Do Germans have Asperger's Syndrome?

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Actually, he does.



http://www.solarnavigator.net/films_mov ... elberg.htm

Au contraire.

It did in the past. If you don't believe me, study the history of European Jews. You will see one nation struggling to keep their identity and hoping for representation in whatever country they were in.
It's not my opinion, it's just historical fact.

I think the folks on this thread are conflating genetic ethnicity from citizenship. If you are "German" then it might mean that you have German genes. I'm very German even though I've never lived there nor have citizenship there. It might also mean your citizenship. Einstein had Jewish ancestry, which hails from the Middle East and is a totally different gene pool than what is native to Germany. But he was a German citizen. Hence the confusion.

If Einstein was an aspie and didn't have European ancestry then it does show how ancient the autism gene is. You have Indo-Europeans and Semites with it, so it'd likely predate when those two gene pools diverged. Same would be true of any other gene pool in which you find autism is native.

I just can't resist correcting a historical misconception. You're both right!

In the Roman era, Judaism wasn't just a religion. It was a nation and people, and the religion was their national religion. The three were inseparable. (And the three still are inseparable in Orthodox Judaism theology; Reform Judaism is totally different now.) After the Romans squashed the Kingdom of Judah and the Jews were scattered across the Roman empire, they wanted to maintain that ethnic identity because it was not possible to follow the religion without abandoning their national identity as a member of the Kingdom of Judah and the larger nation of the 12 tribes of Israel.

This desire for separateness was maintained until the Reform Judaism movement came about in the 19th century. Orthodox Jews still maintained separateness, but the Reform movement sought to integrate the two ideas: being Jewish religiously, but also being a German (or Lithuanian, etc.) for your national identity and culture. Though they still had some level of separateness due to the fact that Christian and Jews mutually did not want to intermarry across religious boundaries, but that's no different than Protestants and Catholics, for example.

The people responding are applying today's standards to Einstein's time, which was around the turn of the ninteenth century to mid twentieth century. Things were different back then. It was before the civil rights marches in the US. People were much more rooted in their ethnic identity than they are today and it's very hard to convert to Judaism, so it really isn't like Christianity because of that. The two cannot be compared. It is much easier to become a Christian than it is to become a Jew, so there's much more to it than just religion
Today, we are much more accepting as people of others who are ethnically different than us, so you have people with ethnicities and nationalities, both. You cannot apply that reality to Einstein's life because the world was truly a different place. We have come a long way since then

Another thing to keep in mind, since Einstein was of Jewish background, he might not share genes with ethnic Germans unless they had ancestors who were ethnic Jews. If autism is genetic, why would anyone think just because Einstein was autistic, Germans might be, too?

Supposedly, I am German myself geneticaly so maybe there is a connection.

Maybe that's why I married my wife.

She rebuilt the carburetor on her Lawn Boy 2 cycle mower, (when a single parent and head of house).

She's German from both sides.

But can the Germans communicate well; I mean could the entire nation meet the 299.80 Asperger criteria? no.

Ya, Aspies are top secret greatest German Wunderwaffe
Ofc, all Germans can't be Aspies, it would be strange, so some are very NTs and they love entertainment. But somewhere in the underground, new superiors, Aspies, Menschen-Maschinen, are produced to rule the world.
You found this secret, you'd better hide.


I thought this thread is locked.

regardless of their propensity for having ASDs, the german are a very clever people. I'm not sure if it is related, but my fav three composers are all german, J S Bach, Beethoven & Liszt. I find it hard to believe that this is merely coincidence. there is something within their genes that is very special to be able to create sounds of such profound beauty.

You totally misunderstood what i meant. I didnt say that there are no autists in germany, i said that germans arent autistic, by which i meant that being german doesnt make you autistic automatically.

Actually, Judaism = religion
Jew = heritage

They're two very different things.

in that case, I agree completely, caerulean. Human groups contain all human types. But I do feel that there are concentrations of Asperger's Syndrome folks where learning and intelligence are revered. I noticed it in Minneapolis and of course, there is the concentrations of AS in the Silicon Valleys (computer companies) of the world.

The German language itself includes grammatical distinctions between literal and figurative language. Languages are shaped and formed based on material needs throughout history. If the Germans are wired to have trouble intuitively distinguishing "literal" and "figurative" that would explain why this is distinguished in their language.

It needs to be explicit for law I guess. English isn't perfect and we use Latin words in law otherwise you have to speak a whole paragraph of words to explain a concept. Ya know what I fu**en mean?

Last edited by Pobodys_Nerfect on 03 Dec 2010, 1:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

My grandfather was from Germany, he had Aspergers and six out of eight of his descendents had it.

Before the Aspergers diagnoses came along, I remember other people that were of German descent say things about their family like he is a perfectionist, pays attention to detail because he is German. I thought to myself, how could a country have anything to do with personality traits.

There is some research indicating a possible Northern European Genetic Link. If you haven't already seen the stuff on the possible link between Neandathrals and Autism; plenty of information if you do a google search.

Anyway, I found some strictly anecdotal german personality traits, meant for humor, from a website. Do many of them apply to you?

Source:
http://schnitzelrepublic.blogspot.com/2010/07/seven-personality-traits-of-german.html

Excerpt from source:

The Seven Personality Traits of a German
Over the years, I've come to agree....there are are seven obvious and traditional personality traits of a typical German. I realize....that I will take heat for this. But in some ways, I consider these to be positive in certain ways. And no, not all Germans are this way....but these are the obvious ones that you will notice.


