"Father, what is the significance of laughter?"
"It is a human physiological response to humour."
"Then judging by the childrens' laughter, without even understanding humour, I have mastered it."
"Lal, they were not laughing with you, they were laughing at you."
"Explain."
"One is meant kindly, the other is not."
"Why would they wish to be unkind?"
"Because you are different, and humans fear things that are different. I have learned that they often attempt to hide their fear with humour."
"I do not want to be different."
-- Data and Lal, "Offspring", Star Trek: The Next Generation
Even when they're mostly laughing "with" me, that is, not maliciously at some "cute" blunder I've made, I often feel like Lal. Instead of laughing at me and telling me how adorable I am, I wish people would just explain what I did wrong so I could fix it next time.
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"Survival is insufficient" - Seven of Nine
Diagnosed with ASD level 1 on the 10th of April, 2014
Rediagnosed with ASD level 2 on the 4th of May, 2019
Thanks to Olympiadis for my fantastic avatar!