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lotuspuppy
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21 Sep 2010, 5:43 pm

A lot of us identify ourselves as being a bit different from other people. How are you different from other people? What do you feel makes these differences stand out? Do you think it's a good thing?

I guess I'll start, then. As a college student, I've always been different from my peers, and could never connect with most of them. I think my social skills are fine, and I'm able to meet them quite nicely. But when I do connect with my peers more, I find them rather dull. Older people get on with me very well, but not people my own age.

As time went on, I found I gravitated to different things than most other college students. For instance, many college students love to drink, party, and do other naughty stuff they couldn't do earlier. I tried all of that the first week or two, grew bored of it, and then started being myself more. My ideal weekend is to go to an art gallery, a nice dinner somewhere, then sit home and read a book. Most kids at my school want no part in this, especially considering that arts and humanities are pretty weak where I go.

So what it boils down to is that I have different interests than most of my peers. My interests align perfectly with someone 50 years old, but not 21. However, I think my social life will get richer as time goes on, especially as more people appreciate my talents. So what's your answer?



CockneyRebel
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21 Sep 2010, 5:56 pm

I'm a Kinks Fan in a world of Beatles fans. I think that's a good thing. :)


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Callista
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21 Sep 2010, 6:11 pm

I care deeply about learning and not so much about reality TV.

Then again, most of the sensible NTs I've met don't care for reality TV, either.


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leftyswin
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21 Sep 2010, 6:13 pm

I don't know... :(



BottleCap
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21 Sep 2010, 6:18 pm

Everything. :?



lotuspuppy
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21 Sep 2010, 7:18 pm

Callista wrote:
I care deeply about learning and not so much about reality TV.

Then again, most of the sensible NTs I've met don't care for reality TV, either.

I am in the same boat, although "reality" TV has gotten to me. I watch Jersey Shore for a laugh every now and then, and am addicted to Big Brother (U.S.). However, I realize it's mindless garbage, and not a topic I want to dwell on.



sluice
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21 Sep 2010, 7:39 pm

I just don't care about what most people seem to care about in order to relate and make connections with each other. Gossip, whatever the latest and greatest materialistic needs are at the moment, treating someone differently because of perceived higher status, etc., all seem boring to me and it is hard for me to feign any interest in them. I also seem to offend a fraction of the people just by being me. It probably has something to do with not giving off the right body language and demeanor for the situation, or maybe because I just don't play the games people play by some undefined rules. Who knows. :?



LususNaturae
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21 Sep 2010, 8:47 pm

lotuspuppy wrote:
A lot of us identify ourselves as being a bit different from other people. How are you different from other people? What do you feel makes these differences stand out? Do you think it's a good thing?

I guess I'll start, then. As a college student, I've always been different from my peers, and could never connect with most of them. I think my social skills are fine, and I'm able to meet them quite nicely. But when I do connect with my peers more, I find them rather dull. Older people get on with me very well, but not people my own age.

As time went on, I found I gravitated to different things than most other college students. For instance, many college students love to drink, party, and do other naughty stuff they couldn't do earlier. I tried all of that the first week or two, grew bored of it, and then started being myself more. My ideal weekend is to go to an art gallery, a nice dinner somewhere, then sit home and read a book. Most kids at my school want no part in this, especially considering that arts and humanities are pretty weak where I go.

So what it boils down to is that I have different interests than most of my peers. My interests align perfectly with someone 50 years old, but not 21. However, I think my social life will get richer as time goes on, especially as more people appreciate my talents. So what's your answer?


You sound like me at 21 ;-)

I always felt like an 'old' soul starting with the beginning stages of adolescence. I started college at 16, moved away from my parents permanently at 19 and now (at 26) hang out with more 45-50 year olds than I do 20-somethings.



Philologos
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21 Sep 2010, 9:48 pm

Pretty much like yours. Interested in the wrong way in the wrong things for the average, talk the wrong way about the wrong things at the wrong time. Once you locate your own clan it gets better.

