Going against the flow...

[Kholdstare]

Link to original post: [drupal=2685]Going against the flow...[/drupal]



I love going against the popular opinion and opposing people's opinions.

I was raised in a Christian family in southern Georgia by a son of a farmer. My family listened to country music, watched UGA football, voted for Conservatives, and believed the Bible to be the absolute truth.

Well, here I come along. I hate country music, spend my time indoors at a computer or a nice book, dislike sports, hate politics in general, and have lately become Atheist.

My dad mostly dislikes my hobbies. He thinks not going to football games, school activities (I am a social hermit), and listening to country music is just wrong. He thinks I'm a weirdo. He thinks a computer or video game isn't going to get me anywhere, despite the fact I want to work for Square Enix when I'm older.

It's not just my family. Kids at school call me a "brainer" and that I'm "gay" for liking Bach and Handel instead of George Straight or (the other crowd thinks) Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, or that I'm "gay" for reading poetry, playing Pokemon, or watching anime. They think if you're a virgin at 16 you're "gay". They also hate goths or nerds, which my friends from another school are. Of course, they and my family hate homosexuals, but it's the South, what do you expect? I have no problem with someone unless they are blatantly idiotic.

My family and much of my school are football fans. I respect you as long as you don't try to get me into sports discussion. I hate organized sports. Granted, I don't hate ALL of them, some of them I like (such as pool or poker), but I dislike Football and Baseball the most. They're grown men throwing balls around, and you expect me to pay them to applaud? No thank you. It just promotes mindless, muscle-driven superiority, in my opinion. Thankfully, football players have to actually have good academics to play now.

Of course, everyone in my town either hates Obama or will die for him. Personally, I dislike both crowds. Irrational hate for someone because they have a different skin color and hiding behind stupid accusations such as "He's a commie" is for the weak.

If there's a debate, I usually jump in. I jump at something when I see the chance, and always take the opposing side. I especially like to argue with those who've held long standing views and think that those who agree with them are wrong. Like my grandfather.

Oh, and I haven't told my family I'm an Atheist yet. Mostly because my grandmother is Christian and I don't want to upset her, I love her so much. Secondly, because I know a lot of my privileges will be taken away if I do. When I get older and ready, however, I will be fully prepared to confront my parents about their religion.

All in all, I love arguing and making people uncomfortable/against my opinion. It's fun to me. Does this make me a troll, and should I become a lawyer? If there's anyone else out there like me, please add your thoughts.

 

[RyuReiatsu]

I've always thought you were cool, Kholdstare. And in fact, I still do... Just a bit less.
Behaving/thinking differently than people just for the hell of contradicting the majority doesn't make you cool man, it doesn't... Just like when you agree mindlessly with the crowd. It's very, very....Very uncool.

 

[Kholdstare]

I've always thought you were cool, Kholdstare. And in fact, I still do... Just a bit less.
Behaving/thinking differently than people just for the hell of contradicting the majority doesn't make you cool man, it doesn't... Just like when you agree mindlessly with the crowd. It's very, very....Very uncool.

I do it for the lulz, though.

 

[kitsuneko345]

I just want to admit something here:

For about three years of high school, I had nobody I would consider a friend. I would speak only when someone is talking to me and f it wasn't a teacher telling me to answer a question, I'd give a simple excuse to not be part of the conversation. Anyone that tried to be my friend I shunned hem away by not caring or even siting someplace else. I was deemed as the loner/freak of the school because I wasn't interested in becoming a friend. Why? Because beforehand I did try to make friends. It ended in disaster as some used me for homework purposes and other made me feel humiliated. I lost my trust in others because of this.

However, this all changed recently now in my senior year in high school. I can say it probably started in my public speaking class I chose as an elective. The class made me more open to others but it only gave that limit to that class. I had more of a friendly demeanor, but I was still the same loner.

Another change occurred during that time, though. Since I was a senior, I had to see an assembly about the senior memory packets during my second period. Apparently some of the people, including me, were somewhat confused with when this presentation was starting. One of them was a girl that sat directly behind me who didn't even now that I was a senior. Once she told me about this with surprise and we found out the meeting was starting soon, we walked together to the gym where the assembly was taking place and introduced each other.

