What do you like about being autistic?

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CockneyRebel
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17 Mar 2010, 6:43 pm

I like how I'm not influenced by the media, or my peers.

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17 Mar 2010, 7:50 pm

I like how I can shut myself out from the world and be told that my problems aren't as big as I think they are. I like it how I get angry and listen to the most hardest of hardcore music and when I feel depressed I can listen to Sparta or Mineral. Or when I want to feel better all it takes is to listen to Evermore. Not the new Evermore, they went kind of crap.

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18 Mar 2010, 8:29 am

polyfractal wrote:

tenalpgnorw wrote:

Freedom! I have been given the gift of freedom, to think, to feel, to truly experience.

All too often the NT life is bound in the chains of convention. Every word and thought is regulated and contrived to please those around. Every smile must be combined with a flickering glance to judge the approval of the surrounding mob. The NT is a whipped puppy, a small abused child huddling in the closet, wondering what he did wrong, a soldier desperately trying to return to lock-step, lest he stand out. His soul is poked and prodded by the expectation of every little social script, choking on some grand design pontificated by consensus of society.

I would point you toward and encourage you to enjoy your freedom. Find a flower or bug, take off your shoes and throw your bag aside, then kneel down on the grass in your nice pants and just stare at whatever makes you happy for as long as you please with a giant genuine smile on your face while those around you scoff and say "look at that ret*d!" That's freedom.

Of course, you are free to do whatever you want. That's the point XD

I registered just to reply to this post. I am a "neurotypical" and do not have AS or Autism.

Succinctly, this post is utter garbage and completely untrue.

If NTs don't understand Aspies and Autistics (which is probably true in many cases), this post is a clear indicator that Aspies and Autistics do not understand NTs any better. NTs are not chained to some sort of "social bylaws" document, indicating that you must behave in some prescribed manner. Every action is not governed by social acceptance, every word is not uttered in a manner to please your peers. It does not take deliberation to determine if a particular act is socially acceptable. And NTs are not incapable of enjoying the simple pleasures in life, such as taking a seat in the grass and enjoying the sun. I sat by a tree the other day, just enjoying the view, without any inclination or caring if other people thought it strange.

NTs have an innate feel for what is and is not socially acceptable. It is, for the most part, as natural as breathing - just something you know. Furthermore, social acceptance is an enjoyable activity (for the most part). It isn't a tortuous event that must be premeditated and carefully constructed, constantly in fear of being outed. I legitimately enjoy the company of my peers. I enjoy making them laugh, or being capable of detecting unmentioned sadness and acting accordingly. it is not a burden but a delightful gift, almost supernatural, to be able to empathize with another human being without the need of direct language.

I'll step out of this thread now, because I have nothing to contribute to it. But I wanted to point out that NTs are not "whipped children", a rather insulting characterization that merely displays a general ignorance of "neurotypicals".

You're way out of line with your comments.

First of all, WP is a support community. Even if someone says something that you find offensive, you are thoughtless to register just to tell that person to shut up. People here pretty much without exception are more vulnerable than average, emotionally and socially. When there is disagreement on WP, and there is lots, it is part of an ongoing discussion. It is not acceptable for someone to step in to lay down the law only to belatedly recognize that they "have nothing to contribute".

Secondly, I'm not someone who has a problem with people on WP ranting about NTs, although many others do, because I think it's a legitimate forum to vent frustration. However, even if that were the case, tenalpgnorw was not even talking about NTs, s/he was talking about the NT "life", in other words what is commonly referred to as the rat race. Tenalpgnorw is saying that being locked out of the rat race in some ways can be a blessing because it gives you more time to smell the roses, which most people don't have as much time for as they would like. It was also a very poetic post. It is a little bit ironic that you would read it so literally without thinking about what it means since literalmindedness is something that is usually associated with ASD people.

I hope you will feel free to contribute to WP if you have an interest in doing so, on respectful grounds.

danieltaiwan
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18 Mar 2010, 9:14 am

I like being able to....

1. Be straight forward I say what I mean to say. NO means NO unlike in the NT world YES with a facial expression means NO.

2. I am logical.

3. I have my own personal interests guitar and computers

4. I see things from a different perspective and that gives me a unique sense of humor. :wink:

5. I pay attention to the minor details

If people don't like you the way you are then they are not your friend.

johanstruijk82
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18 Mar 2010, 9:43 am

It's probably because of my depression of the last 5 years, but I hate autism, to be honest I dont think it has any positive elements. I want a normal life, with a group of friends, having fun, clubbing, partying, being succesful etc. Well, hm, I have a friend who is extremely popular, has about 3500 friends, 5-6 girlfriends per month, but when he saw me with my ex-gf he said 'i want to go home, you two look soooo happy'. So I think I can be happier because I'm used to have a lot less fun, perhaps this is positive in some weird way.

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tenalpgnorw
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18 Mar 2010, 12:28 pm

It has been an interesting discussion concerning my post. As people have mentioned, part of the tension comes from a misunderstanding of literal and figurative use of language.

Thus I shall point the offended ones to the literal syntactical structure of the first three words of my little poet rant, "all too often".