For what it is worth - 50 year old NTs I know are no more interested in living like a 20 year old Aspie than the 20 year old NTs are.



Mdyar
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21 Sep 2010, 11:03 pm

lotuspuppy wrote:
A lot of us identify ourselves as being a bit different from other people. How are you different from other people? What do you feel makes these differences stand out? Do you think it's a good thing?

So what it boils down to is that I have different interests than most of my peers. My interests align perfectly with someone 50 years old, but not 21. However, I think my social life will get richer as time goes on, especially as more people appreciate my talents. So what's your answer?


Different interests.
Once, I was sitting in a waiting area while reading an "electronics book on radio communication and theory,"(whilst my vehicle was getting tires), and lady next to me was nosing at this reading material and had asked if I was going to school for this. I said,"no, I'm reading for the fun of it, it is just something that I find interesting." She opened her eyes wide and commented that this was odd.

- At Radio Shack, I made frequent stops over a few days for parts on a project I was working on for an acquaintance of mine.
The clerk would nag me about buying Direct T.V. or cell phone plans ,each time, and try to small talk, but I was working on a 'phone flasher design' in my head and wouldn't talk much but go and pay. I told her "he has an autobody shop and can't hear the phone due to the mechanical noise in the shop, so I'm building him a strobe light flasher circuit to flash when the phone rings. She then asked me if I was "The Unabomber," and I said "yes". This was in '99 some years(?) after he was caught .

Do I feel appreciated? Mostly no; more often than not I get this from folks and at times lock horns.^



Meadow
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21 Sep 2010, 11:22 pm

"Everything", like another poster said, pretty well covers it.



adifferentname
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22 Sep 2010, 3:20 am

I'm not different, but everyone else is.



IamTheWalrus
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22 Sep 2010, 3:51 am

CockneyRebel wrote:
I'm a Kinks Fan in a world of Beatles fans. I think that's a good thing. :)


I am a Kinks fan in disguise. 8) (they truly were brilliant)

On topic more or less:

I prefer solitude. Whereas most people seem to thoroughly enjoy flocking together, the larger the group the better it seems.



anneurysm
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22 Sep 2010, 4:48 am

I'm more open-minded than most people. I don't care at all for gossip or for demeaning others: or simply ostracising them because they are different: which is what I feel people do quite a bit. As well, I consider myself friends with tons of people with disabilities or social difficulties, simply because I'm accepting of everyone. :)


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marshall
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22 Sep 2010, 12:16 pm

I just am. My thoughts are different. My emotions are different. I can't even imagine being in the mind of a "normal" person.



lotuspuppy
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22 Sep 2010, 6:06 pm

LususNaturae wrote:
lotuspuppy wrote:
A lot of us identify ourselves as being a bit different from other people. How are you different from other people? What do you feel makes these differences stand out? Do you think it's a good thing?

I guess I'll start, then. As a college student, I've always been different from my peers, and could never connect with most of them. I think my social skills are fine, and I'm able to meet them quite nicely. But when I do connect with my peers more, I find them rather dull. Older people get on with me very well, but not people my own age.

As time went on, I found I gravitated to different things than most other college students. For instance, many college students love to drink, party, and do other naughty stuff they couldn't do earlier. I tried all of that the first week or two, grew bored of it, and then started being myself more. My ideal weekend is to go to an art gallery, a nice dinner somewhere, then sit home and read a book. Most kids at my school want no part in this, especially considering that arts and humanities are pretty weak where I go.

So what it boils down to is that I have different interests than most of my peers. My interests align perfectly with someone 50 years old, but not 21. However, I think my social life will get richer as time goes on, especially as more people appreciate my talents. So what's your answer?


You sound like me at 21 ;-)

I always felt like an 'old' soul starting with the beginning stages of adolescence. I started college at 16, moved away from my parents permanently at 19 and now (at 26) hang out with more 45-50 year olds than I do 20-somethings.


That's funny. The only other people I know who are like me at my age are fellow Aspergians. That's one reason why we need to network with each other more.