Creepy People: Misunderstood or Mislabelled?

Based on a recent paper that covered what it was that people found ‘creepy’ it occurred to me that the world, as advanced and ever changing as it is and no doubt will continue to be, it apparently still remains the same as it always has been and shows minimal signs of changing. Ironic, don’t you think?

The paper, which was based off some study done by some researchers somewhere in the world highlighted a few characteristics that proved to me that the people of the world are hesitant and wary of things that are different and out of the ordinary. So much so that it triggers their instincts and marks the designated ‘thing’ as ‘creepy’ and in effect wrong. As one would know the things people find categorized as creepy tend to be the things one avoids and tries to get rid of. So then is it not easy to say that what people want to get rid of is the things that are ‘different’ from what they expect from the world, what they value as normal or ‘better’ behavior?

Who knows, the truth of the matter is those that are different still exist among us and exhibit these behaviours whether they are aware of it or not. But is it their fault? Taking a look at the list of characteristics I have to wonder. For example some of the traits stem from what you would normally find in a socially awkward individual, i.e someone who stands too close, laughs at odd times or has a peculiar smile. While other character traits are biological things that seem ridiculous to label someone for, such as long fingers, pale skin or being too thin. Then of course you have some traits that anyone having a lazy day would probably be guilty of, things like having unkempt hair, wearing dirty or unmatched (odd) clothes, or perhaps having bags under your eyes due to long nights watching movies or the like.

But what really gets my grit is that having a mental illness seems to be a character trait that has made the list, indicating how misunderstood people with mental issues really are, granted there are some who misrepresent those out there diagnosed with mental illness. The list goes on, as you can imagine, and admittedly there are some good points to some of the traits made however, I can’t help but noticing a pattern within those mentioned traits. It seems to me that the majority of people, or at least those interviewed, misunderstand the actions of many and because of that they label those uncertain intentions as ‘creepy’ leaving a vast majority to walk around being tagged as potential serial killers or whatever so called ‘creepy people’ are supposedly accused of doing in their spare time. How sad.

So then, what does one have to do to change this attitude, or at the very least shift the idea that being a different kind of ‘different’ isn’t so bad or ‘creepy’? Because let’s face it viewing them in such a negative light makes it all too easy to discriminate against them and thus see them as lessor than the rest of humanity, at least for some individuals it works like that. So it’s clear then a change is needed, in order to accept their differences and embrace the change so as not to fully ostracize these individuals. But where to begin, that is the question?

Personally I think the change occurs with the labelling of said ‘creepiness’. What defines someone as creepy and why does it do so? Am I creepy because I haven’t washed my hair in a while or because my fingers are long? Maybe it’s because I stand too close or have pale skin? These are very specific things that can be misunderstood so easily yet cleared up quickly when approached with an open mind and less judgement. That’s all it takes, I think. But I could just be a naïve soul thinking the world is simple and easy like that, who knows…

Still being open minded and free of judgement has been the cure for many a bias thought and maybe it could work for this, you never know. The worst that could happen is that the bias remains and the world carries on, changing yet not changing in its ever beautiful contradictory self.


Images: Pixabay

The conflict of knowledge

Learning is a part of life. A part that many people are bound to go through at one point or another and to be honest there is a beauty in the acquisition of knowledge that makes life worth living. From the simple act of learning how to speak as a baby to the advanced stages of stringing notes together to create music or complex formulas, the process can be something to be admired. In our society it also proves to be something quite revered. But what happens when one takes it upon themselves and thinks they have acquired all there is to know?

In a recent article I read about a study that was conducted where it was proven that people who viewed themselves as experts in a specific field became close-minded. It was also hinted that these same people were vulnerable to overstating the knowledge they had. How very curious this is, especially when you consider that these people are the ones who should ‘know better’.

It isn’t uncommon for those with the expertise and knowledge that the majority do not have to often be associated with being arrogant and I wonder if this might not be the case and if so why is it that people find the need to put forth an image of such a polished and perfect nature? What drives them to such extremes that it corners their minds to the point where it closes off from reason? Truthfully I think the answer lies in the value that society has placed on the knowledge. After all, the saying does ring pretty clearly; knowledge is power.

And therein lay the crux of the problem for these people who boast more knowledge than they likely have. The belief that they have attained enough knowledge seems to give them a perceived power over the next person, or at least that is what society has raised them to believe. So sure are they in their expertise and influence that they have become close-minded in thinking outside the box. Which is very ironic when you consider the fact that such creative and out of bounds thinking is what advances knowledge in the first place, something the article goes on to state further.

