The Rancor Posted July 21, 2008 I am growing concerned that all my friends (I'm definately not a loner) seem to think being a fan of Lego is so weird and babyish. I often get teased when I'm with a group of my friends but I try to let it pass like water under the bridge. It doesn't always work out this way! Some of my friends' friends who I don't actually like end up getting false rumours from my 'friends' and like to pass them around. e.g One person said my whole life revolves around Lego (which is partially true at the moment ) but thought I worshipped a Lego brick! (I forgot to mention this has been happening occasionnaly sonce I was about 11 or 12) The fact of the matter is that I have to try and escape all the rumours but it sometimes makes me doubt my hobby. Can anyone offer a solution? (I know other people live in the same way, so this is also for their benefit, like the 'Parents' thread) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyOtic Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) maybe "you friends" aren't good friends... i have friends for about 10 years and they actually don't care if i play with lego or not. i say sometimes "check this cool building or such i made" they say if they like it or not and then leave it. the only time a friend of mine called me a geek because i buyed brickforge, but then i didn't care if it was geek or not, i found it cool enough to have it. so i think you just don't care of what they think, until it gets too worse Edited July 21, 2008 by SkyOtic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darth_Legois Posted July 21, 2008 Well i only have one friend that knows i still play with LEGO and hes a TFOL himself, when my sisters boyfriend came over when my TFOL friend was over we were playing LSWII and he hates SW and he thinks im too old for LEGO so when he saw LSWII he was like..........omgosh so lame me and my friend dont care though. Maybe those arent the right friends for you then? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maiq the liar Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) Try to prove them wrong by taking them to a LUG show or showing them eurobricks. if that doesn't work, give 'em the ol' fist in the face . have some geek pride! i certainly do! Edited July 21, 2008 by maiq the liar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZoL Posted July 21, 2008 I've found myself under those circumstances, including one time that my crush (in 8th grade) cought sight of Eurobricks and completely got her friends and herself teasing me. And a time my aunt remarked how her son stoped playing with "baby toys' when he was 8 (I was 11) (he started playing 1st person shooters instead ) So my point is: Sometimes you have to let friends go who don't understand and laugh at you just for having a hobby. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inertia Posted July 21, 2008 Hey, I went through College with one guy being like that, I just ignored him. He just got tired of it... Okay, fine When my brother's Girlfriend came over she called me a loser, Seriously, who cares? Just Find people that will accept you for who you are. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
commanderbly42 Posted July 22, 2008 I've dealt with it by telling no-one. No-one outside my family and extremely close friends know and that's the way it's going to be. Sometimes, I wish I could tell people but I know what would happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Justin2224 Posted July 22, 2008 All of my friends are TFOLs so I dont have a problem. Seems like these 'friends' arent really your friends. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corvus Posted July 22, 2008 My friends know about my lego addiction, and they refer to me as having a 'LEGO shrine'. It's funny- And they don't make fun of me, since they have they're own hobbies- Swimming, Tai-kwon-do, and Nintendo. The jerks that make fun of you are those who don't have a hobby of their own and don't do much... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Bricksmith Posted July 22, 2008 Everyone has their own hobbies and some people only can get their jollies from making fun of others. I would much rather MOC with my Lego's than to play pretend soldier like civil war people or dump tons of money into a car or anything things else. So I would say when they make fun of you for your Lego's make fun of them for one of their geeky hobbies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shikari Zu Posted July 22, 2008 Act mature about it. You're only being unique and there is nothing wrong with that. If you're afraid to lose friends over something like this then try to find friends who share a similar interest with you. I keep it a secret, but if someone found out, i'd tell them I'm just a collector who wants to make money in the end. :\ lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AFOL SF Posted July 22, 2008 Almost everyone has a hobby or a vice... and yours is a good hobby and gets you out of trouble. Don't let 'what other people think' ruin it... you owe them nothing, you don't ask money from them... so if they can't accept you as who you really are... that's fine. What's important is you're true to yourself and you believe in what you do/collect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rriggs Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) ...I would much rather MOC with my Lego's than to ... dump tons of money into a car... Oh dear. I have Lego and I dump tons of money into cars No hope for me then... With regards to friends opinions, it doesn't matter what you are interested in there will always be somone who likes to have a dig at you about it. This is human nature I'm afraid What you need to ascertain if it is a true friend who is just mickey-taking or whether it is truly nasty behaviour. A true friend you can have a conversation with and explain that they are upsetting you. Not a true friend and you can just stop knowing them. What you will find is that as you get older, people around you (friends, family, colleagues, etc) will all become more and more accepting of anything you are doing and that you will find issues such as these just disappear... Cheers Rog Edited July 22, 2008 by rriggs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brainbox Posted July 22, 2008 Sometimes you have to let friends go who don't understand and laugh at you just for having a hobby. I did. I went through school with everyone knowing about my hobby, and everyone thinking it was a bit childish, etc. Then I went to college, and made a point of wearing a Lego t-shirt