To think that people who call themselves "quirky", "kooky" or "random" should fuck off?

[Namechangingchameleon]

Add to that people with "eclectic" music tastes.

Fuckers, all of them.

[MangoMoon]

See, now I think you might be a bit kooky New
(Which is obvs fine as someone other than you described you as such )

[NewLife4Me]

mango

Phew, thanks. I thought everyone I met must have thought I was a twat or something

I sort of get it really. If you have to shout about how something you are, you probably aren't really.

I should rtft too, it might help.

[MangoMoon]

My purely personal opinion (quite a few people said the same), is that people described by other people as quirky/kooky etc generally are.

It's when people describe themselves as those things that it's usually not the case IYSWIM.

[NewLife4Me]

mango

Your description is conventional to me, if they all do and wear the same. I see your point.

I know nobody said they didn't like unconventional, i added that as it usually crops up on hated word lists somewhere.

So seriously, what would you use instead of those words.
My dd is all 3 of them and I don't know other words to describe her.
She is totally random, no rhyme or reason. She is quirky as she has her own way of doing things that just doesn't conform, and is a bit strange really.
I couldn't think of nicer words to describe her or her behaviour that didn't sound mean, horrible or a put down.

[MangoMoon]

I love unconventional people in the main.

What I tire of very quickly is legions of unconventional clones who seem to all shun conformity in exactly the same way, wearing exactly the same clothes, with exactly the same 'kooky' hair.

[paxillin]

Nobody said unconventional people are bad, NewLife4Me, nor are quirky ones. Really quirky people tend to be quite unaware or at least unconcerned and don't describe themselves this way.

People who do are often very conventional and try a bit too hard. (see David Brent)

[NewLife4Me]

I use all these terms and my music collection stands at well over 1000 cds, it's pretty eclectic.
I have children who are quirky, kooky or random.
One of them is all 3.

People who use boring Po face words all the time have no sense of adventure and are pretty unimaginative.
People who don't like unconventional types are boring, those who object are not only boring but jealous too.

[paxillin]

There was a whole thread recently full of people lamenting how they didn't fit in

I went to a Goth party once, the whole club was full of identical non-fitter-inners .

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

Also 'I am not a very nice person'

Which means 'I am giving myself a free-pass for all forms of atrocious behaviour and generally treating everyone who crosses my path like shite on the sole of my shoe. What's more, don't even think about blaming me or expect me to answer for the consequences of my actions because I warned you beforehand.'

[DerelictDaughter]

Also 'I am not a very nice person' - have heard that a couple of times in life and laughed it off or put it down to insecurity. But no. That one's a proper warning.

[DerelictDaughter]

There was a whole thread recently full of people lamenting how they didn't fit in, were odd, out of the mainstream, didn't like what 'normal' people liked etc.
Almost every single one liked the same sort of things as about three other people on the thread
They just felt uncomfortable in life, for whatever reason, and thought that manifested itself in a love of sewing or arranging pencils or such like. Somehow I think it's a bit more psychologically complex than that, stop saying you're different because you like growing dahlias.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

I know what you mean.
I think you could pretty much apply it to anyone who ends their sentence with ", me" actually. Whatever the descriptor.

Of all the adjectives used to describe females, "bubbly" is my most hated. Luckily for me, no one in their right minds would use it to describe me.

But I'm also going to stand up for "eclectic" because I think it's a reasonable word for educated people to use, so long as they do use it appropriately (which they should, if they're educated). But then I would say that, because I believe my music taste is fairly eclectic! (DH says it's just weird but that's ok).

[Zaphodsotherhead]

I AM normal and boring, I just have a brain and a mouth that aren't even vaguely connected. At work they think I'm hysterical. I think I'm rude and need to learn to think before I speak. Fortunately, so far, everyone on the recieving end of my mouth (so to speak) has been very nice about it, but I make MYSELF cringe.

I wish my workplace wouldn't call me quirky and mad because it makes me think I have to live up to their image of me - I am so going to get punched one of these days...

[tectonicplates]

Years ago I had a flatmate who always owed people money. Money was not a priority because she was such a wild and free spirit, you see. She was very spiritual indeed. She quit her job and claimed housing benefit so that she could spend her days reading bullshit self-help books about manifesting abundance by way of getting hold of rich men.

In addition, she wrote a few mediocre songs and was always convinced she was going to be offered a record deal tomorrow and she'd be catapulted into super-stardom, even though she never played any gigs. Her whole life was bullshit, though, and it actually turned out that she stole some money from my other flatmate that was meant for paying council tax.

I must admit I've always been kind of fascinated by the levels of rubbish she came out with, so I google her every so often. It usually comes up with music or "philosophy" links.

I googled her just now, and found that she was actually declared bankrupt last year. This doesn't surprise me at all. I bet she's still really spiritual and wild, though

[Broken1Girl]

Defending 'eclectic' here as well.
Entirely agree with MardleBum.

[MardleBum]

On Line Dating

[GlindatheFairy]

What's all this OLD business the OP keeps mentioning?

[MardleBum]

My DH once bumped into a brand new colleague on the train home and made polite conversation with him. He said came across as a bit boring and shy, not very socially confident, sort of your stereotypical girlfriendless geek...all fine.

But then he totally floored my DH by saying 'Have you all got used to how zany I am yet? Don't worry, you will!'

DH said he was about the least zany person you could ever imagine.

[MardleBum]

Right, I've read the thread now and I agree with most things but I'm still standing up for the word eclectic.

I think people who might say they have eclectic tastes in anything are usually a bit more interesting and multi-dimensional than people who don't. If I was OLD I'd be far ore attracted to a bloke who said he had eclectic music tastes than someone who admitted to having three CDs to his name which consisted of Bat Out Of Hell, Queen's Greatest Hits and Now That's What I Call Music 357.

Plus I am told by everyone that my home interiors are drop dead gorgeous and would definitely describe my tastes there as eclectic. By that I just mean I have a mixture of antiques, vintage junk, designer modern, ethnicky stuff I've collected from travelling, one-offs like original art, plus a fair smattering of IKEA. But I put it together artfully.

[MardleBum]

Yes LikeDylan and you can put 'I like to call a spade a spade' or 'I tell it as it is' in that category as well. It usually just means they are a rude fucker who has no qualms about hurting people's feelings.

[weirdsister]

'Eclectic music tastes' does sound wanky - sorry!
Most people enjoy listening to different types of music don't they?

[LikeDylanInTheMovies]

People who 'don't suffer fools gladly'

Usually arrogant and dismissive of others.

[MardleBum]

And as a woman who is capable of appearing quite jolly and funny in company I loathe and detest being referred to as bubbly.

Thankfully it doesn't happen now I'm pushing fifty but when I was in my teens and twenties I used to get it all the time. It's such a lazy cliche that's only ever applied to young women. Fucks me right off.

[MardleBum]

Anyone who says 'I'm mad, me' or refers to themselves as whacky or zany is usually just a socially incompetent twat in a polyester tie with cartoon characters on it.

I do have very eclectic music tastes though. I'm not sure what the problem with the word eclectic is? It's just a useful adjective.

[MangoMoon]

Haha!!
Maisie - the "I'm a riot, my child's wild and I'm crunchy" thread the other night made me think of this thread!