Ask an Asperger

[s.c.dude]

who asperged the original aspergeneress?

 

[Swedishguy]

who asperged the original aspergeneress?

Hans Asperger, if that's what you're asking.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Probably not that high, as most likely you're just seeing into the traits more than what you actually are.

Seconded, Aspergers don't generally recognise their own traits until a while after diagnosis and discussion about it, but rather think until then that everyone else has opposite traits.
(Horrible generalisation and vagueness above. My apologies.)

 

[Yared]

What's the most disgusting thing you know? (Goes out to all Aspies!)

 

[Earthling]

I absolutely hate it when this happens, but I'm least I'm good enough to catch it nowadays. Every time a thread is necro'd it makes me hope Swedishguy has somehow returned - I tell ya, it really scares the fatted calfs, everytime I jump up and reach for my special Swedishbutcheringknife (Darn American keyboard and not knowing how to add umlauts...oh well, break glass in case Swedishguy returns).

Anyway, I'm not an Aspy myself, though I recall a recent thread on here wherein a lot of folks were. But I am curious why you would feel this is an appropriate question to ask - surely I've never heard any reason that people with Aspbergers would be more disgusting/know more about disgusting stuff - it seems like you were misinformed or possibly misled by someone's bigotry.

 

[Yared]

I absolutely hate it when this happens, but I'm least I'm good enough to catch it nowadays. Every time a thread is necro'd it makes me hope Swedishguy has somehow returned - I tell ya, it really scares the fatted calfs, everytime I jump up and reach for my special Swedishbutcheringknife (Darn American keyboard and not knowing how to add umlauts...oh well, break glass in case Swedishguy returns).

Anyway, I'm not an Aspy myself, though I recall a recent thread on here wherein a lot of folks were. But I am curious why you would feel this is an appropriate question to ask - surely I've never heard any reason that people with Aspbergers would be more disgusting/know more about disgusting stuff - it seems like you were misinformed or possibly misled by someone's bigotry.

You misunderstood me completely. I want to know what they - individually, of course - consider to be the most disgusting. I'm not writing this out of some deluded premise; I'm just curious about Asperger's and the differences between me as a non-Asperger's and one with.

People with Asperger's seem like they might easily be misunderstood as weirdos because of their social disabilities. The more I know about Asperger's, the easier it will be for me to make conversation with one of them in real life.

Also, I want to add to the question with: "Is there anything particular people in general find disgusting that you don't find to be disgusting?

 

[useless]

Diagnosed this year, couple of months ago.

 

[Reno]

What's the most disgusting thing you know? (Goes out to all Aspies!)

You'd have to be a bit more specific, for example, disgusting in what way? Food? Act a person can do? Just some thought or object in general?

"Is there anything particular people in general find disgusting that you don't find to be disgusting?

Couldn't really say in general, and no specific examples come to mind personally.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

have any of you guys with Asperger's read The Curios Incident of the dog in the Night Time? the main character is a teenager with Asperger's. if you've read it, do you think it describes Asperger's well or is it inaccurate or total crap?

I really liked that book, it was very well written. gives a good impression of seeing the world in a way you're not used to if you don't have Asperger's.

 

[Reno]

My mother bought the book some years back because it was recommended to her, I've never read it though. I'll have a look at some point.

 

[Yared]

You'd have to be a bit more specific, for example, disgusting in what way? Food? Act a person can do? Just some thought or object in general?

Well, is there some kind of food that just seems wrong? I guess it'd be most interesting if you can think of an example that is often eaten in your region.

"Act a person can do?" Well, sure you can mention something if it's not too much to ask.

 

[holy king]

do you like bananas?

 

[Joecoolyo]

have any of you guys with Asperger's read The Curios Incident of the dog in the Night Time? the main character is a teenager with Asperger's. if you've read it, do you think it describes Asperger's well or is it inaccurate or total crap?

I really liked that book, it was very well written. gives a good impression of seeing the world in a way you're not used to if you don't have Asperger's.

Yes I have, and that was a great book!

 

[ArneHD]

Diagnosed this year, couple of months ago.

Same here actually.

 

[Reno]

Well, is there some kind of food that just seems wrong? I guess it'd be most interesting if you can think of an example that is often eaten in your region.

"Act a person can do?" Well, sure you can mention something if it's not too much to ask.

Neither from those two come to mind, but I'll state that I absolutely loathe the stench of tobacco. This, however, doesn't affect my personal views on any people who smoke.

 

[CivCube]

I think Asperger's has less to do with an innate disability and reflects more on how self-centered society has become. People have always been narcissists, with their own needs and hang-ups. Because their egos can't find validation in themselves, they try to find it in other people. Some of this is natural and even good; we could support ourselves and achieve some neat things, but if we couldn't share that fun with others, it's like we never did those things. We find ourselves in others.

People who don't necessarily need to find validation in others have always been around. In fact, when integrated with the need to coexist with others, it's a great trait to have. You can pursue your own activities without needing others' approval. It's not that you're "fighting the power" or anything, you just know what already makes you happy. Everyone has different ways of processing life, and sometimes that limits the ability to socialize. As long as you have developed critical thinking along with it, you can use what you have for your benefit.

Unfortunately, our society has become increasingly narcissistic, and in a bad way. Call it the next step in 1900s culture, or the next step after the "me" decades of the 80s, 90s, or 2000s (especially with Facebook and MySpace), people in general are becoming more full of themselves. The result is social "rules" that don't have anything to do with harmony and serve to satisfy the narcissist's need to feel special. Plenty of narcissists hang out with other narcissists because they want to feel a shared identity. If they perceive someone as different because they don't feed that self-centered identity in a good way, they'll reinforce their identities by invalidating them.

