Auties, Aspies, and other CloudCuckooLanders!

I wish I could computer

My obsessions are elsewhere.

I didn't want to watch that video, but I'm under the impression that Tesla, master of lightning, was not part of it.

What a rip.

It's mostly just actor and actresses.

Whenever I see, or hear of, a fictional character who shows lots of Aspergers traits, it makes me wonder if they're based on someone the writer knows, or in some cases the writer themself.

I've seen some speculation that the character Radical Edward of Cowboy Bebop (which I don't watch) may be Aspie-inspired. She goes by a male name (which is also very long - "Radical Edward" is the shortened version)), is good with computers, and goes barefoot all the time.

I notice way more traits in the book version of Harriet the Spy. Book version, not movie version. The book's narration, which, while third-person, is close to the character, shows her thought process quite well. She truly doesn't get people on an instinctive level, and spies on them largely out of curiosity. She constantly misinterprets why people do the things they do, writing very elaborate stories about them in her notebook. Heck, her obsessiveness with her notebook and spying on people, and overall eccentricity, as well. She interprets things people say literally. And if that's not enough, the book has characters who happily crap all over gender roles (which many have interpreted as being done because the author was a lesbian, but Aspies also tend to have a distaste for enforced gender roles). She's also very blunt.

I tried to learn what I could about Louise Fitzhugh, the author of Harriet the Spy, to see if she had Aspergers traits herself and was therefore transferring them to her character. However, I could find very little information on her other than how she was a butch lesbian known in her community as "Willie".

Her book was praised for its blunt honesty and brutally accurate portrayal of childhood. Aspies have a tendency to want to tell it like it is and to dislike watering down or cute-ifying unpleasant aspects of reality (or at least, speaking only for myself, I certainly felt that way). Not that this means that she is Aspie of course. But I notice so many traits/characteristics that it's uncanny.

edited 4th May '16 10:40:51 AM by BonsaiForest

You know, the more I hear about these peripheral traits of autism, like shunning gender roles and brutal honesty, the more I can't help but think I must be an aspie. But I wonder. Is it maybe that I just happen to coincidentally have a philosophy popular in the community?

I believe I read Harriet the Spy at one point. My sister was a big fan. My memory of it is fuzzy at best. If the author was a lesbian, is it possible that maybe her nonstandard perspective on life allows her to write an insightful character much the same way as an autistic writer would be able to?

Shunning gender roles? Check.

Brutal honesty? Check. (Just read my reviews and you will REALLY see its.)

So, this exists.

...what, this thread? Yeah, it sure does.

Unlike British people.

Welcome!

Hello! Always nice to see a new face around here.

Hello person

I've done the whole "people with autism and high IQs and good degrees almost never get hired for jobs" thing many times in the past, but this article is a lot more hopeful, giving specific examples of how autistic employees have been integrated into workplaces that benefited from their inclusion.

Yes, you read correctly. Disabled employees, including autistics (though it apparently does not differentiate autistics from non-autistic disabled) apparently work harder and are more accurate and more loyal. Who'dathought?

Now that sounds like straight-up charity, too. Telling potential competitors the value of hiring disabled people.

The social world is a big part of the working world, as my little (not autistic) brother, who has a big attitude problem and has been fired twice from jobs in his field (which is medical), found out. At least in offices where workplace politics play a big role, which I imagine is likely any workplace that doesn't involve reporting exclusively to a direct boss.

Edited by IsaacTheRed on Jul 21st 2018 at 2:36:43 PM

Recently, I have heard that to some extent, the strength of the economy depends on the extent to which people trust each other in that community. I don't know where my friend sourced that info, but the above article seems to confirm the truth of the concept.

Could you go into more detail?

The source was most likely in The Economist. It detailed comparisons between economic strength of communities and cohesiveness of those communities. Beyond that, my memory is unreliable. Cohesiveness, here, probably refers to the level to which people geographically separate themselves by race, or the degree to which the word and ability of subordinates is trusted. It might have been an opinion piece theorising about unemployment and how prejudice prevents people from being hired. And also maybe about how trust issues may prevent high productivity amongst the employed.

Prejudice in hiring can majorly fuck a person for life. Which in turn creates a ton of economic problems - the person has to sustain themself somehow, and turning to crime is one possibility. Welfare is another. Either way, it must be done.

As for people in a workplace being less productive when they dislike the working environment or distrust the people there, yup. Workplace bullying has been linked to both less productivity among employees who chose to stay, and attempts to sabotage the workplace in retaliation.

Social problems cause other problems.

Someone complemented me on my interests today.

That's a wonderful choice of emoticon!

Thank you!

Over the weekend, an online friend who has Aspergers Syndrome traveled several states across the US to spend time at my house. And it was quite awkward, though it was nice to see her in person. She spent most of her time in her bedroom, using the computer, and we chatted through typing on Skype more often than we talked face-to-face, despite her being in the room right next to me. We did not do many activities, except driving to a food store that's known in my part of the country but not hers (we talked in the car, and also while there), and doing a photosession in my backyard.

The experience got the attention of my parents, who noticed some of my traits in her, but both more and less so. "Facial expressions and eye contact", my mom noted. Her eye contact being worse than mine, and her being less directly social and also less socially comfortable. They also noted the irony in her traveling to many countries around the world, despite being very unsocial and perhaps more routine-driven than me. In her participating in many activities (like going to plays) despite being less socially at-ease than me. And also how she did things like end a conversation abruptly by getting up and leaving. I noticed her extreme bluntness (considerably more than me). They also were in awe of her high intelligence and wisdom. Even my younger brother, the manospherian misogynistic alpha bro, seemed intimidated by her.

I'd known her for a few years, but seeing her in person was quite an experience, and it revealed Aspie traits that I didn't really know she had, and for that matter, that she had more than I did. Autism can indeed take many forms. Having someone come over to your house and hang out in the bedroom one room over while you chat on Skype is certainly an unusual experience.

edited 25th May '16 1:58:46 PM by BonsaiForest

Is this person someone who posts here?

Nope.

This is something I've always felt and tried to put into words, and now I think I've got it:

Why I hate phrases like "You can do the same things everyone else can!" or "You can do everything normal people can!" Not just because they're condescending, but because they completely disregard the goals I have for myself and what I actually am good at.

We've talked about the "autistic skill set" here before. Things autistic people are frequently better at than the general population. Intense interests, intense empathy, hyper-focusing, creativity. The things the general population is unaware even exist, since our deficits are focused on so much more. This leads people to assume that being able to do the things a normal person does is the best we could hope for. When in actuality, success, for me at least, would mean being really good at my "autistic skill set"

My goal is to be great at the skills I have as an autistic person, not to be average at the things "normal people" do. So being told "You can do the same things every else can!" completely disregards what I'm going for. I don't want to spend the rest of my life struggling to be passable at the things non-autistic people do. I want to become amazing at the things I, an autistic person, can do well naturally.

edited 28th May '16 3:10:53 PM by Cailleach