We hear the word “outlandish” and immediately think of extreme behaviors and appearance, like wearing red speedos to a wedding and dancing an Irish jig whilst singing ‘Old Man River’ in a deep baritone. I know we can all relate to that.
The word itself has seemingly been around for nearly a thousand years and is derived from the Old English word “ūtlendisc“, or foreigner. I guess that makes a kind of sense because when ancient peoples would encounter one another, it is fairly certain they would speak different languages or dialects, dress differently, have different customs and mores, etc.
The fact that we are territorial in nature is not a surprise. We seem to be wizards at making fences and borders and have a finely tuned sense of the “other”, the foreigner. I wonder if that behavior is learned or genetic or a little of both?
I ask only that you be wary of wearers of red speedos. They are simply outlandish and not to be trusted.
whoisfenton 