Financial crisis been blamed on people with Asperger's! (wtf

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This is ridiculous! Asperger's people can be perceived as unpleasant and/or rude by NT's, but I find myself to be very pleasant and kind! We are VERY poorly understood and yes, I lack theory of mind or the ability to see another person's thinking by looking at them but I do have a conscience and know what's right or wrong.

I'm sick of the stigma...having Asperger's shouldn't be a secret anymore to society (some people have really shunned me about it afterwards when I told them). It's a difference, not a disability.

I think you are being very nasty with the article - yes, the author first writes about a theory that blame Asperger by the crisis, but after he exposes an opposite theory

My initial, angry comment:

How is blaming aspies is that Nassim Taleb, not the author of the article.

For me, the confusing part of the article is that James Saft seems to present a point of view that opposes what he quotes Taleb as saying in his book. But in introducing this point of view, he says, "As someone with a family member with Asperger's, I think there is a lot of truth to what Taleb says, though perhaps he expresses himself too gruffly."

But the two points of view don't seem to be compatible at all, as Taleb seems to want to prevent people with Asperger's from having jobs that involve "risk-bearing" (What job does not involve risk-bearing?), while Saft's point is that Aspies have something helpful to contribute to the financial industry because they are not as likely to be swept away by the trends the crowd is following. But if Taleb got his way, Aspies would be excluded from the very jobs that Saft thinks they can contribute to. Yet the article does not acknowledge this.

Perhaps the article was written or edited poorly-- maybe it misrepresents what Saft is saying, or maybe it misrepresents what Taleb said in his book.

Taleb "ban" topic

Nissam's book is his swan song. He is an ugly duckling who will never grow up to be anything more than that.

Saft is right, but he doesn't really understand the Aspergian mindset any better than the jerk he's countering. I can't imagine an Aspie taking a job in anything called 'Risk Management', because taking risks (especially with money) is just illogical to begin with. No matter what the potential payoff, the potential disaster would outweigh it. Then again, economics is such an intellectual fantasyland, none of it really makes any logical sense to begin with. Inflation - what a crock! And yet world leaders and industrialists all over the planet just nod and harrumph as if it were something physically real. Talk about the emperor's invisible clothes...

Speaking of which, does anyone know of any Aspie gambling addicts? I'd bet there aren't many.

I think the 'author's' use of the term 'Asperger's Spectrum' (The Emperor's new clothes; fourth paragraph) is perhaps an indication of the firm grasp he has of the subject.

Couldn't help noticing that he seems to be from Alabama too!

Holy sh*t on a shingle!

I am still sticking to my belief that it was caused by a bunch of people buying houses they couldn't afford.

My comments were aimed at Nicholas Nassem taleb, not at Jim Saft. Should probably have been clearer in that regard.

Fwiw, I also think the recession was caused by people buying houses that they can't afford.

I know some people working in the financial services industry who promote funds.

A little while back a group of them was telling me about one of their 'absolute return' funds (aka hedge fund, aka roulette wheel).

They are FULL on NTs.

The diatribe was such a ham handed segue, that it was crying out to be torn apart; so I duly obliged, as I needed the exercise anyway.

The ONLY benefits they were extoling were; liquidity, transparency and its long and impressive record (before 2009 of course)

When I asked what was the point of investing in a 'liquid and transparent' fund that was losing money, the response was and I quote;

'It's the best among it's peers'

Leaving all of this out there are two other points that they failed to understand/didn't want to hear;

The black box trading programs (as well as the assumptions incorporated in the decision making of the human 'expert traders') are based on conditions before the GFC

These types of traders crow about how they make money in a falling or a rising market.

As Hannibal Lecter would say; 'Not any more'

The other issue is the fact that EVEN when these funds WERE making money, the drawdowns (that is the amount by which a fund can fall in value in a single month) could regularly be as high as 30% or MORE!! !!

The reason for the GFC is quite simple;

GREED

I think it was GREED what caused the crisis, nothing to do with autistics. That's my opinion before i read the article. After i read it, i will tell...

Well i think in the end he gives a positive view on people with Asperger's: