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Odd People: Cranks, Eccentrics & Nutters

Slightly more unusually, there's a lad I see in Sutton Coldfield town centre quite often who wears a kilt, proper tartan as far as I can tell, often paired with a black t-shirt and headphones blaring out heavy rock music.

He looks a bit intense, and I've never seen him interact with anyone, so I've no idea of his story.

Obviously, I've not done a lot of shopping in Sutton (or anywhere else!) recently, so I don't know if he's still out there in this weather...

Maybe he's a Zakk Wylde fan?

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This is just that standard Darth Vader guy, on a unicycle, playing bagpipes that're on fire, clearing the snow....he gets everywhere....

This isn't strange at all - every wee town in Scotland has at least two or three people who dress in kilts all the time
Indeed. In fact, there's even a few that carry round leather targe-shields, wear the proper long-plaid kilt (which is big-enough to sleep in as a wrap) whilst wielding giant wooden clubs (which are cromach-caman-shillelagh-stick things). And I'm not joking.
 
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Several years ago, I was catching the tube somewhere in Central London walked into a station and went to the far end of the platform as that was quietest part, although there weren't many people. Towards the far end was a tall man who looked around 50, as I past him he reacted and sort of "shoulder barged" me, not hard but there was contact when he moved I braced to be rugby tackled, there was no one else on that part of the platform and no need for us to be near one another. This lasted a fraction of a second and once passed him we ignored each other, waiting for the train another guy walked past him and he did the exact same thing. At that point I noticed he looked anxious and one of the lenses in his glasses was cracked, presumably from similar incidents that had not gone so smoothly? He was a "respectable" and normal looking middle aged guy, who I guess had some compulsive reaction to people (or men, at least) passing him, which would make living or being in London very difficult, though wouldn't be easy anywhere. I presume he was towards the far end to avoid people but he could have gone 20-30ft further along, maybe he had issues with that too.
 
Slightly more unusually, there's a lad I see in Sutton Coldfield town centre quite often who wears a kilt, proper tartan as far as I can tell, often paired with a black t-shirt and headphones blaring out heavy rock music.

He looks a bit intense, and I've never seen him interact with anyone, so I've no idea of his story.

Obviously, I've not done a lot of shopping in Sutton (or anywhere else!) recently, so I don't know if he's still out there in this weather...
He could have sensory difficulties and not like wearing trousers. My daughter can't bear anything 'touching her legs' (!) she wears trousers all the time as she hates the feel of skirts, so she has to wear very loose and baggy trousers.
 
Notice on the big list above someone thought it was notable that a man would walk around Aberdeen in full kilt attire all the time.

This isn't strange at all - every wee town in Scotland has at least two or three people who dress in kilts all the time (when I was a laddie, my Great Grandad would always wear his kilt down the street in Blairgowrie), so I would imagine Aberdeen would have quite a few!
Even in the NYC suburbs I sometimes see the occasional kilt wearer who otherwise does not seem out of the ordinary.
 
Several years ago, I was catching the tube somewhere in Central London walked into a station and went to the far end of the platform as that was quietest part, although there weren't many people. Towards the far end was a tall man who looked around 50, as I past him he reacted and sort of "shoulder barged" me, not hard but there was contact when he moved I braced to be rugby tackled, there was no one else on that part of the platform and no need for us to be near one another. This lasted a fraction of a second and once passed him we ignored each other, waiting for the train another guy walked past him and he did the exact same thing. At that point I noticed he looked anxious and one of the lenses in his glasses was cracked, presumably from similar incidents that had not gone so smoothly? He was a "respectable" and normal looking middle aged guy, who I guess had some compulsive reaction to people (or men, at least) passing him, which would make living or being in London very difficult, though wouldn't be easy anywhere. I presume he was towards the far end to avoid people but he could have gone 20-30ft further along, maybe he had issues with that too.
Maybe he was trying to pick pockets?
 
Several years ago, I was catching the tube somewhere in Central London walked into a station and went to the far end of the platform as that was quietest part, although there weren't many people. Towards the far end was a tall man who looked around 50, as I past him he reacted and sort of "shoulder barged" me, not hard but there was contact when he moved I braced to be rugby tackled, there was no one else on that part of the platform and no need for us to be near one another. This lasted a fraction of a second and once passed him we ignored each other, waiting for the train another guy walked past him and he did the exact same thing. At that point I noticed he looked anxious and one of the lenses in his glasses was cracked, presumably from similar incidents that had not gone so smoothly? He was a "respectable" and normal looking middle aged guy, who I guess had some compulsive reaction to people (or men, at least) passing him, which would make living or being in London very difficult, though wouldn't be easy anywhere. I presume he was towards the far end to avoid people but he could have gone 20-30ft further along, maybe he had issues with that too.