on only my second day. Now all my friends know, they all think it's kind of quirky, and they all respect what I do with my Lego. They'll listen to me talk about it, some of them have seen my Lego, and one of them has even made a couple of MOCs! The guys at school never did any of that. That said, they do take the mick a bit for my compulsion to have everything exactly right. To the point where I'll know if something's in the wrong place and move it before I can continue what I'm supposted to be doing. It's something people grow out of (or at least they should). There's a fine line between harmless ribbing and making fun, but the older people get the more it sways towards harmless ribbing. Accept that this is your hobby, and if people don't like it, tough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Rancor Posted July 22, 2008 Thanks guys for the response. I really appreciate it and it has boosted my morale! Now I've got to do something really nerdy'ish' - Clone Wars Midnight Madness! I've dealt with it by telling no-one. No-one outside my family and extremely close friends know and that's the way it's going to be. Sometimes, I wish I could tell people but I know what would happen. I've tried that lately, and I think it's beginning to work (people suddenly forget I like Lego) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iamded Posted July 22, 2008 Just ignore. Accusations of you worshipping a Lego brick are just insane. If they're serious, they can't be that smart. (No offence. ) I don't openly tell everyone I love Lego (most of the time) but if they ask or see my collection I don't try to hide it. It actually turned out well, as one of my mates gave me his entire Lego collection for my birthday present. I guess he figured it was easier than $15. Anyway, if worst comes to worst, you still have us! You're not alone in your love of the brick, there are plenty of others out there. We all know Lego is not just a kid's toy. ~Peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brainbox Posted July 22, 2008 I don't openly tell everyone I love Lego (most of the time) but if they ask or see my collection I don't try to hide it. I wear Lego t-shirts to college and have Lego keyrings on my keys. That makes it kind of hard to hide! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lt. Col. Thok Posted July 22, 2008 I had this problem before I got to high school. My solution? Hang out with a diverse group of people, at least two groups of people, and only let the ones who are geekier know you do lego; they can't say anything, because they probably do too! Anyways, I do have friends in the other group that play lego discreetly, but...it's not the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullet8542 Posted July 22, 2008 Well most of my friends think it is cool especially when they see the newer models, However I really don't tend to be teased very much for anything I collect.......6' 5" 280# former Marine......Doesn't fit the AFOL mold (If there is one ) and really makes people realize I don't take much crap. BTW: If they are true friends they really wouldn't mind what you do with your free time and if they care that much and it is some kind of issue for them, Then they aren't your friends. Be well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jameseh Posted July 22, 2008 About half my class laugh, but I don't really care. I've given it a thought once for about a week, then said I didn't really care. I used to have a friend who collected LEGO but now he has his 360, he could'nt give a damn about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shoc Posted July 22, 2008 If they think it's stupid, ask them why. Then keep contradicting their argument until they get bored. That usually works with me if someone says something bad. Fortunately for me, all my friends are fine with my Lego liking. One of my best friends is quite a big fan of Lego (no so much as me maybe...) and one or two other friends like their Lego. The rest of my friends don't really give a damn, my girlfriend for some reason always remembers my (minifg sized) Belville fairies... :skull: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doctor Sinister Posted July 22, 2008 I had this back in the day...but not about LEGO, it was about my Doctor Who obsession. Yeah, I had all the "shrine" comments, a mother who tried to discourage me, I just dug my heels in even more - I'm bloody minded like that. Eventually she realised it was impossible to get me to stop being interested in what I wanted to do, rather than what she wanted (Dog Shows!!) and she caved in and started buying me ultra-rare Doctor Who books from the 1960s and nowadays my DW collection is worth tens of thousands of £££ with the series revival (not that I'll ever sell). My battle ended 25 years ago with total victory - it CAN be done. Be your own person, fight to do what YOU want to do, not what society tells you what to do and you will succeed. Good luck. Dr. S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zzz Posted July 22, 2008 Quite some time ago, when I was like 12 or 13, a lovely girl from my class visited me at home. I liked her, she liked me. Until she saw Lego in my room. It ended up that she told all the other girls in my class, they were making fun of me calling me immature and whatever. She had a boyfriend 4 years older a bit later. Now, grown up, I had a couple of really gorgeous girlfriends, who always loved me for being me, not trying to be someone who fits into. They supported me as well as my friends, were interested, gave me Lego sets for birthday, xmas or whenever, they actually built it with me. And whenever I take a date home in these days, they tell me how sweet my SW minifig collection in the bookshelf is, they start playing with it or they beg me to open one of the misb-sets or whatever. There was a photo model I learned to know, 34 years old, drooling at my lego minifigs. It was easy to notice how bored she was of the Porsche drivers who try to be someone they're not. All my friends know about it, and I never heard one false word. The opposite: lots of them have minifig keychains or fridge magnets now. Hope you got my point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Athos Posted July 29, 2008 Just stop having friends. Problem solved. All you need are your little ABS buddies anyway... Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Plural Posted July 29, 2008 Just stop having friends. Problem solved. All you need are your little ABS buddies anyway...Steve The man is wise. Listen to his words. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
