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Do other people with the same special interest intimate you?

Thats impressive, i have never been to a wildlife sanctuary that large. We have a small one near where i live, the rehabilitate wild animals for release, and provide shelter for ones that have to stay forever
 
SchrodingersMeerkat said:
I've honesty never met another autistic person with a special interest in meerkats. Well just meerkats. I know someone else who claims they may be autistic but also likes the other mongooses. But then I've never met an NT with even a casual interest in meerkats. I got cyber bullied on a Lion King fan fourm (my other special interest at the time), I kinda leaned just because someone claims to have something in common with me doesn't mean they actually do, or at least not to the extent I do. Meerkats have essentially become my identity. "Meerkat Queen" is actually my nickname among a few people who know me personally. Now I just need a signature clothing style set and Netflix series.
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Yes and no. When someone has the same interest as me, I get very excited but then deflated when it’s not as deep or as enthused as how I feel about my special obsessions. I’ve learnt that not everyone wants to talk about these things 100% of the time or as deeply as I do. And interests vary in degrees. It also goes the same for other ASD people, sometimes we’ll have similar interests but there seems to be a degree in variety to how obsessed it can go. For example, I’m obsessed with dragon age, and I love talking about it because the games are extremely special to me too and I love the lore and characters...but when I ve spoken about it with others it seems to not be as detailed as I hope. But then maybe I should just enjoy it for what it is, and not apply expectations...but talking about special interests is a balancing act.

speaking of lion king. As a kid I was obsessed with it. Collected the merchandise, watched the movie on repeat, listened to the soundtrack so often that I knew the script and lyrics by heart ,,used to draw fan art and joined the biggest art archive of that fandom .And was extremely obsessed with lions..but that obsession mostly dwindled when I joined a lion king forum. I was going through a difficult time, I had been diagnosed with ASD and going through friendlessness, being bullied, isolated because my parents were never around due to work. I thought the forum was a good place to make friends and be around other fans. And to be accepted by people who liked what I liked without bullying me for it. Unfortunately, I made the mistake and responded to a very hurtful thread about how autism = retards and argued against it. Naturally, by saying that I had ASD I was subjected to abuse by certain members, except one who messaged me privately to say that she had it too and that she was sorry that I was being subjected to that abuse. The mods did Sweet Nothing about it and I left. They ruined it for me. I still like the movie but it’s not as with a high intensity level as it used to be. It was a pretty happy place for me to go to when I got too stressed or overwhelmed or upset...now ...not. In part because of the community. However, I’ve been part of many communities Of different interests and fandoms since then aNd it did teach me a few valued lessons.


I’m sorry that you experienced bullying from them.
 
OkRad said:
I would love it if I found others who were obsessed with Homer.

There were many in the past. According to some of the dialogues (Plato's "Ion" and Xenophon's "Symposium") there did seem to be quite a bit of rivalry with recitation of the Iliad. There were competitions and everything. It was a different culture so it's hard to say how I would feel back then.

But now? Wow..... if I found someone today as obsessed with the Iliad as I am, no, I would not be intimidated. I would be excited and would want to connect!
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I’m a history nerd although it’s mostly...currently ...ancient Egypt and pharaoh Hatshepsut...but I do have a couple of degrees in classical civilizations and archaeology. Homer’s Iliad is one of those epics that I have to credit for me liking the ancient Greek world. Although dinosaurs got me into history...

the Iliad, odyssey that’s also attributed to homer., And also the Aeneid even if that was written for Roman propaganda..are great stories. The modern stories that have been inspired by the world building that homer created are some of my favorite works of fiction...although I’m going to pretend that the Troy tv show and film don’t exist...

The epic poetry, the verses ..the characters..the interplay between the gods , their influence in the Trojan war. The sides they take... The death of hektor. The idea that fate, had to be abided with as an outcome of life although the nuances can be influenced.the concept of Kleos...glory works well with the epic ness theme of the poem. And the influence of warfare formations is quite helpful to look at in a historical context. Archaeologically speaking, it also influenced Schliemann to “find” the site of Troy, the death,Mask of agammemnon and more study on the “dark age” of Greece.

Yeah, it’s a good source.
 
Skittlebisquit said:
There is this youtube chan called
"Save a fox" about a fox sanctuary in minnesota of all places. Minn is very conservative. Its owned operated and fully supported by One Awesome Woman with a passion
I bet there is much to be learned there, similar tecnology, ie fencing, watering systems etc. Are meerkats and foxes even similar?
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I guess in the sense that they are both mammals but aside from that they're not similar. Meerkats are in the Mongoose family. There is a lady in California who runs a place for ones that the zoo's no longer want. we used to be friends but now we're not for reasons I do not wish to discuss. I'll just move the South Africa and start my own meerkat rescue.
 
