Tonight I was forced to leave my town fair by the police. Let me say that people are more paranoid than I ever knew them to be. I never knew associating myself with my high school friends and hanging out at the fair could be so detremental to our society. Yesterday I dressed like the joker, not because Batman was released or because of the shooting. I dressed like Joker because in my job as a recreational coordinator we hosted a super hero event to which I was the joker. After work I simply went to my town fair as the joker. That night a cop frabricated a story that people had been saying I was intentionally scaring little kids as a way to start a chain reaction to getting me kicked out. I hadn't been purposely scaring anyone. Last night I met up with some old high school friends and we hung out and that was all. The rest of the
night went fine and the cops seemed to have left me alone.

The next day I was kicked out of the fair cafe for staying out of the sun. A women had approached me and asked me what I was doing so I told her I was waiting for my dad to arrive at the fair, and that I had been simply waiting. I asked her if there was some sort of problem and she said "no." I said okay, and I left figuring I wasn't wanted there.

Upon leaving I was confronted by a female cop who told me people were freaked out over the theater shooting, and that I should meet up with my dad. She said I didn't have to leave, just go out to the edge of the fair grounds. In my mind I hadn't imaged this being their way of kicking me out. I guess I coulden't believe I had been getting kicked out for doing nothing wrong so I stayed at the fair and talked to one of my friends at her booth. I hadn't been planning on leaving with my dad in the first place because he was drunk and I woulden't get in the car with him anyway.

Me and my friend met up and left for an hour to go eat and get a few drinks. We came back later and another cop told me I had to leave and that I was "asked to leave and that I was kicked out of multiple locations" He didn't have his story straight and regardless, he was still a cop and he had the authority to make me leave or he would "arrest me." So, I walked all the way home because my friend woulden't answer his phone and by that time I had been fed up with the place.

Multiple people had complained to the police because I looked different. It was straight irrational fear of nothing due to the media broadcasting that story. It seems it doesn't take much to make people freak out- not that I was in any way trying. In all honesty, I live in Ohio and the shooting doesn't concern me. I don't spend time even thinking about it. A part of me wishes I had just told the cop to arrest me for nothing. I'm someone who doesn't care what people think. It's not until law enforcement get involved because of these people that I get annoyed. So, what can I do? Nothing. I'm not sure I can even go to the fair dressed "normal" without being arrested. People know what I look like and if they were scared of me dressed different, they'll see me and be scared of me anyway, possibly still thinking I'm some sort of threat.

Considering the fact that their fear carried over from one day as the joker to the next day dressed industrial, I woulden't have any doubt that they're just paranoid people in general. Do I really look like some sort of mass murderer?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/60108153@N05/7182124095/

I know people who completely freak out during lightning storms, 2012 and the zombie
apocalypse from that damned Miami bath salts incident. My family members and friends wont even walk around with me since they're so self conscience of being seen with me. People are stuck in their own reality incapable of thinking or living outside of the box. If you dress different you're bad.

That is just plain stupid. I hate how weak people will project there fear and insecurities onto others. I hate it even more when its clear the person on receiving end clearly has nothing to do with what ever incident that sparked such fear in the first place.

As for people that wouldn't be seen around you due to the way you dress, you don't need them. Any person that would judge someone based of your looks isn't worth any of your time or effort. I have not talked to a couple family members that at one point where close for close to 8 years now and I don't intend to talk to them anytime soon.

It can just be unbelievable how stupid some people can be. Do most killers show outward signs of being crazy? No, not usually. When you hear about them on the news, they're usually very reclusive people who draw little attention to themselves, or just a normal-seeming person. They don't go around advertising that they're different. It's just easy for the common person to blame certain groups of people; it saves them from the trouble of using their heads and better judgement.

I'm sorry you had to experience that. I don't know you well, but I've been lurking enough to know you're far from a bad person. It's such a shame people can't go beyond looks and use their common sense as well as their hearts. On top of that, it sounds like those cops were just using you to stroke their ego and feel like they potentially were heroes. Sickening.

Anyways, I know what it feels like to have people ashamed to even be seen with you, or to be targeted simply because of the way you dress. I also know what its like to have people completely trust you. I don't dress so "dark" anymore ((due to money concerns)), I keep my hair its natural color, and I have to wear glasses sometimes. I look absolutely harmless, and complete strangers trust me. It gets even worse when I have the glasses on. Even though I really am pretty harmless, I've experienced the contrast and know how shallow people can be. Then some psycho goes and makes it even worse, while people refuse to see the truth behind their actions.

At least you know you have a place here among us, right? ^-^

While it may sometimes be distressing when we are singled out by society for the way we dress, it is nevertheless an experience that most people on this board are familiar with, deal with on a daily basis, and even embrace to a certain extent.

Society's discrimination against others makes a fine discussion topic, and the recent paranoia in this country over the theater shootings would also make a fine topic.

However, complaining about how you personally have been treated does not, and is perhaps better suited to our "Thoughts and Sharing" thread.

Please do not start topics that focus upon yourself, how unfairly your friends, family, and neighbors treat you because you look so "different," and so on. Please do not use recent tragic events to focus on yourself.

For further clarification, please read our posting guidelines, pinned at the top of every forum on this board. In particular, this rule:



Topic closed.

-- Nephele