NTs get fed up with their own social instincts!

Post Reply New Topic

I overheard a conversation the other day between 3 NTs, and they were actually ranting about things they ''can'' and ''can't'' do in public. One of them said, ''I wish skipping in public was socially acceptable, where you can do it without looking ridiculous'', and the other one said, ''yeah, I remember skipping along when I was a child and I found it rather rhythmic and relaxing, and it doesn't tire you out so much as running does, but is faster than walking.'' Then the third one said, ''I wish you could wear what you want in public. Sometimes when I wake up on my day off and it's really hot I can't be bothered to get dressed, and would rather just drive to the supermarket barefoot with just my boxers on, but I know if I did that people will take the piss out of me.'' Then they started questioning themselves by asking each other how much better society would be if more things were socially acceptable, and they agreed that it would be more interesting and more fun too, and could even reduce shyness and social anxiety in the general population because odd people wouldn't stand out so much. Obviously things would still be limited with laws to make society safe enough still, but just things that don't harm or offend anyone could be more common or unnoticed.

I loved this conversation, and I didn't join in because I'm not very good with speaking up in groups (plus none of them were looking at me to encourage me to join in) but I enjoyed this conversation and felt like yelling out, ''that's what I thought all along.'' I related to them a lot though because I feel exactly the same way as them; wishing the world was more easier to live in with less social rules when out in public, but not wanting to break any of the rules because of fear of standing out and looking ridiculous. Some Autistics/Aspies don't care but others do. Anyone agree with their conversation? And no, it wasn't no jokey/banter thing, it was quite a serious conversation, but was funny at the same time, because they were really discussing their thoughts and feelings about it.

You'd actually be surprised at exactly what many NT's tend to think about social norms. I've actually talked to plenty of people about this, and nearly all of them also think that huge portions of our social norms are BS. I generally talk to people in the 18-24 range, so this may be more indicative of a cultural shift than anything else, but I still find it quite interesting nonetheless.

In particular, the most common prohibition people tend to disagree with is not openly swearing in public. I can understand avoiding swearing in the presence of children, but other than that, almost nobody seems to care, at least not more than they think they are supposed to care. For that reason, I tend to swear rather profusely even in public settings. It catches a lot of people off guard at first, but once I've set the tone, most people usually begin doing so as well. It seems to make everyone relax a little bit more. I like to think that I'm doing everyone a favor, but that's probably just my ego talking.

Why do people wear uncomfortable button shirts, tie and heavy, hot blazers/coats to go to work?

Why do we wear pants? Robes/Kimonos/Togas were so much more comfy.

Handshakes are just creepy. You know where your hand was just a few minutes ago and it probably wasn't a very clean place...now you have to rub hands with someone else? O.o

The list goes on

Yeah, I've been finding this out recently as well, and not just in the area of friendships.



I didn't think age had anything to do with it, but now that you mention it, that does make sense. Wanting to correct mistakes of generations past is pretty sought after, at least in this generation.