Anonymous wrote:I have a coworker like this. She's so sweet and very funny and intelligent, but also very juvenile.

Her social media profiles all have things like school: Hogwarts, "Harry in the streets, Draco in the sheets" headers, etc. She has multiple wand key chains. I mean, I don't see a reason for someone over the age of 21 to have one wand key chain let alone multiple. She's always very depressed about the dating scene in DC and going on about how the only way she can get friends to do things wit her is by paying their way. I don't want to overstep because she's just a work friend, but at the same time, I want to yell that most guys don't want to hook up with a woman who has a life-size Daniel Radcliffe cutout in their bedroom along with a whole bookcase full of those little Funko Pop! toys. (I've been to her apartment for game night)

What on Earth does this mean?

Lots of people in this thread unaware that their go-nowhere, unoffensive small talk bores the hell out of 99% of the population. Keep talking to each other, folks! It takes the burden off the rest of us.

I like Harry Potter, and many people know it, but I’ve never dominated conversations about it. I think that’s pretty rare. I think it’s good to have a passion, and I’m sure someone out there would find your hobbies either pretty weird or pretty dull. I have a friend who is sports obsessed. Every single Facebook post he makes is about sports, or if it’s not directly about sports, it’s a sports analogy. It’s not my thing, but I am happy he’s enjoying life and has something fun to follow.

Anonymous wrote:My husband goes on and on about sports. Stats from years before he was even born, etc.

Exactly what I was going to post! I find discussing sports tedious and juvenile but he seems to find plenty of adults to have these conversations with.

PS - The only topic worse than pro sports is when people discuss their kids’ sports team - as if anyone except those with other kids on the team cares!

I have a cousin who is 47 and was SHOCKED to find out that he and his wife had someone watch their toddler so THEY could go to Disney World without their son.

He's gone on Disney Cruises, lots of different Disney properties, etc.

But he can talk about other things:

His cats
Seinfeld
Talk Like a Pirate Day
Beer (I think he makes some) (He is a secret alcoholic)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do like star wars but don’t nerd out about it. I’m curious though, what is there for an adult to love about Disney?

I find this baffling too but have met adults who are obsessed with Disney so know it’s a real thing. Beyond weird. It’s usually women (maybe too much princess crap when they were little), but I’ve met a few men like this too (tho no straight men).

I know a few men obsessed with Disney. It is so weird.

I am leery of adults who wear Mickey and Minnie Mouse gear. They may be perfectly nice when I get to know them but that is my first impression.

Anonymous wrote:It's juvenile...not juvenial. Oy vey.

It sounds like you are immediately judging people and labeling them as "obsessed" if you simply see something in their home like a toy or art. That sort of judgment is rather juvenile.

I'm not obsessed with Star Wars or Disney, but we have toys around the house from those brands. And we've been to Disney and done a few Disney cruises which we enjoyed. So if you knew that about me, you would label me as a Disney freak? Um, what does that say about you?

That op was right on the mark

OMG yes! Those people are so weird. Disney is for kids. Grow the f up. Harry Potter is for teenagers. Star wars, I don't get but at least It's marketed to 4 year olds the way Disney princesses and Mickey mouse are.

This strikes me as a very "DC" thread: the idea that you should stay shallow in all your interests so that you don't shock any potential conversational partners!

Live your life, people, and don't spend it worrying what other people think of you. I guarantee these people OP is complaining about have more joy in their lives than the people worrying about every little interaction.

Anonymous wrote:I have a coworker like this. She's so sweet and very funny and intelligent, but also very juvenile.

Her social media profiles all have things like school: Hogwarts, "Harry in the streets, Draco in the sheets" headers, etc. She has multiple wand key chains. I mean, I don't see a reason for someone over the age of 21 to have one wand key chain let alone multiple. She's always very depressed about the dating scene in DC and going on about how the only way she can get friends to do things wit her is by paying their way. I don't want to overstep because she's just a work friend, but at the same time, I want to yell that most guys don't want to hook up with a woman who has a life-size Daniel Radcliffe cutout in their bedroom along with a whole bookcase full of those little Funko Pop! toys. (I've been to her apartment for game night)

I am a newly converted (but closet) Harry Potter nerd. I read the series ahead of my dc and got so hooked, I finished the series in 3 weeks. This cracks me up so much.

OP, anybody who is "obsessed" and unable to talk about something else, is not a good conversationalist. That's true no matter the topic. But also, most people have something -- a historical period, a hobby, a city they love -- that they can really geek out about if given the right chance to get talking. When you say that you like to talk about general topics such as world news and real estate ... is that what really lights you up? Because I enjoy talking about those things too, but at a pretty superficial level not a passionate level. Are you passionate about those things?

If what bothers you is people excited about fantasy movies -- they are not actually aimed at kids but rather at the 30+ crowd, and I think you will be happier if you decide it's a mainstream adult interest because you are going to hear about it a lot. Star Wars has a new trailer out now and looks to be doing a new movie every year for the foreseeable future. There will be a new comic book movie (Thor, Wonder Woman) every year as well. Game of Thrones, Outlander, etc. are still popular. The genre is not on the fringe anymore, it's become regular popular culture and in many cases has mature themes. YA has also become pretty mainstream with the success of Hunger Games. IMO, sci/fi fantasy is filling the niche previously filled by period dramas (remember when there was a rash of Jane Austen movies?) and Die Hard type action movies, and dystopian YA is filling the niche previously filled by WWII and Vietnam books and movies.

I don’t quite get it but admire anyone who has that kind of passion, no matter what it is. I wish I were that passionate about something! I enjoy movies, books etc, but nothing sweeps me away the way it did when I was a kid. To retain that feeling into adulthood would have been awesome.

Some people do take it to an extreme though. My mother, who works in IT, once had a colleague who refused to answer to his real name, only his D&D name, in a completely unironic way. He looked like you would imagine the D&D stereotype to look - basically comic book guy from the Simpsons.

I hate it when people talk sports. Or movies. Because I’m not interested in those. But I’m polite and listen.

It's juvenile...not juvenial. Oy vey.

It sounds like you are immediately judging people and labeling them as "obsessed" if you simply see something in their home like a toy or art. That sort of judgment is rather juvenile.

I'm not obsessed with Star Wars or Disney, but we have toys around the house from those brands. And we've been to Disney and done a few Disney cruises which we enjoyed. So if you knew that about me, you would label me as a Disney freak? Um, what does that say about you?