4 ms·

While I’ve yet to meet somebody into fishing or hunting, I agree about cars and sports. Unfortunately since I have interest in neither it can be hard to fit in

by yoz-y 1y ago

While I’ve yet to meet somebody into fishing or hunting, I agree about cars and sports. Unfortunately since I have interest in neither it can be hard to fit in sometime. Weirdly, as somebody non interested in these common topics it also feels like it’s up to you to figure out a topic of common interest and it really isn’t. About sports also, most people super “into” sports don’t do any. Which is ironic because a conversation about technique is something I’ll gladly have.

matwood 1y ago
You don't need to know much about sports. If you can just keep up with what's in season that's typically enough. Who do you think will go to the super bowl? Have you done a final four bracket? are great questions as long as it's the right time of year.
cafeinux 1y ago
For the few times where I had to speak to someone about topics I don't care much about, I found that simply asking questions to learn about them ( as well as the person I'm speaking to) is enough. "What team do you support? Has it always been the case? How do you think they compare to <well-known other good team>?" "What car do you drive? Any particular reason for that car model? What's the brand's best and worst things? Oh, that piece tends to break easily; pardon my ignorance, but what's the purpose of it?" "Any key difference in the way you hunt/fish this or that animal, or the time of the year during which you hunt/fish? I don't know that word, what does it mean? Do you have any anecdotes about some hunting/fishing you did?" Those have to be adapted to the person and situation, but they are pretty good to keep a conversation going. People love to speak about their interests, and a lot love to even teach about them. Putting yourself as the listener makes them perceive you as nice, and you might even gather interesting information to yourself, or at least gather enough knowledge to have an easier time speaking about it next time..
- skydhash 1y ago
  Being a good listener is key for any relationship, however brief it may be.
- yoz-y 1y ago
  Definitely agree on the listening and just asking questions. It helps to have one or two factoids about many subjects to sneak into any conversation.
- JohnBooty 1y ago
  I found that simply asking questions to learn about them ( as well as the person I'm speaking to) is enough. This is such a great insight and skill. This is something that 99% of "nerds" don't understand about sports. You don't have to fake your way through "knowing about sports" to have a conversation around it. Suppose you're in Buffalo, NY and you don't know a thing about sports. However, unless visiting with your eyes and ears closed, it would be difficult not to see that the city is really into its football team. If you are "stuck" in a conversation with a Bills fan and don't know a thing about football, you could just ask - are the Bills good this year? what's it like being a Bills fan? are Bills fans as crazy as they say? how did you come to be a Bills fan - were your parents Bills fans? There's like 100 possible conversation angles there that don't require any knowledge of sports
  - aaronbaugher 1y ago
    Discussions like these show that some people really block out anything beyond their specific interests. I don't care about superhero movies, so I haven't seen any of the Marvel or DC movies, yet I still know they exist and sometimes I know which one is being promoted right now. If I got stuck at a table somewhere with someone who is a big fan of them, we could have a conversation. It'd mostly consist of me asking questions, but that'd work fine, because as a fan he'd have opinions to share. Same thing with sports or anything, really.
    - JohnBooty 1y ago
      Right! It's so simple to me, that I actually get kind of frustrated with people who haven't figured this out.
cpursley 1y ago
Yeah, I noticed this too about sportball people - they’re generally out of shape and not actually athletic (I’m fit and active in several outdoor sports). I just find watching or talking about sports excruciatingly boring. To me it’s the same thing as pornography, watching other people who are really good at it while you are a bystander, but your brain gets the physiological and-psychological signal that you’re actually part of the action. Though I don’t recommend the latter as a potential topic of conversation.
- jeltz 1y ago
  I don't have the same experience at all. The people who I know and have met which enjoy watching sports come at all levels of fitness. I am not that interested myself but quite many of the members of my running club enjoy watching sports and some of them can run 3 hour marathons. And if you have ever met football ultras most of them are very fit.
  - solardev 1y ago
    What are football ultras?
    - piltdownman 1y ago
      Somewhere between dedicated fans of (often working class) European Football teams and paramilitary organisations. Green Street starring Elijah Wood is a film accessible to overseas audiences detailing the cultural phenomenon n the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultras In Europe however, Italy in particular, organised crime is embedded in the structure - e.g. Gennaro Di Tommaso aka "The C0rpse", the leader of Napoli's ultras whose approval is needed before a match can take place https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/curva-nostra-mob-infiltration-soccer-ultras-spreads-across-italy-2024-12-18/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/curva-nostra-mob-infilt...
    - BaseBaal 1y ago
      Extremely fanatic soccer "fans", aka hooligans. Basically just an excuse to be antisocial.

