The absurdity of defining who's "real" and who's not

After Clair's post I am compelled to link to the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.

Oh, and I'm full solipsist. None of you is real.

Everybody wants to be part of the In crowd. And the cheapest and easiest way of doing that is to draw a tight little circle around yourself that excludes as many people as possible. And if you can convince others that the circle is important, you're in. Voila. Easy as pie.

The other extreme is to reject all value judgments as being irrelevant. All standards about anything are out the window as being exclusionist.

Of course, the really neat trick is to combine both of them at once.

"People like me, who are truly inclusive, are infinitely superior to those narrow-minded fools who only..." Happens all the time in politics.

Judg said:

Everybody wants to be part of the In crowd. And the cheapest and easiest way of doing that is to draw a tight little circle around yourself that excludes as many people as possible. And if you can convince others that the circle is important, you're in. Voila. Easy as pie.

The other extreme is to reject all value judgments as being irrelevant. All standards about anything are out the window as being exclusionist.

Of course, the really neat trick is to combine both of them at once.

"People like me, who are truly inclusive, are infinitely superior to those narrow-minded fools who only..." Happens all the time in politics.

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Reminds me of a book my sister had which was titled "How to be a Non-Conformist."

I say if you make real money from your job, whatever it is, that you're definitely 'real!'

KTC said:

You try to get anything out of a fake jackass and see what you get.

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What are you tryin' to say? Hmmm?

MeowGirl said:

That is too funny! I knew a guy who was so proud of avoiding any music that was by "the establishment." I decided not to tell him that by using "the establishment" as a reference point for his choices, he wasn't exhibiting much independent thought.

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Knee-jerk anti-conformism is just the mirror image of knee-jerk conformism and equally worthy of respect. Maybe less, because it often has a desire to hurt built in.

I'm a REAL brunette. That's right. Now matter how, uh, silvery it might look. (Hint: some consider my hair color to be a bit premature.)

ETA: I live in a very small town where everybody knows your business (everybody who thinks they're are anybody, anyway). I got caught up in what I refer to that "plastic" lifestyle a while ago, and I'm glad to say I learned many valuable lessons. The most important of which is if you're comfortable with yourself, your choices and your ambitions people respect you even more. If you're trying to keep up or follow a crowd, you might as well be beige wallpaper. Stand out, people! Live your life! Dance in the rain!

KrystalR said:

And in regards to my previous comment about boobs...
I've been asked if mine are real.
My answer, "They're really mine."

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I can't imagine how many men on this board are dying to see a "real" picture of you, Krystal. Clothed, of course.

KrystalR said:

And in regards to my previous comment about boobs...
I've been asked if mine are real.
My answer, "They're really mine."

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They never need to ask me that.

JoNightshade said:

Oh, and I'm full solipsist. None of you is real.

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Learned a new word today.

sol·ip·sism 1.Philosophy. the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist. 2.extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption

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vixey said:

Learned a new word today.

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JoNightshade: Making people totally incomprehensible to their peers, one person at a time.

Maybe I'll throw off my readers with it in my WIP.

Heck, a few reviewers at a few magazines get to decide who's a "real" author and whose books are "real" books. It's just as absurd but it's reality.

KTC said:

Doesn't matter. Your readers don't really exist.

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*slumps shoulders and pouts, moaning why does Kevin always have to be so clever?*

Are you a "real" author because you've published a book, or because someone wants to read it?

To address Judg's comment about conformism versus anti-conformism, I agree. To shun something for the sake of non-conforming is to conform. The problem then lies with judging certain groups and subscribing to stereotypes. For people with little self-esteem but who need to feel important, it's easier to lump individuals into stereotypes. These people can't be bothered with what to them appears threatening. Their solace is in feeling superior.

But, no matter our motivations, we are all individualistic in some way. That's what makes us real underneath the veneer. It's those of us who are willing to expose our "real" persona to the world who I admire.

Stop! I was being serious. You get a tomato. Mostly because I think it's a fun smilie.

KrystalR said:

But yeah... they're pretty perfect. lol

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Okay, I'll say what the other guys are thinking:

We demand evidence.

And it needs to be real evidence, too.

In the same vein, I'm confused by the gossip magazines who determine whether celebrities are caught doing normal or abnormal things, which they slyly call "not normal."

The photos on both ends are usually so mundane that I am suprised by what they deem abnormal.

They should visit my neighborhood if they want rampant abnormalities.

I live in a normal town, by the way.

C.bronco said:

I live in a normal town, by the way.

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For real?

Dude, of course. Abnormal towns have higher taxes.

KTC said:

Actually, when people discuss their own body parts like that...that's the last thing I want to look at. I don't need any evidence, thanks.

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I don't have "body" parts like that, remember. I'm a fishstick.

Here's a picture of me with an Important Movie Star:

Ben's new nickname - tater chunk. (Fish stick just doesn't have that zing.)

NeuroFizz said:

Ben's new nickname - tater chunk. (Fish stick just doesn't have that zing.)

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That's because you don't have any tartar sauce.

Oh, I've just opened the floodgates, haven't I?

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that zing....