To think the hilarity just wasn’t necessary?

You were in a group setting OP therefore it can’t all be about you.

You already had a conversation about something that really interested you (for long enough that you learnt new things and wanted to reflect on it) yet instead of letting the conversation move onto another topic (that your sister obviously wanted to talk about) you instead kept trying to bring it back to your topic because you “didn’t want to talk” about trump while blatantly ignoring the fact that your sister “didn’t want to talk” about your topic anymore; I’m honestly surprised you don’t see the irony in that.

Your topic of interest was given a turn in the conversation but instead of offering your sister the same courtesy, you tried to shut her down and bring it back to your preference so good on her for not letting you get away with it; maybe if you let the conversation move on, she wouldn’t have made jokes at your expense.

Imagine the kind of social circle in which thinking is considered weird.😖

Im sorry but thats familys for you. My family always take the mick but its light hearted. I would laugh too, you take things a bit to serious if you have to go for a break after talking about British History, was it because you know more than them and was getting frustrated noone was taking you seriously enough?.

Oh no. I think people are being a bit harsh here.

I’m on the ‘spectrum’ myself and a university history graduate. I can definitely relate to this - though my area of interest is WW2/Soviet Union/brutalist architecture. Until I got pregnant I even did a lot of solo travel to various sights around Europe and Central Asia to see where it all happened. It can be jarring to end what I consider a good conversation prematurely to discuss something I don’t find interesting. I can talk for hours on end if I’m engaged….

But few people feel like that.

Luckily my husband’s father is a WW2 buff, we so we entertain each other at family gatherings with whichever book we’re currently reading.

My advice (hard learned over time) is to say the boring thing unless you know the person ‘gets you’. People understand going out for some fresh air or writing a quick email way more readily.

Of course people do but they don’t leave their family mid conversation to “reflect” on it! What you did was rude.

Don't take it too much to heart op, but next time think about whatever it is when your visitors have gone or you're alone not mid-conversation

Riiiight. Because etiquette dictates that she was obligated to stay and talk about a depressing subject like Trump instead of excusing herself to take a break. Such nonsense.

No need for hilarity at all. It's perfectly reasonable to want a bit of quiet thinking time, away from others.

You called it what it was, but many people would do the same thing by a different name - going for a breath of fresh air, 'having a look at the garden' or even going out for a cigarette if they were a smoker - there are many codes for wanting a short time alone when you are in company.

She didn’t say you’re ashamed to be British, OP.

The word “reflect” makes you sound a bit pretentious and it’s rude to leave the room because the conversation has moved away from your preferred topic and then try and push the topic back when you return. It’s all a bit performative. You can think about anything at anytime.

You be you, OP. Take an passionate interest interest in something beyond the here and now, reflect (yeah the horror of it!) as much as you want.The vast majority of people are idiots are shown by the replies here and by your relatives' behaviour. They would rather invest countless hours of conversation to hen parties and cheating bfs. Anything deeper is "pretentious and attention seeking", they would never write such scathing things if you had said you were neurodiverse or some such shit. That's the world we live in.

To be honest, it does sound a bit pretentious to go away to "reflect". I wouldn't have laughed but I would have thought it odd. When hearing something interesting I usually "store it away" to think about later rather than going away to reflect. It sounds like something Socrates would do and that's why they were laughing. If I were you I would use the verbe think when speaking to my daughter or her school mates will find her pompous if she goes off to "reflect". So choice of verbs here really. Reflect is what philosophers do, think is what we mortal normal people do. Or go to France where réfléchir is used as thinking about mundane things as well:)

This.

Reflect is what philosophers do, think is what we mortal normal people do. Or go to France where réfléchir is used as thinking about mundane things as well:)

How strange to think that reflection is not for the great unwashed, the lesser mortals. That you need higher degrees or possibly a cave up in the mountains as accessories before you can do so. What was all that mindfullness crap in schools about then?

There is, I agree. But liking more intellectual pursuits and enjoying intelligent discussion doesn't mean you can't also like popular things like football. Or that you are automatically an intellectual if you don't like popular stuff.

It is an unusual thing to do, there's no sense in denying it, but that doesn't mean it's ok to laugh at you about it.

Your family should know you, understand you and accept you. Mocking you is unnecessary.

Op, you said it was drifting to trump and didn’t wish to discuss him, and also you wanted to keep talking about history, is that why you left, so you could go outside and basically continue the conversation in your own head?

Well, it is quite weird….

Sister was trying to change the subject

Can't honestly blame her...
In her place, not sure I'd have laughed, but I'd certainly have rolled my eyes. Hard.

As others have said, bit pomous the take you out of that kind of conversation to "reflect".

Fascinated by the people claiming you can’t think and reflect in a busy room and suggesting that not wanting to repeatedly return to a conversation no one else was interested in makes you a pitiful character whose interest start and stop with soaps and socials.

I’m not an academic so not at the forefront of intelligent and original thinking but I’ve got a masters and I’m a qualified lawyer, I think on my feet, in crowded court rooms and I’ve written a couple of books and contributed to several more. I would have roared with laughter if my brothers or sisters had done this.

but is suspect the difference is I like them, they like me, none of us have a superiority complex and we all recognise that it’s not appropriate to hog a conversation.

Only read page 1, but really disagree.

I’d admire you OP. I admire people who stop and think. So many people just jump in to conversations, determine to impose their views on others, rather than reflecting and thinking about what is being said.

And you are with family, where you should be comfortable.

Your family were pretty shitty to laugh at you. I suspect they don’t reflect much.

The world would be a lot better if they was a lot more reflecting and a lot less grabbing at reasons to laugh at other.

You keep on being you OP.

I don’t see being interested in this as weird either.

But then I am interested in a lot of things. I like that about myself. I hang out with people who like to think, reflect and discuss too.

There’s a lot of undertone of ‘I’m proud to be a bit thick, don’t take myself to seriously, but do take seriously policing what I think should be normal’ on this thread.

My family don’t do this.

DH’s family don’t do this.

🤷‍♀️