Interests that you CAN'T talk much about...

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Everyone knows that a big part of Aspergers is having obsessive points of interest that you can go on and on forever about, but do you guys have any passions or interests that you only have limited knowledge of that you don't really care to expand, and then you feel like an idiot when someones trying to talk to you about it and you have nothing to say?

My 2 biggest ones are skateboarding and guitar/bass guitar. I love skateboarding, but my knowledge of teams and the "corporate" world of skateboarding is pretty limited. I don't watch the X-Games or anything. There's a few pro-skaters that I enjoy watching, usually they have to have a certain style that's similar to mine (gnarly old school ramp rulers, like Tony Trujillo, Sammy Baca, Creature team). I will tear up any skatepark any time, but once you start talking to me about teams and companies, i got nothing. And I really could care less about local competitions and demo's either. I skate for myself, nobody else.

I also play bass in a metal band, and let me tell you, I know how to write some good bass leads and I also write most of my bands guitar riffs. Not to brag or anything but they're damn good riffs, and alot of people like my band. However I can't really tell you much about the mechanics of bass and guitar. I play a Dean Explorer, and I also like the sound and look of Fender P's but still, I feel like my knowledge of guitars and bass is somewhat limited so I'm usually pretty silent when people are going on about 'which amplifier is the best' or 'the action on the frets'.

All of my interests revolve around TV shows and movies, and I always feel like I have no right to talk about them or even call myself a fan if I haven't seen every episode or watched every movie in the series if there are sequels (or if it's just one movie but I've only seen part of it). What makes it worse is if I watch part of something and then drop it for a little while - even if it's just a couple of days - I feel like I have to start all over out of fear of forgetting important parts. Sometimes I start and stop a series multiple times.

For example, I really enjoy The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series - specifically the Swedish films starring Noomi Rapace - but I've only seen two out of three, and they weren't even the extended editions, so I feel like I can't call myself a fan until I've finished it. I've also stopped and started it several times.

I don't think this necessarily a problem. It probably feels unpleasant to be at a loss for information to share, but remember that other people like to the the "authority" sometimes, and your lack of knowledge in a specific area of interest will give them an opportunity to tell you about it.

The challenge may be to look like you're interested as they rattle on. I'm neurotypical and I have a tendency to rattle on about things my aspie friends don't care about. One of my oldest friends has gotten good at just nodding and saying "yeah" at the right times when thinking about something else if I talk too long. I feel like he's listening even if he's not. Don't tell them you're doing this of course. lol. I don't get mad when my friend does it to me just because we've known each other so long.

My love for entomology(study of insects) in particular hierarchal insects like ants but in particular bees. My love for the invention of sci-fi civic (agriculture, trade, energy) technologies…..all sci-fi nerds seem to love only but war. Love of agriculture and growing things in general. Musical theater ect*

I suppose when it comes to strong interests it can be difficult to talk to others about it, unless they know nearly the same amount on the subject as you. Otherwise they wont really know what to reply with as they don't know enough about it. I guess one of those for me would be video games. From fixing the machines to the various game libraries, I know quite a bit about them, aside from obscure series and certain systems before my time. I also enjoy the collecting aspect and the feeling of coming across a good bargain. I don't speak to anyone that enjoys these aspects as much as myself so for the most part, it is an interest I share alone.

I suppose to a lesser extent my interest in the 80's would come under this category as well. I like a lot of movies, tv shows, and music from that era. As with my interest in games, people only seem strongly interested in the latest releases. I personally think quality media is timeless, its never too late to enjoy something a bit older. An interest I would have limited knowledge in would probably be psychology. I'm interested in how different human minds work, while I have a good basic understanding of different human behavior, I'm not the guy to go to for an in depth discussion about it.

While it's a small crew, there's a significant amount of people that like video games. Most fanatics or wizards go to video game conferences. A few examples are Video Game Expo, Too Many Games, Comi-con. Of course, many of these could mean being around lots of people at once. Some of the smaller cons, it will be easier to "hide" at a table if they have indie games because not as many people will flock to things that are not as popular generally speaking. I would suggest saving up or volunteering early to work at these type of conventions if possible Colinn.

I absolutely hate talking about my interests and nobody really knows about them except me. From a very early age, I would sit by myslef and immerse myself. I am very secretive about what my interests are. I kind of feel like people will come and steal knowledge out of my head if I talk about them. I was married for years and I doubt my ex husband could even say one of my major interests. I have been trying to let my boyfriend into what I like a little bit but I am very vague about everything. The closest i get to talking about my interests is if someone mentions something wrong about an interest, then i go into long complicated monologues about the truth. Uusually they tell me i am making stuff up, so the next time, I tend to not bother. As far as my family are concerned, I must be stupid because I don't follow the same things they do. Meh.

I'm the same way when it comes to computers, video games, and web design. I feel that I don't have enough knowledge of these things to actually inform someone about them in a conversation... Being an aspie has it's flaws?

Gaming. I love gaming, but I don't actually know that much about it.

I'm very interested in firearms, and have a wide range of knowledge on models and variants, but I can't hang with the folks on gun boards. The in depth knowledge of the actions and mechanics of firearms is beyond my knowledge. The other reason I can't talk about this interest is because it's not really socially acceptable in southern California.

I love analyzing 19th century literature, but few people around me have read any. If they have, the odds of them wanting to discuss it to the depth I want is nil.

Also, quantum physics. No one ever wants to talk about physics. :/