Last night, my brother asked me a very pointed question: Is there anything I care about enough to spend a lot of time and attention on it? I pointed out my writing and gaming, but he just said, "that's all?" It went from there.

Before long, we wound up in a discussion about my behavior. After describing my attitude as "uncaring and what does it matter" he basically flayed my very personality. He called me rude, mean, and condescending, said that I behave strangely in public and that I fail to grasp what's going on in conversation. He said that my body language is either bored or defensive and my voice is flat. That I make statements no one understands. Nothing was safe.

The high point is that I wasn't really affected by any of it. He was put out by me listing everything he brought up though, and asked why I always have to make lists. My reason in this case is that listing the insults turns them into data, rather than an attack on me. I didn't tell him that however. He wouldn't have gotten it.

The only thing that really bothers me is that the tirade started just because I don't express enough interest in the things he likes. I've never been good at expressing enthusiasm, but he takes it way too seriously when I don't drop everything to focus on Dungeons and Dragons or whatever his current "thing" is. I can understand, to an extent. I mean, I have my obsessions. But I don't rip into people just because they don't share my enthusiasm for Sonic the Hedgehog and Transformers.

So yeah. I think I'm done venting.

No, one more thing. A couple weeks ago he called me goth. I told him that was just a label, and he replied that it was the stupidest thing I'd ever said.