The Real Percentage

[nolla]

How many people are real? Being themselves, not fakes, etc...

[Jennifer]

Define "fake."

[nolla]

I was hoping for everyone to define it for themselves. I have very strict rules for being real. I'm not sure if I fill the criteria myself. With the poll I am interested in seeing how you see it.

[Night]

I think those that are sincere to the letter of their impulses are usually cultural "fringe-dwellers". (It should be understood that this distinction, while distant from popular ethical approval, does not necessarily suggest a critique of the individual - simply that his behavior is noticeably disparate from his neighbor's.)

Extreme individualism; interesting concept.

Being "fake" is a necessity for successful communal living; our collective efficiency towards serving this adaptation is tied to our present problem of (among other things) overpopulation.

[Kiddo]

Real about who they are in the inside? Less than 1%.

It's why I try to be brutally honest, even on a forum like this one. The cost of doing so though is you always feel like you are defending yourself because you don't have the luxury of pretending it is just some internet persona. In real life, I freely display much of the real me as well, which is probably why I am still single.

I have met some extraordinarily fake people though. I'm sure I will get yelled at for saying it, but It seems to somehow be related to extrovertedness.

[Randomnity]

I think everyone is "real"....its just that some people's "real selves" are considered shallow/uninteresting/fake/etc by some people.

On a related note, it amuses me to see people who think everyone else is fake (not saying the OP is like this). Unlikely.

This does depend on the definition of fakeness though....in my eyes it doesn't make someone fake to avoid blurting out every retarded thought that pops into their head, for instance.

[WobblyStilettos]

I think everyone has times when they are really truly 'real', but pretty much everyone acts fake because... well, sometimes you just have to.

[nolla]

Oh, how nice. So many different perspectives on being real.

Originally Posted by Night

Being "fake" is a necessity for successful communal living; our collective efficiency towards serving this adaptation is tied to our present problem of (among other things) overpopulation.

I agree. The more people, the more strangers who you need to guard your real self from.

Originally Posted by Kiddo

The cost of doing so though is you always feel like you are defending yourself because you don't have the luxury of pretending it is just some internet persona. In real life, I freely display much of the real me as well, which is probably why I am still single.

Love this comment. Very brave of you.

Originally Posted by Randomnity

I think everyone is "real"....its just that some people's "real selves" are considered shallow/uninteresting/fake/etc by some people.

I don't really agree. There is a difference being fake and being shallow. The shallow and boring people are often more interesting than the fake ones.

[Randomnity]

Originally Posted by nolla

I don't really agree. There is a difference being fake and being shallow. The shallow and boring people are often more interesting than the fake ones.

Can you define fake, then? Because I don't think I've ever met a fake person.

[nolla]

Really? Whoah... We live in very different worlds. I have to think about the definition for a while. I guess it's mostly a feeling that I get from someone.