I feel stupid for this

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So I was in Montana visiting my parents for my brother's graduation.
Mom and I were cleaning and she tells me to take the rug and shake it, so I did what I was told.
She said "No do it outside, not in the house." and she started laughing.
I took the rug outside and started shaking it again and Mom called me a silly girl. I was like oops, I was literal again and moved on. After all she did not say to take the rug and shake it outside.

So on another forum I decided to post a thread called "Post what aspie things you have done" and I tell the story because I thought it was so funny. Then someone replies to it and says it doesn't sound like a social problem like reading between the lines, it sounds more like a logic based problem.


Now I feel stupid. I don't know the difference anymore between literal and logic problems. Who knows what other things I have taken literal in my life that was actually a logic problem and everyone said it was part of AS. Like the time my mother said the men were cutting corners who put the siding on our house and I said they have to cut corners or how else would they fit the siding on the house. The time when mom told me to 'stop that teasing' so I stopped that tease and did another one. She did not say to stop all teasing or even tell me she doesn't want anymore teasing. She only said "Stop that teasing." Or the time my ignorant office clerk told me to bring up 5 or 6 rollaways and I did just that but he actually wanted me to make them too but he did not say to make them, he said to bring them up.

For god sake's I had the broom and I was sweeping and I thought we were going to sweep up the dirt. Even if I didn't have a broom with me, I still would have done it inside thinking it be swept up.
If I wanted someone to shake my rug outside, I would tell them to take it and bring it outside and shake it, not tell them to take it and shake it.

it's a rug. and a misunderstanding.
not evidence of any incompetence on your part.


just relax.

You shouldn't feel stupid because you're NOT stupid. You just did what you were told and it's really not a big issue anyway - I promise, everyone has made far far worse mistakes! No worries....intent counts!

Hmm yeah sounds like a logic problem. Had you ever shaken a rug before? Most people who have done it before would know that you have to shake the rug outside because all the dust will fall in the house. But if you had never done it before, then it makes sense you would just follow the command and start shaking it. She really should have been more specific and said to take it outside, especially if she knows you're a literal person. The "cutting corners" mistake sounds like a classic autism/aspie misunderstanding, like many auties get upset when they hear the expression "raining cats and dogs" because they take it literally.

Want to know what I did that REALLY is stupid this morning? I am a PhD student (Chem/Neuroscience). In my research lab I constructed a novel simulation vial drying rack with cotton swabs, tongue depressors, rubber bands, plastic tub, etc.....Anyway - apparently there is no antidote for superglue.....sigh.

I GLUED my fingers to the superglue tube, then after I tore off some of my skin, I put my latex gloves back on, thinking the superglue was dry/crust. No. Superglue + latex = oh no.........

Spokan_Girl - sometimes a sense of humor is best and your 'mistake' is of no consequence

(Just don't try the superglue trick...)

^

Keny says use acetone. Its breaks up the superglue.

Spokane_Girl, it's just an Aspie thing. People who are rarely literal are the ones with the logic problem. As a matter of fact, I feel kind of dumb. Today my husband said he was going to ask the doctor for a cattle prod to shock me with when my mind got stuck in one of those loops. Then he said it might be a good idea to send me to ASH, Austin State hospital. He was joking, and I got nervous because I didn't know it was all a joke. He laughed.

Last edited by KateShroud on 07 Jun 2008, 1:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's not that big of a deal. I think an NT could have easily made the same mistakes given the way those things were worded.

I think I get in trouble for doing the exact opposite. Wording things too precisely, to avoid being misunderstood (expecting others to take things as literally as I do). They think I am talking down to them.

*nodding* yeah that's true. Nail polish remover works pretty good on superglue.

I wouldn't worry too much,I think this kind of misunderstanding happens a lot and it's often
the way things aren't explained properly and left open to interpretation.
Reminds me of the driver who was a tourist and was charged with illegal parking.The judge says "Why did you park there ?" . The tourist says there was a sign saying
"Fine For Parking Here"

English must not have been his primary language. Even I know what a fine is so I would have understood the sign perfectly. I would get a ticket if I parked there. Or they don't have that term in his country, even if they speak English.

I have done that exact thing after being told almost exactly the same.
I don't know if its logic or literal, I probably can't tell the difference, but its just another aspie mistake.
It doesn't matter, it doesn't make you stupid at all, it doesn't effect anything hugely so don't worry.

Labpet my Godfather super glued his fingers together and my dad had to cut them apart, they were fishing though.

I have that exact same probnlem! But what else am I supposed to do? Whenever I am not very specific with what I want, NTs end up doing it wrong!

Theyre's the aspies.

In a ventilated area.

Yes super glue was devised originally to stick skin together. It is particularly poor a sticking plastics with good chemical resistance like polypropylene. Shear strength is poor.

Cyanoacrylate (super glue) is used in forensics when they need to take print is a very volatile area. There cover in a chamber and inject heated CA fumes, that stick the grease and expose fingerprints.

check this out:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/613004/sp ... on_how_to/

I'm so trying this....at home. No worries, I don't inhale. I think the operative agent, in my case, is the LATEX glove. I wear a gold ring on my right hand and I still have cyanoacrylate + blue latex stuck to the metal. This was why I was reluctant to use acetone (my ring has onyx too...). Then, I've done way worse in the lab, I promise. LOVE the video clip - thanks.