Please Validate Me

I thought it was interesting that someone was peering through my CD collection and saw a copy of The Backstreet Boys - millennium. I sensed that this was not acceptable to the person as she shrieked in horror and said, "I thought I was weird"

Since when did I become the measuring stick for weirdness? You are weird! And that has nothing to do with me. Yes, I am a little different too, but it is those differences that make me who I am. I would never use a word like "weird" to describe me, it has a negative connotation and suggests that I should not be ok with my uniqueness.

And yes, I like the Backstreet Boys. A couple of their songs work well for me. I am not going to apologize for it. I am not a member of their fan club, since I think that is juvenile and I have better things to do with my time (like blogging).

I like all kinds of music, always have. I guess that did make me strange that I liked more than just rap and r&b as a teenager. Besides, I am black and apparently I am only allowed to like black artists. That seemed to be the unwritten rule for high school and maybe even college, at least in my region.

I have always been an independent thinker. There is no way I would have ever (or will I ever) allow someone to tell me what I should or shouldn't like (except advertisers - they are pretty clever) I like what I like. I don't expect everyone to like what I like and vice versa, but I hope we can accept each others' differences without resorting to name calling.