We look at things differently, literaly
NowhereWoman
Velociraptor
Joined: 1 Jul 2009
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 499
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Ha, ha, i too used to look for green ppl too when someone referred to "olive skin." I also have a terrible time distinguishing differences in faces of someone of a different race from myself. And it is not racism in my case either--it is visual.
Case in point--I am from the U.S. in an area with a low population of ppl of Asian descent. We hosted guests from Korea on several occasions through a program at our local college. It was a fairly large group of Korean guests--maybe 40-50? Anyway, when they arrived and hosts were being paired with their guests, i always had to remember my guests by what they were wearing or bags they were carrying. I could not distinguish facial differences when the Korean guests were all together in a group. By the time the weekend was over, i knew my own guests of course. When the group came back together i was also better able to distinguish differences in the other Korean guests even though i had not spent the weekend with them. But i had become more accustomed to the Asian features. Again, not a racism issue in the least (or else i would not have invited them into my home!). But you are right, it sounds terrible. Actually, i have never told anyone about my difficulty with this because i thought it sounded so mean of me. It makes me feel a bit better to know that it isn't meanness and that someone else has had the same experience. (although i am sorry you struggle with it too)
Actually, it sounds like you pulled things together amazingly over your weekend. I have trouble "remembering" people in a group even if I've spent several days in a row with them.
For me the difficulty in recalling a face isn't exclusive to outside my race. I'm Caucasian and the woman I've known for 7 years whom I may or may not have seen recently at school is Caucasian. But I feel it has seemed way more offensive when it was a person of a different race than I. So like you, I rarely bring it up to anybody...no matter what, even though it's a legitimate neurological condition it sounds offensive. It sucks. I hate it.
And even when it isn't offensive for a reason such as that, people get offended no matter what if you don't remember them.
It's ironic, isn't it, that we autistic individuals are the ones who are considered "selfish" or at the very least self-centered...meanwhile most of what bugs NT people about autistic people is the times that the NT isn't being made to feel good about him/herself and to feel special (not being smiley enough to the person, not acknowledging the person enough, not recognizing the person immediately as a stand-out person - overall just not making the person feel stare-worthy, grin-worthy, imminently memorable, special)...but that isn't selfish?
Ah, the mysteries of the world!
Not bashing NTs (actually I hate that), just an observation! Who knows if I'm even looking at that correctly, but it is my impression.
Actually, it sounds like you pulled things together amazingly over your weekend. I have trouble "remembering" people in a group even if I've spent several days in a row with them.
For me the difficulty in recalling a face isn't exclusive to outside my race. I'm Caucasian and the woman I've known for 7 years whom I may or may not have seen recently at school is Caucasian. But I feel it has seemed way more offensive when it was a person of a different race than I. So like you, I rarely bring it up to anybody...no matter what, even though it's a legitimate neurological condition it sounds offensive. It sucks. I hate it.
And even when it isn't offensive for a reason such as that, people get offended no matter what if you don't remember them.
It's ironic, isn't it, that we autistic individuals are the ones who are considered "selfish" or at the very least self-centered...meanwhile most of what bugs NT people about autistic people is the times that the NT isn't being made to feel good about him/herself and to feel special (not being smiley enough to the person, not acknowledging the person enough, not recognizing the person immediately as a stand-out person - overall just not making the person feel stare-worthy, grin-worthy, imminently memorable, special)...but that isn't selfish?
Ah, the mysteries of the world!
Not bashing NTs (actually I hate that), just an observation! Who knows if I'm even looking at that correctly, but it is my impression.
Thanks; i have learned to muddle along and have learned some tricks to make things less awkward, tho it always will be to some degree.
I do also have some difficulty with those of my own race, but it is worst with ppl of another race, esp in a group. I have more than once had the experience of someone from the community saying hi to me as if they know me, and quite well...and i have no clue who they are. I muddle along and then in conversation i find that we had a lovely chat over some mutual activity such as kids' school function etc. or that i worked with them briefly (in my job i run across ppl that i may work with closely for a short time and then not see them for months) and in contact with me, obviously the person remembered me affectionately...and i can't tell who they are! So embarrassing.
Recently i think i ran into a gentleman in the grocery store who had taken care of my son in the ambulance and whom i had also seen while working...but wasn't sure it was him--and i didn't have my glasses on so it was even worse as i couldn't see him clearly--so i pretended to be in a hurry and didn't say hi. He gave me a funny look and i am pretty sure i screwed up yet again.
