Do you mind being called "eccentric"?

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I guess in English "eccentric" is closer to a pure description, while "weird" has more of a judgment implied.

I wouldn't mind at all being called eccentric. It's true, and it's fine. I never saw myself as "normal" and I don't want to. People who like me recognize and acknowledge my eccentricity and appreciate me for it. Otherwise they're just strangers.

In my language I doubt people would call me "eccentric", but it's just because the word has a sort of "fancy" connotation attached to it (the dictionary lists "extravagant" as a synonym, and that's something I am not). Throughout my life people have called me similar words (without that connotation) many many times though. They just don't do it often anymore because... I don't meet anyone new. I barely meet anyone old.

i'm the only one i know who is into DES techniques.

It's interesting to see how differently people react to "eccentric" in particular. I wouldn't have guessed how many actually like the term given how much I don't. Although there is a lot of variation in how people feel about any given label, one thing everyone's opinion seems to have in common is that the term we call ourselves seems to be preferred to the term someone else calls us. For me "weird" was never something I was overtly called, rather, it was the elephant in the room. For me, calling it out and saying "I am a little weird, but I like that about myself" makes me feel better than the words other people use to describe my differences in a more socially palatable way that may seem less harsh, but is actually rather patronizing, for example "eccentric", "special needs", "bless her heart", "a strong cup of tea", "__ nerd", or my personal least favorite "unacceptable".

I could see how different life experiences with a different bouquet of words could lead to different preferred descriptors though.

^ Yeah that makes a lot of sense. When it comes to more loaded words, like racial slurs and such, embracing them or not can be a really complicated decision with pretty big implications. But "weird" isn't that big a deal of a word. If it's the word that you feel more comfortable describing yourself with, and you genuinely feel comfortable with it, then it's fine. Not much else to it. I guess your therapist just failed to consider that your experience and your perception wouldn't necessarily be the same as hers. Kind of ironic.

Ouch! That one is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Illustrates very well your point about euphemisms...

If I was your neighbor trying to sleep, I'd be unhappy. How would you like it if your neighbor felt like playing the tuba by the property line at 3AM?

"Eccentric" seemed like a reasonable compromise, and not particularly derogatory. I don't remember it ever being used, though. When people would call me an inventor, though, I'd try to correct them to "designer," because the stuff seemed so obvious to me.

It really shouldn't matter what you call yourself: it's not like you're saying, "I'm a lobotomized chimp, that isn't worthy of anyone's respect..." They are your words, you, and no one else gets to choose them! I am a self proclaimed weirdo: I know I'm very different, and I fly my "freak flag" very proudly--damnit! Should I go around pretending to be like everyone else when I know I'm not, no that's harmful to who I know I am!

I'm very lucky in that I married the only person who understands me; more than anyone ever has; she refers to herself as a weirdo too! It's the people who won't let themselves use my word, and try to be nice and call me eccentric: it's those people who wish me to be "normal" and who are themselves desperately trying to fit into society.

There are many words that are relative and subjective, unlike something like "triskaidekaphobia" (fear or avoidance of the number 13), there is no debating its meaning. I say stand your ground, tell said person that they are your words and that you get to choose them and that you're not saying "I'm a loser, and everyone should hate me just by the very fact that I exist..."

If you're not hurting anyone... why be normal, that's boring. If you look at many of the great thinkers who made a difference in history, they didn't fit into society either

DIVAIR

I've been asked if I'm eccentric

I wouldn't mind being called eccentric; I'd rather like it.

But I don't really think I qualify. I come from a family of people who are really, REALLY eccentric. So to my mind, I'm on the normie end of things.

I'm not acentric, just because i walk around with my pet banana called edwardio in my multicoloured tea pot which i wear on my head, that means nothing... there all just jealous!...