AS sufferers being "old-fashioned"?

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Yes, I am old-fashioned.

I'm old fashioned, and I think it's better than being new fashioned.

I think I would do better in a different decade. A golden age of scientific discovery where crazy theories were taken seriously (eventually) and people were encouraged to try to find more understanding about the world instead of nowadays when people just don't care about that stuff anymore. By people I mean everyday people you meet, not the scientists.
I want to go to a time before TV, internet, mobile phones, etc. I'm aiming for the 1930s.

I am attracted to both very futuristic times, and to ancient & medieval times.
Where in time would I like to be? Can't say about future, since we might just destroy ourselves before making any significant progress.
And I wouldn't like to live in ancient times because the diseases creep me out and life would probably be quite awful/boring for me.
So present is fine for me. I'd much rather be in another world entirely but

I think that is my deal -- the familiar is more comfortable.

I'm barely 18, yet I really don't feel compatible with people my age. I've always felt closer to adults than my peers. I'm often accused of being "an old man" because of my tendency to be grumpy and rant about things. Physically I'm young, but mentally, much older.

I'm a huge fan of video games, and I can't stand technophobic people. Yet, I don't care about which video games are "in", most of the games I like are at least five years old, or aren't too mainstream. I'm a little behind, as I'm currently playing a lot of games released ten years ago, and I don't even consider them "old"!

I think that has to do with me sticking to what I'm familiar with for a long time, instead of suddenly adapting to what's new. Many people are a fan of some band, then suddenly like another, newer one. I rarely did that, first I'd "milk" the band I like for as long as possible, even if more trendy bands popped up.

I answered "yes" but I agree with the idea that I'm not really "fashioned" in any particular time.

I personally believe that many of us (most of us?) have trouble fitting into the present, some in more ways than others. Because of that, we have a tendency to seek out elements from other times because we don't have the whole picture of living in such societies and the rules seem simpler (therefore easier to wrap our heads around). I think that's the allure of fantasy and science fiction, in particular.

I'm a dichotomy of technophile and technophobe. I work in technology and love it, but I'm about the least gadgety guy you'll meet.

First of all, and please TRY not to take any offense to this, you are only fourteen. Most of society, to fourteen year old, is much older than you. A higher number of Aspies are older than you. Teenagers tend to see "old fashioned" all around them.

Second, and I'm quoting, so these are your words, not mine, "My thoughts on AS are rather simple." Well, AS isn't simple. That said though, I think a lot of us, no matter what age we are, tend to look for simple answers or to compartmentalize our understanding of AS. The problem is, AS by nature doesn't like to fit into any boxes. That's why it's referred to as a spectrum.

I've been looking at other disorders, and the people who have them, and I have not yet seen ANY other disorder that displays anywhere near the diversity that Autism does. I don't just mean diversity in the people's personalities. I mean diversity in the way the disorder displays in individuals. While all disorders come in spectrum to some extent, I think Autism is a much wider spectrum than just about any other disorder.

I'm am quite old fashioned in some ways, but in others, quite forward thinking. The truth is, I honestly believe that if I had grown up in the eighteen hundreds, with the thinking I have had all of my life, I would more than likely be in prison or institutionalized by now.

And in all my observation, "old fashioned" is definitely NOT what I would count as a common observance among Aspies.

I think many Aspies take refuge in formality of speech and manners because they like rules and order, and don't know how to react with the easy spontaneity of modern manners. I also see a disproportionate number of Aspies in groups like the Society for Creative Anachronism or the steampunk subculture--people who think they would have fit in just perfectly in another time and place--but it it probably just an expression of their alienation from society in general.

The Edwardian era is one of my favorites, the brief apex of Western civilization really, but I don't think Aspies would fit in any better then than now. The rules of polite society demanded an upright posture, uncomfortable clothing, endless small talk while paying calls or taking tea or at formal dinners--all things which WP members frequently mention struggling with. Children with mental differences were hidden away in shame or put into asylums, not integrated into family life. Watch the BBC production of "The Lost Prince" sometime to see how an autistic in the royal family experienced life in that era.

