My results from a spontaneous, arbitrary online quiz read:
You Fall for the Rebellious Type
You have no desire to lead or follow anyone. You’re on your own awesome solo journey. You are attracted to someone who is as independent as you are. You appreciate people on their own life path.
You don’t judge people on their appearances. You’re much more interested in their ideas, passions, and beliefs. You value uniqueness and boldness. The biggest turn on is when someone isn’t afraid to be him or herself.
These observations were obviously supposed to relate exclusively to romantic partners (“Fall For” – how archaic! I’m pretty sure nowadays it indicates some other F-word), but I’m gonna extrapolate here and posit that it applies to friendships as well, or just people to whom one is drawn.
I’ve met a lot of admirable peeps on my path thus far, and the above tends to hold true. Everyone I know is unique, of course, but there are a number of common traits I find irresistibly compelling, and all of ’em have traces of The Rebel.
Impetuousness: If you can control every word that comes out of your mouth, chances are we’re not friends. I adore those people who, when lobbing about some topic about which they feel strongly, cannot help themselves but to jump up and down and stomp their feet whenever necessary, to bring their point home. Most of us have at least a few of these in our Platonic quiver, and it’s always been the Rebels that release their lions at will that really interest me.
Memory: Rebels are aware of where they’ve been. Who doesn’t have at least one friend who pulls a recollection rabbit out of their hat every once in a while? I get off when one of my buddies stumps me: “Remember that time in _________ when we set the smudge stick on fire in the stairwell? How about that vacation in __________ with the Swiss-German exchange students? Do you still have that tattoo of the ___________?” Of course, I’m fictionalizing for interests’ sake. These pals are indispensable; they remind you who you are, or were, especially if your Rebel has been sleeping on the job.
Worldliness: I’m not worldly. I’ve been practically no where, man. But the Rebels I know have been All Over The Place (doesn’t matter if they’ve never lived outside your hometown), and I shamelessly and vicariously live through them. I wish one would up and pull off an Into The Wild, I’d have such good dinner party conservation fodder. I hope they don’t die, though, that’d be a total buzzkill.
Sincerity: These people amaze me. Rebels look you directly in the eye and talk their talk, and you just know they believe it all. It doesn’t matter a whit if you think their ideas are crackpot. Ultimately, I don’t even care if my beliefs jive with theirs at all. It’s the delivery, the conviction, that gets me every time.
Fearlessness: A necessity for The Rebel. It doesn’t have to be in-your-face. The most attractive lack of fear is characterized by a complete unawareness of being fearless. I knew a guy once who did a Casey (of Friendly Giant, Casey and Finnegan fame) impression in the middle of a crowded Toronto restaurant at lunchtime, without any forewarning. He simply bent his arms at the elbow, made his arms appear really short, and pretended to be trying to pick up his fork. The friend we were having lunch with was mortified. It was gorgeous.
Generosity: The Rebel readily allows things to go flow out into the ether. He or She is too cool to worry about claiming ownership of said cool, there’s always enough to go around. So if you steal a line or a mannerism or an anecdote, don’t feel guilty – feel free. They’ll have more for you next time.
Unapologetic: One never makes excuses for being a Rebel, or attempts to cover it up. It is what it is. The Rebel owns it.
I woke up this morning, you know… and the sun was shining, and it was nice, and all that type of stuff…, I said, “Boy, this is gonna be one terrific day, so you better live it up, because tomorrow you’ll be nothing. ~ Jim Stark, Rebel Without A Cause (Ray, 1955)
Time for us to recognize The Rebel Within, methinks.
Erin's Clishmaclaver 