Imitating people on TV

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As a kid and teenager, I remember I would imitate behavior and phrases from people on TV. I was typically attracted to eccentric/odd people who in hindsight would be considered very odd choices to imitate. For example, I would watch Keenan and Kel and copy Kel and his 'who loves orange soda' phrases. I would at other times copy Jim Carey and pull all those bizarre faces and exaggerated body gestures. I would also imitate Tom Green and his odd behavior. I also remember memorizing ebonics phrases and using those usually humorously.

Basically I would keep hiding behind these different personas, without truly realizing I was socially odd. Anyone similar?

Yup, I can relate.

I memorized witty comebacks to use when people at school started in on me.

Just curious, did they work for you then?

In general, do they work for you now and are you more witty now then you were then?

For a long time the only way that I knew the outside world existed was through the television screen, it was almost inevitable that I would start mimicking what I saw...

And while I have not done it in any significant way for a long time, I miss being able to carry off a different persona...the trouble with television is that everything you see is exaggerated so much, and that is when you have people around you thinking you are odd, much more so than normal.

I think it is a healthy thing to do anyway, for anyone since that is how people learn the rules of the particular system they are in...junior doctors do it, trainee lawyers do it, even actors do it...so why can't we without getting ridiculed?