Now usually I would forget about her afterwards, but there was something different about her. Before we even introduced each other or even talked to one other, I would notice her sitting alone near where I sat down. I saw her as a person like me: a loner. I would admit that I even liked her before we even met because she wasn't a stereotypical wannabe hottie like most other girls in my school. I didn't like those girls that are hot because they really do deserve better than a 200 lb 5'6'' dude with no social skills, but that didn't mean that that girl wasn't hot. Well actually she isn't pretty hot, but she is very cute I can say.

Basically I like this girl a whole lot. From what I learned about her the past two weeks, she lived in another country before moving here about year ago, we have two classes together (although one is in different periods), she has interests similar to mine, and that she hates Public Speaking. The thing that connects us though is that she admits this to me and I can admit my flaws with her and we both wouldn't care much about them. I wouldn't consider us best friends or a boyfriend/girlfriend, but I can consider her a friend. With that, I can say that I'm happy with my life, something I thought of as impossible before..

 

[†Slader7†]

lol I know people like you who enjoy to argue just for the lolz
it doesn't make you a jerk, it just starts a conversation and shows how knowledgeable you are
I also dislike watching/doing sports (omg! a mexican who dislikes soccer), well except tennis
As for the religious part, I'm starting to question the Catholic church and I'm getting negatively scrutinized by my extended family and other people but my my questions never get answered =/
As for your grandmother, dude, thats a tough choice between the truth and her feelings
As for politics, it just makes me feel like the government is going crazy

remember, its not a bad thing to be intelligent and looking like a gentleman

 

[Firus]

Of course, they and my family hate homosexuals, but it's the South, what do you expect?

I love going against the flow, so I agree with you for the most part...

But this is totally obnoxious and unfounded. The south is not inherently racist and insanely bigoted. I lived there for many years. As someone who lives in the south, I would think you would refrain from enforcing untrue stereotypes about it.

 

[RyuReiatsu]

Shouldn't that belong to an entire new thread?

 

[El Nino]

I used to play "devil's advocate" a lot. I don't know if I did it for the same reasons as you, or if I did it just because I happened to legitimately disagree with everyone. The one thing I did gain from that was the ability to critique and find flaws in any type of argument. The difference between what I am now and what I was then is that I don't do it for the lulz anymore. I do it because I'm trying to find an answer for whatever problem I'm staring at. In order to find a solution that actually works, I need to be able to poke holes in arguments and ideas that don't hold up.

Of course, that's mostly a delusion because I've come to the realization that nothing I think really matters; I have no power or resources or means of implementing any "solutions." I have no means of doing anything, really.

I guess you're doing it because you feel a need to argue and stand out and be self-affirming. I was an invisible loner too. Arguing the other side is always a good way of getting noticed. Or maybe you don't have a set core of values that you would defend to the death, so you jump around and switch sides as it suits you because otherwise you wouldn't have anything to stand for. I don't know; I don't know you.

Hopefully, in time, you'll find your core values, and you can use these argumentative skills to your advantage. If you're in high school, I guess now would be the time to be a prick. It would only suck more being a prick when you're older.

I hope you do keep in mind though that, unlike you, other people actually have reasons to hold the stances that they hold on certain issues. For some people, things like "race" and "homosexuality" are not political topics for discussion. For some people, that thing is the skin that they were born into. They weren't given the choice as to which side they stand on; that choice was made for them by the circumstances of their birth and upbringing. You may fight for whatever side suits you at the moment; they fight for their physical and mental selves.

The above applies to all sides, to ethnic minorities, homosexuals, and the bigots who try to oppress them. Arguing is arguing, and it's a hollow battle because you won't address the root causes of a problem that way.

On the other hand, no one else has come up with a better way. So you're not necessarily worse than anyone else. I don't think badly of your actions or anything (not that it matters, here be the internetz, right?), and you seem like an insightful person. But I'm saying as someone who was always (ALWAYS) the devil's advocate in any political discussion, that that way of fighting will come off as shallow once you realize what others stand to lose, the things they're trying to defend. Even those with deplorable viewpoints still have reasons, and that is more than what the devil's advocate has.

Again, just my opinion.