bookofjoe ran a story about Eccentrics by David Weeks. His story is really just a listing of the 15 characteristics of eccentrics as quote from the book, but it makes a good game to calculate how eccentric a person is. Try the list on for size:
- Nonconforming
- Creative
- Strongly motivated by curiosity
- Idealistic: wants to make the world a better place and the people in it happier
- Happily obsessed with one or more hobbyhorses (usually five or six)
- Aware from early childhood that he is different
- Intelligent
- Opinionated and outspoken, convinced that he is right and that the rest of the world is out of step
- Noncompetitive, not in need of reassurance or reinforcement from society
- Unusual in his eating habits and living arrangements
- Not particularly interested in the opinions or company of other people, except in order to persuade them to his – the correct – point of view
- Possessed of a mischievous sense of humor
- Single
- Usually the eldest or an only child
- Bad speller
What isn’t so funny or joyful is his later story about autism, accompanied by the iconic diagnoses sheet pictured at right. Problem is, I score about the same on both of these tests.
Autism Poster.