By SUSAN DROMEY HEETER, InDepthNH.org
Today I muse joyfully on the word “weirdo.” It’s a word that captures a lot, says so much, describes, well, those that might be a bit off, a bit strange, a bit other.
Weirdo. I have a friend who once called a guy in a park a “weirdo” after he’d been less than kind to her dog. I think of some politicians as weirdos as I cannot understand their trains of thought, their press conferences, their inability to answer questions with clarity, with honesty, with integrity. Weirdos.
The definition of “weirdo” is a person whose dress or behavior seems strange or eccentric.
Eccentric seems more of a compliment, strange a little more jaring. I laugh with friends as we describe someone as a “big weirdo” and, in all honesty, I’ve probably been on the receiving end of that word on many occasions. I like to think myself more eccentric than strange but, well, that is for you to judge.
Are you a weirdo? Have you ever been referred to as one? Are your friends, acquaintances, neighbors weirdos?
Oh, ‘tis the season of weirdos. Enjoy your weirdness, your eccentricity, your strangeness. But, if you are in the public sector, a politician, kindly respond with the clarity we deserve and so desperately need. No need to be a weirdo on the political front; we’ve had enough of those.
Susan Dromey Heeter is a writer from Dover who recently let her hair go au natural white. Writing has been her passion since her English majoring days at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Dromey Heeter has lived in The Netherlands, Alaska and currently basks in all things New England, including the frigid winters. An avid swimmer, Dromey Heeter’s great passion is to bring back body surfing as most children have no idea how to ride waves without ridiculous boogie boards.