Harmless eccentrics

Aren't they fascinating? I mean, it's just so easy to be taken in by their stories--so easy to fall into the "romance" of it.

A smartly dressed man found wandering in a soaking wet suit near an English beach has baffled police and care workers after he refused to say a word and then gave a virtuoso piano performance.

Isn't that great? I love it!

It seems that there is a very narrow window for the acceptance of eccentricity. If this guy had done all of the above naked, for example, the story wouldn't be romantic at all. It'd maybe be funny, but that's it. And if this guy had gone around shooting people wearing a soaking wet suit, then we'd all be shaken and unhappy about it (and condemning, too, and rightfully so). No, we like our weirdness to be nonsexual and nonviolent. Harmless.

I guess we can like anything as long as it doesn't harm anyone or challenge our belief systems. I'm not sure that it's even really "like", though...it's acceptance, but in a condescending way, like, "Aww, isn't that cute!"

Well, now that I've analyzed the hell out of how society deals with eccentrics, this story has lost a little of its charm.

But not much. I mean, he won't speak, but he'll play classical piano music for hours! How awesome is that?

;>