I too find it frustrating that i am considered "selfish." I work so hard at so many things that most others seem to find easy. And when i don't get it right, i am often told i need to work harder! Sigh. I agree that NT bashing gets us nowhere and isn't kind to them (or set the stage for them being kind to us). But the misunderstandings are so wearying at times. And it seems so shallow sometimes, the things they get mad at. Like you said, the ego-boosters. Sometimes i want to say "walk a mile in my shoes and see how your ego is then!!" But that wouldn't be nice so i don't say it. And if you try to explain, most of them just sort of check out.
My aunt was listening to a radio program on ADHD and the presenter told the story of his friend who had not understood his ADHD. While the friend was delivering the lecture on "you just need to work harder and you wouldn't have these problems," the gentleman with ADHD told him, "give me your glasses." His friend was nearsighted. He obliged and took off his glasses. "Ok, can you see now? No? Well, just squint harder!" His friend got the point. I like the analogy--sometimes that helps someone understand who otherwise would not.
NowhereWoman
Velociraptor
Joined: 1 Jul 2009
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 499
Location: Los Angeles, CA
My aunt was listening to a radio program on ADHD and the presenter told the story of his friend who had not understood his ADHD. While the friend was delivering the lecture on "you just need to work harder and you wouldn't have these problems," the gentleman with ADHD told him, "give me your glasses." His friend was nearsighted. He obliged and took off his glasses. "Ok, can you see now? No? Well, just squint harder!" His friend got the point. I like the analogy--sometimes that helps someone understand who otherwise would not.
This is brilliant! It makes so much sense!
My aunt was listening to a radio program on ADHD and the presenter told the story of his friend who had not understood his ADHD. While the friend was delivering the lecture on "you just need to work harder and you wouldn't have these problems," the gentleman with ADHD told him, "give me your glasses." His friend was nearsighted. He obliged and took off his glasses. "Ok, can you see now? No? Well, just squint harder!" His friend got the point. I like the analogy--sometimes that helps someone understand who otherwise would not.
This is brilliant! It makes so much sense!
Thanks, can't take credit for it though. i can't even remember what the program was or i would share that too. Aunt put it in a family email discussion about ADHD which runs in our family along with ASD. But feel free to share it with someone else if it helps them understand.
I have prosopagnosia.
Recently I went to a glasses shop (my sight is not bad, -0,5. I can clealry see up close so that's not the deal.) and I was really happy with the service quality. I bought glasses and were told to return in a few days to take them.
So I returned.
What surprised me was the woman wearing different style of clothes. But I figured she might not have a specific style.
I also wondered why she didn't recognize me at first (I believe I am easily recognizeable thanks to my preference of red and black which she was aware of as I insisted on black-red frames and refused anything else) but since she brought correct pair of glasses I didn't question it either.
And further on I was bothered by the service quality. When I was choosing my glasses a few days before the woman was all nice, understanding and reassuring but once I come again the woman was acting like she doesn't care at all and has little patience to my rigidity and sensory issues.
I supposed it is because she tricked me - she was only nice when I was still deciding to buy glasses and once I paid she didn't care anymore. I left the shop devastated, worried that I will never get the glasses right. The woman made me think it is impossible to make glasses not too lose nor too tight and I will have to deal with them being totally uncomfortable everytime I have them on.
Then my mom told me: "The young clerk is no good, she probably still learns. Don't worry, we will come again when the one you picked glasses with is at the store. She will customize the glasses to fit properly.".
I knew SOMETHING is wrong but I couldn't figure out I am actually dealing with totally different, much younger clerk!
BTW.
I don't remember people but I remember places. I might not be able to recognize the clerks but I could draw a map of the whole shop out of memory. I can clearly remember the furniture setting and the way glasses on walls and furniture were organised. Desk there, chair there, door there, window there, huge frames there, colorful frames there, half frame glasses there, glasses bags there, male designed glasses there, teenage/fashionable glasses there... I can see everything clearly in front of my eyes.
As an artist, I look at things
from an artist's perspective on composition.
The rule of thirds, the golden ratio.
Before learning how to see as an artist,
I took those "focus on the center" bulls-eye photos.
I will admit that I prefer landscapes and nature scenes with no people in them,
and in the past when I've tried photographing people,
I've seen them more as geometrical shapes.
That is,
until they had me start taking
employee photos at work.
Now I definitely see faces in photos!
_________________
~~ the phoenix
"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." -- REM
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