Skittlebisquit said:
Those things are cute, i see why you like them. Foxes are way bigger, totally different critter. Likely have similar needs as far as shelter, but meetkats are diggers. How in the world would you ever keep them in?
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If I lived in South Africa the plan would be to rehabilitate them and for them to go back in the wild anyway. There's a lady in South Africa that does that. Maybe I could work for her someday? But the ones that can no longer be returned to the wild live the house with her. She has a bond with them and they like to be with her so they don't try to escape.
 
Wolfsage said:
Was lion king an influence? I liked it too.
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I think so. I didn't know what a meerkat was until I figured out Timon was supposed to be one. I no longer like Timon as a character (Rocket Raccoon is my new favorite fictional character... IDK I just find him very relatable.) But I still love regular real meerkats.
 
Owliet said:
Yes and no. When someone has the same interest as me, I get very excited but then deflated when it’s not as deep or as enthused as how I feel about my special obsessions. I’ve learnt that not everyone wants to talk about these things 100% of the time or as deeply as I do. And interests vary in degrees. It also goes the same for other ASD people, sometimes we’ll have similar interests but there seems to be a degree in variety to how obsessed it can go. For example, I’m obsessed with dragon age, and I love talking about it because the games are extremely special to me too and I love the lore and characters...but when I ve spoken about it with others it seems to not be as detailed as I hope. But then maybe I should just enjoy it for what it is, and not apply expectations...but talking about special interests is a balancing act.

speaking of lion king. As a kid I was obsessed with it. Collected the merchandise, watched the movie on repeat, listened to the soundtrack so often that I knew the script and lyrics by heart ,,used to draw fan art and joined the biggest art archive of that fandom .And was extremely obsessed with lions..but that obsession mostly dwindled when I joined a lion king forum. I was going through a difficult time, I had been diagnosed with ASD and going through friendlessness, being bullied, isolated because my parents were never around due to work. I thought the forum was a good place to make friends and be around other fans. And to be accepted by people who liked what I liked without bullying me for it. Unfortunately, I made the mistake and responded to a very hurtful thread about how autism = retards and argued against it. Naturally, by saying that I had ASD I was subjected to abuse by certain members, except one who messaged me privately to say that she had it too and that she was sorry that I was being subjected to that abuse. The mods did Sweet Nothing about it and I left. They ruined it for me. I still like the movie but it’s not as with a high intensity level as it used to be. It was a pretty happy place for me to go to when I got too stressed or overwhelmed or upset...now ...not. In part because of the community. However, I’ve been part of many communities Of different interests and fandoms since then aNd it did teach me a few valued lessons.


I’m sorry that you experienced bullying from them.
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Was that Lilymud BTW? That was the name of the form I got bullied on.
 
SchrodingersMeerkat said:
I think so. I didn't know what a meerkat was until I figured out Timon was supposed to be one. I no longer like Timon as a character (Rocket Raccoon is my new favorite fictional character... IDK I just find him very relatable.) But I still love regular real meerkats.
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I always liked Simba. Mufasa too.
 
Skittlebisquit said:
What is the best meerkat website?
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Skittlebisquit said:
Sounds pretty elaborate, and expenssive to build. Also is an echo of free range rabbit setups, they burrow too..do meerkats like to swim?
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No, not in the wild at least. But the term "meerkat" is Afrikaans for "lake cat". "meer" means lake and there is no C in the Afrikaanas language. Which is very weird since they don't live near lakes or water.
 
I have met a guy that shares not one but FOUR of my special interests. One is minecraft, second is alpine skiing, third is soccer and fourth is meterology. My interests are maybe more common because my country has great results in soccer and alpine skiing so many people watch them on national television. We're just hosting the skiing world cup tommorow. And minecraft is also a very popular video game among teens.
 
FlapjackCries said:
I AM IN LOVE WITH MEERKATS!!! I HAVE NEVER FOUND SOMEONE OBSESSED WITH THEM!!!

This is mega cool!!! Sorry for shouting!!
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I like them since I was 6 and seen them in ZOO. Also, gave money for them to my city ZOO. I don't think I'm obsessed with them, but I like them much. They are so cute that people often pat them and then they bite, so there is a warning sign that they bite there. Also, they are among 10 animals in the ZOO that most people give money for.
 
Yes! It turns into some sort of competition in my head as to which of us can be the most knowledgeable about [special interest], but my hardcore avoidance of new things often keeps me from learning very much about the subject at hand.

Also, meerkats are very cool! I have an obsession with felines. Particularly snow leopards and lions.
 
Most fandoms are very obnoxious and cult-like, so it's not surprising someone who was also fan of the Lion King would bully you. It's why I try to stay away from fandoms.

When I was a teenager and even a young adult I was heavily interested in Garfield, and was constantly bullied and harassed everywhere I went, but if other kids liked Garfield and wore T shirts of him at school, it was perfectly acceptable. It's like I spent my life with the word LOSER tattooed to my forehead or something.
 
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