First, stubbornness. It was obvious from two world wars. It's obvious from the 1950s and the rebuilding of Germany. It's obvious from the economy stumbles....especially from the vision of Greece and its woes. A German simply holds to one ideal, and continues on. They don't change their opinion often....and when they do....it's a necessity that they approach in a mental sense and just do it.


Second, holding to traditions. If a German starts a tradition....they rarely fail to accomplish this. I would put Octoberfest as the prime example....but there are millions of these in German society. It could be the start of fall clean-up in your neighborhood and the accepted date for that. It could be the summerfest week that has gone on for sixty years in your local town. Unless a flood occurs, folks don't shift from the traditions.


Even on the personal level, there are things like a guy sticking to Opel cars for his entire life. Or the wife who demands a weekend getaway to Berlin the 2nd week of May of each year. Or the color scheme of a house that's been owned by some guy for forty-five years. It might even be the tradition of using only one car mechanic for your entire life, until he retires.


Third, thriftiness. Normally, I'd just call this cheapness....but I have to be fair here. You could walk up to most Germans and tell them they have $300 for an entire 10-day summer vacation....and somehow, they'd figure a way to enjoy their 10 days off....with such a modest amount of money.


When you look at German retirees....and what they often end up with at age 65.....and then somehow....they live off $1000 a month and you are kinda shocked how they do it.


Right now, there is this massive use of Hornbach (the German home improvement store). Instead of paying some guy to renovate your bathroom....a German will find the right Polish guy for a week....buy all the materials.....and then do the paint and tile himself.


Fourth, argumentative. This one.....some folks might argue about (get it?). Germans can find a thousand things to argue about. It could be one guy planting shrubs of a disliked nature that the neighbor can't stand. It could be the act of cranking your car for two minutes in winter to warm it up. One minute of such a cranking would be tolerated, but not two, and thus inviting an argument sooner or later.


Pointing out how you screwed up....would go hand-in-hand with this personality trait. They'd like to let you know something....and hopefully you agree....otherwise, it's an argument.


Fifth, a bit of humor that is different. The wild humor of Robin Williams doesn't work in Germany. Jerry Lewis humor doesn't really work. Seinfeld humor doesn't work. But you start to notice is a cynical sort of humor that most Germans tend to appreciate. It's the comparison of how bad the political system has become when compared to a drunk in a pub....which will make a German laugh his head off.


Germans love office humor if it's compared to their actual environment. They laugh over the stories at a butcher shop or government bureaucracy.....because they face this each and everyday.


Sixth, coldness. It could take a decade to really know your neighbor after you move in. In fact, you might never know your neighbor beyond a beer you share together once a month when mowing the grass.


You don't see cases where a German gal meets some guy and agrees to marriage within six months....that simply doesn't happen.


A German keeps this coldness.....as a defending tactic. It protects their inner circle and makes them feel secure.


Seventh and final.....creative. The little sensor that detects rainwater on the windshield of your car and automatically turns the wiper on? It's from a German. ABS? It's from a German. There are dozens of car devices which relate back to a German who just kept thinking about how things work.


It's the same with heating systems, pens, printers, tires, subway cars, and even zippers. They sit there and pause over the way things work.....and then announce this fantastic vision with just a simple toggle switch or a light sensor.


So I hope I didn't insult any Germans....but it's just a note of mine about their lives and impacts.
Posted by Letters from Ripley at 2:53 AM 9 comments:
Anonymous said...
you are right on and I'm proud of all of them.

August 2, 2010 6:35 AM
Becky Z said...
I got a real kick out of this post...my family has strong German roots, settling in Pennsylvania in the 1700s to farm. Our personalities fit this list perfectly, despite being removed from the country for centuries. We don't like change! hehe.

August 12, 2010 6:30 PM
Anonymous said...
In mostly German but i also have dutch roots. I'm adopted, so i wasn't that sure about my ethnicity...i just relied on looks. this really helped me personality wise to discover that i am with out a doubt German

August 29, 2010 8:03 PM
Stuttgartgirl said...
Great post! I found myself nodding my head. Regarding German humor, it's a tough one. Many times I find myself making a sarcastic comment, only to have it taken literally by a German, shaking his head at how stupid I must appear, but I'm learning.

September 8, 2010 3:26 PM
Anonymous said...
I have an exchange student from Germany. These traits are right on... Bingo! This definitely fits her. Good to know...

September 15, 2010 5:44 PM
t said...
I can't confirm or not confirm that you marked Germans correctly. However, your last point of instinctively thinking about how things work at length is true of me. It is one of the best topics to talk with my dad about. And, a German friend visited me in LA. We went to a bar with a lot of hot chicks. He didn't make a single remark about the hot chicks. However, he expounded at length in what ways the bar could be constructed better.

September 27, 2010 8:06 AM
Anonymous said...
Happy Oktoberfest! Great Post of German Traits...each one fits spot-on for me, especially the stubbornness & the argumentative traits. Creativity and dark humor are also at the top of the list for this Meissner girl!

October 3, 2010 7:22 PM
Matt said...
I so agree with all of these! I'm a bit more than half German and I have to say right now that I found myself nodding my head the whole time. I can't say there's a single one I don't have in myself. Ever since I was little I've always been stubborn, argumentative, and known to get on someone's case about anything I see wrong. I'm also known as the "perfectionist" haha. This was a great post and I can't disagree with any of 'em, so even if you didn't nail Germans head on, you've got me perfectly.

November 6, 2010 4:53 AM
Lindsey said...
I actually just found out that I have German in my family tree. I was looking into the personality traits of the German culture to see if it really fit with me and my family.

Who would have thought my ability to not step out of my familiar "I have to get the same thing when I go to this restaurant, coffee shop, etc" really had to do with my stubbornness to keep traditions going.

These made me giggle.