I don't think NTs really care about their interests

[Judge]

It's so annoying that I can't make friends in college.

I found that the further into college I got, the less I could afford to have a social life. Where my education always came first. By my senior year, I was like a monk. Turned out to be a wise choice for me.

 

[Mary Terry]

I'm NT, I have a NASA t-shirt which says "I need my space", I got it as a souvenir at Cape Canaveral, Florida a few years ago, and, while I have a generalized interest in NASA and own a NASA shirt, it doesn't mean it's a special interest of mine. Perhaps your fellow student does have an interest in NASA but is annoyed that you interrupted the class. Or is annoyed that you apparently singled him out.

It is equally possible your fellow student didn't do his laundry and that is the only clean thing he could find to wear that day.

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

To my understanding NASA is itself a brand that people wear because it's trendy. They have a collaboration with Vans for example, and though Vans is known for skateboarding shoes, the number of Vans wearers who actually skateboard is likely a very small minority. Likely, the typical person on the street who wears Nike runners likely has no idea what I'm talking about if I talk about waffles.

Thanks for the clarification. I found that anyone can use "NASA" commercially, free of charge, by just showing how they are using it and asking for permission. So it's like expecting someone wearing North Face to be interested in mountain climbing. By the way, I get annoyed by sell-out companies like North Face since I remember when it was a true mountaineering outfitter. With Nike, I wasn't sure they were ever a serious athletic shoe company to start with. I see they were and then quickly sold out.

 

[VictorR]

Thanks for the clarification. I found that anyone can use "NASA" commercially, free of charge, by just showing how they are using it and asking for permission. So it's like expecting someone wearing North Face to be interested in mountain climbing. By the way, I get annoyed by sell-out companies like North Face since I remember when it was a true mountaineering outfitter. With Nike, I wasn't sure they were ever a serious athletic shoe company to start with. I see they were and then quickly sold out.

From a corporate viewpoint, money is good, it makes shareholders happy, and so it is inevitable that many companies will sooner or later veer into athli-leisure.

With Nike, from I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that in terms of "runners" sold that less than 2% is of actual running shoes (Alphafly Next%, Vaporfly 4%, Pegasus Turbo, Pegasus, Zoom Fly, Vomero, Downshifter, to name some in approximate order from top of the line to budget).

That being said, the Vaporfly 4% was a game changer, with many course records being quickly knocked down by its wearers, and a lot of controversy generated, attracting the attention of World Athletics (formerly IAAF) and its successor the Next% expected to do even more. So a serious and leading athletic shoe company they still are, it just makes up an extremely limited portion of their business.

 

[Ylva]

Though you give weird examples, I think you may be onto something. Interests seem to be a bonding thing for allistics.

"
Having an interest doesn’t define you completely as a person and doesn’t mean you’re supposed to engage in that interest 100% of the time."


It does mean that when someone is autistic.

it's certainly treated that way by the stereotypers.

I do believe if an autistic person is wearing a NASA sweatshirt it is more likely to indicate a true interest in NASA than an NT wearing it.

I don't know. I have a Guns'n Roses t-shirt. Like the design, don't really care for the band.

 

[Skittlebisquit]

I let people give me clothes, it makes them feel better, and keeps me safe. Its just a covering, has no meaning to me. I have one shirt that has a dragon on it and says "coffee" in a stylized script. Its not my shirt. Alexa gave it to me as a gift
In my mind it will always be her shirt, even though its mine now. When i see it hanging up i think of her, not dragons or coffee. Sometimes a shirt is just a shirt. I wonder what are the best places to make friends out there online and which are safe

 

[Suzanne]

My husband is a neurotypical and has a great interest in eucalyptus trees and also have a lot in our garden and knows a lot about them. In fact, I would say he is obsessed with them.

Also, neurotypicals have habits and like to collect things too.

 

[SchrodingersMeerkat]

They don't. But they LOVE to pretend to be "obsessed" with them. Whenever someone tells me they are "obsessed" with meerkats, I secretly want to strangle them and scream "LIAR" at them. They never had to suffer for itlike I did.

 

[WildCat]

Do you ask other people explicitly if they're interested in something or what their thought process might be rather than going on your assumptions? That might help.

Also, don't interrupt class while it's in session. EVER. If you want to meet other people with similar tastes as you, there's a time and plenty of places to do that.

 

[Ephraim Becker]

I found out a way to contact him

 

[Joshua the Writer]

I feel like this is a generalization. I think that, no matter if they are Autistic or not, this would happen. For example, somebody could suddenly reference Monster Hunter (my current obsession RN), and I wouldn't bat an eye. I might comment that I've played Monster Hunter or something like that, but not continue on that line of conversation any further as to not stray too far away from the original topic.

Also, having a T-shirt of said thing doesn't mean much. They could be wearing it not because they like space, but just for the aesthetic.

