What is your opinion about people who have a different lifestyle and/or thoughts from everyone else?

Different strokes————-

If everyone were cut from the same cloth or cast from the same mold the world would be a very boring place to live.

More power to them. It’s not that I’m all open minded and accepting, truth is I don’t really give a shit.

“Different lifestyle” from whom?

Truth is, many of us think we are different and unique and maybe strange until we find more people like us. Once you do (and you will), it won’t matter at all.

@cookieman Haha yeah. I always get a kick out of people who, for example, present to you some rare or obscure band/music they like, and use that to label themselves as unique. I mean, if that band exists and makes money from people liking it, you’re not that fucking unique, I reckon.

I think they should all be killed.

I don’t really believe this; I am just channeling @ragingloli this morning.

Yeah sure, just blame it on someone else. :p

@1TubeGuru And if some people understand that, I won’t be called a jerk.
@cookieman The problem is there haven’t been anyone like me yet, so… let’s say this jerk still exist.

live and let live

As you get older you will see that your peers and above will not notice and care less about you and your idiosyncrasies…you will simply be part of the landscape of “normal” and in fact you could even run for office.

I’m with @anniereborn: live and let live. It’s really very simple.

To lead a life that is harmless and distinctive is something we should all aspire to.

You use the word “jerk” often when describing how your friends, colleagues or classmates describe you. I am not at all clear what you mean by that. It isually means “foolish” rather than living a cosmiclly unique lifestyle (whatever that means).

@gailcalled Woa, you nailed it! “Foolish” is the exact word they call me (or at least try to imply).

Okay, so you’re “foolish”. Who among us isn’t from time to time?

An easy example of me being called foolish: I’m not the chase-after-the-latest-fashion type, so in a conversation when I’m discovered to be ignorant of something trendy (like a new popular TV series), then I get the label “foolish”.

I’m not sure being oblivious to fashion trends is “living an alternative lifestyle.”

I would never mean to minimize your feelings, but let’s get some perspective here: You’re living in the fishbowl of school right now. Everything is amplified and magnified. There’s a great big ocean out there (to continue the metaphor), just full of folks with the same interests and disinterests as you. I 100% guarantee it.

You just have to be patient and look for opportunities to meet people outside the fishbowl.

@cookieman Thanks. That lifts my mood up a bit :)

As long as you don’t eat cats, dogs, snakes, rats, crickets, fish in a can that look like snakes, mealworms, turtle eggs, escargot, horse :/

It’s not that I can’t handle having a friend who eats this stuff, I have a lot of them my dad, in particular, used to eat at least one thing off the list and as a child I screamed and cried because he did.

I’m just saying now that I may say something if you eat those things cuz I’ll be sad for them.

But if we are friends then I’m sure as my friend maybe you would have something to say about my plant based only diet and I’d be ok with that. Lol. :)

I’m one of those people that has a different outlook on many things, pffft…who cares.
The only people I would not wish to hang with would be gun freaks, hunters and perverts. lol

@Mimishu1995: I’m not the chase-after-the-latest-fashion type, so in a conversation when I’m discovered to be ignorant of something trendy (like a new popular TV series), then I get the label “foolish”.

You could just as easily call them “superficial,” (which you wouldn’t of course, being too smart for labeling.) Slavishing following the latest pop culture trends might also be called a waste of valuable time and ultimately meaningless. The next trend will come along before you know it. And lifestyles are not strange; they are personal choices.

Can you find other, more compatible friends, ones who are less interested in the herd mentality and calling people names?

Everyone has a lifestyle that others could consider “different.”

I think so long as they manage to function in their environment, it’s totally fine. If their uniqueness hinders them in relationships, getting a job or otherwise productively functioning in society, it’s not so fine.

I lived in San Francisco and knew many people I considered to be hothouse flowers. They were very eccentric and lived just fine in the Bay Area, but wouldn’t do very well at all living in most other places.

For instance, you’d make practically no money at all in Indiana being a professional street performer who does the Robot all day. You’d just be some kook who would probably go in and out of mental health services, to be honest. In San Francisco or Las Vegas, you could pull in a steady 5 figure income from it.

Not that money made is the end all and be all of functioning, but I’m just saying that in one area, you’d just be this odd panhandling freak and in the other area, you’d be a successful street performer. Make sense?

I feel demeaned by ultra liberals and judged by ultra conservatives. Can’t we put all the crazies on an island somewhere? I personally couldn’t care less what others believe. That’s not my business.

I am one of those people…

Like Steve Jobs?

Personally, I gravitate to people that are truly ‘different’ from the herd. They’re interesting and entertain me by showing me new things, perhaps a new perspective. I, myself am cut from a different cloth and tend to polarize people: they tend to really like me or really dislike me. Neither opinion fazes me, because I life my life as I see fit. I defend their right to do the same. All I ask is, “For gourd’s sake, if we do not get along, can we at least avoid each other?

Now, on the other hand, I dislike people that try to be different for different sake. People who work at trying to appear different from others. Just be yourself!

And to you, @Mimishu1995, I would say, “If you’re just being yourself, enjoy it.” Those other people are probably knocking you down because they don’t have the courage to not follow the crowd. You are much more likely to be a happy and well adjusted adult than they are.

I guess I was thinking at if from a mental health standing. I do think if someone’s eccentricities stops them from having personal relationships or keeping income, or keeping themselves physically healthy that it’s a mental health problem. If their eccentricities harm other people it’s a criminal problem.

If it doesn’t interfere with anything.. who cares?

I don’t care what lifestyle someone has as long as they don’t force it on me. Don’t make fun of my beliefs and I won’t make fun of yours.

Remember that, @BeenThereSaidThat, on your Fluther journey and you will go far.

(Or at least always get my vote.)