How Neurotypicals React to Autistic Special Interests

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OddDuckNash99
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13 Oct 2008, 6:43 pm

I only get two reactions to my "special interests": People either think my enthusiasm for my obsessive fixations are "weird," or they think that it's extremely cute/amusing/fascinating how excited I get when I ramble on about a subject.
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HereComeTheLizards
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14 Oct 2008, 12:58 pm

There is a deep suspicion in society (well, the society in which I find myself) about people who are interested in things for their own sake, rather using 'interests) than to 'get on' socially, materially or sexually. In the popular imagination the 'nerd' is a mere few steps away from the school-shooter.

Like a lot of things people, 'NTs' if you like, dislike it's based on fear, ridicule and suspicion. After all, who knows WHAT those 'nerds' are getting up to?


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anna-banana
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14 Oct 2008, 1:47 pm

I just made that mistake last night, I was out in a bar with some friends and it was great for an hour or so, we talked about the financial crisis and had a pretty heated debate, anyway, suddenly this girl I didn't even know came over and started chatting about her love life problems with my mate...

of course I imediately spaced out, started yawning and all that. after some time one of my friends asked me if I was just tired and for some reason I was incapable of lying at that particular moment and answered with all sincerity that the girl bores the hell out of me and that I'd rather go back home now and read "Dimensions in Mathematics" (the girl didn't hear it thank god lol).

my friend thought it was a great joke and I thought it would be better to leave it at that lol.

some people do appreciate my special interests though, my local hoodies always chat me up about hip-hop like I'm some expert and I only obsessed about it back in high school and not even for that long.


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