Tourettes?
 
Isn't the point of picking pockets is you don't draw attention to yourself?
Pickpockets often bump into people, both as a distraction technique and to close the gap so other people can't see what is happening.
 
Maybe he was trying to pick pockets?

That's often a classic trick of pick pockets but I don't think so, there's was definitely something "up" psychologically, the body language, facial expression, movements were all anxious/compulsive. He also had a large bag he was holding in one hand, observing him the second time, he "kept his hands to himself" if you see what I mean. If it was pickpocketing, he'd be the world's worst.
 
Pickpockets often bump into people, both as a distraction technique and to close the gap so other people can't see what is happening.
I also read once that pickpockets will work in groups - one will "bump" into someone and walk away. The person who has been bumped will apparently instantly check their wallet/purse/phone to make sure it's still there. The second person then knows exactly where the valuables are and can pick pocket more effectively.
 
Was chatting to a Customer Service staff at Morrisons this morning as I got my paper - earlier an Old Boy had handed in to her a *lot* of money he'd found in the Wine & Spirits aisle. With a shake of the head he'd actually commented "who would walk about with that amount of money in their pocket ?!" Very public spirited, but he had gone by the time Security could check the CCTV cameras and discover the money was his.
I gather he had taken the money out of his pocket as he was choosing a bottle at the wine shelf, then turned away. He looked at the money in his hand and then at the floor and then went to Customer Services to hand in the money he must have thought had been on the floor.
Most likely a major 'senior moment' ie an Alzheimer episode rather than just 'strange' - staff were hoping he'd come back to the Store.
 
A few years ago we moved into a block of flats, and on the second or third day bumped into one of our new neighbours. An elderly man, in his 60s or 70s at a guess, he introduced himself by name, and then asked me if I had met Jesus yet. Unfortunately it was only afterwards that I came up with the better answer of "no, which flat does he live in?".

At the time I just muttered something and found myself facing a monologue about his beliefs. He had been a maths teacher. until he became a Christian, and then, "of course I had to give up maths after that".

I'm still at a loss to explain that one.
 
A few years ago we moved into a block of flats, and on the second or third day bumped into one of our new neighbours. An elderly man, in his 60s or 70s at a guess, he introduced himself by name, and then asked me if I had met Jesus yet. Unfortunately it was only afterwards that I came up with the better answer of "no, which flat does he live in?".

At the time I just muttered something and found myself facing a monologue about his beliefs. He had been a maths teacher. until he became a Christian, and then, "of course I had to give up maths after that".

I'm still at a loss to explain that one.
My only guess is that maths is all about logic and absolutes, which is not something you can say about christianity :p
 
My only guess is that maths is all about logic and absolutes, which is not something you can say about christianity :p
The Jehovah Witness who used to call on me was very proud of the fact he was 'a Scientist' (degree in Maths). I think it was the Absolutes with no margin of error or doubts in Maths (and the fact to me it's a subject with man-made rules) that had the appeal.
 
Maths (and the fact to me it's a subject with man-made rules)
I think I know what you're saying, but I would describe Math(s) differently. (Math over here, maths in your land.)
Instead of being something with man-made rules, I'd describe math as patterns and ratios found in nature, written up in formulas and equations with symbols people have invented.
 
Instead of being something with man-made rules, I'd describe math as patterns and ratios found in nature, written up in formulas and equations with symbols people have invented.
That's a fascinating question. Can the map ever be the territory? Can the language - in the broad sense* - we ascribe to give meaning to what we perceive be thought of as being one with our perception, rather than just a description of it?

* e.g. formulae and equations
 
I think I know what you're saying, but I would describe Math(s) differently. (Math over here, maths in your land.)
Instead of being something with man-made rules, I'd describe math as patterns and ratios found in nature, written up in formulas and equations with symbols people have invented.

I think I know what you're saying, but I'm not mathematically-minded and cannot savour the philosophical aspects. I still baulk at Mathematicians being described as Scientists - even if Science is founded on Math(s) - because to me 2+2=4 is a rule (like passing Go in Monopoly and collecting £200) rather than a theory or a law. Popper's falsifiability an' all that.
 
Mathematicians are definitely not scientists! Your baulking is well justified.
 
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