I'm trying to understand why
>>1442318insists on spouting off the feel good "be yourself and don't fit in" excuse to compensate for his fear of exclusion.
I get random people that come up to me and ask what I do since I carry a laptop and (insert new cellphone of the month for review).
I boil it down to "reporter/consumer advocate" since I'm a news reporter for a wireless industry newsfeed and I'm also the editor in chief of an anime related newsfeed that recently launched.
I wear anime/video game shirts on occasion and I have long hair, but I'm not out there pushing anime/manga/video games on people, or having long-winded debates with people since I kind of have to keep those things in check when managing my professional life.
Most people would just brush it off or ask a couple questions if they see something interesting on my end, but to go at length about your hobbies is rather inappropriate unless the information is relevant to the question since its quite easy to alienate people.
If anyone has seen the AMEX Business Gold Card commercial with the business owner flashing a nerdy credit card, that's why most people suppress power levels because they don't want to appear irresponsible or foolish when dealing with professional matters because it can lead to a lot of perception issues and can affect your ability to advance further in business.
You may think its bullshit, but its just how the world works for a majority of people.