To hate people calling themselves mad?

[worriedaboutthis23]

I’ve just been to a party where there was a photo collage of the birthday girl under the heading ‘she’s mad!’

She isn’t. She leads a perfectly ordinary, run of the mill life, as most of us do, but she’s always saying how ‘mad’ and ‘crazy’ she is. She isn’t a wild party animal, scheme rarely goes out. I’ve noticed people increasingly saying how mad they are, usually the ones who aren’t at all.

Why do they do it? It irrationally annoys me.

SIL’s SIL often uploads photos of herself with others to FB titled ‘the crazies’ or ‘the crazy gang’ etc.

No - you just drink a lot and are a bit thick 😳

In my experience people who work in accounts often describe themselves as “mad”. They’re always, without exception, dull as fuck.

I would never describe myself as mad as I am actually completely aware that I am really boring

I also agree that the one working in admin wearing novelty socks or Pat Butcher earrings, calling everyone 'boring' for not acting like a tit have usually misinterpreted 'mad' for dull or attention seeking.

The true eccentrics I have come across during my lifetime would have probably self identified as conventional.

Oh I have a friend who regularly describes herself as "mad", "psycho", "wild" etc etc and I just think "no, you're just attention seeking and probably have a drink problem".

I used to think I was completely normal and could never understand why I couldn't make friends easily, or why people used to act confused by the things I said of some of the things I did. I thought I was perfectly normal!! As I got older i realised I am a bit different to most people. I find things funny that other people don't, I LOVE watching fighting, MMA, karate, self defence videos - I like to disappear into the wilderness on my own, I get fascinated by subjects that other people find boring - turns out I have aspergers. So now when people say I'm weird I happily accept that I am. I don't go about saying "I'm mad me" because I'm not mad at all.

What do you suggest they title the photo montage: "She is perfectly ordinary and run of the mill"?? They're exaggerating for a bit of fun, surely? And by definition, she didn't call herself mad, someone else did.

KC225

The true eccentrics I have come across during my lifetime would have probably self identified as conventional

This is so true.

This fills me with irrational rage. Same as 'oh I'm so random' 'so crazy'

No you're not. You're dull as dishwater.

A friend of mine worked for BT and went on a residential management course where they had to give a brief presentation of themselvess. A man in his late 40s stood up, he had joined BT on a graduate training scheme, had been married school sweetheart at 25, had two kids and Labrador and lived in the house he grew up in. Nothing wrong with any of that - it's a good, honest life, but then he went on to describe himself as a risk taker. My friend burst out laughing thinkibg it was a joke and he held it against her for the rest of the week.

I always think of myself as fairly tame cause in my circle I am - I am friends with a lot of performers and very eccentric artists etc. But compared to the general population I am probably off the richter scale. It has confused people before when I have described myself quite mildly and then they have found out more about me.

I agree with the PP who says that calling yourself mad often translates as a drink problem - a very very boring person indeed.

I did this as a nervous teenager with little confidence. Looking back it was because:
A) I was still unsure of myself and where I 'fitted in' so having a defined persona I could rely upon was comforting and useful.
B) I didn't realise that when it comes to people and personalities there is no 'normal' so I thought I was weird. This terrified me, so to cover it up I became 'the crazy one' and suddenly being weird was acceptable and made people laugh with me rather than at me.
I realise now that it was distasteful to use the issue of mental health in such a flippant way to get through high school, but as a 12 year old (when the 'crazy' persona kicked in) in the 90s I lacked understanding of mental health issues. I don't think programmes like Friends where characters have personalities focused so much on one or two traits helped to be honest, I think I thought everyone had to the mad/clever/funny/pretty one.

Same as someone who tells everyone they're honest and genuine every ten minutes. Keep them in clear sight and check your change
I'm mad usually means they want people to think they are because it's more interesting than "I'm into scrap booking and kittens."

She made a collage of pictures of herself for her own birthday party?