 

[Stardust Parade]

No. I'm very insulted and surprised that he didn't even say a single comment about the nasa video.

Why would he? He’s there for math class, not to make friends or talk about hobbies. It’s incredibly rude to interrupt class. Get over yourself, and stop making assumptions about someone you know nothing about.

 

[Hylian]

A lot of people get clothes from others that have logos they don't care about, or buy clothing that they just think looks neat. Even autistic people. I have clothes I wear that have logos I don't care about on them and that I just like the appearance of.

If you are in college it is also incredibly rude to disrupt the class like that, people are paying to be there and probably aren't looking to make friends. It's nice that you want to engage in what you think someone else is interested in, but that's not the appropriate place or time for what you did. If someone did that during class I'd be very frustrated.

 

[Bolletje]

It does mean that when someone is autistic.

No, not necessarily. Just because it’s true for you doesn’t mean that all autistic people are 100% all about their interests all of the time.
Yeah, I like my special interests, but not all of my friends do, so I talk to them about other stuff. And I don’t engage in my special interests when I’m working or when I have other engagements. You don’t have to be obsessive about your interests to qualify as autistic.

 

[LadyS]

Short answer: Everyone is on a spectrum, not just people who are Autistic.

I have ASD, have many intense interests but i don't necessarily let those interests dictate how I live my life, where and who with, etc. Everyone has different circumstances which may not allow them to pursue said interests. I love love love stargazing yet I live in a large city, doesn't mean my interest isn't genuine. I know many NTs who have intense interests in certain areas, my husband included. He could talk to you all day about politics, finances, cricket or soccer, and DIY home projects IF he only had the time.

Also agree with others that it was probably not the most appropriate time to show a video, which could explain his seemingly lack of engagement. Personally if someone did that with me, I may have reacted the same way because I'd rather be focused on the reason I'm there which is class (and I love NASA too).

Conversely, I have friends who don't have any intense interests or hobbies and I totally understand the side eye us Aspies may give these NTs. I have a close friend who literally has zero interests, hobbies, or personal convictions about life, not a care in the world. Hates her job, doesn't like trying anything new, just wants life to be easy and boring. How these kinds of people function, I will never ever understand.

 

[Siv]

I do engage in my special interests, but I do know when to focus in class and the like. It wasn't the right time to show me a video and he may have be focusing on learning.

 

[TopherPwn]

They're good and bad people on any side of anything. IMO.

 

[Misery]

That math class doesn't have a class chat and it's on zoom so I would never be able to speak to him. It's so annoying that I can't make friends in college.

Something that I think needs to be pointed out here:

College is NOT about making friends. That's not the point, and never should be.

Yes, I know movies and such often show otherwise. Those movies are bloody stupid, created only to entertain. OF COURSE they're going to show something that focuses on social drama and/or comedy. Similarly, when you hear stories about things like frat parties or any of that nonsense, well, ask yourself this: Do you really think those people, so focused on their stupid parties and alcohol, actually ended up doing WELL in terms of academic success? I can tell you right now, the answer is "they absolutely freaking didnt".

I've been to college before. I've gone both to an expensive "business" college (computer science degree) as well as a community college (I forget why). Neither one of them was AT ALL focused on making friends or socializing. Every single person I saw there... they were all focused on lessons and grades. You pay big money for this stuff.

What you're after, is sorta the equivalent of renting a car to take a trip, but instead of taking that trip, inviting some guy to come and just sit with you in the totally stationary car and talk about, I dunno, potatoes or something. You paid the expense for the car,

They don't. But they LOVE to pretend to be "obsessed" with them. Whenever someone tells me they are "obsessed" with meerkats, I secretly want to strangle them and scream "LIAR" at them. They never had to suffer for itlike I did.

Oh they do like their interests, in most cases.

The reason why it can seem otherwise to US, is because their definition of "like" or "obsess" is different than ours. To be specific, the intensity range is different. Our base level of obsession would be considered very extreme to most NTs.

But even NTs can have extreme obsessions... just not as often.

Source: I've met non-autistic otakus. Frequently.

Usually, when pretending occurs, it's not pretending to like an interest... it's pretending to like a JOB that they have (because if they show too much displeasure, this can be very damaging... an unhappy employee is an unproductive one, in the eyes of idiot managers the world over).

 

[SchrodingersMeerkat]

If you want to meet other people with similar tastes as you, there's a time and plenty of places to do that.

Not that I've experienced. I've been bullied in fandoms supposedly that were for the same things I had a special interest in....FOR my special interest.

 

[Progster]

What someone has on their T-shirt doesn't mean a lot. I think the NASA T-shirt may be more a fashion statement than a genuine interest in NASA, a cool, trendy thing to wear, a bit like those people who you see wearing Che Guevara T-shirts, but then they know very little about Che Guevara himself. Or, as others have pointed out, maybe he is into NASA, just not right now.