My New Hat

I bought a new kangol cap and decided to wear it into work today. As a result, I was the laughing stock of the whole warehouse. They started making French noises and asking me where my onions were.

All throughout the day, people taking the piss:

"Get that off da fuck!"

"For fuck sake take that off! You look like an extra from a Michael Collins movie."

What's the problem? It's just a hat and I like to wear it. Why is this anyone's business? This is what bothers me about people here. They think I'm interested in their unintelligent comments which is typical of Northern Irish people.

They seem to have this inferiority complex and when they see someone doing something that they actually wish they had the balls to do, but because they have no mind of their own and worry what people will say, they attack them and ridicule them. If I see someone wearing something that I don't like or I think looks stupid, I keep my opinion to myself. They're not bothering me by wearing it and it's up to them what they wear.

God forbid you're caught wearing sunglasses after the sun has gone behind a cloud for a few minutes. Oh that's not allowed at all. You're obviously trying to look cool and there's always someone close at hand to hit you with a snide remark like, "I hope we get the weather you're expecting" or "fuck sake take those off it's not even warm".

Do they realize how stupid they sound?

You just can't be different here. It's not allowed. The 'Conform Police' are everywhere and they do a great job of keeping everyone 'normal'. In a way, this attitude does serve a purpose for me. It points out clearly who are the open-minded- think-for-yourself-kind-of-people and who are the small-minded-afraid-to-step-outside-the-'normal'-box-and-actually-be-themselves.

“Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.” -Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie