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Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 4:58 pm

I go to a very small church. I told a few who were friendly that I have "aspie traits". Now I get the feeling that they see me as a 2nd class person, not that they are mean in any way, just that they are more easily distracted if we are talking. I am probably going to have to
relocate soon and I am wondering about next time. I feel I have a choice between being discounted or being thought "bad" because
of my half-second-too-slow timing with things like helping, apologising, explaining, noticing, and so on. Half a second is
huge in a world where people are looking for clues as to who doesn't like them and where they feel entitled to an instant response.

Just at the moment, I think being discounted may actually be worse than being vilified. If you are a pariah, someone will sometimes
break rank and associate with you, but if you are discounted, the only people you attract seem to be destructive do-gooder types.

What is your experience of this?


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You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.


The_Walrus
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07 Nov 2013, 6:00 pm

Why tell people you have "traits"? They can see that for themselves. If you're going to tell people, tell them you ARE autistic.

Just from your post, I think you are looking into things too much. It may well be that is not the case, but that is the impression your post gives. Half a second really isn't huge. Don't be overly critical of yourself.



Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 6:04 pm

I don't feel critical of myself. I am fully persuaded that I cannot help this, and I have many fine qualities even if I am
the only one who can see.
I do feel critical of their intolerance and entitlement, and I am working on that.
Just so fed up at the moment.


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"Aspie: 65/200
NT: 155/200
You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.


1401b
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07 Nov 2013, 6:49 pm

Go Blonde.

Whenever my social BS starts to fall to crap, if I remember to pretend to act like I'm "Blonde" (stereotypical airhead) Everything gets a lot more fun and people seem to laugh with me a lot more, and everything just kinda chills out.
Of course Being Blonde also entails being too stoopid to notice slights or insults, and kinda pretending to get it wrong (obviously -to everyone- not seeing what was said as an insult) drives the subtle shooters mad with frustration, though some of them use it as a way to backout of the insult and feel better about not insulting you in the future.

Did that make any sense?
Anyway, go Blonde and just kinda "get it wrong" with everything said, especially if you can turn it into humor.


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Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 7:00 pm

That is excellent advice. I would love to do that, it makes perfect
sense. My husband has great success with that approach.
But I just can't do it.
I get overwhelmed with pain/distress when something goes
wrong and I can't function anymore.

Maybe I need to learn to lash out......


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"Aspie: 65/200
NT: 155/200
You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.


tall-p
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07 Nov 2013, 7:36 pm

Chickenbird wrote:
What is your experience of this?


I call this, "Spilling your guts." Nowadays it's like tmi. My advice is to never tell people that you have any kind of traits. They don't know what that means. Nts aren't going to say to themselves... "Aw... Im going to cut him/her some slack because she has 'Aspie traits.'"

It's pretty much the same thing as ranting about our special interests... and Im the worst at this, but we, or I should say I, think that other people are actually interested... but they aren't.


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07 Nov 2013, 7:55 pm

My advice: Ditch the God-botherers and don't look back. They can't help you and they aren't interested and to cap it all they haven't even offered to pray for you, or attempt to heal you!

Find a community or group that suits your personality better.

If your belief in God is unassailable then perhaps try to establish a more personal and private relationship with Him/Her/It -- you don't have to go to church, after all.

But to be honest, it sounds like the church experience is affecting your self-perception in negative ways, for example, just from the way you post about having slightly slower reactions and wishing that you could react more promptly and thereby meet the apparent standards of your fellow churchgoers. If they were as thoughtful as you, and given that you've "come out" to them, they would be trying to meet you halfway by trying to adopt personal styles of interaction that didn't leave you feeling inadequate.

I've a lot of time for God, but my experience of Christians tends toward the negative. I feel duty-bound to state explicitly that some Christians are great people to know -- kind as a point of principle, generous both materially and emotionally, dependable and trustworthy friends and acquaintances, always trying to be honest in the most constructive possible light where necessary, firm of character, principled in behaviour -- it's just a shame that I suspect most of them would tell me I was going to Hell if I came out to them as bisexual.

But that doesn't sound like your current situation. They sound like a social clique who aren't particularly interested in you or your condition. Get rid.



Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 8:14 pm

tall-p wrote:
Chickenbird wrote:
What is your experience of this?


I call this, "Spilling your guts." Nowadays it's like tmi. My advice is to never tell people that you have any kind of traits. They don't know what that means. Nts aren't going to say to themselves... "Aw... Im going to cut him/her some slack because she has 'Aspie traits.'"

It's pretty much the same thing as ranting about our special interests... and Im the worst at this, but we, or I should say I, think that other people are actually interested... but they aren't.


It was experimental, with a tiny group, and it's over now. Thank you for this.


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"Aspie: 65/200
NT: 155/200
You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.


Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 8:29 pm

CharityFunDay wrote:
My advice: Ditch the God-botherers and don't look back. They can't help you and they aren't interested and to cap it all they haven't even offered to pray for you, or attempt to heal you!

