You can recognise us, because our face is definite, strong, sharp, but usually ugly too. ‘Ugly’ is not necessarily the right word, but you won’t find harmony and peace on our faces, instead, you may find dissymmetry, deep lines, expression of confusion, internal trouble, eternal disturbance. And perhaps signs of digestion problems.

Chronologically, it usually starts early and continues on: when families, nurseries, schools, work places, cultural, social or political groups communicate rejection. “You don’t belong to us”. “You are something else”.

This is often followed by recognition, which is offered too late. Those who offer it, occasionally might be ‘normal people’, but mostly it is offered by other ‘odd’ people, they may be ‘Despite People’ themselves. People who refused to become rejects, who were determined not to sink, but instead, somehow found a path of strength towards an unknown end.

Proud, but angry people. Proud to be angry people. Angrily proud people.

Typical activity: telling the Emperor that he/she does not have a new coat on

Typical response from others: admiration by a few for having guts, but rejection by the majority

Typical stupidity: voluntarily walking into the Lion’s mouth

Typical strength and weakness: feeling that there is not much to loose, but a lot to revenge for

Consequences:

(1) mixture of paranoia and an over-developed sense of reality

(2) being pretty good in something, giving amazing commitment to work (or to anything else if consciously chosen) – but this excellence is partly related to the desire to revenge: “I will show it to them!”

(3) difficult personal relationships, which all mean too much

(4) lack of automatic loyalty to any institutions, established hierarchies, authoritarian structures and norms

Piroska Markus (Written in the 90’s)

P.S. I don’t think, people who are not ‘Despite People’ will understand the above, or understand us.

Beware of them!