Proud to be an aspie/autist?

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no.
i can not feel pride. i do not know what "pride" feels like.
i am told that it is like a sense of self satisfaction and gladness due to the fact that one has successfully performed a deed that others applaud.

when i successfully perform a deed, i am happy that i do not have to spend any energy to readdress it and correct any mistakes i made.
i can see in a logical way that "pride" is the opposite of "shame". i can not feel "shame" either.

so i do not feel any pride or shame about how i am. i am just how i am and that is all there is to it.

Pride... yes, simply because I'm glad I'm me. And me happens to include autism.

This faux pride that makes you think you're better than NTs because you're smarter or have some talent or other... not so much. That kind of pride makes me sick. Anyway, you know those people are just waiting to have the narcissism crash down on them like a house of cards.

I am proud to be an aspie as i am very passionate about trains and have a good memory for maps which is for me an advantage.

I'm not proud to be an Aspie. Personally, I think that's ridiculous.

Rather than narcissism it reeks of supremacism to me. And that supremacism will eventually crash down on them a whole lot harder.

As I have related before on this thread, "I am proud to be an Aspie." Is it bad to feel pride for this? No. There are two categories of pride---positive and negative. Negative pride is often called being vane. It is when one feels like he or she is better than everyone else and has such a high opinion of oneself as to be like the mythical Greek gods (perhaps a little exaggerated, oh well). Then there is positive pride---the good pride. That is what I feel about myself---and what I feel many of the rest of you feel about yourselves---positive pride.

Here is how it is stated by Wikipedia after defining the two types of pride (positive/good type and negative/vane type):

"Pride is 'a pleasant, sometimes exhilarating, emotion that results from a positive self-evaluation' (Lewis, 2002). The standard view of pride was that it results from satisfaction with meeting the personal goals set by oneself. Most research on pride attempts to distinguish the positive aspects of pride and the negative. Pride involves exhilarated pleasure and a feeling of accomplishment. Pride is related to 'more positive behaviors and outcomes in the area where the individual is proud' (Weiner, 1985). Pride is generally associated with positive social behaviors such as helping others and outward promotion. According to Bagozzi et al., pride can have the positive benefits of enhancing creativity, productivity, and altruism."

Now for some questions.

What is wrong with having a positive self-evaluation? Nothing. To have a positive self-evaluation is a good thing (the positive kind of pride). What is wrong with having satisfaction with meeting the personal goals set by oneself? Nothing. Again, that is positive pride. It is good to be able to meet goals. What is wrong with feeling accomplishment? Nothing. It is good to accomplish things. What is wrong with having positive behaviors that can help others? Nothing. That is definitely a good thing. And, what is wrong with the positive benefits of enhancing creativity, productivity, and altruism? Again, nothing. That is a good thing. This is the positive kind of pride. And for these reasons, I am proud to be autistic. The things I have accomplished with my special intense interests and talents are a result of autism. And I am proud of that.

At a dinner following one of my concerts this past December, a lady asked me how I learned to play all the instruments I played at the concert. I told her I simply became fascinated with the instruments and was able to play them without lessons and in little time. I said, "The music just happens." Of course she looked a little confused. I mention in my concerts (dulcimer ministry), that I have Asperger's and relate some autism awareness in my ministry of music. I told her that it was because of my special intense interest in music (and a fascination in these instruments) that I was able to play them without lessons and in little time---that it is was because of Asperger's. She looked at me and said, "Hooray for Asperger's." We had a very nice discussion during dinner as she now understood more about how autism works in my life. It is my wish that everyone with autism can find happiness in special intense interests/etc. And there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with feeling proud to be autistic---as long as it is the good type of pride.

I'm proud of what I've achieved considering my impediments. However I would definitely rather have been born neurotypical, a lot of the suffering I've experienced would have been avoided.

Proud? No. I'm cool with it, but pride is for when I finish recording a song, or successfully save up money for something I really want/need.
That's like me being proud of being left-handed. I like being a lefty, but pride wouldn't make sense.

Being into music myself, what kinds of songs do you do?

I always like to clarify my sense of pride in autism in dealing with my music. If it weren't for autism, I would not have gotten into music---so that is why I have pride in autism.

I'm proud of the things I have accomplished; Aspergers may or may not be a part of it all...

But proud to be on the spectrum? No. That type of pride reeks of supremacy and I hate that.

Being proud and thinking you're superior are two different things.

Asp-Z said, "Being proud and thinking you're superior are two different things."

You are exactly correct---thank you Asp-Z. I talked about this in a previous recent post here about the two types of pride. The people I see talking about being proud seem to me to be of the good type of pride---not the vain arrogant type.

For those of you who have a strong view about this pride thing, I would like to recommend that you read about pride on Wikipedia, etc. to see what is said about it. I think you will discover the two types of pride being discussed here. There is the negative type (vain/superiority), and the positive type (positive self-evaluation, able to meet goals, postive behaviors that can help others, and positive benefits of enhancing creativity, productivity, and altruism). Positive pride is a good thing---not superiority.

Occasionally I might feel something akin to pride...for example, when conversing with my ASish friend about stuff and about how unreasonable and insane so much of the world/human society is, and how there really is logic behind so many of our quirks..and there is a lot that we really can't help, and I do think that our existence makes the world a better place...

I'm proud that I have accomplished certain things on my own: I taught myself to play piano, drums, bass and guitar, and I can play them as well as anyone who does it for a living.

I'm proud that I have found a great partner to share my life with, and that we have a better marriage than anyone we know.

I'm proud that I have overcome my family and gone on to have a better life than any of them are having.

I'm proud that I have used my "special interest" to earn a living for myself and my wife.

Proud to be on the autistic spectrum? That does not compute. It's who I am, and have always been. I don't know a different way to be. It's like being proud that I have fingernails.

Can't say that I am. I've only been myself and I got my problems which I guess can be attributed to the condition. Then again I wouldn't be me otherwise but I can't say I'm happy with my life as it is and don't know what the future will bring me.

Seems to make sense to me... Infact nobody themselves would know what the future will bring you, but what I can say is, if you somehow do well in life, good things tend to come which I get told alot of times... but it does in a way have a meaning but I can't seem to figure it out?