My friend doesn't care about spaceflight or video games at all

[SpaceXray]

Basically I made a friend and my new school who is unlike any person I met before.

And it is a bit frustrating.

Let me tell you the details:

He doesn't care about spaceflight whatsoever. He only cares about knowledge he needs at school and for studying.

He will never learn anything extra. This whole "idea" of his is based on what a fictional character(Sherlock) said.

He calls whoever is a computer geek(like me) someone who doesn't have a life and that there are more important things than computers. Also, that programmers are useless and computers will never replace some basic things like handwriting. So he can't even launch the command prompt. When I excersize working with it he calls it completely useless and that I will never need to use the command prompt in the future.

He hates games. He thinks those who play games are morons and, once again, "waste their time". No matter what game it is, even if it is KSP, he still calls it a game and unless it is a simulator, there is no way (in his opinion) to learn ANYTHING from a game and games don't improve any mental skills.

He thinks he is superior over everyone only because he goes to the gym.

He is very impatient. If someone starts talking about something he doesn't want to hear, he'll just tell them to "close their mouth". So yeah, he is very blunt.

He based his opinion on "Interstellar" having watched 10 minutes and walking out. Of course, he said the movie was crap having watched 10/169 minutes and called it crap because he read some random review.

He is very spoilt, but he doesn't admit it. He is also terrible with money. He has enough money to spend 10$ on coffee and a chicken wrap at an overpriced cafe, and thinks 40$ for an iPhone case is "cheap".

He flew to Australia 2 years ago in FIRST CLASS and called it "uncomfortable, the chairs where so big they weren't comfy". Heck, I flew to Australia this summer in economy class and I was fine with it.

He will never go to Mcdonalds or Subway. Ever. He thinks the meat there is made out of plastic, so during lunch it is impossible for me to go to either.

He is totally unprepared for individual life and relies solely on his parents.

He can't cook anything, he thinks it is impossible to travel abroad without a travel agency.

He never flew anywhere by plane by himself and believes it is impossible for someone underage.

Note I flew by myself numerous times by plane, I even did a transit many times in Frankfurt, so flying has become easy for me.

Well, I guess that is all I can think of for now. How do I show him that games aren't that bad? How do I prove that space exploration matters? How do I prove that knowing computers is beneficial? How do I ever prove anything to him? I don't have a very strong personality, but I want to learn to stand up for my opinions better(which is why i also joined a debating club).

Btw, he calls me weird for liking to watch live rocket launches and NASA streams, or even gameplay commentaries(like Scott Manley's for example).

Lastly, he doesn't approve of me being an atheist.

Of course, I never make fun of believers or call them "mindless idiots".

And last but not least, he thinks he is better than others because he learns French whereas I and a few others learn German. Of course, he just has to call us "Fritz".

Edited November 20, 2014 by SpaceXray

[Kerbart]

There's friends worth having and friends not worth having. I leave it to you which category he's in but I know what I would pick.

[EdFred]

Sounds like he's well on his way to having a successful future in politics.

[KerbMav]

He calls whoever is a computer geek(like me) someone who doesn't have a life

When I excersize working with it he calls it completely useless and that I will never need to use the command prompt in the future.

He thinks those who play games are morons and, once again, "waste their time". No matter what game it is, even if it is KSP, he still calls it a game and unless it is a simulator, there is no way (in his opinion) to learn ANYTHING from a game and games don't improve any mental skills.

He thinks he is superior over everyone only because he goes to the gym.

He is very impatient. If someone starts talking about something he doesn't want to hear, he'll just tell them to "close their mouth". So yeah, he is very blunt.

Well, I guess that is all I can think of for now.

How do I ever prove anything to him?

Btw, he calls me weird for liking to watch live rocket launches and NASA streams, or even gameplay commentaries(like Scott Manley's for example).

Sorry, could you start over please, I could not follow, you made a new ... what did you call him?

I actually wonder that you even met him in your school, because as I see it, he is one of this special kind of humans that will never have to worry about anything but on what to spent all that money his parents give him to show their love.

He does not respect you or your hobbies, he is unlikable from what you are telling us and I think you are better of leaving him to his misery.

You want to stand up to him? Tell him that if he has such a low opinion on people like yourself he probably should spent his time with someone else.

Just my opinion.

[r4pt0r]

next time you see him, ask him, "DO YOU EVEN LIFT?"

[SpaceXray]

I also want to note that he even got into the best school in the country(with the help of private teachers and a psychologist, all at his parent's expenses) to get into a university like Cambridge, and after that he wants to become an actor. I told him that he should at least start taking acting classes and he should've chosen acting school.

Funny that I got a higher score than him in the entrance exam, without any private teachers by my own. Of course, he might be a bit jealous.

Of course, he thinks he is wise wanting to study in Cambridge and afterwards just giving up on his brain and attempting at becoming an actor.

I should also note that he became my "friend" because I was I a completely new environment, and the language of the school is Latvian, and my native language is Russian, and he was the first who I heard talk in Russian on the first day, so I was desperate for someone I could talk to.

But now, I learned to communicate with the other Latvians, plus I found a few more Russian speakers who have a lot more common interests and support my hobbies.

Actually, he is the first person not being impressed by my computer skills, but actually criticized them.

Edited November 20, 2014 by SpaceXray

[Deadpangod3]

...

