Freak? Depends where really dunnit?

Something I'd planned on semi-covering and got the inspiration courtesy of Kate's entry last night to finally do. Being 6'7" having long hair and wearing metal t-shirts it's no surprise that a random stranger will decide to randomly hurl abuse across the road/as they drive/walk past me or just make the snide comments to their mates and have a good laugh at "the freak".

The problem is, what makes me a freak, would in other circles see you as a freak. Case in point taken from last week as a case study. I, with Hannah were at a cashpoint checking the bank balance for shopping when a young lad I could best describe as having the physique of an obese walrus, three piercings in his eyebrow, wearing a baseball cap balanced precariously on his head (sideways) and trousers which were unable to fit round his waist yet still too short to get much lower than his knees squeeked (can't really call it a shout) "Freak" whilst making a gun gesture almost flying his gold chain off his arm.

I know I've never really been "hip" (damn Gamezville, I was well gangsta for dat roll!) but what strikes me as freakish in this incident certainly isn't someone standing patiently by a cash point while "the Virgin Mary" checks her bank balance. Yet I get the feeling only one of us has local residents of all ages hurling regular abuse at them and even on occasions taking photos to text to their mates about "dis freak wot I seen!".

The thing is, I'm actually quite comfortable how I am physically (mental is another kettle of turnips) and I'm not going to change that just because someone who doesn't even know me feels that renders me inferior to them, though I do understand how certain occupational clientel would get arsey for the same reason, after all why should I? The thing that makes me laugh about this kind of incident is that it's only really deemed "freaky" because the local people rarely leave their homes, they rarely actually go anywhere and so are used to not seeing anyone/thing even slightly different. Hell it's not even a case of people from school calling me a "freak" because I read gothic literature, wear black or, Satan forbid, go to the library at breaktimes, it's pure random.

The thing is, on those occasions when I go out gigging, it's people like this who would be seen as the outcasts and the freaks. A point highlighted by a story in which Kate with blonde hair and looking "normal" was seen as a freak at a metal gig, I'd shudder to think what they'd make of "The Iron Walrus" if he turned up! Though this won't matter of course, people like what they know, I can go to a Stevenage football match and see fellow supporters who evidently share a lot of common interest with me making snide comments, pointing and laughing and of course hurling the obligatory snarky comment.

With attitudes like this is it any reason for surprise that "Goths", "Emos", "Skaters" and any other form of schoolboyish outsiders are seen as such? People are too quick to make the snap judgement based on appearence and for whatever reason just be anti social and feel seemingly superior. Ultimately, I don't give a monkeys about others. If I'm in GAME looking at a PS3 game that you too have picked up it shows we have similar taste, if I'm standing in the North Stand at Broadhall Way, it shows we have similar taste. If I'm standing in a tiny venue to see Cannibal Corpes, it shows I should be commited and possibly subject to a lobotomy.

Ultimately, at the expense of sounding like a hippy freak, we're all the same. We each have our own interests and hobbies and no, we won't always share all of the same ones. Why should appearence be the basis for a snap judgement? For all I know "The Iron Walrus" went home to watch Robot Wars on Dave while quietly painting some model soldiers, were I similar in appearence to him he'd never have said a word and with those shared interests theoretically we'd be friends. With attitudes like that though common sense is never going to prevail, after all, isn't it just much easier to abuse someone randomly then actually bothering to speak to them civily?