Have you ever not liked your special interest?

[TikvaBall]

There's been a weird thing that has been happening with me, and I don't like it. My special interests have always been a source of joy for me, but for the past year or so, since I've been back in college, the special interest has been autism. I love psychology, so that wouldn't bother me if it was just looking up about it and watching autistic YouTubers and hanging out on forums. Instead, I'm stuck on how autistic people get treated like crap by our society, and I don't know how to fix it. Also, I don't know if it's making my PTSD worse because i have trauma from all the times I got in trouble for being autistic, and that crap keeps playing in my head like an evil DJ is playing a song over and over in my head.

 

[Judge]

A lot. The morbid nature of totalitarianism and authoritarian mass-movements and much of anything unpleasant in human history sometimes catches up with me and always will. That while such things fascinate me, I also find them revolting at the same time. I know, it's weird.

But then things like computers, digital photography and image enhancement never get old to me.

 

[Kitsuna]

TBH, I have something kind of close…

When SeaWorld was fighting off Blackfish 10 years ago, I became kind of embarrassingly fixated on everything because I grew up liking SeaWorld since my parents took me as a toddler but Blackfish had a bunch of field biologists on their side, so I didn’t know who to trust. I ended up following the whole thing religiously and I don’t like how I can tell you details a person who hasn’t been to a SeaWorld park in 30 years should know (lol)

Got me interested marine conservation and orcas, though.

 

[Judge]

TBH, I have something kind of close…

When SeaWorld was fighting off Blackfish 10 years ago, I became kind of embarrassingly fixated on everything because I grew up liking SeaWorld since my parents took me as a toddler but Blackfish had a bunch of field biologists on their side, so I didn’t know who to trust. I ended up following the whole thing religiously and I don’t like how I can tell you details a person who hasn’t been to a SeaWorld park in 30 years should know.

Got me interested marine conservation and orcas, though.

Yeah....I remember when Sea World first opened in San Diego. I loved it. Though I understand long since it has gone downhill. The last time I was there was back around 1980.

 

[TikvaBall]

I'd be curious to know whether any other late diagnosed people or else people who have self diagnosed pick autism up as their special interest. I guess it's pretty common judging by TikTok. Either way, it's annoying.

 

[Judge]

I'd be curious to know whether any other late diagnosed people or else people who have self diagnosed pick autism up as their special interest. I guess it's pretty common judging by TikTok. Either way, it's annoying.

I'm inclined to think that's why the majority of us are here and not somewhere else.

Definitely within the realm of a special interest, IMO. Though I have no idea or interest about TikTok.

 

[TikvaBall]

I'm inclined to think that's why the majority of us are here and not somewhere else.

This is true. Also, off topic, but woohoo, I finally figured out how to quote people I guess.

 

[Tony Ramirez]

I use to enjoy yoga and church but now they stress the hell out of me. I quit yoga. Church well you know the rules. Read my depressing post history.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I'd be curious to know whether any other late diagnosed people or else people who have self diagnosed pick autism up as their special interest. I guess it's pretty common judging by TikTok. Either way, it's annoying.

I think that it sort of got added on to my long list of special interests.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I checked it out a bit to get a better idea of who I am, noticed a lot is just people with Phd's doing research on us basically by consensus. keeps changing over time.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I have never NOT liked my special interests.
I did the super focus research on autism after diagnosis, and while it had the intensity of a special interest for a few months, I think it was just part of the way I have to understand everything rather than a special interest per se.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

My special interest in covid lasted for the duration of covid all documented on this site on my covid thread still get the occasional insight.

 

[Seladon]

During the pandemic I picked up a short-lived special interest in televised sport (football/soccer in particular). I spent entire days of each month 2020-22 consuming YouTube & podcast analysis, transfer news and critical journalism, essays, and fan forums, as well as watching then-current and old matches in full with close attention.

I started losing enthusiasm a year and half ago, as my bias players left/changed club and my teams lost tournaments. And as this season begins? I find I don’t really care to follow and watch any games at all, nor engage in fandom discussion and punditry, so I suppose my interest is flickering out. Am bored of it, and got all I could out of it. Now I don’t know what to do with my free time, or all this useless sports trivia

 

[FilterFreq]

Oddly, ASD isn't a special interest of mine. Or, maybe I reached the depth of my capacity with it long ago.

There are a few I don't like so much, but only because they feel like a waste of time with diminishing returns. Like things I've poured thousands of hours over that just don't really amount to anything or seem to improve my life in any sort of meaningful way. Others appreciate them sometimes and that's cool, but sometimes I worry about not replenishing wherever it came from, if that makes any sense.

I guess it's a love / hate thing.