Do Aspies Generally Make Poor Friends?

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Of the aspies I've met in person, few of them have had the qualities necessary for meaningful friendship. They are usually lacking in several qualities that almost make you think they're not very interested in making friends. See if these apply to you, and explain whether you mind and whether you want (offline) friends at all.

• Extremely low social drive. Many of the aspies I've met seem to have little interest in doing anything with other people (an activity, a hobby, or just talking). They seem to have a quota of just a few hours per month or less. They seem to think that socializing with someone a few times a year is plenty (to me, I would not consider myself close to anyone I socialize with so infrequently unless they happen to be studying abroad or something similar).
• Uncompromising. I don't mean this in the sense that they stand by their principles (although this may well be true); I mean they're not willing to do anything other than what they particularly like to do. Knowing about Asperger's syndrome seems to make this worse for many because now they feel it's part of their condition and not something they should work on. It is rare t find someone with the exact same interests, opinions, and preferences as you; so this also works to minimize friendships.
• Anxiety/Social Inhibition. Anxiety's not that uncommon, but most people want to make an effort to minimize it so that they can enjoy their lives. I have found that extreme shyness or awkwardness is more common among aspies than NTs. I used to be like this too, but I worked on it because life sucks that way.

It's another one of those situations where I'd have to say it really depends on the Aspie in question. I've had a friend on the spectrum who I've known for about 13 years now, and on the other hand I've known people on the spectrum who I couldn't spend 5 minutes around. Here are some of the good and bad points (in general) I've found about having Aspies for friends for me, personally.

GOOD
-Often more analytical than NTs, or at least willing to discuss certain subjects in depth rather than flit from one subject to another.
-Not as afraid of "negative" emotions and subject matter as NTs are.
-Willing to skip the small talk and get straight to the real discussion.
-Capable of obsessing over something, which is good when you connect with someone obsessed with the same thing.
-Less critical of minor faux pas and eccentricities, and not as likely to judge someone on that basis.

BAD (and some of these apply or have applied to me in the past too, just so you know)
-Can have a lack of tact or impulse control when it comes to saying things that would hurt a friend.
-If they have an obsession I can't relate to, especially to the point where they can't talk about anything else (and I have met such people) it can be really hard to connect with them.
-Misunderstandings over such things as expressions (taking things too literally, for instance) and sensory problems are rather common and, with the wrong individual, can get blown out of proportion.