My vreugdes en frustrasies

A - Z (2018)

#AtoZchallenge (2018) W is for feeling Wacky

My theme for this challenge is “feelings” of a sexagenarian and the influence of social media.

My tema vir hierdie uitdaging is “gevoelens” van ‘n sestig-plusser en die invloed van sosiale media.

English (Afrikaans below):

Wacky: funny or amusing in a slightly odd or peculiar way; eccentric, weird, odd. We all grew up with one of those “silly” or “weird” people in our family or friend circle or in the same congregation. If this is not the case, there is a major gap in your education.

These are the kind of people that do not concern themselves with conventions and are usually regarded by others as slightly strange; they are always viewed with a scornful jeer because they do not really fit the norm. However, they do not care about others’ opinion and dance to their own beat.

Oddly enough, these are the people who usually achieve great success in their personal and/or professional life, despite their eccentric thought processes. I found the following information on some famous eccentric people on Google:

  • Pythagoras (mathematical genius) allegedly believed that beans are evil and therefore should not be eaten (maybe he was right!).
  • Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union leader) apparently judged peoples’ character by smelling their poo.
  • Lord Byron (poet) apparently kept a bear as a pet in his dormitory at Cambridge.
  • Oscar Wilde (poet and playwright) allegedly walked the streets with a lobster on a leash during his student years at Oxford. (Dead or alive, I wonder?)
  • Michelangelo (painter) apparently very seldom bathed or put on clean clothes, and always went to bed fully dressed, shoes included.
  • Nikola Tesla (physicist and engineer) apparently took personal hygiene to the other extreme, due to a serious obsession to live in a germ-free environment.
  • Edgar Allen Poe (author) was apparently so spiteful by nature that on one occasion he paid for a candy bar with 100 loose pennies. Was candy really that expensive in his lifetime?

Conclusion: eccentric people should not be judged on their odd behavior.

The role of social media: Every now and a new fashionable idea hits social media and causes a storm of memes flying back and forth; Facebook is well known for this phenomenon. A while ago, everybody felt compelled to post a meme at least once a day to announce exactly how crazy, strange or eccentric they are. Example: “I do not go crazy, I am crazy” or “I just go to normal from time to time”. The theme was repeated so often that it began to sound like a broken record. My question is this: if you really sport such abnormal behavioral patterns, why are you not famous? Today’s emoji: 🙃

Afrikaans:

Verspot: snaaks of amusant op ‘n effense vreemde of eienaardige manier; eksentriek, vreemd, sonderling. Ons het almal grootgeword met een van daardie “verspotte” of “vreemde” persone in ons familie- of vriendekring of in dieselfde gemeente. Indien dit nie geval is nie, is daar ‘n groot leemte in jou opvoeding.

Dis die soort persone wat hulle glad nie steur aan konvensies nie en gewoonlik deur ander as effe eienaardig beskou word; hulle word altyd so met ‘n half spottende glimlag bejeën omdat hulle nie regtig inpas nie. Hulle steur hulle egter geensins aan ander se opinies nie en dans maar voort op maat van hulle eie musiek.

Eienaardig genoeg, is hierdie die mense wat gewoonlik groot sukses behaal in hulle persoonlike en/of beroepslewe ten spyte van hulle eksentrieke denkwyses. Ek het die volgende inligting van ‘n paar bekende eksentrieke persone op Google opgespoor:

  • Pythagoras (wiskundige genie) het na bewering geglo dat boontjies van die bose was en dus nie geëet moes word nie (dalk was hy reg!).
  • Joseph Stalin (Sowiet Unie leier) het blykbaar mense se karakter beoordeel deur aan hulle poef te ruik.
  • Lord Byron (digter) het glo ‘n beer as ‘n troeteldier in sy koshuiskamer in Cambridge aangehou.
  • Oscar Wilde (digter en dramaturg) het na bewering gedurende sy studentejare in Oxford gereeld deur die strate geloop met ‘n kreef op ‘n leiband. (Dood of lewendig, wonder ek?)
  • Michelangelo (skilder) het glo bitter weinig gebad of skoon klere aangetrek en het altyd ten volle gekleed, skoene en al, bed toe gegaan.
  • Nikola Tesla (fisikus en ingenieur) was skynbaar presies die teenoorgestelde wat persoonlike higiëne aanbetref as gevolg van ‘n ernstige obsessie met kieme.
  • Edgar Allen Poe (skrywer) was glo so moedswillig van geaardheid dat hy by geleentheid ‘n lekkergoedstafie met 100 los pennies betaal het. Was lekkergoed so duur in sy leeftyd?

Gevolgtrekking: eksentrieke mense moenie op hulle baadjies getakseer word nie.

Die rol van sosiale media:  So elke nou en dan ontstaan daar ‘n nuwe modegier op sosiale media wat ‘n storm nuwe memes laat heen en weer vlieg; veral Facebook is bekend hiervoor. ‘n Ruk gelede het ‘n ieder en elk ten minste een keer ‘n dag ‘n meme geplaas om te vertel presies hoe gek, vreemd of eksentriek hulle is. Voorbeeld – “I don’t go crazy, I am crazy” of “I just go normal from time to time”. Die tema was later holrug gery. My vraag is, as jy regtig sulke abnormale gedragspatrone het, hoekom is jy dan nie beroemd nie? Emoji vir vandag: 🙃

Read all my entries for the #AtoZchallenge (April 2018) here.

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15 Comments

  1. Sommiges steel selfs die Krugermijoene op hulle blogs vanuit towerhuise en gaan woon in towerpaleise

  2. Ek sê mos, ons is “famous”. Ons hoort ook op jou lys, Hester.

  3. Nilanjana Bose

    How did Stalin manage the..um…smell test I wonder – come into my toilet said the spider to the fly?

    Eww, maybe I’m better off not knowing! 😀

  4. Elane

    Lekker lag ek, ek reken ek word as eksentriek in my klein kringetjie beskou. Meeste v my vriendinne verkies alleen kuiers met my, terwyl hulle alewig in andersins groepe kuier. Tong in die kies, ek dink van hulle dink as hulle alleen met my kuier weet die res nie – dit pla nie, maar ek glimlag lekker daaroor..

  5. Grinnik… ek bly doodstil

  6. The compiled information of facts of celebrated personalities was a perfect add-on.

    This was a great read. 🙂

  7. My probleem is weer dat mense al dikwels vir my gesê het ek is eksentriek, maar ek weet nie hoekom nie. Ek dink ek is doodgewoon.

    • Comment by post author

      HesterLeyNel

      Dis wat gebeur wanneer ons verskil oor wat doodgewoon is. Sommige mense dink doodgewoon is soos ‘n trop skape wat almal dieselfde lyk (behalwe vir ‘n skaapboer) en as daar een skaap is ietwat anders lyk of van ‘n ander soort gras hou, is jy eksentriek.