Middle-Earth

Why is there demand only for the offbeat? What about the average guy? Anyone who’s filled out an application for grad school knows what I'm talking about. I have to write a 1500 essay to tell you why I'm better than my peers? Why? What if I'm not? What happens to me then? I just don’t understand everybody’s constant urge to be the best at everything. And I'm not at all talking about acads. The Best. The Smartest. The Smoothest. The Coolest. Well guess what, I'm not even close to any of those any of those and I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much.

The word ‘Normal’ seems to have lost all meaning. Nobody knows what’s normal anymore. It’s definition keeps changing so much, no one even remembers what it used to mean. I think its because of all the double standards. You can never be too old to watch “classic cartoons” but at 21, suddenly you’re too old to be discussing Harry Potter? This bullshit ticks me off.

I'm tired of being stigmatized. It started out fun but its just getting ridiculous now. And I finally seem to have stopped caring. No I don’t listen to Beethoven or Jethro Tull or The Beatles, no matter how many times you tell me they are the only ones who make ‘real music’. I like Linkin Park and Nickelback. You can snigger all you want but yeah. I like Nickelback. Sue me. I don’t read Sulman Rushdie or Dostoevsky. I find them boring. I like Dan Brown. And Matt Reilly. And any other cheap airport fiction, with a neat story and a creative twist in the plot. And I LOVE Harry Potter. What’re you gonna do about it?

I seem to like all the things our society considers sacrilegious. Like some of the things I mentioned. Nickelback. Dan Brown. Harry Potter. Why are they considered so? Its again in the pursuit of being the ‘coolest’ or the ‘hippest’. Everyone listens to Linkin Park and reads Dan Brown. Hence I must not. I must be better. Well, to hell with you hipsters. There’s a reason everyone likes them. Its because they’re fun and they provide you with entertainment. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I like them.

People are free to choose what they want. If you truly like reading Ayn Rand, then kudos to you. Just don’t look down upon the Jeffrey Archer fans with disdain. If listening to Opeth makes you happen, then go for it. Just don’t scoff at the Backstreet Boys. Its this whole offbeat culture, I'm telling you. Pretend or Perish. Stand Out or Shut up. So many people are desperately trying to stand out of the crowd that they don’t realize they are forming a bigger crowd next to the crowd they are trying to stand out of!

There’s nothing wrong in being normal. Being average. Not being number one. Trust me. I know. I’ve been #8 in everything I’ve done so far. Quizzing. Acads. Whatever. You not being the best, does not mean you’re worthless. There’s a whole world out there for guys like us. Haha.. a whole world for guys stuck in the middle. Get it? Middle-Earth! (Sorry sorry.. LOTR fever is gripping me a little late!)