As I sat in my Latin class and listened to my professor (a man who razor shaves his head, arms, and presumably everything else) and a few students talk about their individual collections of antique swords and crossbows, I wondered why there are so many weirdos in college.

I think anyone who’s attended university can relate to what I’m talking about.

There is this bizarre contingent of students on most any campus who say random things during class, get upset for almost no reason, and just generally defy any sense of inter-societal norm. It’s not just to say that they dress different or think differently, I’m talking about the people who are so socially inept as to make an auditorium full of people cringe when they start to ramble in the guise of a question for the professor.

I think the short answer to where these folks came from is, well, everywhere. After high school the idea of bullying really tends to taper off. This is largely due to the “bullies” of your high school either being in community college, working at their dad’s dealership, or being too busy chasing skirt and getting drunk to bother with hallway intimidation. Of course, there’s also the small faction of bullies that miraculously become “counter-culture” the minute they set foot in the dorm.

The point is, with the bullies gone, these kids who wouldn’t dare speak and were content to hide somewhere while trading Pokémon, are now free to express themselves in whatever fashion they deem fit. And many times, as in the scene of my recent observation, than so flourish in the college atmosphere that they never leave. Then you get the bizarre ramblings of an eccentric* teacher to further lubricate your cursory grip on what the hell is going on.

Good for you weirdos. Keep it up. We all know the world is ultimately yours.

*I’ve noticed that eccentric only starts getting applied once the socially inept individual holds some level of academic achievement.