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elioayla
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22 Jan 2014, 4:56 pm

"Developmentally disabled people" and people with "cognitive issues" who are not "neurotypical" are generally far more chill than the average yuppie, or normal average person. They're not all screwed up by the media into thinking that anyone who looks different from them is a threat.

Cognitive differences make you rad, unique and not an automaton. And they make you, in my humble opinion, a much more appreciated life form than the drones who label you as broken. In reality, those who fear what they do not understand are the broken ones.

Many of us do not need fixing. We do not need a cure. We are autonomous, free thinking people on our own life journey, just like everyone else.

My dog and I recently made friends with a couple of folks in my neighborhood who are developmentally different. These are adults who are living independently, and their differences are what make them amazing. The fact that you can laugh and play in the snow with a person covered in tattoos and a dog and just have fun, and not judge based on physical appearance makes you incredible and wise. They didn't bother to ask about my tats or piercings, and I don't think they gave a damn. They took the time to get to know me and my dog, and within five minutes it was clear that none of us meant harm or ill will towards the others.

Right before we happened to run into these chill people, a very normal, stuck up sort of woman kept her dog away from us and wouldn't even say Hello because she assumed that we were dangerous, when in fact we are both just playful and energetic. She didn't sense our energy, didn't bother to care to know us, just assumed we were violent. My tattoos are a symbol of my heritage and my inner self, a very spiritual and personal expression of my uniqueness, an artistic expression, and if she had bothered to ask, maybe she would have not been so afraid.

Strange is beautiful, bizarre is powerful. Don't be ashamed of your Autism Spectrum diagnosis. It makes you cool, it makes you awesome and it makes you, you. I am proud and glad to be different in my cognition, in my processing, in my awareness. I would never want to be normal and boring and afraid.



Willard
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22 Jan 2014, 5:32 pm

Why would you assume we are ashamed of who we are?

In fact, current research indicates the autistic brain has more neural sensory connections than the neurotypical brain, so we are apparently not broken, so much as turbocharged. However, as most of western society has not been developed to accommodate the autistic viewpoint, we are nonetheless operating at a disadvantage.

Being autistic does not make me 'cooler,' 'more awesome' or my mind more 'beautiful' than anyone else. Whether or not my viewpoint is superior is a matter of personal opinion (IMO it is), but does not alter the fact that my viewpoint is irrelevant when it comes to functioning within normal society. I must conform to society's standards, whether or not I have a superior take on things or a better idea how things should be done.

Difficulties in navigating the everyday social world by no means make me less valuable as an individual human being, but they are still undeniable handicaps. Having beautiful energy and being chill will not help you keep a job. OTOH, puppies no doubt find you irresistible. :wink:



Sherry221B
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22 Jan 2014, 6:47 pm

Appearances can be deceiving. It's easier to make empty judgemental assumptions than get to know how real things are.



Who_Am_I
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22 Jan 2014, 6:51 pm

Yeah, "malformed" would be a better term.


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redrobin62
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22 Jan 2014, 6:53 pm

You know why I'd rather be boring and normal? Because I'd just slide right through life, enjoying the things normal people enjoy, accomplishing the things normal people accomplish. Instead of that I'm a messed up, complicated individual. At this point I'd give my eyeteeth for some normalcy.



Waterfalls
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22 Jan 2014, 7:20 pm

Trying to be normal is a strength but creates tremendous vulnerability.



Callista
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22 Jan 2014, 7:21 pm

Quote:
You know why I'd rather be boring and normal? Because I'd just slide right through life, enjoying the things normal people enjoy, accomplishing the things normal people accomplish. Instead of that I'm a messed up, complicated individual. At this point I'd give my eyeteeth for some normalcy.
What you're saying sounds like, "I want to be normal because I would be normal." What does "normal" imply--does it have intrinsic benefits that you want (you want to be average), or is it the perks of being normal that you want instead? If a person is normal, they live in a world that's designed roughly to their own specifications; people understand them more easily and their behavior and desires are seen as unremarkable. Sociologically, "Normal" may as well be another word for "not in a minority group".

Would you be all right with being autistic, if you also had the perks that usually come only with being "normal"?


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vickygleitz
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22 Jan 2014, 7:27 pm

I enjoy being an old woman but still chill. Life might be more difficult but at least I know that I am "awake."



vickygleitz
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22 Jan 2014, 7:27 pm

I enjoy being an old woman but still chill. Life might be more difficult but at least I know that I am "awake."



elioayla
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22 Jan 2014, 9:20 pm

Willard wrote:
Why would you assume we are ashamed of who we are?

In fact, current research indicates the autistic brain has more neural sensory connections than the neurotypical brain, so we are apparently not broken, so much as turbocharged. However, as most of western society has not been developed to accommodate the autistic viewpoint, we are nonetheless operating at a disadvantage.

Being autistic does not make me 'cooler,' 'more awesome' or my mind more 'beautiful' than anyone else. Whether or not my viewpoint is superior is a matter of personal opinion (IMO it is), but does not alter the fact that my viewpoint is irrelevant when it comes to functioning within normal society. I must conform to society's standards, whether or not I have a superior take on things or a better idea how things should be done.

Difficulties in navigating the everyday social world by no means make me less valuable as an individual human being, but they are still undeniable handicaps. Having beautiful energy and being chill will not help you keep a job. OTOH, puppies no doubt find you irresistible. :wink:


I don't recall saying that anyone felt ashamed. I just said Don't. I wasn't alluding to the fact that you were ashamed, just sayin', if you were feeling down because normal folks looked at you weird, don't feel like you are less valuable.

Having beautiful energy may well help you keep a job in customer care or a job working with animals or children. But don't take my word for it, I've been spending my life playing music on street corners, traveling to almost every state in the USA and, yes, sleeping under bridges. I don't consider it to be a handicap - I was a straight A student and won an award for my writing, but chose to drop out of society and live life on my own terms. I got tired and I decided to try and put on a normal face so I could sleep on a mattress for a little while. Will I end up getting a good job (not the bare bones one I have now) and living a "normal" life, I don't know. But everyone has that issue, autistic or not.

Too many people (that I know) play a victim card on themselves and decide to not bother trying. I challenge the perception that autism makes you less capable, you are just capable in different ways, of different things. :)



elioayla
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22 Jan 2014, 9:26 pm

redrobin62 wrote:
You know why I'd rather be boring and normal? Because I'd just slide right through life, enjoying the things normal people enjoy, accomplishing the things normal people accomplish. Instead of that I'm a messed up, complicated individual. At this point I'd give my eyeteeth for some normalcy.


Yes, I comprehend that perspective. My life has been a crazy one so far, but every bad thing was a learning experience. That doesn't help worth a crap when you're miserable and frustrated, I know.

My father suffers from crippling social anxiety, to the point of mild agoraphobia, as well as some other mental glitches like depression. He once said that this thing we have (as cognitive atypical) is a Curse of Perception. He said he appreciated it and all, but he would have loved to take it away and just be normal sometimes.

*shrug*
Maybe I'm lucky to be as disassociated as a ghost on ketamine.