Joking about Autism

Post Reply New Topic

The football scene had me laughing hysterically!! !!

Hey Tenzinsmom, I love that you have 'the magic circle' as your avatar. I have it as my desktop right now. I love John William Waterhouse

maybe you are really different, but I would be careful thinking just because you limit the amount that you talk about an interest you do not look that way. it is not necessarily when or how long you talk, what words or details you use, you have to remember NTs can sense how you feel about something and that is what is wrong (at least in their eyes).

what is uncomfortable in that scene is how much he does not understand what he is doing and how uncomfortable everyone else seem to be in his presence.

That is why I like the IT crowd, yes Moss may make silly AS mistakes and it is still awkward, yet everyone can be good humoured and laugh about the situation.

The need to research/imitate people: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKHyqjHq ... re=channel

laughing at myself for the AS things I do is the exact reason I created this thread: I'm So Aspie I [game]. I don't think I would exist if I hadn't learned to do this either. (sorry for the shameless self promotion, but i'm not humourless)

I can't help but feel that the majority of jokes about Asperger's is there to put it down. Now I realize the very nature of a joke is to make fun of something, but there is a line between "laughing with us" and "laughing at us" which I feel most Aspie "jokes" fall into the latter. It's gotten to the point for me where even the "laughing with us" jokes can appear to not be the case. It's very easy to pass off making fun of someone as humor, as if I couldn't tell the difference. It's like "we actually think you're stupid, but pretending not to think so". I know I sound bitter over this, but I learned long ago that a lot of what appears to be white is gray or even black. I can get behind Aspie jokes by Aspies since I'm pretty sure their the "laughing with us" kind.

I didn't get why you posted the youtube video until I watched it and the guy was looking up how to talk about his special interest in a normal way

I'm with you. Everyone tells me I need to lighten up a little and I'll draw an even harder line. I find it offensive too to make jokes about it. It's disrespectful and it doesn't matter what disability you have.

There's nothing wrong with making fun of the ridiculousness of some aspects of autism, but making fun of autistic people is simply not on. I'm reminded of this scene from The Catherine Tate Show as a good example of how to humorously and tastefully take on a subject like Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP3EpWahV14[/youtube]

That is, in my opinion, exactly the difference between a joke and an insult. It gets insulting when they define someone or a group by their difference or disability, instead of defining them as individuals with a difference or disability.
And even then it is a matter of taste if something is joking material, there are fine lines that even those with the best intentions have crossed.

My old man used to tell me the highway to hell is paved with people who had good intentions.
How do you know where that fine line is where it borders from joke to insult? How do yu know if a person with Asperger's might find it to be humorous or insulting? You don't. It's crap like this that causes things to be said like "we don't have many friends" Why do we not have many friends? With stuff like that floating about who needs them? the friends we do have those of us with AS and StPD, we are more selective of who we choose as friends vs. those who are merely acquaintences in passing.

I didn't find those offensive, but didn't find them funny either. Maybe I'm more messed up that most, lol

That is what I mean. Humor is subjective, it depends on the person if he/she is offended or appreciates the joke, hence the fine lines. Or to put it in another metaphor: it's a great big gray area which is white for some, black for others and still gray for the rest.

Asperger's and Schizotypals don't like gray areas. It has to be black or white

"memory IS RAM!"


Personally, I love autism jokes... I agree that some things about AS are just plain amusing. Not in a "haha look at that idiot" way, but in a charming way. I think the line for me is drawn between making light of autistic TRAITS, not autistic PEOPLE.

The ways in which I find AS funny are when my (also AS) boyfriend is doing something very typically autistic that I recognize as something that I myself do all the time without realizing. It's somehow an "aww...Asperger's..." moment. I'm not good with adjectives. Maybe someone understands what I mean?

My favorite joke so far (from the joke thread): "Autistic kids rock."

I think that is the line right there. Sometimes people who forget things say that they are having a Senior moment, somehow refering to Alzheimer's or they will say that they are having a blonde moment or something to that affect. But your right make fun of the trait and not the people. Sometimes some folks don't know the difference.

those clips from The IT Crowd are so funny. i love that show! it's like the Young Ones meets The (British) Office

If it exists, parody it - that's my philosophy

I too find autism jokes funny, though I with there were more of them!

The lightbulb one remains my favourite