AIBU to find one-issue personalities rather tedious to be around?

[Dovesono]

AIBU to think the people who make one aspect of themselves their entire personality are extremely tedious?

(Feeling irritated by someone in my life who does this and wondering whether others have had a similar experience.)

I don't think it really matters what the particular aspect is - whether it's a hobby, one's gender or sexual identity, a sporting ability, being a parent, having had an unusual experience - people who only want to talk about one thing (i.e. themselves) and who bring it up at every available opportunity are invariably very tiresome in my experience.

As an example, I was once queuing for an event with a friend and we got chatting to the people in front of us in the queue. This friend brought up his particular "thing" no fewer than three times, despite the other queuers not knowing him from Adam and clearly being completely uninterested in the occasion when he fell off a horse in 1998.

Or maybe I'm just an misanthropic GOW...

Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Lewis Hamilton, and Natalie Portman are all vegans. I didn’t know this until I just googled.

I agree!

I’ve had times in my life when I’ve been very interested in one thing or another tbh, but I’ve made a big effort not to go on and on about it, as people won’t like it (unless they happen to be interested in the same thing).

@RampantIvy Luckily I don’t know them or have to cook for them.

Not sure Ariana is a great argument 🫪

Luckily, I am a very competent cook and can make a meal for anyone with specific dietary requirements - vegetarian, vegan, coeliac, other allergies.

I made two vegan cakes for a relative's wedding recently.

I enjoy a challenge 😁

I don’t mind the “one thing” people. I do mind when they shoehorn it into EVERY TOPIC.

Yes, this. If there's only one thing they're ever willing to talk about, they should clearly bow out and not spoil it when other people need/want to talk about something else.

Ideally, they could wear a t-shirt at all times saying "I will only ever talk about Arsenal/Cycling/Theatre/Being Gay/Horses" or whatever, to warn others not to waste both of their time by approaching them about anything else. A bit like how shops have clear, specific signs above the door, so you know not to go into SpecSavers to try to buy a loaf of bread; or to go into Anytown Book Emporium to get your shoes mended!

I knew someone like this. Their mental health was all they talked about. I wasn’t that close to them but every time I saw them they’d be telling me about their meds etc. I found it hard to see how they could ever get better or would they want to as they never talked about anything else.

DD was friendly with a girl at school who was only interested in horses to the point that she dropped all her friends so she could, along with her mum, spend all her free time with her horse. The marriage foundered because the mum was always at the stables and never wanted to spend time at home.

The girl drew and painted nothing but horses for her art GCSE and her degree was a horse related degree. All her holidays are horse holidays.

She is one of the most boring people I have ever met.

Her surname wasn't Stubbs, was it?!

😁no

Neigh

I've a colleague who is seriously into health but in an extreme Atkins diet/absolute carnivore way. It's all he talks about. You can mention the printer isn't working or there's ice in the car park and within 2 mins he's talking about eating roadkill or something raw and disgusting.

He absolutely lit up when he discovered I'm vegetarian and cornered me in the staff room going on about macros and protein and how eating plants is the absolute worst thing you can do. I don't go to the staff room anymore ....

That's hilarious 😂

My daughter had a girl in her class (white, blonde, blue eyes) identified as Japanese. Had never been and no plans to go, did not speak the language, but could not have a single conversation without mentioning Japan.

Edit: and now I have the song Turning Japanese in my head

This is where it takes a nasty turn - where somebody's one-track interest that you can politely ignore becomes a domineering, bullying attitude that forces other people to either comply with them or suffer. It's absolutely outrageous that this man has now effectively limited your access to a standard facility of your job.

I'm all for humouring and living-and-let-living when people are just boring but harmless; but this behaviour really should be reported and forcibly stopped by those in charge. How dare he?

Somebody could have done with Nippon that weird obsession in the bud early on

😂

I'm happier in my classroom tbh! Me and a colleague sit in there and eat posh biscuits 😁

Fair enough; but you should still not have that freedom effectively taken from you.