Now look at how some people view Aspergers ...

Post Reply New Topic

http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/200 ... an_on.html

-- Do a control F, which will bring up the 'find' box, if using Internet Explorer. Then, type in the word asperger. Then click enter. --

It will bring you up to the post numbered, if I remember correctly, #41586.

Read it.

Asperger's has become a name for some people to throw around in a sarcastic way. It's a shame that we will all soon be treated in a manner like this. Some people are just too stupid to face the consequences of what they say, so they have to resolve to such ad hominem attacks on a group of people they know absolutely nothing about.

- Ray M -

Well, I think we're in a position to judge Dick's "mental and ethical capacity," and I'm sure his feelings won't be hurt by people who are "suffering from Asperger’s."

Dick said: "I take it there’s an epidemic of Aspergers around this blog, so let me explain the concept of 'implicit statement.'" and "Had he laid out all the predicates connecting Bush to ID and the hijacking of science by the right, that would have been 'explicit statement' but to reasonably well-informed people not suffering from Asperger’s, it’s the same."

Poor, misinformed, right-wing Dick.

(See how skillfully he accuses his opponets, the left, of what he and his are already guilty of, "hijacking science." Where have we seen this before?)

Damn right! And for a right-winger, his sophistry sure does suck. He also seems to lack a basic understanding of politics, AS and common-sense.

"Dick" is SO rightfully named!

I feel offended that someone would throw the word Aspergers around in a sarcastic manner. Not everyone feels positively about having AS and using this name in such a way may make them feel worse.
I, myself, am proud to be an Aspie and am offended that someone would use the name of our diagnosis in such a way.
Also, if this were to spread into social settings outside the web -this using the word Aspergers as a derogatory/insulting/demeaning or otherwise sarcastic term -it could push people to feel shame for their own.

I have also heard from a friend that people in online chartrooms claim to have AS in order to justify rude or sarcastic behaviour. This is completely unacceptable and I think that we as Aspies shouldn't stand for it. We should be proud of who we are and not allow others to casually use us as an excuse for their poor behaviour.

We've worked too hard for that. For all the classes that we've been through teaching us how to be with people, how to talk to them, how to make friends… this is a slap in the face of that effort. We work hard every day and shouldn't be ashamed of ourselves.

Of course people are going to throw AS around as an insult.

And I'm kind of glad. The world is full of angry close minded idiots. That someone like this does not accept something suggests that there might be something great about it.


Look at the people that see an odd painting and they say 'Augh! This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen.' They don't even try and understand that it could have been done in that style to say something.

That's the same kind of person that uses Asperger's as an Insult.


I've seen it come up on the web increasingly often in a derogatory fashion. But this is to be expected. Because we live in such a hostile world that looks down on everything. People will be vicious to each other for having the same problems they have, understanding perfectly what they are doing.


If people are going to be angry for me just existing as the way I do, then so be it. If people want to give me that kind of power over them, I'll take it. And if they choose to harm themselves, then so be it. Hell, I might even try and help them.


The world is full small people that can't accept it, but also don't think they need to grow. You shouldn't let them keep you down, or let them turn you into one of them.

Definition of the world and society - People who want you to be individual, so long as you're individual in the same way that you are.

It was bound to happen, unfortunately. I work with people every day and the main thing I've learnt about them is that folk in general are selfish and suffer a lot from tunnel vision. These aren't Aspie people - these are normal, average joes.

The Neurotypicals of this genre have many,many more issues than we do. They just haven't come up with a 'label' for it because they're the people dictating the labels anyway. In a perfect world labels wouldn't be necessary because people wouldn't judge. But our society is formed and governed by the judgemental sector of society...and so labels come to be.

But going back to my library, these are people who install what they want onto our computers (even though it's against library rules, a copy of which they have to sign before use.). They use their mobile phones in the library constantly, and eat and drink around the PCs, even though there are many signs that tell them they can't and these activities disturb other users. They shout across the library to one another, ignorant of the fact someone else in the room is working on something important. They take the daily newspapers, pull them into componant parts and then leave the bits strewn all over the newspaper rack. Books are left all over tables. They seem to think that the job of the library assistant - ie me and my colleagues - is to run round after them and tidy up their messes.

