Once again Wendy has inspired me to think about myself. Pointing out something that is strange about me. I don't think it is that strange. I think it might be uncommon but I can't be the only one that has my perspective.
Last night I decided to watch a few Horror movies, I like to do it by myself, because for some reason I find that watching them with other people is uncomfortable. Mainly because of my reactions to them, as Wendy stated, "Ian funny." If you were to hear me watching a horror movie, you may mistake me as watching a comedy. Since about the age of say 15 or 16 I rarely get scared at the films, I end up laughing most of the time. I don't know why, but I've found horror flicks to be more laughable than scary. Might it be that I able to separate that fact that this is make believe, and not reality. I think it might be that my commons stress reaction is to laugh or make a joke, and I am actually scared but I start to laugh instead. I have felt scared a number of times, were my adrenaline is racing and I feel the flight or fight response pull at me, but those have been situations where I was not watching a film I was experiencing real life. Each time I felt that, I knew I was going to fight. The moment passed however, and nothing came of it. I was expecting the worst and nothing happened.
I remember being very young, and being scared of Gremlins. I must have been around 4 or 5, they scared be because of their toothy appearance, and how in the film they seemed to be hiding everywhere. As I got older I realized they were just puppets and nothing to be scared of. Mostly because of the words of my father. "That's not real, if you need to be scared of anything be scared of me, because I'm real and I'll beat your ass if you don't go to sleep." My father was a loving and caring person. He cut right through the bullshit and gave me the logical reasoning that made me realize, he was correct. Since than I've not been scared at films. That by no means I don't have a "Jump" response. I'm not a master of my autonomic nerves so when you make me jump it is a reaction that I have no control over. Startling me is going to get the same reaction as anyone. Except since I know my fight or flight response is fight, I might punch you.
I told Wendy that I found something funny about the films I was watching last night. Her response was "Is it normal person funny, or is it Ian funny." I didn't know what she meant so I asked her to clarify. "You're evil and so, what you find funny isn't what normal people find funny." I'll give her that, I've been called evil be a lot of people. I'm still really interested in what level definition of evil I am. I try not to really think about it, I can't say I don't feel a small amount of pride at being called evil. I often have a bit of empathy for the villains in films. I digress, I described the scene of the film and why I found it funny, she said it was 'Ian funny' and not normal person funny. I didn't press the matter I simply thought about it. Maybe I would look a little out of place in a theater if I was laughing out loud at the situation, as I was in the bedroom.
The two films I watched were V/H/S and Paranormal Activity 3. I had seen, the first two Paranormal Activities, so after watching V/H/S I watched the 3rd one. V/H/S because of the recommendation of my friend Chris. It was actually fairly amusing, instead of being a single film with a tired plot, it was a collection of short films all "found footage" of the events that happen to a group of different random young people. The found footage has become kind of a popular medium for the horror film industry. I suppose it is because it adds a little bit more believe-ability to the concept. I've learned to ignore the shaky cam effects. I spend more time trying to time when the "scares" are going to happen, and I try and look to where the directer is trying not to make you look. Not to avoid the scare, but to see something, I might have missed. I know where the scare is coming from because every horror film forces your perspective. I try to go against the perspective. It is just some thing I've got into a habit of for most of my life. Don't look at the picture in front of you look around or past it.
I suppose that is something that keeps me from being normal. I'm sure it is something that has helped me with the jobs that I go for. I hope it keeps me looking for what isn't there and finding something that may not be normal but is still interesting. Maybe I'm just talking myself up, and I'm just a freak. Who cares, you like me because I'm a scoundrel.
Ian Serna
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
I wouldn't have to think about my personality
I was given a question to think about the other day. I've thought a bit about it, but since I can't seem to quite place my finger on an exact reason I thought trying to work it out by writing it out my help. I was asked, why happened to me that made me so mean, sarcastic, and selfish. I thought about it for a while and my logic seemed rather secular. I've been an internet "Troll" since before the term was even invented. I would comment on forums, pointing out peoples mistakes not in spelling or grammar which I myself and horrible at. More like flawed ideas or logical thinking. I would also go into chat rooms and make sarcastic remarks to people. Which is hard to understand because unlike vocal communication sarcastic resonance is not registered in text. I've been this way for as long as I can remember, I would crack wise to adults, and other kids. I'm not sure what the adults thought of it. I am sure the kids didn't quite understand what I was saying. I would either have to explain it, or they would just not like me for being strange. I try and think about what made me like this. Maybe it was the Calvin and Hobbes books I read as child. The wise cracking child intelligent beyond his years but still lacking in wisdom to understand make believe is not without its consequences when applied to real life applications. Those books might have been a factor. I have this strange habit of adopting the characteristics of people a admire. People can always tell when I am reading Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy again, because my writing style becomes that of many non sequitur tangents and strange sentence flow, just like the writing style of Douglas Adams. A similar effect happens with much House MD, currently I am exposing myself, probably too much, to The Big Bang Theory and have started pointing out flawed logic and simple mistakes. Normal people would either not notice them, or wouldn't bother pointing them out. The mistakes essentially don't affect the outcome of the message.
It maybe that I have a desire to be liked, but the things that I find to be likable in a character such as Gregory House, or Sheldon Cooper, are in a sense likable because their actions are scripted with peoples reactions in a universe that finds them to be tolerable people. If I treated people that way all the time in real life, I would soon find myself without many friends. Which has happened before. The problem with this is I was acting this way before those characters were known to me. Their presents merely enhanced the actions.
I think this helped me understand a little better the way I act. It really didn't give me any epiphanies as to how to change that behavior or why I act that way. It would be nice to be a regular polite person. Than again my personality is what makes me, me. If I were a nicer guy and didn't use humor, satire and sarcasm to express my emotions I wouldn't be Ian. I certainly would be a scoundrel. You like me because I'm a scoundrel.
Ian Serna
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