by yoz-y 1y ago

matwood 1y ago

You don't need to know much about sports. If you can just keep up with what's in season that's typically enough. Who do you think will go to the super bowl? Have you done a final four bracket? are great questions as long as it's the right time of year.

cafeinux 1y ago

For the few times where I had to speak to someone about topics I don't care much about, I found that simply asking questions to learn about them ( as well as the person I'm speaking to) is enough. "What team do you support? Has it always been the case? How do you think they compare to <well-known other good team>?" "What car do you drive? Any particular reason for that car model? What's the brand's best and worst things? Oh, that piece tends to break easily; pardon my ignorance, but what's the purpose of it?" "Any key difference in the way you hunt/fish this or that animal, or the time of the year during which you hunt/fish? I don't know that word, what does it mean? Do you have any anecdotes about some hunting/fishing you did?" Those have to be adapted to the person and situation, but they are pretty good to keep a conversation going. People love to speak about their interests, and a lot love to even teach about them. Putting yourself as the listener makes them perceive you as nice, and you might even gather interesting information to yourself, or at least gather enough knowledge to have an easier time speaking about it next time..

skydhash 1y ago
Being a good listener is key for any relationship, however brief it may be.
yoz-y 1y ago
Definitely agree on the listening and just asking questions. It helps to have one or two factoids about many subjects to sneak into any conversation.
JohnBooty 1y ago
I found that simply asking questions to learn about them ( as well as the person I'm speaking to) is enough. This is such a great insight and skill. This is something that 99% of "nerds" don't understand about sports. You don't have to fake your way through "knowing about sports" to have a conversation around it. Suppose you're in Buffalo, NY and you don't know a thing about sports. However, unless visiting with your eyes and ears closed, it would be difficult not to see that the city is really into its football team. If you are "stuck" in a conversation with a Bills fan and don't know a thing about football, you could just ask - are the Bills good this year? what's it like being a Bills fan? are Bills fans as crazy as they say? how did you come to be a Bills fan - were your parents Bills fans? There's like 100 possible conversation angles there that don't require any knowledge of sports
- aaronbaugher 1y ago
  Discussions like these show that some people really block out anything beyond their specific interests. I don't care about superhero movies, so I haven't seen any of the Marvel or DC movies, yet I still know they exist and sometimes I know which one is being promoted right now. If I got stuck at a table somewhere with someone who is a big fan of them, we could have a conversation. It'd mostly consist of me asking questions, but that'd work fine, because as a fan he'd have opinions to share. Same thing with sports or anything, really.
  - JohnBooty 1y ago
    Right! It's so simple to me, that I actually get kind of frustrated with people who haven't figured this out.

cpursley 1y ago

Yeah, I noticed this too about sportball people - they’re generally out of shape and not actually athletic (I’m fit and active in several outdoor sports). I just find watching or talking about sports excruciatingly boring. To me it’s the same thing as pornography, watching other people who are really good at it while you are a bystander, but your brain gets the physiological and-psychological signal that you’re actually part of the action. Though I don’t recommend the latter as a potential topic of conversation.

jeltz 1y ago
I don't have the same experience at all. The people who I know and have met which enjoy watching sports come at all levels of fitness. I am not that interested myself but quite many of the members of my running club enjoy watching sports and some of them can run 3 hour marathons. And if you have ever met football ultras most of them are very fit.
- solardev 1y ago
  What are football ultras?
  - piltdownman 1y ago
    Somewhere between dedicated fans of (often working class) European Football teams and paramilitary organisations. Green Street starring Elijah Wood is a film accessible to overseas audiences detailing the cultural phenomenon n the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultras https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultras In Europe however, Italy in particular, organised crime is embedded in the structure - e.g. Gennaro Di Tommaso aka "The C0rpse", the leader of Napoli's ultras whose approval is needed before a match can take place https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/curva-nostra-mob-infiltration-soccer-ultras-spreads-across-italy-2024-12-18/ https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/curva-nostra-mob-infilt...
  - BaseBaal 1y ago
    Extremely fanatic soccer "fans", aka hooligans. Basically just an excuse to be antisocial.