It can’t be denied that knowledge is the foundation of our society as it builds and transforms it on a near constant basis. However, it cannot be forgotten that this precious resource can be relatively flexible as it changes and evolves along with those whom it inspires and that which was once known yesterday can be just as easily forgotten today as things not know before can be discovered. Because of this it should always be considered that nothing is ever truly known, regardless of expertise or assumed knowledge.

Taking into consideration all this, it makes sense to keep an open mind and a dampened ego when approaching the advancement of knowledge. That way the value society has so richly placed on this resource can be just as richly earned and safely kept without any fear of it being questioned or its returns diminished.

Thinking Rational - Teens prove economic prowess in new study

If there’s one thing many people tend to agree on it’s that we all think teenagers are these little pre -pubescent creatures struggling to slither from their shells as they get thrown into this expanding world of endless discovery and rarely does anyone ever willingly admit to being one of those creatures once upon a time. But the truth is we were all there in our reckless little worlds, but one has to question whether we were as reckless as the general population likes to perceive?

In a recent study done in Duke University it was proven that when it comes to monetary issues at least, teenagers can be far more rational than society has given them credit for. The study went on to show how analytical a group of young people where when faced with three situations, of which they had to pick the best one. Each scenario consisted of an opportunity of winning or losing some money.

For example, if a teen picked scenario A, they had a one-third chance of winning possibly $6, one-third chance of winning $4, and a one-third chance of losing $4. Scenarios B and C carried similar rulings to win or lose three different dollar amounts.

The young adults, aged 22 years old on average, approached the task with relatively simple rules in mind. As they completed more trials they opted to go for wins then losses as they chose the scenario with the most wins, completely ignoring the money aspect.

However, as the teenagers went for the scenarios the first thing they seemed to focus on was the magnitude of the potential win or loss and thus they ended up choosing a scenario that minimized their monetary loss.

“I was surprised by how consistent the effects were,” Scott Huettel, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke was even quoted as saying, “Pretty much everywhere we looked, adolescents were the ones who looked more economically rational.”

It would seem that the young are far more advanced in their thinking than they are given credit for yet somehow society still seems to keep them labelled as the reckless ones. It begs the question of whether or not we have moved past the point of making assumptions based on old principles born from old cultures long dead.

What is it that makes teenagers so much more able to stay rational where young adults fail to do so? The answer could probably be found in a different, possibly in more detailed study that tells us a more curious fact about our pre-pubescent money hoarders as it has their brains mapped and compared to that of an adult.

In the study the teens and adults were asked how they would react to certain situations and then their brains were imaged as they responded. The researchers found that though responses were similar between the two groups, the brain activity differed, specifically the medial prefrontal cortex was much more active in the adults then it was in the teenagers. The teens did however, have much more activity in their superior temporal sulcus, the part of the brain that involved prediction of future actions based on previous experience.

Basically the teenagers were faced with a far simpler question that they put to themselves than that of their older companions had as they executed their judgement. While the adults considered not only themselves but those around them, you had the teenager only considering themselves. Taking this phenomenon into account it begins to make sense how teenagers are capable of being as rational as you find simplicity in the way their thinking is processed. But can it be said for all teenagers?

Who knows, what is known is that this selfish kind of thinking doesn’t seem to last for long as the young mind matures into that of a young adult’s mind and the idea of thinking about others comes into play. Whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on the individual.

E-Cigarettes: New Spin on Old Habits

Just like the flip phone phased out into the smart phones we all know and love today, it would seem that smoking has moved in a similar direction, or has it? E-cigarettes, a relatively new-ish thing that has garnered a lot of popularity in the younger peoples these days seems to be making the rounds as people learn to love it, or hate it. But I can’t blame them as I read up more about the new [to me, at least] fad that seems to be the in thing.

As I understand it, e-cigarettes hail from the lovely land of the Chinese and are battery powered and sold with ‘refillable’ flavours as well as nicotine. Of course I’m guessing the attraction for the youth must be those flavours and I wonder what exactly is in that. According to researchers who took the time to study 30 e-cig liquids, taken from a number of different companies including the major manufacturers NJoy and Blu the study which contained a variety of flavours such as tobacco, menthol, cotton candy, bubble-gum, chocolate and other fruit flavours, it showed a number of chemicals which could potentially cause harm. The trouble it would seem that though the substance was safe in quantity, it wasn’t necessarily known whether it was really okay to directly inhale the stuff without consequence. Comforting thought that. 

