If there is one thing I live to defy, it's Definition. And more specifically, definition by association.
"You wear a black shirt and like Metallica, so you can't like punk, or country."
"You like comics, so you must hate sports."
"You have tattoos, so you're clearly scary."
I don't believe that people naturally fit into categories. There is no blanket checklist of things that can make up a person. I love punk rock, but I also love jazz. I read comics, but I also read sports news (Hurray! Football's back!). I have tattoos, but it doesn't fundamentally change the person that I am. Instead it enhances me artistically, and expressively.
It really bothers me when people trip all over themselves to declare their loyalty to labels like "Geek" or "Nerd" or even "pothead," "hipster" or "guido." Why do we do this? Why do we strive so hard to fit into these categories, especially the ones with negative connotation. I think this shows a massive lack of "big picture" thinking, and frankly, a sad attempt at non-conformist conformity, which seems to run rampant these days.
I like comics. I like star wars. I like the musical stylings of Weird Al. Am I a Geek? No. Am I a Nerd? No. I like football and hockey. Does that mean I'm a Jock? no. I listen to music from Pop to experimental Swedish jazz-core. Does that make me ________? No.
I'm me.
I'll define myself by that, and that alone. I worked my ass off to become the person that I am, and I definitely took the long way to get here, so why would I want to overturn that to fit in with any pop-culture (or counter-culture for that matter) movement? I am not defined by my job or my clothes or the things I like. I am defined by myself.
I guess all I'm really saying is be yourself. Be yourself and if people don't get it, that's fine. The ones that matter will. Conversely, if there's something about yourself that you don't like, then you have the power to change it. But do it for you. Not for them. Because you're the one you have to make happy, and that's about it.
"You wear a black shirt and like Metallica, so you can't like punk, or country."
"You like comics, so you must hate sports."
"You have tattoos, so you're clearly scary."
I don't believe that people naturally fit into categories. There is no blanket checklist of things that can make up a person. I love punk rock, but I also love jazz. I read comics, but I also read sports news (Hurray! Football's back!). I have tattoos, but it doesn't fundamentally change the person that I am. Instead it enhances me artistically, and expressively.
It really bothers me when people trip all over themselves to declare their loyalty to labels like "Geek" or "Nerd" or even "pothead," "hipster" or "guido." Why do we do this? Why do we strive so hard to fit into these categories, especially the ones with negative connotation. I think this shows a massive lack of "big picture" thinking, and frankly, a sad attempt at non-conformist conformity, which seems to run rampant these days.
I like comics. I like star wars. I like the musical stylings of Weird Al. Am I a Geek? No. Am I a Nerd? No. I like football and hockey. Does that mean I'm a Jock? no. I listen to music from Pop to experimental Swedish jazz-core. Does that make me ________? No.
I'm me.
I'll define myself by that, and that alone. I worked my ass off to become the person that I am, and I definitely took the long way to get here, so why would I want to overturn that to fit in with any pop-culture (or counter-culture for that matter) movement? I am not defined by my job or my clothes or the things I like. I am defined by myself.
I guess all I'm really saying is be yourself. Be yourself and if people don't get it, that's fine. The ones that matter will. Conversely, if there's something about yourself that you don't like, then you have the power to change it. But do it for you. Not for them. Because you're the one you have to make happy, and that's about it.