I have a habit of putting things I like together, whether or not they really fit. This goes for most things in life -- I like my different friends even when they hate one another, I have a shelf of various movies that doesn't say much about me as a person, my decor rarely matches except that its usually odd, and I have a tendency to put weird combinations like olives, onions, honey mustard, and chipotle mayo on whatever sandwich I'm eating, because it's the only and all of the stuff I like. Offered, at least.
It's more than I used to eat as a kid--dry bread + deli meat, please. And I'd always leave that last corner as if it were infected with some disease. But my point is that if I only ask for onions and not an entire salad on my sandwich, please do not give me the quantity of onions to make up for a lack of other things.
As my friends pointed out, you can always tell how many hours you'll need to stay at least a yard away from people for the rest of the day by the sandwich artisan's hand. That two seconds where they're reaching for the onions is all you need. If their humble fingers are pinching together, you're in the safe zone, but if they've got that crane claw blitzkriegin' down on the tupperware, you're screwed.
The answer here is obviously to pick some off, but that's for people who care about their relationships.
But then special snowflakes were brought into the picture. Enter: the phrase "eclectic" into conversation.
We talked about how shitty our high schools were, as well as how boring the people were. My friend brought about his "eclectic" tastes and how he felt the day he realized the Pixies were actually one of the most well-known bands, but you wouldn't know any better if you graduated with the riffraff of Arkansas. He said if he'd lived in New York, he would've just been "that guy," not the least bit esoteric.
Oh, hipsters. (Seriously, y'all, southern hipsters are the best.)
But it makes me wonder why are we so obsessed with becoming so individualized by obscure media. Why that empowers us. I mean, sure it's cool if you know about things that others don't, but generally our best conversations are where we can find common ground; a five year old and an eighteen year old may have difficulty discussing pythagorean theorems and what not. I mean, it really is great if you truly like the things you speak of, but I pretty well feel like people go out of their way to find these things just so they can stick their noses up. I've seen it happen. Hell, I've probably done it from time to time. And I am a better example than anyone of having a random assortment of property to the extent it seems like I'm trying, when really I just like good deals, weird shit, and hoarding.
I'm always a sponsor of believing what you want, though, until you start belittling people. Like those really egotistical, mouthy atheists who start picking apart the bible just to rub it in their Christian friends' news feeds. I hate it when people down on others for like "mainstream" music, movies, books, etc. It's a trend for a reason: because a majority of people like it, just like a majority of people vote for a political official they like. Maybe the winner isn't the most educated politician of the bunch, but it's who people liked.
To each their own.
But I like Gogol Bordello, and I don't care if they've had over 18 million plays on last.fm. That doesn't make them any less good, or make me enjoy them less. Much like I don't care if you have 1 or 100 friends, so long as I like you as a person.
Ha, this reminds me: a guy once asked me how many was too many. I replied, "two things: first, no STDs." I realize, of course, you can get this from one person, one time -- but you were unsafe and thus stupid, so your person was one too many. "Second, if you can name them all, especially last names, then I guess it meant enough."
He proceeded to give me a number with promised names and I secretly decided it was too many in my head, but perhaps it's because I never liked him in that way to begin with.
That's another example of tastes: the opposite (for me) sex. None of the guys I've ever gone out with were really even remotely alike. I'm trying to decide what the common factor I'm looking for is exactly, before I break the aforementioned hiatus (more than the couple of times I may have cheated slightly). I think at this point I just want someone who I can hold a conversation with the entire 7 hour road trip, without music, to New Orleans, (because New Orleans is a magnificent place full of jazzy blues, creole food, voodoo, vagrants & buskers, and hand grenades), and if they happen to be able to challenge my wit and are highly dependable, you had me at whatever you had me at.
I guess tastes are tastes, and the philosophy of obscure vs. mainstream really has no significance, but it is important to know what you like...for instance, I really dig the pistachio ice-cream used in the Original Rainbow Cone in Chicago. I'm just sayin'.
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