Weird vs Eccentric

Post Reply New Topic

I have noticed something. If you are different and poor, then you are seen as a weirdo. But if you are different and rich (implying successful), then you are seen as just eccentric. So the solution to all your acceptance issues is to become rich

Last edited by emp on 23 Apr 2006, 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I am actually starting to believe that.

Tim

I agree.

I am so going to buy myself the winning lottery ticket tomorrow!

The difference has very little to do with money.
HERE'S the real difference:

Eccentric: Slightly unusual, but cultured, creative, knowledgeable and intelligent.
Generally positive connotations.

Weird: Very, very unusual, often with very few socially or intellectually redeeming qualities.
Generally negative connotations.
The ignoramii* are likely to use the term weird to mean both "eccentric" and "just plain weird." But the ignoramii being who they are, their definitons don't count.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Uninformed.

Last edited by Yupa on 23 Apr 2006, 9:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think there has been a different attitude in the past 10 or 20 years also. Before you were allowed to have some eccentricities without anyone thinking too much about it. But it seems like society has moved into this "collective" mindset and if anyone is not part of the team or goes against the group they are weird, disordered or bizzarre. I think "eccentric" is going out of favor because it has some positive connotations and that is unacceptable to the conformists. Then again, maybe it is because of the pharmaceutical companies and all the pills they are trying to sell.

If instead you were applying the terms weird or eccentric to Aspies,

it depends on whether their obsession/s are more socially acceptable within their occupations and/or peer group.

Its because those "weird" people do better than averege Joe, and to insult them will be like insulting themselves 10 times over for being more idiotic than them.

Still, I'd rather be weird than just another person among 6 billion.

I consider Myself as being Eccentric for I am cultured, creative, knowledgeable and intelligent.

Yeah, but in terms of social conventions, people use these terms to denote some sort of status symbol. It's sort of like the illegal drug trade. If you're poor, then they're going to sic the pigs on you. If you're rich, well ... gee, they just call that recreational drug use, and that's much more socially acceptable.

Surely! Weirdo implies greater emphasis on something that's negative, whereas eccentric places more emphasis on something that's positive. It's fun to be around an eccentric person, but we should be leary of the weird ones. It is not at all surprising that class discrimination is involved.

- Ray M -

Weird, Eccentric, it doesn't matter. I'm proud of being different.

I think most Nts seem weird. I picture their thought patterns going something like this: television...Walmart...food...church...television...Walmart...food...church...television. I would definitely rather be my kind of weird as opposed to theirs. I have heard that in Great Britain they appreciate eccentric people more than here in the U.S., can anyone tell me if that is true?

MAD Magazine once had a piece on this subject.

When you're poor...you're the town weirdo.
When you're rich....you're the local eccentric.

There were a bunch of others.

P: You're a glutton
R: You're a gourmet

P: You breed kids like rabbits
R: You're blessed with a large family

P: You throw away your money on booze.
R: You have a well-stocked bar.

P: You own a mutt.
R: You possess a mixed-breed.

You know, similar double standards exist for Aspies and NT's

When you're an Aspie... he broke a school rule and is getting punished for it
When you're an NT....... the principal won't stop picking on him

It's true.

I agree. Further, I believe that "eccentric" and "wierd" are negatives and positives of the same thing (ie eccentric is putting a positive spin on being wierd and wierd is putting a negative spin on being eccentric).

Due to my Aspiness, I am sure that I am very eccentric - I feel eccentric. The people I work with consider me to be very eccentric both because they know me and possibly because they like me (or at least they don't outright hate me). On the other hand, many people who do not know me consider me to be wierd (according to others).

It is all a matter of perspective.

Rob

In Lyda-Lee Potter's book 'Class Act', she points out that if an upper class person extinguishes a fire by peeing on it, it's eccentric. On the other hand, working class people find behaviour - traditionally speaking - disgusting. Who's the better person there then? As long as you're not pompous about your eccentricity, then you'll be alright regardless of your financial standing, I would've though.