There was a documentary on BBC2 here in the UK last night. Definitely deserves a topic here. It was a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of mathematically talented teenagers training together for the International Maths Olympiad. The documentary focussed on the more quirky, Aspie ones, some with official diagnoses.
I say surprisingly sympathetic because the media generally steer clear of the whole of maths and science. This 90-minute program not only immersed the viewer in the world of mathematics in way that people with no previous interest seem to find fascinating (judging from discussions elsewhere on the net) but drew the viewer into the private worlds of the participants. Most had been bullied and rejected at school and were clearly enjoying the company of like-minded people.
Two of the characters appeared to be saying the opposite, but on thinking about it were actually describing the same experience. One, ethnically Chinese but born in the UK said he didn't like Chinese people and preferred the company of people from outside his community. Another, Danel Lightwing, who had been to maths training camp in China, said he didn't like English people and felt much more at home in China. In a way they are saying the same thing - they feel alienated from the community they grew up in, and feel accepted in a world were they have an excuse for being a bit different.
That's only one point that occurred to me watching this program, there are others. Mostly I felt a recognition of what I went through as a teenager a very long time ago. I had to wait a long time until university before meeting like-minded people, having the opportunities to travel and starting to enjoy the company of others.
15 Oct 2007, 5:51 am