Still I doubt that many kids care much about the science behind the fact that the thing lights up like a real cigarette while you use it and emits a cool white smoke you can make circles and other shapes with. You know, the real things to get excited about. Well, that and maybe the fact that e-cigs technically allow them to give the finger to the man as they ‘fall through the cracks of the law’. Considering that there barely exists any law against the electronic annoyance, you can be sure that many will take advantage of this as they stray from the old tobacco stick to the new shiny and improved one. Suddenly it becomes a question of conscience whether to ‘light up’ or not.

But is it okay for our youth to be puffing away?

In a recent article I read, a certain government body stated that ‘vaping’ is safer than smoking and this could lead to the end of traditional smoking. They go so far as to even want to get e-cigs licensed as a medicine and dispense it as such amongst the average consumer as a prescribed medication for quitting smoking. Yet in another article I read a conflicting argument is made, one I find myself agreeing with far more than the idea of making e-cigs so readily available.

The article in question states that someone who has vaped is more likely to move over to the traditional way of smoking. They backed this by some research they conducted amongst teenagers. I can’t help but think this is an obvious outcome, I mean tobacco and nicotine is after all a drug, a minor one yes but it is what it is.

It also leads me to see that not enough research has been made into e-cigs and how they affect people. Too much is unknown and all that is left is speculation and argument. It makes for a dangerous idea of what has been left in the hands of so many young people as we become the guinea pigs for the future to learn from. But I suppose that’s how it always is.

If anything is to come of the unchecked use of all this vaping though, it should probably be some laws and regulations though. That way, if there is any damage as the scientists fear, it wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Keeping Communication: The Struggles of Growing Up

Everybody grows up. It’s just part of life, one of those unavoidable things that just have to happen, one way or another. Going from that innocent child whose needs that every parent learns to know through the various signals from birth to the emotional mess that comes with being a hormonal adolescent, we all go through the process like clockwork. What’s interesting to note though is that despite our parents knowing us from birth, after learning every facial expression and nuance of ours, most times it becomes difficult for them to understand us as we transition through our troublesome years and somewhere along the line something happens in the adolescent phase as things get messy and the lines of communication go through a tough evolution that sometimes gets damaged along the way.

In a recent article I read, a study was conducted that measured the difference between the parent’s estimation of their child’s happiness and the child’s own estimation of their happiness. What was found was an interesting and significantly different result that highlighted that maybe our parents don’t always know us as well as we would like to think. 

The results showed that parents based their judgement on their own personal feelings, going so far as to assume that their children’s happiness was in line with their own emotional feelings instead of objectively assessing their child. It’s curious why they would do this, but I think it most probably stems from the fact that most parents feel that they know their children inside out, after all they raised them, right?

But what I feel these parents and in fact most parents don’t take into account is that children grow up, they change and become their own individuals that, though moulded by the lessons of their hopefully capable parent's hands, are also carved by the effects of outside influences that is the world around us. Just like they did before them, the children grow into their own people as they venture into the world. 

My guess is that the reason parents don’t know, or realise this change is happening is because those frayed lines of communication that evolve over time have either not been given the proper foundation they needed in order to grow from or the messy transition into adolescence has not been kind to either child or parent. But the bottom line over all, is communication. How else can such a disparity exist in the perceived happiness that parents have of their children versus what their children have themselves?

But communication isn’t easy. How can it be when you think you’ve known something for its whole life only to be told you know nothing? Truth is we want to believe so badly there is nothing we don’t know, but the arrogance of such confidence is where the cracks start to form and the children grow further away from who we know them to be and who they truly are.

Yeah communication is hard. It’s the process of continually discovering that the person who you think you know might just be someone else. The constant discovery of the old as it reshapes into the new. That little thing that makes misunderstandings just a little less awkward and brings about better companionship.

Maybe, just maybe, if there was better communication the difference between what parents perceive to be their children’s happiness and what actually is their happiness won‘t be so far apart and in the long run that messy hormonal phase won’t be so messy after all as parents finally grow to understand their children just a little better. After all, once a blue moon ago they were those children too.

The Curro Wave

Why is it, that man is so bent on repeating the mistakes of their predecessors? Are we so obsessed with our history that we would go so far as to repeat it in our actions simply to be closer to it? These are serious questions we must ask as we consider how we move forward in this world that seems to be crumbling as we try to move forward while constantly looking back.