For someone who isn't as full as himself, that can quickly become a game where he tries to fit in. The less-narcissist becomes more narcissist, albeit in an inward way. It doesn't work, because the bullies' identities are actually based on saying who "they are not". Basically, "Look at that guy over there. He is so not like us. We're so cool." This in turn tells the victim that he has a need that can only be provided by the narcissists. It becomes a nasty cycle.

So maybe Asperger's is a disorder. If it is one, it's a disorder of society's own lack of identity.

 

[ArneHD]

I think Asperger's has less to do with an innate disability and reflects more on how self-centered society has become. People have always been narcissists, with their own needs and hang-ups. Because their egos can't find validation in themselves, they try to find it in other people. Some of this is natural and even good; we could support ourselves and achieve some neat things, but if we couldn't share that fun with others, it's like we never did those things. We find ourselves in others.

People who don't necessarily need to find validation in others have always been around. In fact, when integrated with the need to coexist with others, it's a great trait to have. You can pursue your own activities without needing others' approval. It's not that you're "fighting the power" or anything, you just know what already makes you happy. Everyone has different ways of processing life, and sometimes that limits the ability to socialize. As long as you have developed critical thinking along with it, you can use what you have for your benefit.

Unfortunately, our society has become increasingly narcissistic, and in a bad way. Call it the next step in 1900s culture, or the next step after the "me" decades of the 80s, 90s, or 2000s (especially with Facebook and MySpace), people in general are becoming more full of themselves. The result is social "rules" that don't have anything to do with harmony and serve to satisfy the narcissist's need to feel special. Plenty of narcissists hang out with other narcissists because they want to feel a shared identity. If they perceive someone as different because they don't feed that self-centered identity in a good way, they'll reinforce their identities by invalidating them.

For someone who isn't as full as himself, that can quickly become a game where he tries to fit in. The less-narcissist becomes more narcissist, albeit in an inward way. It doesn't work, because the bullies' identities are actually based on saying who "they are not". Basically, "Look at that guy over there. He is so not like us. We're so cool." This in turn tells the victim that he has a need that can only be provided by the narcissists. It becomes a nasty cycle.

So maybe Asperger's is a disorder. If it is one, it's a disorder of society's own lack of identity.

There is, unfortunately, more to Aspergers syndrome than that. It has to do with an inability to understand your own emotions. You feel things, but you have no clue as to what those feeling mean or how to react to them.

 

[Bill3000]

I think Asperger's has less to do with an innate disability and reflects more on how self-centered society has become. People have always been narcissists, with their own needs and hang-ups. Because their egos can't find validation in themselves, they try to find it in other people. Some of this is natural and even good; we could support ourselves and achieve some neat things, but if we couldn't share that fun with others, it's like we never did those things. We find ourselves in others.

Aspergers has nothing to do with narcissism. Lack of empathy is be a symptom of the disorder, but that's not narcissism; and more importantly there are other important symptoms, too.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

@ArneHD: Also a failure to understand other people's emotions.

What's the most disgusting thing you know? (Goes out to all Aspies!)

You appear to be mistaking me for someone subject to merely human emotions.

-beat-

Kidding. Probably the most disgusting is the thought of eating various icky things, though I'm fairly desensitized.

have any of you guys with Asperger's read The Curios Incident of the dog in the Night Time? the main character is a teenager with Asperger's. if you've read it, do you think it describes Asperger's well or is it inaccurate or total crap?

I really liked that book, it was very well written. gives a good impression of seeing the world in a way you're not used to if you don't have Asperger's.

Yes. It's a good book, though I don't recall it ever being firmly established whether the protagonist has Asperger's or full-blown autism.

I think Asperger's has less to do with an innate disability and reflects more on how self-centered society has become.

<snip>

So maybe Asperger's is a disorder. If it is one, it's a disorder of society's own lack of identity.

I doubt that. Other people have disagreed for various reasons already. I will exemplify a few aspects of Asperger's and autism to you that have happened to me which do not seem to fit in your hypothesis.

-Looking at and listening to people interacting and following social customs, then wondering as a result "Why are all these people lying to one another?"
-Cutting off the tip of my finger by accident, then feeling no revulsion or shock, but thinking "I appear to be bleeding. Maybe I should put a bandage on. But first I'm going to drip a bit over here into separate pools so I can get an idea of the surface tension of blood."
-Being best friends with someone for three years, having them over and visiting them for sleepovers, then being asked about the names of his parents, and having no idea, because I never cared to ask, and still don't care to know. Why should I talk to him about that when we have so many more interesting things to talk about?
-Promising violence to someone if they didn't stop with blatant, harmful lying, punching them when they didn't stop, and wondering why they're so utterly shocked that I kept my promise, further wondering why they try to report me for being 'randomly violent' and 'hitting people for no reason' and 'crazy', when this was clearly (to me at the time) a failing of anyone but me, since I made a clear if-then statement, whereas most other violence around me at the time seemed to be spur-of-the-moment, testosterone-fuelled aggression with no warning.

All of these violate various social norms and expected behavior, but weren't so much an active transgression, a response to anyone, or a case of self-validation as much as they were a feeling that social norms were, "yes, very interesting, but you say I'm supposed to follow them? Well, I think you should stand on your head while you talk to me, that makes about as much sense and has as much authority. Go away, silly person, and exchange lies with some other silly person. I'm not interested."

 

[CivCube]

Okay, I'll take that. Using Asperger's for my description was off. I still think that a lot of seemingly autistic behavior is created and reinforced by faulty social interaction. If you're constantly invalidated by other people for a long time, who themselves need external validation to feel good, you're going to start doubting your emotions. Definitely not everyone's experience, but definitely for some.