Doesn't it bother you when people think your sole purpose in life is to entertain them?

Question

I am half-black, so people expect me to be like Dave Chappelle or something, or I'm not black.

I used to be a martial arts teacher, and people expected me to be some sort of fun clown. Someone actually told me I shouldn't be a real teacher because I would bore people!

I talk to people sometimes from work or that I know, and they'll say something like, "Why don't you have more fun?" like I'm some 24-hour fun-a-thon clown?

Have we lost our priorities in this country? Is it more about fun than actually having a personality or getting the job done? Why do I have to be someone else's source of entertainment?

Answer 1

Very good question, and very good points! I think that access to entertainment in most of the Western world has proliferated to the point that people expect it to be around them in all of their waking hours. People also expect their friends to be like the people they see on TV - always witty, funny and exciting. Real life is not that way. You must make your own entertainment most of the time. People should not be questioned or shunned just because they don't play to a script.
We in the West should take a hint from other parts of the world where people put a higher value on education and hard work rather than continuous entertainment.
"To thine own self be true"; be yourself, work hard and in your personal pursuits don't march to anyone else's tune. You'll have a much more satisfying life that way.

Answer 2

Are you around people that are like you?
It seems like you need to be around some like-minded people.

I don't have this problem, my friends are sincerely my friends and my co-workers & I keep it professional.

Join a club or some other extra-curriculars with people that have the same interests as you.

Answer 3

That sounds like a person problem. Stop worrying about other people. Just do you. If they can't accept you for the person you are, then the hell with them.