Thursday, 07 August 2008

• Most people need to be liked by other people. Some others know that they can’t be liked so they will settle for being hated. So long as they are not ignored, they are fine. Personally, I need my close friends and family to like me, and that’s what matters to me. Disregard for the opinion of the rest of the world has led to my reputation as a snob. I’ll live through it.

  The people who need to be liked, however, are a species worth observing.  There is no humanly possible way of pleasing everyone at all points of time. Watching these people attempt the impossible can be extremely entertaining and yet heartbreaking all at once.

  The Chameleon
  There are those who resort to molding themselves into the people around them; altering like a chameleon from one tree to another, blending into the surroundings to be accepted and loved. This works brilliantly so long as the different groups don’t happen to be at the same location at the same time. If they do, God help the chameleon. Confusion ensues as to which persona should be dawned, and ultimately in this lose-lose situation, they are either forced to escape or be exposed as a fraud.

  The Fence-Sitter
  Another brilliant tactic used is the art of fence-sitting. Whilst perched on a beautiful picket fence one can experience (from a distance) the beauty of green grass, no matter on which side. However, fact remains, that a picket fence cannot be easy on the backside. The fence sitter is bound to fell the pain, especially while being pushed and pulled from one side to the other. It doesn’t take long for people to recognize a fence-sitter, and it takes an even smaller amount of time for them to lose respect for him. No one likes a man who can’t take a stand.

  The Agree-er
  The agree-er is considered to be one of the lower types of the species. Running on the belief that people cannot dislike you if you agree with them, these bunch of geniuses simply agree with everyone about everything. Whilst the fence sitter maintains a neutral stand, the agree-er on the other hand nods himself into an early grave. Only politicians and celebrities like to have yes-men around, and every they don’t respect them.

  The Doormat
  A sub-sect of the agree-er is the doormat. A fairly self explanatory one, the doormat lets everyone walk all over them, in the hope that the lack of conflict ensures love and approval by all. To their utmost dismay, all the doormat gets is taken advantage of.
  
  

  While there are many a kind in this species, and their attempts are more than entertaining, it cannot be denied that their motive rises from basic human nature. As much as man is an animal, he is after all a social one at that. Truth be told, as pathetic as the need to be liked is, it is probably far less pathetic than the need to be disliked. These petty attempts at being accepted bring out the simplicity of human nature, buried in it’s vast complexities; it shows us so many different ways of avoiding a simple verbal display of vulnerability - “like me, please”.

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