How much effort do you put into being "normal"?

[Patrick Buck]

I used to try to control my quirks a lot, but recently, i thought screw it, and it better off now. Screw changing to make others think you're "Normal". Being differant and weird is fun. =D

 

[Togs]

And by that I mean, how much effort do you put into covering up your little idiosyncrasies and personality quirks to fit in with your peers, not get funny looks at the grocery store, get along with your parents, etc.

Spoiler: My Example

For me, a big one is talking to myself. Not like a schizophrenic talks to themselves, like there's another person inside their head (though the association with mental illness seems to be why it's such a cultural taboo). Most of the time, I'm either trying to work through some problem in my head and talking myself through it, or I'm imagining myself in some type of social situation and rehearsing what I would say out loud. Sometimes, it's just muttering a song to myself while I'm running errands. I try to avoid doing it as much as possible, but sometimes I wonder if more people don't do it when they think nobody's looking.

Wow, that talking aloud thing is pretty much me.

OT: Absolutely no effort whatsoever. I actually try my best not to fit in. Who in their right mind would want to become one with the herd? Wouldn't you want to be your own, unique person?

Same here, worse thing is I almost never realise Im doing it.

And nope I dont try and fit in- I am who I am, people can take it or leave it.

 

[Nimcha]

Not much, in my opinion I'm already normal enough. Which means I'm really not that normal.

 

[Drenaje1]

Almost no effort is needed. Either I'm just naturally part of the background, or It's because I hardly say a word to any other people. Don't give me that look, if I feel that a response or an inquiry is necessary, it will be so. Otherwise, to use figurative terms, I'm a mute who hides in a bush and hisses at passerby.

 

[Creator002]

I shower. Seriously, if it weren't for the fact I have to go outside at some point, I don't think that I'd ever shower.

Otherwise, I don't care. I wear what I want and do what I want. If a conversation starts becoming boring as a post mentioned on the first page (this person does this...) I just walk away and do something less boring.

 

[McNinja]

None at all. It's isn't that I don't want to "be part of the herd" or anything like that. Me being me has worked out nicely for the past 20 years, so there isn't really any reason to attempt to conform.

 

[NoOne852]

I don't try at all. I just go by what I view is morally correct, usually meaning respecting others in general (for example I am not going to go to a mall and start juggling the merchandise. It's not mine so I have no reason to behave as such.). Yes, I've done some stupid things in public that I will never repeat, but I was still rather young at that time.

 

[NEREVAR117]

Eh. I adhere to certain social standards, if only so I'm not this spontaneous man who scares everyone away. Everyone does this to some degree. However, I'm mostly 'myself', especially around my friends. I'm perhaps a little too loud at times and I speak with a flair that leaves some people being put-off when we're talking.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

None, just relax and enjoy things as they come. And should anything bad come along the way, have a macabre sense of humor about it.

 

[Ytomyth]

No effort, I am who I am and I'm not going to surpress myself just because other people -might- think I'm weird. Better than being seen as 'normal' *shivers*
I do go out of my way trying not to insult people, but I'm finding more and more that that's not really an option. If someone wants to be offended by you you can be all the sweet and pleasantness you want, they'll still take offense.

 

[Nulfinator]

I like to think I put very little effort into being normal, I simply just keep my more unique thoughts to myself

 

[MrLumber]

This may come as a shock, but firstly people aren't that much different from each other to begin with, and secondly the peers you normally care about (your friends/family) will usually accept you for who you are across the board. I semi suspect this thread to be targeted namely at pre-college students. I find the more interesting question to be how influential do you perceive your peers to be in your day to day life?

 

[Xeros]

imagining myself in some type of social situation and rehearsing what I would say out loud.

All the time. I constantly find myself doing this while pacing in the kitchen as I'm having a snack.

OT: I try to limit how much I mosh in public. But damn it when a song comes on that just makes me feel like I could take on anything, I can't help it. Otherwise, not much.

 

[Rastien]

I'm pretty terrible for this, to the degree where when first meeting people my brain will rapidly take in any information i can about them so as not to be alienated.

Oddly enough im quite lucky in the job im in, working in a IT support company most the guys on in my department are massive geeks/nerds in one way or another /points to bioshock figures.

But yeah i worry i have some bizzare mental disorder not come across :/ i mean i pretty much proof read everythin in my head before i open my mouth. When i meet someone new i let them drive the conversasion but the second i pick up on something i have some knowlege about i run with it.

I am a closet nerd to be quite honest, and as much good as my ex did in bringing me outside of the closet since we broke up earlier this year i feel quite stranded so have gone back to my old ways.

I am abit of a mixed bag mind you i love rugby and was playing to a pretty high standard various reasons have now prevented me from playing the past 2 years thus burning my aspirations.

What i will say though is once i get close to someone its a great relief to me that they won't shun me for likeing the things i do.

This isn't to say i don't like all the people i hang out with i do, but they just don't know me that well i let them see what i want them to see im sure alot of them wouldn't care and its not there problem its mine.

This is the reason i don't have facebook, i can find it easier to hide my nerdy going ons and hide myself from people i no longer wish to speak to. Its a double edged sword but if it means i dont have to see what my ex is up to and re-open a wound im all for it.

Damn... that ended up more like a fucking confession then i ment it to :x

 

[antidonkey]

None. I am who I am and if people don't like it or have issues with it, then fuck em. It's bad enough having to be all professional at work.

 

[Lederin]

This is a funny one. When I was in high school (11-16) I didn't out any effort in at all, despite being bullied mercilessly for being 'weird'(read: not a slag/chav/pothead) nowadays (age 20) I kinda just tone down the weirder elements of my personality but I think I've just got more 'normal' as I've got older, or I've just stopped caring

Really all I do that's weird is talking aloud when thinking or missing social cues that make me look weird

 

[Felgy76]

Normal is relative. No matter how much effort you make, someone will think you are strange.

 

[Idlemessiah]

I actually put effort into not looking normal and I don't think I conciously follow any crowd. I get weird looks and comments and think its fucking hilarious.

Let me list:

Dreadlocks,
Tattoos (sleeve+ others)
Piercings and stretchers
Wearing a kilt
and various other oddities.

I like the quesion "Why" because the plainest answer is: "Nobody told me I can't"

 

[Zeckt]

Absolutely none. Ironically when I TRIED to be normal I failed miserably at it and people avoided me like a plague. So now I make no effort to speak clearly and just talk how I normally would (I have a really odd voice, I mostly sound like a woman and even worse I mutter). Now I embrace my inner strangeness and make it very visibly apparent and mostly people just accept it for being who I am, rather then trying to be what I'm not.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

Just enough not to annoy people.
I tend to cough a lot. But at least i don't do it voiced. Unlike some people.