Why does it make me feel good about myself when another....

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....person does something really weird or daft?
I don't mean something weird or daft that's still socially acceptable, like somebody quitting a good job to do a job that's not even ideal, or somebody staying with a partner who they don't even fancy or truly love. Because people who do that don't usually get laughed at by their friends. I mean something that's really out of the ordinary that is considered really weird and unusual to other people, even to me.

For example, I have a friend who has some learning difficulties (but not on the spectrum), and he's been claiming he has a girlfriend for a few months, all over Facebook. I was like, ''aw, how sweet''. But people are saying that they reckon she is made up, and now he's getting laughed at on Facebook. I'm starting to think that too, because I've been on her Facebook wall thing and saw that only him and her are talking on it and literally nobody else, even though she has all these random people as friends but they never say anything, probably because they have no idea who the hell she is and, lucky for him, have added her anyway. She's only got 2 pictures of herself, but they both look like they're two completely different people, but could look the same person if you only glance at it quickly. It just all looks fake to me, and to a lot of other people too.

But anyway, I am not making a thread of arguing over whether this is a real person or not because none of you know this person and I don't even know if her being made up is true or not, but I'm just saying that if that is the case then it has made me feel.....normal, if you know what I mean. I sort of feel good better about myself, knowing that there is someone who is actually making a fool of himself worse than I ever do, and when I read it I said to myself, ''I love being me!'' It just came out. I feel really horrible, because I don't normally think like this, but it makes me realise that there are people who do stupider things than I do. I mean, usually young people do tend to laugh at people who make friends up. They tend to get creeped out by people who do that, although it doesn't worry me, although I don't make friends up myself but I'm just saying.

Anyone else feel like this sometimes?

I guess to some degree I get the same feelings when I go to forums for other interests. Reason being is because they appear to be a lot err, what's the word here, stranger as I am.

Social sites and forums attract a lot of people with personality disorders, mental health conditions, temporary bouts of anxiety / depression and usually when they are chucked in with lots of NT's there becomes this huge contrast and they appear to be very inarticulate, incoherent, illogical, abrupt and absurd people. Combine that with a lack or understanding of online etiquette and it makes them looks like props in a comedy and once in a while I get to feel normal. I shouldn't feel that way, but it's sometimes what happens.

I have reconciled with a lot of people that get the raw deal like this and it turns out many had disorders, mental health things inc. autism and such and I have a newfound patience with a lot of folks going through different things.

Joe90, I can't tell you why it feels good. Maybe it's not that you feel good because of the expense of the other person but the fact they helped you appear to be more normal than them. It perhaps validates your existence a bit more. It seems to do that for me.

It's that "There but for the grace of God, go I" type thing. The same feeling that people with messy houses get when they watch those hoarding shows on TV and see people with messier houses. The same feeling that people who are overweight get when they see someone who is very very overweight. The same feeling that guys in a foxhole get when the guy that's standing right next to them is shot but they manage to escape. There was a name for that last one, but I can't remember it.

It's sort of a relief feeling. Something to compare yourself too. When you constantly compare yourself to others and you come out in an unfavorable light, it's reassuring to be able to come out on top when you are compared to someone else. It affirms that even though you do have a problem, it's not as big as someone else's. Like that saying about the guy with no shoes who was sad until he saw the guy with no feet.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
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