Sep 28 2012

But what if you like the Brown Recluse?

Categories:

Humor, Personal

by PZ Myers

These are my people. I don’t know why I keep flying off to conferences.

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35 comments

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1

McC2lhu saw what you did there.

28 September 2012 at 7:34 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m waiting for the “We Are The Introperverts” before I can truly identify with the comic.
2

machintelligence

28 September 2012 at 7:36 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I certainly fit the pattern…right down to the cat.
3

ashleybell

28 September 2012 at 7:56 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Yep. Neither a leader nor a follower
4

Dick the Damned

28 September 2012 at 8:11 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

But what’s with the dancing? Reminds me too much of discos. Yukhhhh!
5

FossilFishy (Νεοπτόλεμος's spellchecker)

28 September 2012 at 8:35 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

One of the misconceptions about introverts is that we’re all misanthropes. Comes from living in a society that sees extroversion as normal and desirable I suppose. I like people just fine, I just don’t need to be around them all the time.

This is an excellent Skeptically Speaking podcast interviewing Dr. Marti Laney about her book “The Introvert Advantage.”
6

nichrome

28 September 2012 at 8:53 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

A couple good resources:
Caring for Your Introvert

Susan Cain’s TED Talk: The power of introverts
7

chigau (違わない)

28 September 2012 at 9:03 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Do not walk behind me, I will not lead.
Do not walk in front of me, I will not follow.
Just leave me alone.
—–
Michael Jackson???
8

AJ Milne

28 September 2012 at 9:08 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

One of the misconceptions about introverts is that we’re all misanthropes. Comes from living in a society that sees extroversion as normal and desirable I suppose. I like people just fine, I just don’t need to be around them all the time.

And then there’s those of us who find we do need to be around people…

… but then are reminded whenever we are that we really don’t like them that much.

(/Extroverted misanthrope… And actually, it’s kinda problematic. Imagine a fish that develops an allergy to water.)
9

Big Boppa

28 September 2012 at 9:09 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Definitely brown recluse for me.

When some casual acquaintance comes up to me at a party and starts grabbing at me and clapping me on the back I feel like hiding in a corner. And the first idiot who tells me to loosen up and have fun gets bitten.
10

leftwingfox

28 September 2012 at 9:15 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@: FossilFishy (Νεοπτόλεμος’s spellchecker)

Yeah, I’ve heard that too.

I care what people think about me, possibly a little more than is healthy, in fact. I’m no good at just “Hanging out” with someone, I feel like we should be _doing_ something, and if people are at my home, I feel like I should be a host.

I like people, but being around people drain my batteries. Most people party until they become physically exhausted, I become socially exhausted long before that.

Of course, a lifetime of introversion means most of my hobbies are single-person affairs, reading, gaming, drawing, or studying.
11

sirbedevere

28 September 2012 at 9:16 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I have to say I find the inclusion of Michael Jackson in thaat list a bit creepy…
12

adamarmstrong

28 September 2012 at 10:02 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Needs more cats.

And a sling for the shoulder strain from all the back patting. ;)
13

What a Maroon, el papa ateo

28 September 2012 at 10:24 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I can generally handle one-on-one situations well, and I do fine when I’m the host, but I hate being in situations where I’m the outsider in an established group, or in large groups, especially if there’s a lot of background noise. If I’m at a party or in a bar or with a group before a meeting, unless I can latch on to one or two people to talk to, I usually end up just sitting back and watching silently, or trying to find something to engage my brain elsewise.

The monkseal looks good to me.

Also, I’m allergic to cats.
14

pentatomid

28 September 2012 at 10:36 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

That’s exactly me, except for the dancing and the cat.

One of the misconceptions about introverts is that we’re all misanthropes. Comes from living in a society that sees extroversion as normal and desirable I suppose. I like people just fine, I just don’t need to be around them all the time.

Exactly. Just because I like walking on my own in a nature reserve or spending an evening at home with a book or doing a bit of drawing doesn’t mean I hate people.
15

Akira MacKenzie

28 September 2012 at 10:43 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Brown Recluse here too: Leave me alone or I will seriously fuck you up.
16

Akira MacKenzie

28 September 2012 at 10:46 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

By the way, did anyone else notice that the artists’ spider has THREE body segments?
17

AJ Milne

28 September 2012 at 10:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

By the way, did anyone else notice that the artists’ spider has THREE body segments?

(Looks embarrassed…)

Umm… Yeah. Totally. Sure I did. That’s the ticket.
18

Akira MacKenzie

28 September 2012 at 10:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

One of the misconceptions about introverts is that we’re all misanthropes.

That’s because our culture is dominated by extrovert privilige. We’re all suppose to be one big happy family full of sunshine, lollipops, rainbows, and unicorn farts. (GAG!) Since the perpetually (and sickeningly) cheerful and outgoing control the narrative, guess who is written off as a bunch of meanies?

Also, I wouldn’t call my attitude toward humanity “misanthropy.” It’s more of disgust and disappointment mixed with resignation. We’re done so much and we were capable of so much more if we’d gotten our act together, but it’s too late to fix that. We’re fucked. We’ve squandered our opportunities and it’s now a long slow slide through barbarism to eventual extinction.
19

Rodney Nelson

28 September 2012 at 11:14 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Often I pass on the games and dancing and go straight to the afterparty.
20

AJ Milne

28 September 2012 at 11:14 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

… I wouldn’t call my attitude toward humanity “misanthropy.” It’s more of disgust and disappointment mixed with resignation. We’re done so much and we were capable of so much more if we’d gotten our act together, but it’s too late to fix that. We’re fucked. We’ve squandered our opportunities and it’s now a long slow slide through barbarism to eventual extinction.

