NTs can be dumb too

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Being NT doesn't mean they are absolutely perfect. In fact, some NTs can live in their own world too. Personally, I've seen some dumb or stupid behaviour from NTs, which has made me start to think that no human being is perfectly ''normal'', not even Queen Elizabeth.

For example, yesterday in the bus station I saw these two middle-aged women walking across the bus station, and this great big double-decker bus was rolling in right behind them, and I could tell that they were oblivious that there was an enormous bus right behind them that wanted to get by. I felt like yelling to them, ''that bus behind you wants to get by, you know!'', but I didn't of course.

Another example is the other week I was with my mum in a clothes shop. My mum's sister works in this clothes shop, and we were chatting to her at the counter. We weren't standing in the queuing area though - we were standing to the side, and so weren't in anyone's way. We were positioned in a way what didn't look like we were being served and was obvious that we were just chatting. But this tall, cocky, confident-looking bloke (he was quite fit actually, and looked NT as far as I know) stood near us then said, ''oh excuse me, are you in the queue?'' and we said no. And I thought to myself that even NTs can't always reckognise body language. Even I would have figured out that they weren't being served just by glancing at them, even if I was deaf.

Last example is my friend's 20 year old sister X is NT, and is really popular and outgoing. She is addicted to facebook, and spends lots of time with her mates, partying and socializing (and other stuff what I wouldn't touch with a barge pole). But one evening X and her family was invited to her nan's for a family get-together, and X wanted to take her best friend with her, but her dad said no because her friend wasn't invited. X didn't seem to think anything was wrong with taking someone to somewhere she wasn't invited, so her dad had to literally explain to her that most people don't take friends to family get-togethers, unless they were invited. He also pointed out that her nan wouldn't have enough dinner to give to her friend, and he said that sometimes it can be socially unacceptable to take friends round to relatives. But X still didn't seem to understand, and actually acted confused.

So NTs aren't always super-perfect, like what some Aspies think they are. They can make mistakes too, social-wise. They can mis-read body gestures. They can misunderstand jokes. And they can act daft or even act thick, even when they're not.

No, not perfect by any means. (and I like your examples)

That's nothing, most NTs I know don't even know more than three digits of pi!

They certainly don't think before they speak.

So? That alone makes them "dumb"?


I know there's more than three digits of pi, but I have no earthly idea what they are.


Plenty of people with AS are horrible at math too.

That was a joke.

That's why I say I am a normal person and am no different than everyone else. NTs make these errors all the time just like us.

I go on Babycenter and I am amazed how even normal people make innocent comments about someone's pregnancy and they get all offended by it. Same as questions they ask and they say those people are idiots because they don't know when they are being "rude." I learned to never talk about someone's pregnancy nor make comments about it or ask anything because they are just too darn sensitive and anything can offend them. I don't care if I get the "You're getting big" comment by my husband. I don't care what comments I get from my family too. You're supposed to get big and when people say you're getting big, they mean your belly, idiots.

I'm actually going to get my point across about NTs and aspies, infact I'm just going to say people in general.

Nobody is perfect, what is perfect? Everyone is a indiviual and everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths.
Some are dumb at things and others are not so yea.

I'm just going to say it as it is.


- superboyian.

We are all humans, and none of us is perfect. NTs have issues, too; and like us they have their own talents and interests and personalities. Really, we have more in common with them than there is different about us; and what there is that's different is something we should really treasure rather than rejecting--diversity makes us all stronger as a group.

I don't think you need to tell us at WP that NTs are dumb. Many aspies here feel that they are intellectually superior to NTs. I personally don't agree with this.

Also, by saying that NTs are dumb too, you are implying that people with AS are dumb...

I didn't say NT or Aspies are dumb, I said NTs can be dumb. And I'm not referring ''dumb'' to retardation or anything like that - it's just a word I'm using to illustrate the fact that NTs can make mistakes or not realise their own behaviour.
It's just that most Aspies think that NTs have a really really high knowledge of cummunication and a really really high knowledge of confidence, and never ever make mistakes when socializing - when that isn't always necessarily true. My NT cousin (who is really good at making friends with other outgoing NTs) got bullied the other week because she seemed to be having difficulties with keeping secrets with people, and went and told other people and didn't seem to understand that they are meant to be secrets - and even I know what sorts of things should be kept secret and what's not. So she has made a big social mistake there.

I love your attitude. That is a good way of looking at it.

Yes. Sometimes we are.

Get ahold of your big head before it explodes, X! We're no better than they are; no worse, but no better; and we don't have to justify our existence by what we can do. Just having AS doesn't make you some kind of an ubermensch.

I've been secretly examining NTs for the last 5 to 6 weeks, and I've noticed they're not all the ''socially clever'' people we make them out to be. They don't always understand body language of other people. They can't always read other people's minds. They are sometimes wrapped up in their own world. The other day I went to the supermarket and saw my auntie (who is a NT). I called her name, but she didn't hear, so I went upto her. She glanced at me blankly then carried on looking the other way. Then she immediately turned round again and said, ''ohh, sorry, my mind was miles away!'' And I've often hear other people saying that to eachother when I pass them in the street.

Also, the other day I was waiting in the bus station for my bus, (which hadn't come yet). One of the other buses pulled in and let people off, and others got on. I stood well out of the way so I wouldn't be mistaken for being in the queue. I leaned against the railings and looked at my watch, then stared at the bit where buses pull into the bus station - so it was obvious that I was waiting for another bus. Then a woman came upto me and asked, ''excuse me, are you getting on this bus here?'' I said no, and so she walked over to the bus and stepped on. I felt annoyed, because I was nowhere near the bus. Couldn't she ''read'' how I was positioned? If I was getting on this bus I would be standing right near it getting my buspass out and getting ready to step on, and looking at the bus. Not standing 10 yards away from the bus looking like I'm waiting for another bus and having obvious body positions. Ohh, NTs irritate me!
And it's not only that - I got asked other things before by people, when just by looking at me they could know what the obvious answer will be. See - they don't always read minds.

In some ways, Aspies and NTs are very alike. In lots of ways really.

Well, one of the stupidest things that I have seen NTs doing (and I have seen this particular thing a lot, believe me), was simply to stop walking in a place where they were obviously in everybody else's way. Like riding an escalator, stepping off it and immediately stopping to delve into their purses or shopping bags for something or other. Or like standing around in a small group chatting in the only gate that leads into a subway station. I certainly don't mind people chatting or searching through their bags in a public place, but just two or three steps further they would not have been a bother to anyone... *shrug*

I reckon things like this happen to everyone, but the kinds of mistakes people on the spectrum make may simply be more obvious to NTs than the kinds of mistakes other NTs make, because the latter stem from a more similar way of thinking and may be more easily explained.

[quote="CockneyRebel"]They certainly don't think before they speak.[/quote

I think CockneyRebel was referring to the fact that NTs operate on instinct a lot of the time and don't have to spend as much thought on conversations as people on the spectrum do and are more liable to talk away without figuring out where they are going with what they are saying beforehand.