This initial qualifier indicates that the following generalities do not apply to every NT in a blanket sense but simply in a statistically significant degree. Could we not agree that even 1% would qualify as "all too often"? Just as there is surely a small yet tragic segment of the society completely incapable of having any empathy, remorse, or concern for others, so the logical inverse must be equally pathetic. If a serial killer and child molester may be understood as having a deadly combination of SPD and sociopathy so that the reality and feelings of the surrounding world are as nothing, I would contend that it is equally tragic to have one for whom the reality and feelings of the surrounding world are as everything. In the first case, those around may be dead. In the second case, the individual is dead inside.

I would contend, however, that the latter situation, described poetically in my first post, is much more common because being a pure soul-less "people pleaser" or "yes-man" is socially accepted and even encouraged, making a vicious self-perpetuating cycle.

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18 Mar 2010, 12:54 pm

dt18 wrote:

What do you see as positive about autism? I'm curious considering the number of posts on this forum about not wanting to be cured or changed. How do you enjoy being autistic considering the day to day struggles we all have? Lack of social skills, etc. The thought of not leading a completely normal life scares me. I've been through a lot over the years and am beginning to have trouble coping. Quite honestly, if there was a cure, I'd gladly take it. It would lift a huge weight off my shoulders.

Logical thinking, creativity, the obsessions, the motivation they give me, the simple fact I'm different, the fact I will use those things (among others) to make myself rich, and the happiness I get from my Aspie girlfriend who I wouldn't even know if I was NT.

ASgirl
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18 Mar 2010, 12:57 pm

i like the fact that i enjoy my own company and am never bored when i am by myself. some people need to be with others in order not to feel bored or lonely, but i really treasure time to myself and the more time i get to myself the merrier

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18 Mar 2010, 3:49 pm

CockneyRebel wrote:

I like how I'm not influenced by the media, or my peers.

Anyone that has a music taste or favourite kind of film is influenced by the media, so in other words everyone. You like 60's music, you are influenced by the media from the 60s.
If you have friends, which you said you do, you are influenced by your peers because somehow someone made you like them.

Everyone is somewhat influenced by those things as we all react to them, saying "I'm not influenced!!" is reacting to it, it has influenced you.

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18 Mar 2010, 4:20 pm

- I think faster than NTs
- I see more details and commons
- I have great spatial thinking --> I can reverse/turn things in my mind
- I don't have only one language to think --> I can learn languages faster
- I look younger
- I can say the truth
- I don't care about love stories of people
- I read faster
- I have photo-memory
- I don't need people to go to the cinema or concert --> I see all I want, NTs give up if they don't have company
- I 'm not fake and I don't make intrigues
- I say what I want
- I can be strict
- I don't waste money for stupid things - I don't care about fashion and parties and I don't spend money for bad quality but fashionable things

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PunkyKat
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18 Mar 2010, 4:25 pm

The ability to focus on what I love to the exclusion of anything else
The inteligence it gives me
Creativity
The ability to think "outside of the box"
Not being able to be "fake"
Honesty
Not caring what others think of me
Hyper sences

Etular
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18 Mar 2010, 4:40 pm

dt18 wrote:

I've seen that in a lot of posts. How does your autism define who you are? I, myself, am ashamed of my label. People have a lot of misconceptions on what autism is. Autism makes me feel trapped. There's so much I want to do, but my autism just stands in the way. I want to meet new people without coming off as weird, but because of my lack of social skills, that doesn't happen. Unfortunately, this is something NTs are born with, but people on the spectrum aren't.

Don't worry. Pretty much all of us began like you - Plunged into a world full of mocking, deceit and hatred. Through time, we have learnt to adapt and grow as best we can. Even if you aren't good socially, do you have good mental capabilities? Are you intelligent? If not, creative, perhaps? At the very least, you should be obedient and exceptionally kind to others, aren't you? Other than that, there's a large variety of things from our own special interests to many things mentioned above. We have accepted who we are. we are proud, and refuse to deny it.

The labels may be terrible, but you have the power to prove them wrong.

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18 Mar 2010, 5:43 pm

johanstruijk82 wrote:

Having 5-6 girlfriends a month isn't a good thing. The guy sounds like a player. Guys just want to date a bunch of women to fill some empty void in their life.

MONKEY wrote:

CockneyRebel wrote:

I like how I'm not influenced by the media, or my peers.

I interpreted that as:
1) Not being sucked in by advertising or believing everything you hear on the news. Not being a part of the mainstream crowd.

2)Not influenced by friends meaning not giving into peer pressure, talking or dressing like them.

The funny and often annoying thing on this forum is that people can interpret what you say in so many different ways.

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mamc1986
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18 Mar 2010, 8:19 pm

I have a beautiful heart, I care about people that are horrible and I want to interact with people. But for the people who don't want to interact with you, just screw them, friends will come and go whether they're NT or Aspies. I also love animals, and have a great appreciation for literature.

ursaminor
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18 Mar 2010, 8:29 pm

If you know you have a beautiful heart, you either have seen a cardiogram image of your heart, have seen a picture a doctor has taken of your heart, are dead, or mean something different than heart and beautiful.
I like that I see everything that exists as each a different entity, all of which need to be seen separately to know them.

dt18
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18 Mar 2010, 11:04 pm

johanstruijk82 wrote:

That's pretty much right on target with how I feel. That's exactly what I mean by a "normal" life. I just want a regular social life and with autism I have a better chance of winning the lottery than that ever happening.

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