EDGAR: Hi there. My names Edgar what's yours?
WILMA: My names Wilma. Nice to meet you.
EDGAR: It's nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink?
WILMA: Why yes that would be nice. I'll have a glass of white wine.
EDGAR (to the bartender): Two white wines please.
WILMA: Thank you very much. So Edgar, tell me, what do you like to do
for fun?
EDGAR: Well on weekends I usually dress up like a Klingon and attend Star
Trek conventions. I've actually learned the Klingon language. Would you
like to hear some poetry based on the Kitomer Massacre of 2346?
WILMA (slowly getting out of her chair): Ahhh, no that's all right. I
just remembered I have to be somewhere.
EDGAR: But you haven't finished your wine!
WILMA (quickly walking away): I'm not that thirsty, umm..bye.
EDGAR: Wait don't go! By the blood of Korvak!!! Yeargh!
Poor Edgar. Although his intentions were honourable, he made one fatal error when getting involved in courtship rituals. He was way too honest. Not that honesty is a bad thing, I mean I wouldn't expect him to walk up to the lovely Wilma and say, "Hi my names Edgar, I fly fighter planes and can bench press four times my own body weight." That would be a lying. What Edgar has to learn is to a bit more selective about the information he reveals during the early stages of a romantic encounter.
There's nothing wrong with having unusual interests, guilty pleasures, or fetishes. We all have them. Whether it's a healthy obsession with a particular television show or collecting the shoelaces of famous movie stars, whatever. But the real trick is understanding that there are certain prejudices attributed to unusual interests and that not everyone will be gracious enough to even attempt to understand them unless they know you better. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that would find this practice a bit shameful or even deceitful. Have pride in your interests! "Man if this chick doesn't understand why I dress up like Gene Simmons when I go to conventions, weddings, or Kiss concerts, well then forget her! I don't even want to talk to her!" Bravo to you then! You're a very proud and forthright individual. In a perfect world that would be a great frame of mind, but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world. Take Edgar for example. He likes Star Trek, he likes Star Trek very much. However when you think of someone who likes Star Trek to this degree what do you think? I tell you what you think, strange. Edgar is a strange individual. At least Wilma thought so. But what if Edgar held back and got to know Wilma a bit better. They would go out on a few more dates and Wilma would learn more about the complex tapestry of the man known as Edgar. She would learn about his work with the homeless and his other hobbies such as rescuing kittens from trees and constructing wooden peg legs for recently handicapped pirates. So when the time came for Edgar to have Wilma over to his apartment she would be a bit more understanding about the hairy, ridged skullcap sitting on the top shelf of the hall closet.
We are all complex individuals. One unusual interest does not make up the psychological blueprint of who we are, but we have to realize that not all people are initially receptive to them as others would be. So the next time you're at a social gathering and your getting ready to "make your move" so to speak, hold off on mentioning the fringe benefits of being a charter member of the Howie Mandel club. If you bide your time, maybe, just maybe, you'll be inflating rubber gloves on top of your heads…..together.
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