, or a freak, or go on about how they're so crazy or such a nerd... The humor comes from the fact that most of the times these people strike me as anything but, and they are really just searching for attention. Everyone likes to think that they're different and that they're special. And yeah, you are special and different, but that doesn't make you weird. So quit acting like you're the only odd one out. The word 'weird' as a personal adjective has lost its meaning to me, as has the idea of normalcy. Being "weird" is "normal" because everyone is a little (or very) different from one another. We all live different lives; going about living someone else's life would be pretty strange, right? But that doesn't make us abnormal. So no, I'm not weird. You are you, and I am me, and that's the most natural and non-weird thing there is.
i certainly am [see autobio bits of 'a weird life' on my site for proof], but that doesn't mean all writers are... i've known some famous ones and some of 'em are/were 'normal' folks [e.g., bob ludlum] and some creeps [e.g., robin moore], but i can't think of any i'd classify as out and out 'weird'...
Weirdness is a method of identification. If someone wishes to identify themselves as weird, who am I to strip them of that right? As you yourself say, everyone is special and different and therefore everyone has the same claim to "weirdness." Therefore, I do not begrudge anyone the title of "weirdo." In some cases sure, it may be an attention-grab. But often, I think it is simply the truth of how they identify themselves. And who's to say that "weirdness" is a concrete identity? As identity itself is an amorphous and constantly shifting thing, so must be the components that make it up. A man or woman who is weird one day may be normal the next. Really, to paint everyone who uses such an adjective strikes me as a little bit resentful or bitter.
I don't think I fully understand the question but will give my honest answer. Writing/Literature/Books is a big part of my life - I spent 4 years working in a small bookstore, I read fiction daily and write every few days - but it is not my entire life. I am extremely passionate about my involvment in rugby, I spend hours working on my refereeing and coaching abilities, and its perhaps a bigger interest than my literature. I'm a fan of movies, of spending time with my girlfriend, of catching up with my friends who have all unfortunately moved to bigger cities like Dublin or London. I work 9-5 in a callcentre speaking English and German everyday and harbour dreams of becoming an English Literature and German Language teacher (in Ireland you need 2 subjects to teach). However I think for some people writing is their entire life and that I don't see as being healthy. I don't see that devoting your whole life to any one thing is "normal". Vareity is the spice of life and all that. I'm sure to other people my life is weird. To me its normal.
Beautiful Aside from teenage years, I've always thought I was normal, yet other folk tend to see me as weird. Not close friends of course, but I've heard many time over - 'I don't know anyone like you' - which flatters of course, but not when you're on a quest for normal! My ex boss who I worked with for half a decade, in a creative career even, always described me as weird, which I thought was rich coming from a gay alpha male with a penchant for bi orgies and a phobia of ketchup. In fact, nearly all the people in my former creative industry thought I was weird, but ordinary folk don't - what does that tell ya? I don't see weird as a badge of honor. And I've yet to meet anyone who isn't eccentric, so in that way I'm just like everyone else
"Maybe he's just a little crazy, like painters or composers or some of those men in Washington." - from "Miracle on 34th Street"
I used to be odd. I would never say weird. After taking medication for a few months i would now put myself into the normal category. I think I'm interesting, but not weird. Not that there is something wrong with such.
Nah, I'm exactly the way I like. It used to bother me that I didn't really interact with people the way others do (I've never been into drinking, parties, clubbing or any other staple of student life), but since realising that I don't actually like that stuff and I am doing myself a favour by abstaining instead of conforming, I've been happier. I don't think it's weird. It's not for me, anyway. We all fit into one group or another, don't we? Weirdness just depends on the comparison class. Normality is relative.
Normal is subjective. What's normal to me is strange to someone else and vice versa. Personally, I've always been rather a quirky, idiosyncratic person, and I've always loved people who are quirky or off the beaten path. Most of my friends are that way, in fact.
I think the perception of writers comes from the rather solitary nature of the profession. While there are some opportunities for collaboration, many writers work in solitude. Additionally, the onslaught on stories and thoughts constantly flowing through the minds of some writers presents a sometimes distracted individual to the rest of the world. Generalizations certainly but to a certain extent true. Having lived a few decades and traveled a fair amount I've come across many types of writers. Most were much more comfortable with written communication than face to face social interactions, which is not to say they were incapable of such. Personally, I do rather well in large social gatherings and being well read am able to converse on numerous topics. However, given a choice I'd much rather write or work alone, expressing that which lives within in solitude for subsequent external consumption. Does that make me/us weird, strange, different? Perhaps. It certainly doesn't matter as long as we're comfortable with ourselves. Good topic and some interesting responses. Cheers,
I personally hate when people go like, "Oh I'm so weird", it's like they just want to be different. I'm mentally unstable. Not 'weird'.
I've seen and felt too much of the beautiful, chaotic unity of life, the universe, and everything (and kudos to the 42 people that might get that reference) to hurl my entire personality into a word and cast myself into a pile of people that will assert their uniqueness over another pile of people. Call me what you want. I'm Matt. And that's that.