In a recent article I read about the interesting politics of the merger, or rather the attempted merger of Curro holdings and Advtech. Two companies interested in the education sector and building facilities that would better provide the kind of standard education we want our youth to have as opposed to what our government is currently failing to give. Politics aside, the gist of things seem to be that Advtech seem unwilling to jump into bed with the infamous Curro group and it’s hard to blame them when you consider the damage their image suffered with that unfortunate segregation scandal a few months ago.

I find it interesting that a group such as this, an investment firm, who strive to increase their influence as they step into education, might not have alternate motives. Sure maybe their intentions were good, but I can’t blame Advtech for their reservations. The slip up that Curro tries so hard to brush aside as a simple mishap through misunderstanding just doesn’t cut it enough if you take a moment and think about things. Their defence that the children were in fact being segregated by language and not race doesn’t change the fact that they were ‘segregated’ period.

Have these people learned nothing from the past and the damaging consequences of any form of separation? I don’t know what’s worse though, that they might truly believe in this minor separation or that they intend to implement it in the many schools they speak about wanting to open up in their dreams of expansion.

I suppose it’s a good thing to see that some companies like Advtech see the wrong and danger in tying themselves onto a sinking ship like this, but they aren’t the ones we should worry about. The ones we should be concerned about are the companies and groups with money and influence who are willing to push this backwards dream forward. Because then not only does it stop being a sinking ship, it soon becomes a history lesson we are doomed to live through as it rides an unfortunate wave forward and what’s worse, it starts out in the education side of things.

Crazy for Content and the Guide for Common Sense

What is it about this generation and their desire to get the most likes on Instagram? Or if it’s not that it’s about getting the most views on Youtube or some other social media site where they want others to take note of their existence and press that like or heart button until they can’t anymore. I’m not sure I get it, I mean sure it’s nice to share your stuff with the world if your into that sort of thing, but why share it for any validation? Isn’t that putting too much pressure on your life?

In a recent article I read about a man who was being charged for something I think was bound to happen eventually to be honest. In fact, this man probably represents a good chunk of the world that is out searching for something that could give them an edge in the world, you know give them just a little something to put themselves on the map. Though I think this individual might have had an added sociopathic problem to boot as he took his cell phone out in hopes of getting the next viral video and maybe some news coverage.

How the man in question thought it would be okay to approach the scene of an accident where two teenagers had just been in a car crash and film it instead of help the poor souls is something that has to make you wonder about how low our society has fallen into the grips of social entertainment because let’s be honest, despite our surprise and disgust at how the man could do such a thing, you can’t deny the fact that there exists more than enough people out there who want to see that footage, let alone buy it. I suppose there’s comfort to be found in the fact that the police are looking to charge him with trespassing on a crime scene, still I doubt the family of the one deceased child care much. Then again I also suppose I can’t assume that the man’s earlier efforts to help would have made any difference.

It’s funny the lengths people will go to in order to get content to showcase on their social media profiles. The chances people seem to take are bordering on the extreme and nobody seems to want to draw the line anytime soon. Well almost, nobody. Out of all the places in the world who would have thought that Russia would come up with a useful guide that would attempt to at least discourage risky behaviour in the search of the perfect selfie.

What’s sad is the fact that such a guide is even needed. It’s like common sense took an extended vacation as it up and left this generation. I wish I could laugh it off and say we don’t need such a guide because we’re humans, top of the food chain! But the sad truth is that in the last two years alone you could find some of the weirdest and most stupid accidents resulting from people trying to get the perfect selfie.

* Fatal accidents involving selfies*
*Man shoots himself in head after trying to take selfie*
*Pilot selfie crash*
*India train selfie kills three students*
*5 deadly accidents caused by people talking selfies* 

It takes that whole saying ‘to die for one’s art’ to a whole new level, one I’m not so sure most people even mean to live by and is a ‘selfie’ even considered as art? I mean sure, some guy in New York is technically stealing people’s images, tweaking it a bit and calling it ‘art’ but is it really worth nearly dying or killing over it? These are some serious things to ponder.

I don’t know, maybe I just haven’t felt that special feeling when someone likes the stuff I share, or maybe I need more than one someone to do it, who knows. Personally I don’t see myself hanging from a tree for a like or stripping down for a view, it’s just not my thing but then again I’m just not the type and the world needs and has all types. I just wish all types didn’t have common sense as optional.