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Are you eccentric?

Pieplup said:
Are you implying the people on this forum are trolls?
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Sorry. l wasn't very clear. l meant outside in public. This forum has a lot of great members. l have learned a lot. Just received a beautiful artwork piece that is so emotional for me from a member here. Today was extremely long and tiring. l probably shouldn't post anything until tomorrow.
 
Strange is the word I've heard most.

If I mask to fit in I'm usually thought of as shy or unfriendly.
Thing is, it doesn't really bother me.
Runs off like rain off a duck's back.
@Fino Isn't that just ducky? :p
 
Definitely, in various ways my whole life. As a kid I had habits that were always unhygienic or confusing. Even now I struggle to keep in mind when I'm in public with things like digging up my skin which grosses my mom out but i couldn't really care less, stuff like that.
The "odd belief" side of eccentricity too. I consider sixth sense a pretty real thing that some people are more attuned to. Not that sixth sense is the most outlandish belief either! But having episodes of other kinds of belief can definitely be termed eccentric among other things if they're voiced to other people.
But yes my behavior has always been an issue forming connections young. I have a slightly easier time now but people have told me on more than one occasion that my standoffishness is intimidating and makes it hard to interact with me.
 
I am rather eccentric on the inside. I used to be outwardly eccentric but I nearly broke from loneliness and isolation and became more normal on the outside....these days its far more acceptable to be a little odd. That said I love my jeans and work boots, great to garden in and be with my horses. I wish I had more outlet though for my creative and expressive side... I love late 18th century riding habits and mongolian riding clothes too.
 
Ezra said:
I like idiosyncratic.
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One of my favourite words ;)

Yes, I am and so is my wife and the majority if not all my friends and that's the way I like it :p

I absolutely detest small, conformist communities or cultures - small towns are my kryptonite - and avoid such environments like the plague. I've always actively sought diverse and laid-back places where pretty much "everything goes" and people who have better things to do than monitor and censor what everybody else is doing. I actually noticed that people who concentrate on improving their own skills and experiences and have rich inner lives tend to have very little time and interest in gossip and are less inclined to have rigid ideas about "the right way" to live or think and I deliberately cultivate such people.

As long as basic manners and laws of decency are respected, I strongly believe people should be allowed to express themselves as they wish and I've gained so much along the years by being exposed to and trying to understand different POVs, ideas and lifestyles, even (or especially) when I don't necessarily subscribe to or agree with them myself; especially as a young man it had a deep and transforming effect on me. How boring and depressing the world would be without such differences.

Vive la difference!
 
I've been called eccentric before if that counts.

From my understanding the difference between insane and eccentric is very subtle and usually is decided by economic resources rather than qualitative descriptions.
 
Mia said:
Eccentricity is variously defined as:

Deviating from the recognized or customary characteristics of groups or individuals.

A person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern.

Eccentricity is unusual behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive. Eccentricity is contrasted with normal (conformative) behavior, the nearly universal means by which individuals in society solve given problems and pursue certain priorities in everyday life. People who consistently display benignly eccentric behavior are labeled as "eccentrics." (Note: at the end of this definition was a reference to people with autism.):eek:

So here we have the root of perceptions about individuals who do not act like everyone else. I've know many people who displayed eccentric behaviour, and none that I know of were autistic. Elderly Great-Aunts who saved and made wreaths from their own hair, and had stuffed squirrels in their living rooms. A neighbour who used to walk across the street in a bathrobe and rubber boots in a snowstorm to buy a newspaper. A current neighbour who sits outside early in the morning in a nightgown and slippers eating cheerios with their fingers.

All I can think for the moment, is that people who do not conform to group social strictures would be considered eccentric. People who seem to do things they enjoy and want to do. Out of the ordinary behaviour seems to scare people. What do you think?
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Most of the time I don’t show it publicly but also I often can’t be bothered to hide it. If I want to act weird badly enough then I will. A few weeks ago I was playing music on a Bluetooth speaker around 10 pm while my boyfriend was doing yard work and I sat on the driveway with a cardboard box and pretended I was a drummer for about an hour. I also know people think I’m weird for going into the “forests” (empty lots they haven’t built on yet) near my house. I don’t really care at all about stuff like that because it brings me more joy to do those kinds of things than it ever would bring me pain. Sometimes I’ll sit in the shopping cart while my boyfriend pushes me around (much more rare). At home though I am vastly different than I ever am in public or online. Almost all of my communication is done through loud sounds and botched word salad. The difference is stark. I just know people would mostly not get it so I hide it. It’s just my preferred method of communication. Many people Sometimes even here I think don’t understand when I say my personality is not one I can share with other people because there aren’t many people who would get it. I’m not being pretentious lol it’s just a fact and it’s sadly why I don’t have friends anymore. Having close relationships where I can’t relax and be my true self communicating the way I prefer to isn’t worth it to me honestly. And that socially unacceptable side of myself is my favorite side. The side of me I have to show most of the time feels cold and unfriendly.

I showed this video to my boyfriend and he said we would be best friends. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to someone who interacts the way I do.


I have had a similar ongoing thing where I tell my boyfriend he’s “the bad one” and I say that I’m “the good one” either when I’ve done a good job at something or I’m happy because I got something I wanted. I also call my moms dog a bad one or a good one interchangeably because I think it’s fun and my family gets upset because they think it send him mixed messages (I think he knows it’s a joke). Talking about it Like that ruins it a bit but thought I’d share. Like I said it doesn’t feel good to hide my favorite side. Maybe I will eventually be able to show it on YouTube or something.
 
So many respondents are indicating that the word eccentric, implies wealth. Not in my country, which is Canada. Where it means behaviour that differs from the ordinary. It must have something to do with the countries you live in, and it's perceptions.
 
Mia said:
So many respondents are indicating that the word eccentric, implies wealth. Not in my country, which is Canada. Where it means behaviour that differs from the ordinary. It must have something to do with the countries you live in, and it's perceptions.
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It's the same in the (European) country I live in, but I think I've heard British people using it as a euphemism for "barmy rich person" though ;)
 
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Not necessarily, but it's used that way sometimes, there's something genteel about it often, but not always (in the UK I mean).
 
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