Page 1 of 1 [ 14 posts ] 

TTRSage
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2010
Age: 74
Gender: Male
Posts: 468
Location: Alone In My Aspie Cubbyhole

25 Mar 2019, 11:45 pm

Tony Attwood is sometimes quoted as saying, "You don't suffer from Aspergers. You suffer from other people". This is so true. I originally found this quote a number of years ago at the website aspieinthefamily.com and always assumed that it came from one of Attwood's books but I had no idea which one. I'm in the process of updating a list of my most important Aspie references and web links so I will have them all in one place. So I set out once more to try to find the source of that quote. Tonight, I found that same quote spoken by Attwood in a clip from the video "Clay Marzo - Just Add Water" but I still don't know if this is the original source or if Attwood was only repeating a comment in that video the he had previously written elsewhere. Can anybody tell me what the true origin of that quote is? Thanks.



Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

26 Mar 2019, 4:42 am

I'm not really the sort to blame other people for my problems. I tend to blame myself and the way Asperger's makes me think.

Although I do blame other people for my social anxiety because when they stare at me it's like they don't realise how self-conscious they're making me feel. I think society needs to be educated about social anxiety.


_________________
Female


kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

26 Mar 2019, 9:42 am

I don't believe Aspergers is a "disease" one "suffers" from.

I do believe other people can make people with Aspergers "suffer" for various reasons---most of them "social."



Skilpadde
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Dec 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 27,019

26 Mar 2019, 9:58 am

"You don't suffer from Aspergers. You suffer from other people".

I love that quote and agree with it.

No idea where it came from though, I also saw it on the "Clay Marzo - Just Add Water" video on YouTube.


_________________
BOLTZ 17/3 2012 - 12/11 2020
Beautiful, sweet, gentle, playful, loyal
simply the best and one of a kind
love you and miss you, dear boy

Stop the wolf kills! https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeact ... 3091429765


Benjamin the Donkey
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2017
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,374

26 Mar 2019, 10:33 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
I don't believe Aspergers is a "disease" one "suffers" from.

I do believe other people can make people with Aspergers "suffer" for various reasons---most of them "social."


Agreed with 100%.


_________________
"Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."


Benjamin the Donkey
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2017
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,374

26 Mar 2019, 10:39 am

Joe90 wrote:
I'm not really the sort to blame other people for my problems. I tend to blame myself and the way Asperger's makes me think.

Although I do blame other people for my social anxiety because when they stare at me it's like they don't realise how self-conscious they're making me feel. I think society needs to be educated about social anxiety.


NTs often think in irrational, ineffective and destructive ways. Despite this, they don't blame themselves for being NT. So why should you blame yourself for being who you are?


_________________
"Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."


Fnord
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 May 2008
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 60,698
Location: Stendec

26 Mar 2019, 4:06 pm

He may have elaborated on Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "Hell is Other People".



Benjamin the Donkey
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2017
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,374

26 Mar 2019, 6:21 pm

Fnord wrote:
He may have elaborated on Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "Hell is Other People".


That was Sartre.


_________________
"Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."


Fnord
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 6 May 2008
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 60,698
Location: Stendec

26 Mar 2019, 6:38 pm

Benjamin the Donkey wrote:
Fnord wrote:
He may have elaborated on Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "Hell is Other People".
That was Sartre.
You're absolutely correct -- he described the social domination of others on ourselves as a form of "Hell".
Quote:
Putting it in laymen terms, we are all afraid of being judged negatively by others, and hence we are never in total control of ourselves as long as someone else is present. Even if no one else is present, we will still have a lingering feeling of the presence of other people unless we are sure of being physically isolated from others. We can never escape being influenced by what we think of others' thinking of ourselves in the social world.
Thus, I think that Atwood was elaborating on  Nietzsche's  Sarte's quote.

:D



Benjamin the Donkey
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Mar 2017
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,374

26 Mar 2019, 7:00 pm

Fnord wrote:
Benjamin the Donkey wrote:
Fnord wrote:
He may have elaborated on Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "Hell is Other People".
That was Sartre.
You're absolutely correct -- he described the social domination of others on ourselves as a form of "Hell".
Quote:
Putting it in laymen terms, we are all afraid of being judged negatively by others, and hence we are never in total control of ourselves as long as someone else is present. Even if no one else is present, we will still have a lingering feeling of the presence of other people unless we are sure of being physically isolated from others. We can never escape being influenced by what we think of others' thinking of ourselves in the social world.
Thus, I think that Atwood was elaborating on  Nietzsche's  Sarte's quote.

:D


I'm always glad to be of help!


_________________
"Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey."


TTRSage
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2010
Age: 74
Gender: Male
Posts: 468
Location: Alone In My Aspie Cubbyhole

27 Mar 2019, 11:08 pm

Benjamin the Donkey wrote:
Fnord wrote:
He may have elaborated on Friedrich Nietzsche's famous quote: "Hell is Other People".


That was Sartre.


Thanks for another quote that just got added to my reference list.



ZackMichel
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 2 Mar 2019
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 27
Location: Seattle

28 Mar 2019, 9:34 am

I tried to do an internet search and couldn't come up with anything about where the quote came from. :( I searched through the "Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome" (I have a pdf) and it is for sure not in that book.

I did find this list of AS quotes, though. There are some good ones in there.
They're not all gems. Just thought I'd share:
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/aspergers


_________________
AQ Score: 41, MBTI: INFJ, Pronouns: They/Them

Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 158 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 44 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)


Pepe
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 11 Jun 2013
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 26,635
Location: Australia

30 Mar 2019, 11:28 pm

TTRSage wrote:
Tony Attwood is sometimes quoted as saying, "You don't suffer from Aspergers. You suffer from other people".


No idea where it came from either...

BTW, this has been my belief for over 30 years...
Hence I reasoned it is better for me personally to avoid virtually all social contact, which I do...

I'm retired and financially independent, so this works for me...
Unfortunately, most autistics are forced to interact with others to gain life experience (if they are young), establish relationships, earn money...
I guess it is something to work towards if you aren't interested in a significant other relationship or creating a family situation... :wink:



rowan_nichol
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Age: 60
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 770
Location: England

02 Apr 2019, 7:45 am

I think Tony Attwood has used that phrase in lectures and public talks, some of which have been televised via YouTube, on in QandA sessions on line.
ThecAsk Dr Tony series springs to mind.