The Exceptional Stamp

(I need to stop making stamps. Especially such deadly serious ones.)

You are not the *good* Christian/otaku/Canadian/conservative/Muslim/woman/Atheist/gamer/banker/man/young person/hipster/artist/blogger/Wiccan/liberal/Avatar fan/girl gamer/musician/New Yorker/gay person/MRA/stay at home mom/vegan/body builder/film snob. (et al.)

When you think about it, it's a huge slap in the face when someone tells you this. They basically just said that they don't like something major about your personality, but they've softened the blow by patting you on the head and saying, "…but you're one of the rare, good ones." As though it's a compliment. "You look good compared to all the straw men I've set you up against."

It can be nice to feel like the exception, but now you're in a box, and the moment you expose yourself as a real human being with opinions and needs, you run the risk of losing your privileged position.

I think everyone has been there at one point or another, and maybe people say this because they want to get along. But it's a nasty habit, like clearing your throat all the time or appending "you know" to the end of every sentence.

(The converse is saddling you with the responsibility of representing your entire group. Hooray tokenism.)