pastafarian wrote:
Plenty of NTs lack TOM. Lots of NT people have trouble seeing what its like to be in others shoes, simply because they either chose to be selfish or because they lack intelligence. They don't think about stuff and care.
My experience of most Aspies is that they care and have emotional intelligence (empathy, sympathy...whatever) but perhaps don't always process it in 'real time'. Once they do, they are generally more clear thinking and sympathetic than NTs. Until the public are better informed, AS people will keep getting judged as selfish NTs. Good TV needed, I work across many university science faculties, half the staff I know are on the spectrum (turn of phrase I don't know what the ratio is). Some good educational TV about how science benefits enormously from AS minds is needed. A BBC programme for Simon Singh perhaps but he is tied up with all the LibelReform stuff in UK.
I knew NTs lacked TOM but I am still trying to figure out what is autistic lack of TOM and NT lack of TOM. Okay choosing to lack it isn't really lacking it because it's a choice they are making. When people (none ASDs) lack it unintentionally, we (everyone, NTs, aspies, everyone) all tend to call them stupid or ignorant. I tend to call them black and white thinkers and arrogant because they are expecting others to be like them and I say they have high standards. One example would be someone on Babycenter claims they went to school full time and had a full time job to support themselves and they didn't go on foodstamps or medicare because they were for people in need and it's not for people to have the easy way out. So they would expect everyone else to live like that or else they are lazy and abusing the programs. Therefore I say they lack TOM and are being black and white. I also say they have a high standard there and are so arrogant because they are like 'Hey I did it, look at me so that means you can do it too, it's so possible and if I can do it, everyone can do it." Those sort of people sicken me.
I have no idea if I lack TOM in an aspie way or in an NT way.
24 Nov 2011, 5:14 am
