It is interesting that because I chose to discuss the subject that it means I am somehow contradicting my original statement. I gave a brief synopsis and then I explained the few situations where I would care. Most of those are situations I think just about everyone would care about. It is not really a yes or no question and if someone really thought they could sum it up in yes or no they have not really given much thought to the issue.
When someone's opinion affects your quality of life than it matters. Otherwise it does not.
I aspire to be a polite, reasonable, and humble person. I treat people how I want to be treated. That is just who I want to be. That really does not have anything to do with anyone else other than how I choose to conduct myself. As far as to what people think of that, that is their business as it does not matter to me. I won't lose any sleep over it.
So in regards to people with authority such as police, judges, doctors, and bosses their opinion matters in the sense that I would prefer to not be incarcerated, get a good medical care, and keep a job. But that is usually just a matter of being polite not so much as caring about their feelings or opinions. I just care about how they think of me in the brief time I have to interact with them. When I have no authority figure I have to conform to I am in my comfort zone which is most of the time and the rest of the time I am comfortable enough just on guard to whatever degree necessary.
In social situations well I really only care what my closest friends think and I have at least 100's of acquaintances only a few people I would consider to actually be a friend. I can't replace my closest friends easily and my friendships are based mostly on long term loyalty after meeting due to similar interests or circumstances. So I do care what my close friends think because I value their opinions.
My closest friend is like an older brother to me so often he gives me advice which I take to heart and he likes to hear about my accomplishments and he talks to me about things going on in his life and we talk about women, music, guns, and current events for example. So in that dynamic, if one of us to do something the other disapproved of, it would be one of us was fucking up in life somehow and letting themselves down. He is the type of person who looks out for my best interest and will be honest with me even if he knows I may disagree and expects the same type of feedback from me. He is a bit hard when he has serious advice but he has always turned about to be dead on the money when that serious.
I really do not care about rejection simply because the type of people that reject me are people I am not interested in. That being said,the type of rejection that hurts the most is when a doctor refuses to up my narcotic prescriptions hence me giving a shit about how I am perceived by a doctor.
I of course would prefer women to find me to be sexually attractive as I like to have sex as do most people. My best friend said I am the only man he chooses to be friends with and I find that interesting as most my friends are female as well. I find it is just easier to be friends with women because so much of social interaction is about trying to get sex so why not be friends with someone you can have sex with? Also a friend of the opposite sex can introduce you to possible sexual partners.
I can't really go out of my way to please everyone and nor would I like to. A certain appearance and way of carrying yourself will make some people like you and some people dislike you. There is no neutral appearance as even the most neutral way of going about things will piss off someone. So having everyone like you is impossible which is probably a good thing because it is not like you are going to like every single person you meet.
I certainly could care less if someone does not dig my style so to speak. If I am out and about I am in a situation where I can just hang loose and be myself. I am rather comfortable with myself at this point in my life and have been for most my adult life. So if I am unappealing to someone I am rather sure I would be unappealing to them. I hear people talk about they hate this style or that style so much that they hate people who are into that trend yet they themselves are into a certain fashion trend other people might find tacky. All that is rather trivial.
I have a live and let live policy but don't fuck with me policy in general so I usually just go about my business rather carefree except for times when I am forced to care. If I have to impress someone to get into a college or for a job interview well then I suppose I do care what they think of me to some extent. If they flat out hate me anyways, it is still not going to bother me as there are more schools and jobs out there.
I suppose people in general have a preconceived notion of what is proper or could be deemed offensive and it is built in expectations that you might get from your upbringing or media that most likely influence that but in my opinion in is almost a neurosis of sorts. Does it really matter if your shirt is plain or if it has bright colors or if your pants are baggy or if they are tight?
Of course is it kind of rude to wear clothes with hateful symbols or phrases on them and well the wearer knows it. Honestly that person cares a lot what people think but they seek to draw a more negative reaction and people do enjoy negative reinforcement sometimes even more than positive but that often stems from mommy and daddy issues.
On the subject of positive and negative reactions, I am heavily tattooed. That does get a bit of reactions both positive and negative. Now I never really got the tattoos seeking attention so I often cover them up with long sleeves and not wearing shorts often. I suppose that decision is based on two things. If I have to be somewhere where I have to look professional or conservative then I will cover them up. Also the other time is if I really do not want to talk to anyone I may choose to cover up my tattoos.
So being tattooed I really don't particularly care what someone thinks of that but I know for a fact some doctors might not prescribe me certain medications due to my tattoos. That is what I mean by looking a bit conservative. Not all doctors are like that but it is easy enough to tell once you meet them. But I suppose it is just a matter of respect to wear clothes that are not excessively tight, baggy, and definitely not flashy in that situation.
So I suppose that is dressing for the occasion. I do believe in that. It is just simple manners.
The other thing about being heavily tattooed is that if you have a great deal of tattoos exposed and are in public you may get responses where people will touch your skin where you are tattooed without asking just to see if it feels different. In other words because it is such a novelty to some people your body modifications kind of become public property for a moment especially around children and old people. I have actually had someone stick their finger through my earlobe on multiple occasions and they were complete strangers. That just kind of comes along with being heavily tattooed and having large gauge piercings.
I do have people come up to me and say did that hurt and I know they are referring to whatever body part they are looking at it that is fine. I understand their curiosity. Like I said earlier I usually conceal my tattoos if I am not in the mood to speak with people.
Usually I just go about my business and occasionally I speak to people in stores if they seem like they want to converse about something. I am polite unless someone gives me a damn good reason to be rude. I suppose I prefer to have pleasant interactions or none at all. If I really deem an act just completely unacceptable like someone driving dangerously I will let them know.
In general I think I am rather self obsessed and my physical appearance is about me and a form of self gratification. The reason I dress the way I do, or get tattoos is for me. If I am happy with the way I look or feel, that is good enough for me. I do not need someone to give me their approval though I do not mind a genuine compliment yet I really hate how someone tells me how rad my tattoo is when I really feel like they look down on the whole practice yet are trying to be tolerant. It is a bit insulting when someone tries to identify with a culture they do not understand but act like they do but that really is not something I am going to make my concern. As long as I am satisfied with who I am as a person that is good enough for me.
The only time that changes is a situation where my quality of life is at stake and I have no choice but to prove I am acceptable is the very rare occasions where I have to interact with certain authority figures. So often I throw on a long sleeve shirt before driving home (in case I am stopped at a road block or something), at the doctors office, meeting a girl friend's parents, or something else of that nature. In those cases it is just best to make people like you if you can.
I suppose some people really hate to be gossiped about and to some extent it is annoying if someone you care about is stupid enough to believe a malicious lie made intent to fuck up relationships. Usually gossip is lies spread and believed by fools. If someone finds you interesting enough to gossip about they probably fancy you so you may consider taking it as a bit of a compliment. It is easy enough to know what makes a gossiper tick so confronting them with something you know about them can easily make them stop if they are truly fucking with you.
I do find this, human behavior and social interactions an interesting subject so I suppose you can say I care what people think or maybe in my opinion I care about things that matter and not things that do not.
I always am comfortable with who I am and make the best of any given situation to the best of my ability so it won't really ever matter what someone else thinks of me. I suppose if you think I care it is still rather irrelevant to me you can decide that for yourself. I do enjoy the open conversation on here and like to contribute to it.