Find a community or group that suits your personality better.

If your belief in God is unassailable then perhaps try to establish a more personal and private relationship with Him/Her/It -- you don't have to go to church, after all.

But to be honest, it sounds like the church experience is affecting your self-perception in negative ways, for example, just from the way you post about having slightly slower reactions and wishing that you could react more promptly and thereby meet the apparent standards of your fellow churchgoers. If they were as thoughtful as you, and given that you've "come out" to them, they would be trying to meet you halfway by trying to adopt personal styles of interaction that didn't leave you feeling inadequate.

I've a lot of time for God, but my experience of Christians tends toward the negative. I feel duty-bound to state explicitly that some Christians are great people to know -- kind as a point of principle, generous both materially and emotionally, dependable and trustworthy friends and acquaintances, always trying to be honest in the most constructive possible light where necessary, firm of character, principled in behaviour -- it's just a shame that I suspect most of them would tell me I was going to Hell if I came out to them as bisexual.

But that doesn't sound like your current situation. They sound like a social clique who aren't particularly interested in you or your condition. Get rid.


Now hold on. Where in my post did I wish I could react more promptly and meet their standards?
However I have to agree with you fully about most of the inhabitants of church buildings. Yuck, yuck, and yuck.
I am unmoved by your being bisexual but guess you probably mean doing bisexual; I can't offer you much comfort there.


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"Aspie: 65/200
NT: 155/200
You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.


tall-p
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07 Nov 2013, 8:48 pm

Chickenbird wrote:
It was experimental, with a tiny group, and it's over now. Thank you for this.


Thanks for replying so warmly.


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CharityFunDay
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07 Nov 2013, 8:56 pm

You didn't explicitly state those words, but they were directly implicit in the following

Chickenbird wrote:
I go to a very small church. I told a few who were friendly that I have "aspie traits". Now I get the feeling that they see me as a 2nd class person, not that they are mean in any way, just that they are more easily distracted if we are talking. I am probably going to have to relocate soon and I am wondering about next time. I feel I have a choice between being discounted or being thought "bad" because of my half-second-too-slow timing with things like helping, apologising, explaining, noticing, and so on. Half a second is huge in a world where people are looking for clues as to who doesn't like them and where they feel entitled to an instant response.


In other words, you have negative perceptions of some manifestations of your disability(specifically, your self-perception of social 'slowness' in interactions,, and the context within which you perceive them to be negative or undesirable is your relationship with members of your church, by whose (perceived) standards, your measure your own preconceptions of what is 'normal', 'expected' or 'required' by the (again supposed or inferred (with unknown certainty values attached)) majority.

I really don't mean to bang on about this, but it's pretty obvious from even the most superficial reading of your original post that you are somewhat socially-isolated within the church 'clique' and that you (either as an ongoing personal tendency, or (which is my suspicion) as a specific although unconscious reaction to find evidence explaining your perceived negative relationship to the other churchgoers) measure your own personal performance (in some quite trivial areas that are possibly only of perceptible interest to you)

I hope this is of use to you.

I have no interest in your opinion of my sexuality or how I choose to express it, but thanks for offering all the same.



Chickenbird
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07 Nov 2013, 9:22 pm

CharityFunDay wrote:
You didn't explicitly state those words, but they were directly implicit in the following

Chickenbird wrote:
I go to a very small church. I told a few who were friendly that I have "aspie traits". Now I get the feeling that they see me as a 2nd class person, not that they are mean in any way, just that they are more easily distracted if we are talking. I am probably going to have to relocate soon and I am wondering about next time. I feel I have a choice between being discounted or being thought "bad" because of my half-second-too-slow timing with things like helping, apologising, explaining, noticing, and so on. Half a second is huge in a world where people are looking for clues as to who doesn't like them and where they feel entitled to an instant response.


In other words, you have negative perceptions of some manifestations of your disability(specifically, your self-perception of social 'slowness' in interactions,, and the context within which you perceive them to be negative or undesirable is your relationship with members of your church, by whose (perceived) standards, your measure your own preconceptions of what is 'normal', 'expected' or 'required' by the (again supposed or inferred (with unknown certainty values attached)) majority.

I really don't mean to bang on about this, but it's pretty obvious from even the most superficial reading of your original post that you are somewhat socially-isolated within the church 'clique' and that you (either as an ongoing personal tendency, or (which is my suspicion) as a specific although unconscious reaction to find evidence explaining your perceived negative relationship to the other churchgoers) measure your own personal performance (in some quite trivial areas that are possibly only of perceptible interest to you)

I hope this is of use to you.

I have no interest in your opinion of my sexuality or how I choose to express it, but thanks for offering all the same.


Can you say the same thing again, but in different words? If you are saying I have picked up an external locus of evaluation
then I have to agree with you.


_________________
"Aspie: 65/200
NT: 155/200
You are very likely neurotypical"
Changed score with attention to health. Still have AS traits and also some difficulties.