Music

Honestly, I Have No Idea Who This Band Is, but I’ll Pretend to So You’ll Think I’m Cool

     These kinds of people are some of the most annoying in my opinion. I can’t stand it when people aren’t true to themselves in an effort to make others like them, but some cases are worse than others. Maybe a guy pretends to be interested in the same things as the girl he likes in an attempt to get to know her – I wouldn’t condone this method, but it’s understandable. Some people pretend to like the same things as everyone else, as they will be teased and bullied otherwise. Again, I wish they didn’t but I can totally see why they do.  It’s the people who are hypocritical about it that really annoy me – they like obscure things to seem different and outside the mainstream, in attempt to look cool, which just proves that they secretly do care what people think. I also can’t stand those who have no individuality and always follow the crowd, but I’ll save that for another post.


     I’m not saying this is true of everyone who is a bit different or quirky, as some people really do like unusual things and don’t care what others think, and I actually respect these people a lot. It’s the pretenders that I can’t stand. It’s just so frustrating to watch them trying so hard to not fit in, and half the time they end up looking a bit stupid without realising. I feel like they are often trying to rebel or garner attention. I think that’s the root of my frustration at these people – the attention-seeking nature of how they act. To me, it seems like the most logical explanation for pretending to like something, or exaggerating your interest in it, and it really winds me up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against people getting attention – everyone likes to at some point – I just hate it when people go looking for it.


     I think blogs like this are a good example of this. Posting things online rather than keeping them private indicates that you would like someone else to read them, but I don’t like it when people desperately try to get you to read their blog, or follow them. If someone wants to follow a blog because they like it, that’s nice for the author, but that shouldn’t be why they publish it in the first place. I’m writing my thoughts for my own benefit mostly, and decided to post them in case others were interested (though I’m trying to keep my identity secret in case someone I know comes across this), but if they’re not, I don’t really mind. As for my own style, my music taste is mainly rock, which is a bit different from mainstream (I don’t hate chart music, I just don’t choose to buy or listen to it very much). My clothes are relatively normal, but not entirely in fashion. I think I’m on the fringes – not totally different, but not just another clone of the typical teenager. I don’t really like the idea of mainstream, but I wouldn’t dislike someone just because they did – unless they only liked something because everyone else did (as I mentioned above). It’s personal choice – everyone likes different things, and people should be true to who they are. I’m not going to say that I don’t care what people think of me at all (otherwise I wouldn’t be keeping this anonymous), because I think everyone does to a certain degree, but by and large, my interests and style are my own choice. Ok, I do have some guilty pleasures, and I don’t mention them very much to anyone, but I don’t go out of my way to deny them, as that would mean I was being someone I’m not.


     So, I suppose to sum up, I don’t like it when people pretend to like something they don’t for whatever reason – trying to fit in or trying not to – and I don’t like attention-seekers. I’m out with the mainstream crowd myself, but don’t advertise this blatantly to get attention, or try to deny it either in an attempt to fit in. I think being true to yourself is an important lesson in everyone’s lives, which some people will learn sooner than others (I’m still waiting for it to sink in for my sister). Yes, it irritates me when people aren’t, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I’m happy with who I am, which, I think, is the most important thing at my age.