Maybe we're NOT on the wrong planet...please read

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Now don't get me wrong, i love this website and all the good it does for me as an aspie and other aspies. Also, the theory i'm about to suggest has really nothing to do with this website's workings, but more so with then name given to the website, and the phrase often said to aspies claiming that they are on the "wrong planet". Here's my theory, and this is a theory that keeps my happy 24/7 and keeps my confidence in myself as an aspie high: *What if*, aspies are not these "freaks" that society keeps pinning us as? *What if* Society pins people that have Aspergers as "different" and "not normal", because they are afraid of the great unknown potential we possess? Consider this phrase: "Humanity fears many things, but one fear that is most moronic; one fear that is driven by greed and the dull mindset of modern humanity, is in fact the fear of the UNKNOWN". Basically what i'm getting at is a FACT that is quite simple to grasp for us aspies, BUT infinitely tedious for regular "normal humans"; the fact that ASPIES are the NEXT GENERATION/LEVEL of HUMAN EVOLUTION. Aspies, in my opinion, are in fact a higher level of humanity that modern humanity is afraid and JEALOUS of.

In conclusion, i'll just speak to ALL aspies right now by telling you that if a "normal" person says you "don't belong", the ironic thing is, you DO BELONG 1000x more so than they EVER will.

Let me know your thoughts, critiques, and concerns in the reply section below

Your evolutionary premise has been argued ad infinitum on Wrong Planet. To wit:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt224412.html

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt187300.html

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt188379.html

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt222251.html

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt185921.html

oh well...so much for originality, BUT at least i know i'm not alone in my theory

As a very high functioning aspie myself, I think the idea that aspies--much less the autistic--are evolutionarily superior to NT's is ridiculous. Just going from my experience on this website, most aspies I've run across are comparable in intelligence to the general population. What's more, many, if not most, aspies aren't even able to support themselves fully, but instead rely on all manner of government handouts, charity, and family to survive.

Even more critical is our social deficits. Being social is more than a pleasant way to pass the time for NT's; it, along with superior intelligence, is what separates homo sapiens from other animals. Being social is part of cooperation, which is necessary for all human endeavors, and is something we are lacking in. If we think we can exist, much less flourish, in isolation from one another, we are mistaken.

Rather than spending our time thinking we are superior, we should put those efforts into being as functional as possible. And that means being the very best people we can possibly be.

I see what you're getting at, but i guess the main reason why i think aspies are superior is because of the dull, monontous minds of people that aren't aspies that i deal with on a regular basis where i live....The "smart" normal people here are few and fare between, and from what i've experienced, they're 100% focused on corporate matters or real estate; two trades i find to be full of greedy, snobby biggots who act smart in their job, but when off duty, they drink, party, and in general they flaunt their wealth ignorantly in front of others. Then you've got the stoners and drunks...oh good god, the frequent amount of those fools in my area are the PRIMARY reason why i feel that aspies are superior to normal humans. But...i might have a distorted view of humanity, due to the snobby seispool of a town i live in. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, thus i certaintly feel that the debate of aspies being better than "normals" is one that will NEVER cease. For we DO live in a world with as much EVIL as there is GOOD.

On a sidenote, on a functional basis for myself, i'd like to say that i'm very able to go to job interviews and such, and i perform quite well presenting myself to employers. So providing for myself/routines come very easy to me. In fact, Asperger's syndrome for as long as i remember is what enabled me to perform 100X BETTER than others.

I hope you are aware that what you describe of all NT's isn't any more typical than Adam Lanza was of all aspies. But if it makes you feel better to believe you are superior to others, go for it.

I hope you are aware that what you describe of all NT's isn't any more typical than Adam Lanza was of all aspies. But if it makes you feel better to believe you are superior to others, go for it.

Adam Lanza was a PSYCHOPATH, something i am NOT, so i would very much appreciate if you don't compare me to that lunatic ever again. Also, if you read through my post, i DO SAY that i don't believe that my theory isn't not debate-able, but i do believe it IS a topic that can/and will be debated, and not something people should just look over, because it's easier for them point out people like me as "freaks" rather than to grasp a new form of thinking.

