Understanding introverts

If ever there was a safe time to label yourself an introvert, now would be the time. Not only is it safe, but it seems to be fighting for the protagonist role in American pop culture, especially in the realms of the Internet.  In part, this is a good thing; At last society has acknowledged that the quiet, reflective individual has something to offer in a world of bustling social activity. However, being an introvert is often misunderstood and misrepresented in the media.

Susan Cain’s book, “Quiet: The Power Of Introverts” has served as a manifesto for introverts. In the past, and continuing now, introverts have been regarded as unsuccessful and were forced to act like extroverts in order to be successful in their careers. Introverts have been forced outside of their comfort zones in many cases. Respecting introversion is a good thing, but glorifying introversion has led to it being misunderstood. Though being an introvert is not synonymous to being shy or highly intelligent (at least it shouldn’t be), there is a correlation that I just can’t ignore. You need only to google the Urban Dictionary’s denotation of introverts and extroverts. You’ll find a shocking bias that you probably wouldn’t expect. Introverts are the quiet, reserved, thoughtful, smart and prudent persons, while extroverts are the loud, brash, superficial jerks. It’s subtle, but it’s there. Now, it seems we have flipped our view of temperaments.

Introverts are also being misrepresented partly because they are often paired with the fascination of geek culture. Intellectuals in western society have been put on a high pedestal for a long time, but this particular wave of intellectual fascination, coupled with a force of introversion pride, is highly intriguing. It is hard to pinpoint, much less write about, because one must draw conclusions based on subtle cues in pop culture’s take on admirable characteristics. By subtle, I mean distinct but somehow mysteriously related.

When I was a child, I wore thick, horn-rimmed glasses that consumed half my face. I was spat on for having such an abomination of material on my face, but now, the bigger the rims, the bigger the hip. Stores like Fuego, Hot Topic, and Claire’s like to display the big “hipster” glasses. Glasses have become a symbol for intelligence, something that is becoming trendier these days. Somehow pop culture likes to equate intelligence with geek culture. Geek is in. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the popular items in the Mt. Hood bookstore, items which are categorized in a link “Geek on” on the MHCC website.

In the last few years, Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman, Thor, Captain America, The Green Lantern and X-Men have collectively dominated the box office. Once upon a time many of these were just comic books glued to the fingers of the Geekdom. Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Dr. Who, Divergent, Star-Wars, Helix, Walking dead; Sci-Fi and Fantasy have been popular before, but both are gaining even more appreciation.

Being an introvert myself, I used to think that because I was an introvert, that meant I was a stereotypical introvert. People thought that because I liked to read, I wore glasses, and I spent a ton of time thinking and writing, it was all because of my introverted personality. However, being an introvert has nothing to do with likes or dislikes. Further, it really has nothing to do with personality per say. An introvert can even be wild at times— which, given the right setting, I tend to be. The only difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that introverts re-energize themselves with solitude or self-contemplation, while extroverts on the other hand rely on social stimuli to recharge their batteries.

For some reason pop culture is fascinated with introverts, partly because we view the introvert in a plot as the angst-ridden, intelligent person who can muster enough bravery to save the world. Think of characters like Harry Potter, Katniss from the Hunger Games, and Charlie from Perks of Being a Wallflower. It really is a misrepresentation because in reality, an introvert has nothing to do with what books you read, how intelligent you are, how geeky you are, what you look like or even how quiet you are. An extrovert can have any of those attributes as well. Introversion and extroversion are just a difference in how we rejuvenate and where we spend most our time: inside ourselves or outside ourselves.