*facedesk*

this is why i always lose faith in humanity, people like that, always being selfish and acting like their superior to everyone else, if we ever make it to the colonizing other planets and spreading across the galaxy phase in our civilization without anilihlating ourselves beforehand i will be surprised, until we can get people to be fair and respect everyone we wont get far.

he is one of those people, the best you can do is dont talk to him and act like hes not even there or even exists.

[SpaceXray]

...

*facedesk*

this is why i always lose faith in humanity, people like that, always being selfish and acting like their superior to everyone else, if we ever make it to the colonizing other planets and spreading across the galaxy phase in our civilization without anilihlating ourselves beforehand i will be surprised, until we can get people to be fair and respect everyone we wont get far.

he is one of those people, the best you can do is dont talk to him and act like hes not even there or even exists.

The problem is, I have to share a locker with him due to a locker shortage this year.

Also, there is a twist: he has the same name as me, but he is geometrically different.

Well. His name is spelled differently by one letter(I have a double-i in my name, when he has an "ie" in his).

Edited November 20, 2014 by SpaceXray

[Deadpangod3]

The problem is, I have to share a locker with him due to a locker shortage this year.

oh dear...maybe you can ask the principle or someone if you can share a locker with someone else?

[r4pt0r]

just be nice/civil to the guy. its not like you will hang out much with your differing interests.

[SpaceXray]

oh dear...maybe you can ask the principle or someone if you can share a locker with someone else?

Nope. I have to wait until next year. Well, our whole class has to share 16 lockers among 34 students.

[cantab]

It's not your job to change his mind and you'd be wasting your time trying. Whether or not you count him as a friend is another matter and is only up to you. I have friends myself who I share few interests with and consider a bit stupid, and yet we're still pretty close.

[Javster]

Um, he's your friend? Not liking space and games I can accept, but such prejudice is not friend-worthy.

[Slam_Jones]

Sounds like someone I'd do everything in my power to dissociate with. But to each their own...

[razark]

I made a friend...

You have a very strange definition of "friend".

[GoSlash27]

I don't understand why his attitudes or behaviors would matter to you. Not just to the point where you feel compelled to change him, mind you... but to the point where you even feel the need to bring it up.

Not to be callous about it, but who cares? or more to the point, why do *you* care?

Scratchin' mah head,

-Slashy

[TheCanadianVendingMachine]

Does he have a phone? If so. Smack it out of his hands, and claim that they will be useless in a few years. Make sure it breaks

[Whirligig Girl]

This is not a good friend. I don't know why you would want to have a person like this in your life at all. It needs to be made clear to this person that their social skills leave quite a bit to be desired by those around him.

This is something of a rather horrid type of human being.

[Kulebron]

I'm perplexed at how much patience you have to explore all these traits of character. I'd have long let him go, but I think I have such people around, I just don't care what they think, and ask their opinion as an excercise, or to test my ideas for possible counterarguments.

I perceive you not are insulted by this behavior, so if you guys have something to talk about and spend time, then you may keep communicating. If I were in such a situation today, I'd just not try to change his mind, it's his own business.

He will change his mind, of course, with life, although judgementalism will stay.

A couple of examples with games being useful. 10 years ago, at the university, I was playing video games and writing at English speaking forums. Suddenly at the last year of uni we got another course of English, "to revire the skills". It turned out that most fellow students forgot most of it, while I didn't. For you KSP may be a good brain excercise, and still useful. You never know how it pays off.

[WinkAllKerb'']

tell him that if he feel the need to pee or poo, the wc. will help him to remind to care about ...

[Red Iron Crown]

just be nice/civil to the guy. its not like you will hang out much with your differing interests.

One line that sums it up. It's hard to be friends with someone who won't meet you halfway about your interests if they don't share them, and life is too short to waste time trying to be friends with someone who is so incompatible with you. Be nice to him, but don't waste your time trying to get him interested in your life.

[Superfluous J]

What r4pt0r said. Life is full of people you don't like but have to get along with on a professional level to get your job done. Currently that job is school, but soon enough you'll be meeting all kinds of annoying people at work. Use this as a learning experience and in the future things will go more smoothly.

[cicatrix]

You spent a great deal of letters to describe what you think is bad in your friend. Then tell us, why did you make friends with him in the first place? You've got nothing in common, it appears, so is it worth the trouble to try to change his opinion on things and fail? Yes, you will most probably fail at that, so why bother?

[spaceman1999]

I have several friends who are into acting and they are not into space and science and all that jazz but they are interested in it and love to watch me play ksp. This is the fist person I've heard to not at least show an interest.

[SpaceXray]

You spent a great deal of letters to describe what you think is bad in your friend. Then tell us, why did you make friends with him in the first place? You've got nothing in common, it appears, so is it worth the trouble to try to change his opinion on things and fail? Yes, you will most probably fail at that, so why bother?

I just needed someone i could relate to in the very beginning ,also considering my shy personality.

But yeah, now I learned there are many more people who are a whole lot more compatible in my class, so

he is basically just someone I share a desk and a locker and go grab a lunch with.

But thanks for the tips people! Why should I waste my time and energy on trying to prove something to a single sociopathic person?

He is one interesting specimen. I wonder how he turned out like that. It's like he's just a rock in the current of society.

His opinion will always be completely opposite and he only sees everything in B&W, but fails to see the grey part.

As a side note: yeah, KSP made me excel at physics,whereas half the class is scratching their heads about why if you toss something in a vacuum up, it will come crashing at the same speed it left you, or why 2 objects of different mass will fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

Edited November 21, 2014 by SpaceXray