# I feel like an alien sometimes. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022 "2014-03-06T16:34:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/21 "2014-03-06T17:36:32Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > And btw you guys are proving my point that people are banal Said the recluse with no interests, girlfriend, or direction in life. Haha…ha… > [@](#): > > and mean. Ah… um… yeah. People are mean. That doesn’t mean you’re any better than they. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/22 "2014-03-06T17:39:51Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > And btw you guys are proving my point that people are banal and mean. Thank you :smack:😃 We’re not mean. Perhaps you’re just a sissy. 🙂 Seriously, what reaction did you expect to this sort of self-indulgent complaint? Anyway, relax and welcome to the boards. You’re among your own more than you realize. This abuse is just the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/23 "2014-03-06T17:40:42Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > We’re not mean. Perhaps you’re just a sissy. 🙂 > Seriously, what reaction did you expect to this sort of self-indulgent complaint? > > Anyway, relax and welcome to the boards. You’re among your own more than you realize. This abuse is just the price of admission. I wasn’t even aware I was being self indulgent. I just wondering if others felt the same. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/24 "2014-03-06T17:44:21Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I wasn’t even aware I was being self indulgent. I just wondering if others felt the same. 🙂 You are. Many do. We’ll help you get over yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/25 "2014-03-06T17:47:09Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Working 50-60 hours a week just sounds miserable, I’d rather work part time for crap money than work that much for good money. You would benefit greatly by learning how to observe the world around you more accurately and how to think. Working part time for crap money and working 60 hours a week for good money are not the only two possibilities. There are people who work 60 hours a week for crap money, and some who work 40 hours a week for six figures. And listen to **Quicksilver**. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/26 "2014-03-06T17:47:54Z")
See, the trick to not feeling like an alien is to not give a shit about other people unless they’ve given you a very compelling reason not to. Once you don’t care about other people, you have no point of comparison with which to believe yourself an alien. Why give a shit that everyone else likes sports or whatever else? Go bake a cake and be happy or whatever hobby floats your boat. They don’t care about you, so return the favor. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/27 "2014-03-06T17:48:03Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Traveling, cats, intellectual/compassionate people, linguistics, my family (sometimes), my friends, rare coins, being romantic. Oh and food. Definitely food. You’ll fit in just fine here. Seriously. You’ll find people on this board who share all of those interests. Especially cats. Rare coins? **SamClem** has that covered. Linguistics? We have plenty of debates about language. And food. Just go to Cafe Society if you want to hear about food. ---
**Author:** ![protoboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@protoboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/protoboard)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/28 "2014-03-06T17:49:11Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > You would benefit greatly by learning how to observe the world around you more accurately and how to think. Working part time for crap money and working 60 hours a week for good money are not the only two possibilities. There are people who work 60 hours a week for crap money, and some who work 40 hours a week for six figures. > > And listen to **Quicksilver**. I’d like to work 25-30 hours a week for um … decent money. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/29 "2014-03-06T17:50:11Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Traveling, cats, intellectual/compassionate people, linguistics, my family (sometimes), my friends, rare coins, being romantic. Oh and food. Definitely food. Welcome to the boards, **protoboard!** There are a lot of people who share a lot of your likes and dislikes here. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > \ > Anyway, relax and welcome to the boards. You’re among your own more than you realize. This abuse is just the price of admission. This is more true than not. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > You are. > > Many do. > > We’ll help you get over yourself. This too. Guys, stop being so mean to **protoboard** - he’s using proper grammar and typing in full sentences, complete with capitalization and punctuation. So what if he’s got some mid-twenties existential angst going on? Who didn’t? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/30 "2014-03-06T17:55:04Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > I’d like to work 25-30 hours a week for um … decent money. 😉 That’s not a plan, that’s a wish. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/31 "2014-03-06T17:56:08Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > he’s using proper grammar and typing in full sentences, complete with capitalization and punctuation Not really. The OP was pretty good but things deteriorated from there. > [@](#): > > So what if he’s got some mid-twenties existential angst going on? Who didn’t? Lots of us. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/32 "2014-03-06T17:56:11Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Guys, stop being so mean to **protoboard** - he’s using proper grammar and typing in full sentences, complete with capitalization and punctuation. So what if he’s got some mid-twenties existential angst going on? Who didn’t? I don’t think I ever did. I never really saw the point in asking questions that could never be answered. It’s probably why I got so sarcastic in theology classes. And I’d rather have interesting and unusual content with nonstandard spelling and capitalization than perfectly formed trite boring stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/33 "2014-03-06T18:11:11Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > That’s not a plan, that’s a wish. Why does he have to explain his life/job plan to you and **Crotalus** , anyway? He doesn’t owe anybody here any explanations. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/34 "2014-03-06T18:14:10Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Most people just seem to be really banal and mean spirited, not that I think I’m better or anything because I don’t really. Okay, so you think most people are banal and mean spirited, and you (maybe?) think you yourself are banal and mean spirited. Could this mean that your banal and mean spirited meter is miscalibrated? If we’re all banal, none of us are banal, right? What are we, and you, being compared to? What do you look at and say “That thing there is not banal” or “That person is not mean spirited”? For me, I think all of us are banal sometimes. It takes too much energy to be brilliant and exciting and new all the time, so we have to put some things on autopilot. Grocery shopping, for example, is something most of us just kind of do by habit and because we have to. There aren’t that many new and thrilling and interesting ways to buy beets. So if you got most of your human interaction at the supermarket, you’d think that people are all miserable cretins who squeeze beets. The same is true of public transportation, or standing in line at the DMV. We don’t really want people being original and interesting on a bus or while taking an eye exam. If you’re hermity, maybe you only interact with people when you have to, and maybe those “have to” spaces are exactly the spaces that bring out the beet squeezing zombie in most of us. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/35 "2014-03-06T18:18:09Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > Why does he have to explain his life/job plan to you and **Crotalus** , anyway? He doesn’t owe anybody here any explanations. He is welcome to stop explaining. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/36 "2014-03-06T18:18:56Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Not really. The OP was pretty good but things deteriorated from there. You mean, after people started attacking a newbie? > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I don’t think I ever did. I never really saw the point in asking questions that could never be answered. It’s probably why I got so sarcastic in theology classes. And I’d rather have interesting and unusual content with nonstandard spelling and capitalization than perfectly formed trite boring stuff. Sure, you say that _now_, until the next l33tspeaker comes roaring in here. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/37 "2014-03-06T18:23:23Z")
A sense of alienation and a lack of interest in life/activities/etc. are classic symptoms of depression. Just sayin. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/38 "2014-03-06T18:28:35Z")
I _look_ like an alien sometimes. Hate that. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/39 "2014-03-06T18:36:42Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > If you’re hermity, maybe you only interact with people when you have to, and maybe those “have to” spaces are exactly the spaces that bring out the beet squeezing zombie in most of us. “Beet Squeezing Zombies” - Band name! ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022/40 "2014-03-06T18:36:51Z")
I feel like a number. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-feel-like-an-alien-sometimes/683022.md?page=3)