And then there's the people who can't print a document or send an email without having someone holding their hand. I don't mind helping folk who genuinely struggle, but some people seem to think we should be on call all the time just to help THEM do something. And then there are the people who want 24 hour opening and longer sunday opening, without a thought to the staff or the staff's lives outside of work and how that will impact upon them.

I am an Aspie and I see ALL of the problems with these things. I would never fillet a newspaper and leave the mess for someone else to tidy, even though I'm not a tidy person. And the irony is that we HAVE a couple of regulars who I'm sure are Aspie (one I'm absolutely for certain on). The girl I'm thinking of is not communicative, doesn't make good eye contact and often uses the same statements to greet us (about the weather, the computers, etc). When something upsets her, she gets very upset and she doesn't always understand things except in a literal sense (ie if she has a computer booked for 2 o clock, she expects to have it at 2 o' clock). BUT she never fillets the papers. She always leaves her computer exactly on time. She never asks for help unless it's an emergency. She tidies the chairs most times she visits the library. In short, she is a LOT LESS TROUBLE than people who are arguably "normal".

Unfortunately so long as these "normal" selfish idiots have to boost their self esteem by insulting other people, our society is going to be like this. Especially since there are so many loopholes for AS sufferers and such a lack of support/understanding/recognition worldwide still.

I guess time will tell.

But as someone else said - the gentleman quoted is so accurately named ^_^.

Apple

Yeah, its about as ignorant and misinformed as a lot of what people say about the right these days

I get your point but in our wonderfull, progressive, western society it would still be suicide to say "Hey, I'm a socialist and proud of it!". All forms of socialism are tarred with the communism brush thanks to years of capitalist propaganda and collective ingorance. And so the left wing of the eagle is amputated ... so to speak
People just get frustrated sometimes and lash out at the right wing mentality in general. Don't take it personally.

But to get back on topic, it's concerning that the term Asperger's Syndrome is being used to describe negative characteristics rather than intelligence and thorough knowledge of subjects. It just goes to show the ignorance and prejudice of some people. The crap just never stops does it!? We will be lynched one day when some politician declares "The War or Social Outsiders" or something equally as stupid.

Figuratively, it’s already happening in business with the trend towards emphasizing “teamwork” over “competency.”

Bravo, Apple. Well said.

I've encountered this sort of thing in other places, unfortunately. I have seen a number of people use terms such as "Asperger sufferer" and the like just to mean someone who is inconsiderate, uncaring, stupid, etc. I think the problem is that Asperger's has become sufficiently well known for lots of people to toss the term around, but is not yet well-understood enough by the majority of the public for people to understand why using the term in this way is wrong. As people's knowledge of the condition grows, I think this sort of ignorant use of the word will slowly diminish (Though some people, like this Dick guy, probably won't stop being jerks no matter how much chance they have to become better-educated on the subject.)

[quote="MrMark]Figuratively, it’s already happening in business with the trend towards emphasizing “teamwork” over “competency.”[/quote]

this has been the trend in school (elementary through college) in my experience. i have always done worse on group assignments than if i were allowed to work alone. as a result, fellow students and teachers assumed i was a lazy slacker. if i tried to beg the teacher to let me work alone, they'd usually accuse me of being anti-social or a poor team-player.

very true. even dr. phil (and he is a real doctor) simply equates asperger's with temper tantrums.

We're a minority; it's to be expected. Believe it or not, some people are really closed-minded enough to assume that different=inferior.

Just be glad we weren't turned into slaves or imprisoned in concentration camps, like some minorities were.

If annoying comments is all we get, then we're lucky.

Anyway, I'd rather be an Aspie than be a stupid, closed-minded idiot any day, no matter how good said idiot was at socializing.

[EDIT]Just now that I think of it, Aspies do get bullied; so I guess we DO get worse than annoying comments... Oh, well, stupid people will be stupid people, and there's no educating them unless they want to learn.