Wednesday 17 December 2014

Out of the box

No one likes to be confined to any box or stereotype, myself included. We spend so much time and effort in trying to not fit into the mould that society tries to confine us to, on any level. But, I have noticed that the more we try to rebel against the stereotype, the more we fit into it. Have you ever noticed how all poets (ok ok, let me not sound stereotypical), most poets, look a certain way and sound a certain way? I am a poet and a lot of people never believe that I can write and recite poetry, because I do not have dreadlocks and I do not smoke weed. Yeah, I have been asked if I'm sure I don't smoke because "poets are dope". I tried to jump into the box, tried to put across this persona who will walk around with uncombed hair. When I made the decision to not comb my hair, it was not a decision to fit into a box, but it was a decision to not fit in the box of "normal people". And where did that put me? Slap bam in the middle of the box created for the stereotype that I try to runaway from.
SO, my question is, why do we try so hard to defy these stereotypes when we actually fit so perfectly into them.
I wont try to be deep, these are just some of my loud thoughts.

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