Probably qualifies someone as mad

She made the collage with her husband - she was definitely calling herself it. She has on other occasions too. Definitely no alcohol problem for her, she rarely drinks.

The PP who said it’s the same as being wary of those who describe themselves as genuine and honest all the time, that’s exactly it! It’s not this particular friend or even the use of mad in particular, but people who describe their own characters to others. It’s like they want to be seen as something they’re not, so they tell you what they think they are instead of letting you come to your own conclusions. It’s so bizarre.

People want to be different and exciting I guess.

I’m ‘mad’ - 20 years of mental illness, some extreme ups and downs, many long psych ward stays, emergency diazepam in my handbag! But I wear Boden, like to sit still a lot and have no desire to do any sort of extreme sports or go on crazy trips without any idea of how I’m getting home (I like an early night please) I’m quite fun, open and I hope genuine, but not particularly ‘zany’. I don’t think anyway.

The ‘I’m so mad/crazy/mental’ brigade sometimes makes me feel a bit like it’s appropriating the fun bits of crazy people think are interesting - “I’m just so random me, just booked a train and went to Birmingham without telling anyone!” - without any consideration of what being ‘crazy’ goes along with it for the people who live it.

I’m probably thinking about this in WAY too much detail, but it was my initial reaction.

good point above.

'I'm mad, me' equals 'I'm a bore with no hobbies except swilling booze'. Same as 'free spirit' equals 'selfish pain in the arse'.

KC225 is your friend really too stupid to grasp that that man could still be a risk-taker, just because of his marriage, job and dog? Duh. Some base jumpers match this definition too, you know.

Whilst I don't like the "I'm mad, me!" stuff, I don't assume that everyone who says it is boring. Some of them are still interesting people. The real eccentrics I know are well aware they're bonkers by normal standards but just don't give a toss.

No idea if she's mad or not, maybe working in your office is a cover and she is an MI6 operative.
But anyone who calls themselves mad will forever put me in mind of these two.

In general it's a good idea to let other people draw their own conclusions, rather than attempt to characterise one's self.

Evidence: Come Dine with Me.

This is one of my pet peeves, along with people who describe themselves as ‘a bit OCD’ no you’re not, you just like cleaning or whatever.

I hate it when people do this too! DP and I have decided that anyone who calls themselves mad is in fact boring.

I do wonder if most people also think they’re a bit weird though. I think I’m a bit weird (I don’t go around saying it). But I think most people would describe me as normal, easy going. I am a bit of an introvert who finds it hard making close friendships though so maybe that’s why.

KC225 is your friend really too stupid to grasp that that man could still be a risk-taker, just because of his marriage, job and dog? Duh. Some base jumpers match this definition too, you know.

If he wanted to define being a ‘risk taker’ he should’ve given more risky examples then - I’d have laughed too, assuming he was being sarcastic about himself

Lots of people with actual mental illnesses are boring.

I'm American- when I say I'm mad, it means something different.

I don't like when people say they're "a bit OCD". It trivializes what is a serious illness to a lot of people who have it. And not all people with OCD clean a lot or have obsessions about hygiene or contamination, or ordering or arranging things. That's a stereotype that might keep some people with other kinds of OCD from getting help- they might think that, because they're not obsessed with cleaning or tidying, they can't have OCD.

My friend isn't stupid or mean. Sasparella is right, my friend assumed the guy was making a joke about himself and laughed. He wasn't base jumper (or anything like like it). He volunteered the list, she hadn't met him before. During the week the course organisers had to have a word with him after he kept freezing her out of group activities. He said she had undermined him during the presentations.

Come Dine With Me is an excellent example 'Oh here we go' and that's before they start cooking.

‘Ooh, I’m mad, me’ invariably means you are self-absorbed and dull.

I get nervous when I meet new people and tend to talk too much, and say weird things like, "are you into serial killers?"

Oh, Steff, that made me laugh. I sympathise. I tend to do the same. Blather on with no filter when I'm nervous.