Bad Reaction by Classmates / Class Discussion on Autism

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At my school, I'm in an advanced program called the International Baccalaureate. We have a class called Theory of Knowledge, which is somewhat like philosophy; we discuss how language affects perception, culture, and emotion. This week we are doing a reading for a seminar by Temple Grandin, an autistic woman. She writes a lot about how her emotions are different from others'. The students in my class did not know about my being an Aspie until today, when I told them during this discussion. They all kept talking about being "normal" and they kept saying that "autistic emotions are animalistic." At some point they even said Autistic people were more like animals than people. I was so offended!
There was a section of the text devoted to Aspies' perception of emotions, and I wanted to talk about it, but my classmates would not listen. When I finally said told them I was an Aspie and they should listen to me about this topic, the whole class shut up and stared at me as if I were a freak. Later on, at lunch, one of my classmates came up to me and told me how amazing it was that I was still able to function in a school setting. I swear, I saw red! I tried to explain to her that Asperger's affects my abilities to relate to others and to read emotions, not my intellectual abilities at all, but she just nodded patronizingly and left.
Why are people like this? There was a freaking section of the text about Asperger's, if they read it they should know that my intellectual capacities are just as good, if not better, than theirs. Why do they prefer to focus on one thing ("OMG, it's like Autism!") rather than on the whole? It really, really bugs me. Tomorrow I have to go back to that class and continue the seminar, and I'm afraid people are going to keep trying to apply whatever we discuss to me. Why, why, why are teens so selective in their listening? And why, oh, why, am I stuck in a class full of neurotypicals who are so full of themselves?

Neurotypicals who are full of themselves, and teens who are selective in their listening ... Really? I'm amazed! Who'd have thunk it?

Seriously, you are immersed in an NT/Teen environment, and I do not envy you in the least. I hope that you can endure to the end of the seminar without the others making you miserable, or the instructor using you as an example (or worse, expecting you to help teach without being paid).

Best wishes!

I'd break the kid's nose if they said that to me. If I didn't, my friends would once they heard about that.

lol. I don't care for stereotypes, and ignore them. They are all a load of BS. If someone wants to believe a stereotype, then let them. Its their choice to believe a lie. Honestly, my friends and I are protective of one another, and would probably do that for one another. Me and my friends have fought in defense of each other numerous times.

Thanks, guys, this really helps. It's just nice to be able to come home and get on WP and realize that I AM NOT ALONE. You'd think I was some freak case nobody'd ever heard speak about before or something, based on the reactions I got. Grrr...