Again, that statement you made about my beliefs about society being "no more different than what Adam Lanza believed of all Aspies", was totally uncalled for, and was quite infantile at it's best.

I've said my peace, but you lost your stance in this debate by your subliminal childish insult.

Otherwise, i'd like to hear what others think about my theory, as i mentioned before, i like reading other takes on it

To me, terms such as "superior" are not the best ones to use, because they are vague on their own. "Superior" to what, exactly?

However, here's a thought: perhaps Aspies are better adapted to the world's ever-growing technology (many are even responsible for its invention), so, in that sense, Aspies may be taking a larger role in that area of society. I suppose stating that some are "superior" in THAT arena may be an accurate assessment, at least in some cases.

So, as technology continues to play a greater role in daily life, those with more Aspie-like traits may have some advantages, but this is still speculation.

If you think that autistic people are better because they aren't drunks, snobs, bigots, uninterested in intellectual things, etc., I think you need to meet more Aspies. There are autistic people out there who are just as dull and big as jerks as the NT people you are describing, and kind, intelligent NTs out there who are much better people than the people in your town. Really, there is a great variety of presentations, personalities, and interests among both autistic people and NTs.

Also there's no evidence that autistic people represent a new population of humans in the evolutionary sense (i.e. a population selected for because of an adaptive mutation), especially one that is "better" than NT people. Evolution doesn't work that way anyway-- new mutations in the population are simply more or less adapted to the environment. There is no purpose to evolution and new species/populations are not "better" or "more evolved" than before.

with respect, i suggest that no such comparison was made by the other poster, beyond the isolated consideration of a diagnosis of Asperger's, and that in fact what they meant was that Adam Lanza is not representative of Aspies, including you, to the same extent that your characterization of non-autistic folks is not generally valid. i do not think any insult was inferred, though i don't presume to know with certainty.

When i was 13 years old back in 93' my wacky new age Aunt Janet said i was an Indigo child...

If this is the best argument you can advance, I rest my case.

Whatever is wrong with my head frustrates the living hell out of me. If this is the next stage of evolution then we are seriously screwed as a species.

This is definitely NOT original and I DON'T agree either.

That's bunk. Evolutionary 'levels' do not exist. Evolution is a series of gradual changes, not a stepwise phenomenon.

When TV shows or whatever try to portray a group undergoing evolutionary change, they portray a certain previously-unknown genetic trait popping up as a new mutation all at the same time. In reality, this never occurs - mutations in general can increase due to mutagens such as radioactivity, but the relative probability of each particular mutation stays the same. An increase in a trait occurs instead because people with that trait (who have always been present in low proportions) start to experience an advantage in reproduction.

Evolution is usually very a slow process. Only time you see rapid evolution is when a large proportion of the population is failing to reproduce (either dying young or just not having kids). Most often you see this in relation to disease immunity - for example in Africa right now there's been a dramatic increase in the proportion of the population carrying the genes causing immunity to HIV. (Note - evolution depends on how long it takes for a generation to pass, so longer-lived creatures evolve more slowly.)

When they portray evolution by showing versions of the same species at different time points, what you don't see is that in between those different versions is a smooth progression from one kind to another. For example, when humans got bigger brains, it wasn't a bunch of big-brained kids popping up to smaller-brained adults. It was that in each generation, the bigger-brained adults had more kids, and gradually the average brain size increased. Most of the kids would have brain that were similar in size or only slightly larger than their parents, but since their parents were the bigger-brained members of the population, this resulted in an average increase. (By the way, researchers suggest the selection force for human intelligence was primarily competition between individual humans, which would tend to select especially for social cognition. If autism is now being selected for, this represents a change in the direction of selection.)

I agree that we're not broken freaks, we are worthwhile, and we do belong here, but I don't think it's related to evolution at all. We are worthwhile simply because we are, not because we're superior in some way. I would apply the same argument to a child with a severe mental disability who will never learn to walk or talk. I believe all human beings have the same intrinsic worth, regardless of our abilities or disabilities.