I had an obsession (as opposed to special interest, which for me is like the difference between infatuation and love).
StarTrekker wrote:
Why do you consider an interest in Jewish people to be embarrassing?
I wasn't embarrassed by it when I had the obsession, but I am now, because I think it's weird to get that into a culture not my own, and knowing that it was likely just an aspie obsession, and not down to actual spirituality makes me feel bad about myself for how far I was willing to go. In my teens I thought I wanted to convert to Judaism.
It started with me getting interested in Holocaust at 11 because we learned about it in school, then at 12 I began to think about the meaning of life and seeking answers. Despite having been an atheist all my life I looked into different religions and became obsessed with Judaism, and in so doing also became obsessed with Holocaust, how and why it happened, the psychology behind it.
The latter is still an interest in the way that things like The Third Wave and similar are the kind of movies and books that impact me outside of my fave genres (horror, fantasy, sci fi).
Another embarrassing thing I had an obsession on once was adoptions (especially international ones) and how adoptees, adopters and the adoptive family's biological children viewed it. The good thing that came out of it was that I learned more about the different views which means I am better equipped to react right if someone brings it up at some point. Knowing better how to deal with people is always a good thing in my book.
Still, it was a really weird thing to be obsessed with, seeing as it doesn't have any bearing on my life at all. This is the only place I would even admit it.