Famous aspies

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The bad thing about listing all the famous people who belong to "group X" is that it looks like a desperate grab at legitimacy, as if to say "it's OK to be X only because we know famous-person-Y is, too". Real empowerment comes when you realize you don't need to have a list of famous peers to have self-worth.

Still, I think it's a natural part of evolution for any newly formed social minority to attempt to prove itself in this way. Throughout the 80's the gay bulletin boards were full of speculation about which musicians and actors weren't straight. That silliness culminated with a "documentary" called "The Celluloid Closet" and is a non-issue now.

There will come a day when Aspies can expect fair treatment because of our innate value and not society's approval of some advocate.

I agree with Jetson. He's very clear-thinking on this one. Also, I was thinking that it's good for us that we see so many famous, achieving people with Aspie characteristics. (Most are not full-blown Aspies or A/a spectrum, they just have one or two similar characteristics.) I think it's a good thing because it shows that we, the Aspie community, are capable of achieving great things and being unusually successful at what we do! Very inspiring.

Does anyone else think that Fred Neil had a lot of aspie traits? OK, so most of you probably don't know who he is. He was a '60s folk rocker who wrote "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson. Check out www.fredneil.com for more info.

He only gave one interview in his life, in 1966. He had trouble with sensory overload. If he was trying to tune his guitar, any tiny sound would disrupt him. Even his closest friends didn't know much about him. He eventually left NY for Florida, where he mostly worked for dolphin advocacy.

What about Larry David? either playing himself in 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' or his alter-ego George in Seinfeld.

A lot of the plot-lines start out with him becoming intrigued & mystified by an observed social convention, he then attempts to get an explanation from the unwilling respondant and seems genuinely bemused when they eventually fly into a rage.

One thing that gets to me is when people try to determine is some famous person is aspie, gay, or any other category you can think of to put them in just from their public persona. We don't know what these people are like when they aren't working or out in public, when thier just at home kicking back taking it easy, so how can we determine anything from what little of them we see in media.

Unless you know this person, how can you even make a guess? I can remember in one forum someone trying to say a famous director was an Aspie and another forum member who claimed to have grown up with him said he definitely was not.

The only other way to possibly know is if the individual in question admits it. Other than those two ways, there is no way to know.

Has anybpdy seen the movie, The Aviator, with Leo DiCaprio?

In the movie there's this scene when Howard Hughes goes to Kate Hepburns home to have dinner with her family.
The whole scene is odd (but i understand it), but in particular, when they are all gathered around the table and everybody is talking (about their own interrests), but nobody is really listening or responding, their all just speaking, no communication.

On the same topic, Howard Hughes' singular focus, attention to detail and drive was what really got me thinking in the first place. I really GOT IT. But i am not particularily obsessive compulsive.

My Answer:
Howard Hughes
Katherine Hepburn
or
the directer of the movie the Aviator.

I am not so sure the Buddha can be so easily catalogued. But certainly buddhist monasteries would have been/are havens for Aspies. And in the early Christian tradition, the "desert fathers" would certainly have to be considered. The Norwegian bachelor farmers of Lake Wobegon seem logical candidates.

I think the more natural and closer to the earth a society is, more value is placed on production rather than presentation, and there is generally more leeway for diversity in expression than in the McCulture that dominates the world today.

Possibly Tim Burton

http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/id/3468620

I tend to be a little out of phase with curent culture, so just saw Napolean Dynamite. He sure seemed to have a lot of Aspie traits.

Vote for Pedro

Our fav rock star Gary Numan is an Aspie. Coooooooooooool.

I (Debra) having met him lots of times and having seen lots of interviews in his early days have found understanding of his seemily strange behaviour and ways once I found he has AS.
Had I realised I had AS years ago rather than just a few months ago, I would have most likely realised he is an Aspie years ago.

As far as Bearsac goes, he is really quiet famous where we live and on the Thameslink trains and I feel that he has a few Aspie traits too!