Honestly, just that it existed and was a common feature of some peoples' lives.
I grew up feeling very outcast. I grew up in a town of less than 50, in a super poor, rural part of the US. My interests were outdoors related, but not guns and god like everyone around me. I was more interested in learning about natural systems and the interplay of wild plants and animals and humans in the world. I never 'fit in' anywhere. None of the school clubs, none of the classes, everywhere I went I felt that I had to 'be someone else'.
Then I went to college and learned that, for many people, they literally get to do that every day, and that there was a name for it! It felt validating that someone else in the world experienced what I experienced (even if it was whole-language based instead of just dialect/cultural norm based).
Masking seems to have a negative connotation. Usually, and indeed in the Wikipedia article above, it's presented as a boundary or defence mechanism against societal pressures. But interestingly, etiquette involves a lot of masking and the aim is to make interactions more pleasant for all parties.
This is similar to masking but also very different. I just don't talk about geek stuff with family and friends back home because they are not interested. They do, however, know I'm a geek so I'm not "hiding" that from them.
Nor did I suffer abuse or humiliation from classmates or coworkers that made me change my behaviour.
I grew up feeling very outcast. I grew up in a town of less than 50, in a super poor, rural part of the US. My interests were outdoors related, but not guns and god like everyone around me. I was more interested in learning about natural systems and the interplay of wild plants and animals and humans in the world. I never 'fit in' anywhere. None of the school clubs, none of the classes, everywhere I went I felt that I had to 'be someone else'.
Then I went to college and learned that, for many people, they literally get to do that every day, and that there was a name for it! It felt validating that someone else in the world experienced what I experienced (even if it was whole-language based instead of just dialect/cultural norm based).