acting "against type"

OTM

my own efforts to act against type have been grotesque failures.

- Walt Whitman, Song of Myself.

I think this is the first time my English degree has ever proved useful.

I've never sensed a consistent judgment, for better or worse -- in terms of personality traits, perhaps, but as some sort of defined 'type'? Not sure at all.

hast thou forgotten?

(a) that nobody takes me seriously and (b) that some people find me too serious.

We have a strong plot here.

Anyway, if resistance to the idea of 'type' is a stumbling block to people answering this interesting question, I'd suggest 'habit' instead. Have you ever acted against habit? You'll know when you're doing it, because it grates, irritates, tickles or hurts.

Thats me. I tend to morph to blend in quietly with those I'm around. I dont much care for asserting a type or personality over others. In a taoist sense, in any case; thats not to say I am a pushover or just act like everyone else to please them. I just honestly find I can bring out all these different bits of me to suit the situation. Demure and quiet, loud and rude, smart, stupid, funny, thoughtful - its all me, I'm never putting on an act.

I *am* often putting on masks though. But thats a whole 'nother story.

Unlike most ordinary ILxors, Carlin was wise and he educated those willing to open their minds to the possibility and scope that come with the freedom to think what you like, and feel what you genuinely feel without shame or embarrassment, by actually embracing that emotion or thought, and celebrating it by sharing it over the internet.

Most of Carlin's more controversial threads provoked a lot of people into posting to express their somewhat prejudiced opinions, and this created the entertainment. Carlin was simply offering alternative proposals - to both contemporary morals and things that we are supposed to think and believe because that is what everybody else thinks and believes - and basicallly told us that when we look at something from a different angle it can make more sense, and at the same time still be considered wrong. His ILx posts promoted individuality at its highest level - the freedom and the intelligence to think and believe something you wish to choose based on quantifiable evidence to support that point of view; not believing something on the sole basis of just being told it, or because it is written down as fact.

Those of ILx who did get it would eagerly await Carlin's next proposition and open their minds to the possibilities, occasionally posting just to have an argument or a laugh. Those who didn't get it (mainly Americans) would be waiting for his next thread just so that they could complain to the moderators, but by doing so would inadvertently supply merciless fun for all the other readers and posters. Those who read long and attentively enough became hooked, and could also recognise other addicts. Carlin educated us, stimulated our interest, challenged us, made us laugh and cry, provoked our anger, and provided substantial entertainment at the expense of fevered egos. What was important was that we were getting everything out of Carlin's writing on a regular basis. It was that extra fuel for our life's blood.

Acting "against type" or "out of character" is something I'm a very strong advocate of. While I do agree with Momus that categorisation is done and always will be done and can indeed be very useful, I also think that many people deny themselves opportunities and experiences, and at a more extreme level cause themselves and those around them emotional pain/stress, simply because they too freely deny themselves certain actions and options because of who they think they are. Especially during my second and third year at university, and occasionally since thn, although less ravenously and recklessly, I acted very deliberately against type and out of character on many, many occasions. Sometimes it wasn't conscious - I was drinking a lot and under considerable emotional stress a lot of the time, which I think impaired my judgement - but most of the time I was aware of what I was doing, and was taking conscious steps to try things I would not have imagined myself doing at previous stages in my life, trying to stretch who I was in order to find out what would make me happy (more details are in this thread - http://ilx.p3r.net/thread.php?msgid=3245776 ).

I believe that most people are capable of doing most things if they simply allow themselves, whether that is doing a piece of deadlined work early instead of leaving it to the last minute, or skydiving, or commiting adultery, or riding a motorbike, or talking openly with a new acquaintance, or eating spinach or anything; if you go at it with the point of view not that you are, say, N1ck S0uth@ll who has never been on a plane and thus must be scared of flying, but rather that you are just a person and other people can do this and thus so can you.

Nihilism: C/D

I end up doing this kind of shit ALL THE TIME, cuz I'm such a music snob:
"Oh, your favorite band is Staind? You're gonna name your first son Aaron Lewis? Uh, yeah they're pretty good!"
It's like that Michael Bolton scene in Office Space. 99% of the time I'm not in a negative enough mood to tell people that I think everything they like is shit anyway.

Fantastic! Where do I sign up?

I knew we'd done this before. What are the odds on me saying the same thning twice?