Is equality on AS forums possible? (popularity/authority)

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It seems to me that on forums like this the less autistic you are, the more you "rise to the top" and become popular and important. If you have autistic unstable emotions or immaturity, you cannot be a mod, if you can't do funny banter or think of confident nicknames for people, you won't be popular. If you're pretty people will like you more in the NT and aspie world alike. However there is another school of thought which says the calm, mature popular people are just as valid as aspies and the crazy/hated people are just crap and want to use their condition as an excuse. Or will there always be a hierarchy in the aspie world with the mild aspies and semi-NTs at the top?

Last edited by hill-o-beans on 31 Mar 2011, 6:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

the world isn't equal.
there isn't true equality anywhere.

Is it desirable?



Well, autism generally causes various kinds and levels of social/relational dysfunction. If you are less impaired by it for whatever reason then you will likely be able to get on better with people.

Though I can think of a few 'less high functioning' people we have around here who are very popular, and some that command respect, authority or attention without needing to be 'important'.



Correct. And I think you'd struggle to find anyone who thought that they were brilliant moderator qualities.

Being a moderator isn't some great prize you recieve for being stable and mature. It's work - hardly glamorous, and often very unsatisfying.

If you wanted to create a forum and experiment with an administration or moderatorship made up of people with those qualities, I think it would be interesting.



I'd stop worrying about 'the system' and start thinking about how you can best use whatever powers and resources available to you to find contentment wherever you might be, with whatever you have.

I agree completely. Some people on here are so sucked-up to it's unbelievable.

I'll be blunt:

For a start, looks mean everything on here. "No they don't". Yes, they do. If you post a picture of yourself and you look good, people will like you more.

If you are an adult and have professional sexual experience you can discuss about, people will like you more (The Adult Section VIP Clique).

If you are smart, people will like you more.

But if you tell it like it is, people will not like you more. As you will see with the disagreement replies to this, I have lost myself some respect. And that is how forums work.

Oh really?

Equality is bad.

I guess those with people skills are always going to win more hearts and minds......it would be nice to think that it depends more on how much the person cares about others, but like respect, caring may as well not exist if it can't be demonstrated in a way that makes sense to the other person, and folks with people skills who don't care much about others (e.g. good salesmen) seem to get a long way before time catches up with them, if it catches up with them at all.

It sucks, but we're working on it. The only people with any clout who I've heard talking up the futility of working towards an egalitarian society have been far-right types who probably just want a clear shot at being the next God Almighty.....those without any clout who say equality is futile have simply thrown in the towel - I think it's a mistake, but I can't say I blame them. The picture is indeed bleak and we'll probably not see any great progress in our lifetimes. It's hard to know what to do about it, apart from getting involved in the war of words, and watching out for ways of isolating and intimidating those who try to push us around without our consent. Not much use for a social website such as WP though.

Yeah, but do you really want to be a part of that? Personally I have no interest in being part of that group.

Looks don't mean everything to everyone, though there's no doubt that they can buy you some attention from some people.



Not at all, not from me, anyway.

I agree completely.

and i would add that I expect the majority of mods and popular people are probably 'self diagnosed/think I have it' not formally diagnosed.

Ive noticed a real shift away from aspies since I joined the forum and shift toward 'banter' and a more social/nt focus/feel of the forum.

I agree with that, I know some people I can think of who are low-functioning in terms of speech, movement but are very mature intelligent and thoughtful. Or at least there real life is so stressful that they have no tantrums left for a website. (they tell stories about real life shutdowns).



sniff,,they are heros, just heroes...that bought tears to my eye actually. this is a war between trolls and mods, and I support our brave troops.

Ah, the joys of calling the self-diagnosed to be NT spies in disguise, since only a formal diagnosis for a cost of Only $2000 and 95 Cents! carries validity, right?

thats true. I feel bad for people who have run into lots of trouble even getting tried for a diagnosis. My parents made me have mine as a kid.

not at all, but they are likely to be on the 'mild' end of things to have avoided diagnosis thus far.

Glad to hear you Support The Troops.

If it weren't for my stepdad's wealth and over eagerness to determine what is wrong with everyone in the universe, I probably would never have been diagnosed. The reason for that? Cost. To go to psychologists and neurologists is not something which is free, especially when each of them is trying to save up to purchase their umpteenth yacht.

Bill Murray in the film "Royal Tenenbaums" played an Oliver Sacks-type doctor who was getting rich writing about a weird boy and making up syndromes for him, lol.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UClExUYizGY[/youtube]