I dunno, Akira. The end of the world has always been a few decades away, honestly…

Sorta more seriously: yes, as our civilizations get bigger, their maddening periodic crashes do tend to get more dramatic, and sure, I expect, based on this, our next one should be quite the doozy.

But, y’know, the six or seven H. sapiens who survive it should have lots of space, at least… Even if there’s only a few hectares left of fertile soil. And as long as one of ‘em’s a competent geneticist, they’ll have so many more options now for working around the bottleneck than did the dinosaurs.

That said, okay, if you’re not a mite frustrated, you obviously haven’t been paying attention.

… Or, I guess, have access to some seriously impressive meds.

More seriously still: I try to think after hearing ‘We can do better’, ‘Fine, let’s see what we can do about that, anyway, then’.

I don’t call it optimism. I call it being pathologically stubborn.
21

chigau (違わない)

28 September 2012 at 11:21 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m a mishyperboleist.
22

brucecoppola

28 September 2012 at 11:26 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I am quietly grateful that PZ has introduced me to another excellent Webcomic to read when I’m alone.
23

dannyonthelam

28 September 2012 at 12:55 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I love that I’m part of a community of introverts. And yes I recognize the irony in that statement.
24

Rodney Nelson

28 September 2012 at 1:19 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The internet was made for introverts. We can interact with others without the sticky, unpleasant interaction we would rather do without.
25

Sastra

28 September 2012 at 1:48 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Rodney Nelson #24 wrote:

The internet was made for introverts. We can interact with others without the sticky, unpleasant interaction we would rather do without.

And/or, we can do it on our own terms. Who we want, when we want, as much as we want, with the ability to just wander off elsewhere whenever we feel like it. It gives us society … and it gives us control. Perfect.

People who have met me at conventions (atheist/humanist/skeptic) sometimes remark that I really seem to be an extroverted, gregarious, people-oriented type person. No, not really. I consider myself an introvert. Such venues make me feel as if I’m on my own turf. Plus, I spend so much time by myself that I’m filled with giddy astonishment over the amazing change of pace. People! In three dimensions! Wow! A crowd! How cool is that?
26

Merrily Dancing Ape

28 September 2012 at 2:24 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m an “inny” too.

One definition of introversion and extroversion goes like this:

Both can sink into anti-social funks. And both can be fun at parties and socially fluent. But…

* Extroverts recharge their batteries by being around other people.

* Introverts recharge their batteries by being alone.

I like this definition.

It should be noted, though, that there are pathological forms of both. Some introverts are actually just people with social anxiety disorders. Some extroverts are actually just massively insecure people with an external locus of identity.

I learned that from Big Bang Theory. ;)
27

a3kr0n

28 September 2012 at 6:20 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m a Fennec fox. I’ll jump in your lap but only stay a moment, then I’ll tear up your carpet.
28

Jamie

28 September 2012 at 7:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I guess I would be an introvert. I like being around people, but am “the quiet one.” I find it hard to interact with a lot of people and am a little awkward. I recently realized that my most comfortable social setting is around 1-4 other people.

I know I don’t have to talk, but I always feel like people consider it rude when I’m silent. (Actually I carpooled with a co-worker a few months and I hardly talked.) It’s not like I’m ignoring anyone, but I just fail to keep the conversation going. I certainly don’t mind if the other person is silent (or even if I’m ignored), but there’s this nagging expectation on my part to talk that bothers me.

I also don’t feel like revealing personal things about myself to people I don’t know well (or not sure I like). Sometimes, I frankly don’t care or want to make small talk.
29

ChasCPeterson

28 September 2012 at 7:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

*raises hand*
97th percentile on the Myers-Briggs E-I scale.
30

kreativekaos

29 September 2012 at 12:29 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

My kind of people too, ever since I’z a lil’ tyke. But still, personalities and thinkers too few and far between, making it hard to find and connect with in ‘real life’.
Makes the the internet… (yes I’m gonna say it, without literal meaning of course)… a ‘god SEND’.

BTW,..love the panel art– definitely poster-worthy.
31

bargearse

29 September 2012 at 12:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The International order of the Brown Recluse meets every second Tuesday of the month. Attendence is discouraged.
32

johnfraser1

29 September 2012 at 2:54 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

i’ve never read so many comments that i can relate too. i’ve found a crowd i can hang out and become an extrovert with
33

mildlymagnificent

29 September 2012 at 5:12 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I do the other thing. I belong to the negative side of the energy gained / energy drained side of social interaction.

But I make it worse by “extrovert” behaviour when I’m with others. So a party leaves me exhausted for daaaaays following.
34

Sili

30 September 2012 at 5:44 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Speaking of places of art:

Does anyone care to show me around the Met and/or Moma come October 16-19?
35

KillJoy

2 October 2012 at 2:41 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Just returned home from a convetion with oh, a couple thousand people. I can be quite gregarious and outgoing. But I need to recharge by being inside my own head from time to time. If I dont get that time, boy do I get grouchy and taciturn. Easily irritated. But an hour or so by myself, and I’m back in the bar laughing and telling stupid stories, making the wait staff laugh. Too much being external wears me out. The inside of my head is comfortable, and energizing.
I have many extroverted friends that I love dearly. Most of them have come to understand that I just sometimes need that quiet and time by myself.
KJ