Have I been brainwashed by NT's?

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Heh...in that situation ("Christmas is getting more religious every year!") I would have taken the person literally as well! I do realize that Aspies aren't the only people who take things literally -- we just seem to do it more often. I do it a LOT more often than everyone I know and it is so strange to encounter all these cases in which people don't say what they really mean, or speak in an imprecise manner.

I had a total Aspie-literal moment recently when someone told me to press the "stop" button on the oven and I just stood there staring at the panel since I didn't see an "off" button. He came over to me, reached over my shoulder, and pressed a button labeled "Off".

In retrospect I can see how maybe "stop" could mean the same as "off" but it just did not occur to me to look for any button other than one with the literal label "stop". This is the sort of literalism I do NOT see NTs engaging in often, and it is the sort that has gotten me in trouble throughout my life because the NTs think I'm being snarky or rude (as in, I'm deliberately "choosing" not to extrapolate what the person really meant, as opposed to what they said). It's part of the "you do X so well, it seems impossible that you could possibly have a hard time with Y!" conundrum.

Anyway, getting back on topic, I have encountered a few people online who can list of numerous autistic traits they had as children but who think they are "normal" or very close to NT now. It is my impression that though they may be able to emulate NT for certain periods of time, they didn't learn these skills the same way NTs do, and they execute the skills differently, drawing on analytical processes rather than subconscious emotional impressions. For instance, if I look at a person I don't get any initial emotional "feel" for them. I have to consciously choose to observe them and listen to them beyond what they are actually saying, and I'm often not very good at it. If I focus too much on trying to evaluate a person's vocal tone, I will miss most of what they are actually saying.

Did someone say normal? Normal is a myth. Their's average, but not normal. Too much variety for their to be such a thing as normal. Being Chinese is normal, because thier's more people being it than anyone else. Let's go join the party!

There is a press to act "normal" and we get rewarded for it. I find that most NTs cannot ignore this press because they have the wiring for social connection that makes it important to them.
I don't have this wiring, so it is not important what people think of me. That means my behavior is governed less by what the norm is and more by what seems practical and logical to me. I think if I were wired differently it would bother me that people shunned me for one reason or another.
I have tried to cultivate this caring about what others think, but I always forget about it because there are so many other things competing for that energy, like making sure I don't smell, and that my clothes aren't stained, brushing my teeth, eating good food, and being able to have minimal participation in social relations. These things are required to keep me employed, and keep me from being a burden on society (or on my mother).
So technically it's not brainwashing; it's kind of functional within the social paradigm in this country. It's more like reinforcement of the things you like that you have in common with NTs.
Hum. /me thinks I am not making sense anymore. Too much of a predilection to play with words.

I definitely have AS, but I have much more in common and I am more similar to my peers than people here at WP.

Strangely enough, I tend to "get" and "give" sarcasm pretty well. Hmmm... the Sarcasm Center in my Prefrontal Cortex must be at a normal level of functioning...

I think........... awwww forget it.....





'We are all Liars....It is not possible to be absolutely authentic or sincere, because there is no point in time or space from which to assert that here, now, I am telling the truth'

Dear Eamonn,
Yes, I agree it can be hard when you feel like you don't do things well. Even N.T.'s are that way!! Many of my friends will say, you are so hard on yourself. I agree I am but just can't help it!! And I follow your line of thinking that it's hard to say.. be who you are. I think that's hilarious! It's such a cliche! As if it's some defined thing, "Who You Are". It's not in my humble opinion.

Getting back on the topic, as for wanting to be an AS or an N.T. I wouldn't stress on thinking, I must be more of an Aspie or less of an N.T. Just do the things you enjoy and seek them out. Don't worry about whether they fall under NT Or AS categories.

Mellow