There’s weird, and then there’s weird.

Weird people can do things including, but not limited to: singing responses to questions, or taking their dog everywhere they’re allowed to and some places they’re not. Or growing and maintaining a long beard specifically for styling it into a bow tie shape over their collar. Maybe they paint their house in rainbow colors. And so on. All internal stuff that only affects them physically/mentally, nothing that can affect the lives of others beyond the occasional remark: “Huh, that guy’s wearing a boot on his head. That’s weird.”

Weird people think it’s ok to remove fundamental civil rights from others by dehumanizing marginalized groups. Weird people refuse to answer questions on policy positions and instead Gish gallop until the question is forgotten in the face of the ten other falsehoods spoken in response. Weird men use makeup, but they demean other men who choose to, regardless of context. Weird people are threatened to the point of brandishing a firearm when a stranger uses their driveway to turn their car around.

The difference here is that one type of weird affects only the weird person. Weird people’s weirdness alters the lives of others by force and against their consent. Garden variety weird people(myself included) generally keep to themselves and mind their own damn business! Anyone who can’t tell the difference between weird and weird at this point is either willfully ignoring it, or welcoming the weird because they’re not part of the out-group.

Yes, I’ve identified as weird since fifth grade. Looking back, there’s no denying I was born this way. I can mask it with moderate effort, but as I get older, I find the need to do that less and less.

Personality Equivalent of the Uncanny Valley