An Ode To The Weird Kid

"Ew don't sit with him. He's weird."

"Oh my god, did you see what she's wearing today? Who does she think she is?"

"Maybe he'd actually have some friends if he wasn't such a weirdo."

I'm sure in today's society you've probably heard at least one of these comments before. Maybe you yourself have even said some of these things from time to time. I mean I'd be a complete liar if I said that I never once avoided someone because of the way they dressed or maybe even the music they listened to. But it's time to move past that.

Can we even deconstruct what being the "weird kid" means? Maybe you're just different. Maybe you wear pink sparkly shorts with bright yellow rain boots in the middle of spring. What does that even matter? You see, the real problem is that we as a society tend to shy away from the thing (or people) that are different or deviate from the "norm".

But if you really think about it we owe our lives to the "weird kids".

Think about what the entertainment business would be like if nobody ever deviated from the "mainstream". Odds are your favorite music artist was once just a struggling musician who was told that they're never going to make it anywhere. And if you had come from the same hometown as that person, you probably would've scoffed in their face over their dreams of being a famous artist because odds are, they were probably "that weird kid" that took music waaaay too seriously or your liking.

Okay, let's get even more specific. Imagine meeting J.K Rowling before the Harry Potter series became the best selling series of all time. Imagine how much of a "weirdo" this women has to be to imagine this whole different world that coexists within our own. She gave them a currency, made an imaginary school system, for crying out loud she even gave one of their fictional books a back story (i.e. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them).

Damn, she really cashed in on being that "weird girl".

Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Micheal Jackson, Prince, David Bowie, Beyonce, Madonna, Steve Jobs, Lady Gaga, Robert Downey Jr., Ellen DeGeneres, the list could go on forever. They're all text book weirdos and some of the most famous, innovative, idolized, and lets not forget wealthy people of all time.

So next time you want to make a snarky comment about "that weird girl", or the "weird boy" with no friends, remember that our world thrives off of "weird people"

And if you are that "weird person" at your school, or your job, or in your family, don't ever doubt yourself. Because there are tons of "weird" people that came before you that have done some pretty amazing things. So stay weird, because we need more people like you in this world.