I'd be a little cautious saying that you'd be better off in a different time period. Did you know that people interacted a lot more during those time periods simply through lack of anything better to do? There were no computers or tv's or anything else to entertain oneself with. Books and storytelling were much more integral parts of everyday life.The art of conversation was a much more well-developed skill than it is now and, whenever that is the case, you start speaking about small nuances, cultural faux pas, and strict rules about socializing. This means that you'd be judged even more for not understanding body language or little details in a conversation. There is also a lot of evidence to suggest that our vocabularies are much simpler now than they once were. We use less words nowadays in daily conversations than our ancestors would have.

For a long time, I thought I would do better in a society with more social rules. With more rules, I figured I would have to wonder less about what I'm doing. I would have a nice pathway in front of me and all I needed to do was follow it. To this end, I went to Japan. It was wishful thinking on my behalf that it would be a permanent fix to all of my social difficulties.

In some regards, being in a highly scripted environment helped. I'm naturally very formal in my language, so that was a big plus when I first started interacting with people. I was very polite. However, it was also extremely restrictive in many ways. These are rules, not just guidelines... and they had to be followed in some cases and followed in the proper way, with the proper gesture attached. And, simply memorizing phrases didn't always help you remember to actually use them or how to use them skillfully. I found it was still rather hit-and-miss. Most nuances went way over my head.

Maybe some of these problems would have gone away over time, but I'm not so sure. You have to be born and raised in a culture and time period in order to "get" some things. And, it's only until you're transplanted somewhere else that you realize just how deeply ingrained some of these rules and habits are without you even realizing them. I thought I didn't have a culture or a home. But I actually found that I was grateful to be back in the U.S. afterward. I never thought I would experience that, despite a lot of the alienation I still feel.

Anyhow, to make a long story short, I don't think any time period or location is innately better for anyone with AS. People are people no matter where you go. The differences you'll run into are just what kind of rules you'll have to follow, what level of importance is placed on your physical appearance or grooming habits, and how much you'll be expected to interact with people on a basic level. So long as people are involved, it's gonna be both tricky and frustrating.

I listen to The Kinks and The Beatles. Is that old fashioned, or is mainstream society drunk on reality TV and Top 40?

It certainly wasn't old fashioned when I was a kid!

Which goes to show: "Old Fashioned" is so much a matter of perspective, the idea probably means something different to every user answering.

Same here.



Lots of people still listen to the Kinks and the Beatles. Stop acting like you're the only person left who still listens to music from the sixties.

This is mentioned in Tony Attwood's book, The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome. IIRC, he briefly mentions that AS people often have "old world" values.

I haven't seen that she ever has.

I voted yes, but there are caveats.

I love a lot of the things about Victorian middle class England, and I hate practically everything modern - fashions, social etiquette (what's left of it), politics, paradigms, famous people, population density, and the whole look and feel of the place after about 1990.

I love Victorian clothes, though having never tried any on, I can't vouch for their comfort. I like the way the women kept their sexy bits under wraps. I like the clear social rules and formal style. Discreet, polite advertisements and no junk mail. Legal marijuana. Clean air as long as you lived upwind of the factories (note how the posh districts always grew up on the west side of town). Beautiful houses and civic buildings.

On the other hand, the authoritarianism and patriotism would annoy me. It would be hard to be accepted in their society if you were unchurched. I get the impression that Victorians could be a stuffy lot. Then there's all the sexism, racism, and a class system that makes 2010 look like a socialist paradise. Corporal punishment. Old Boys' clubs. A lot of the processes we take for granted would be painfully slow and creaky - snail mail, sound recordings, films, news......and information would be generally more expensive and hard to access.

So I don't know if I'd be happier back then.

Hmmm......isn't one of the questions on the AQ test something like "are your ideas outdated or ahead of their time?"