Embarrassing moment I'd like to discuss.

Post Reply New Topic

Several months ago, I was at a concert to see the band Avatar. When I was walking around in the audience, I saw a man in a costume with a beard. That slightly resembled someone from the band. I asked the man if he was someone from avatar and he said "no, I'm only a dude! I'm serious! The band members are over there! Then many people started to tease me when I walked past them. Can someone help me figure out why I did this? Has anyone ever had something ismilae to this happen to them? I can't believe I thought someone in a pirate costume was in Avatar. It was very embarrassing.

I don't think you did anything wrong. Sorry you felt embarrassment. One thing I'm quite proud of is my thick skin. You gotta just shrug things off and be proud of who you are.

Yes, I've done this. I did it a lot when I was younger, and now that I'm getting old, I find that I do it when I'm stressed or very excited.

Google "face-blindness" - you'll see that this is an actual thing, and that folks on the spectrum can have it to different degrees. It shows up in at least two ways: you might not recognize someone you have met before, or you think a stranger is someone you know, because of slight resemblances.

And don't feel too bad. You've heard of Richard Feynman, physics genius? He had it so bad, all his life, that there were times when he could only recognize people by their voices! People learned to announce themselves to him. So if you have it, even slightly, you're in pretty good company.

People on the spectrum tend to make small errors of recognition like this. My father who is also on the spectrum does it all the time, in fact one time stands out because it was so funny at the time. He and my mother bumped into some neighbors of ours, an elderly couple, whilst out at a garden centre and they started talking to them, only after they'd parted ways and my father decided to say something about the neighbors to my mother, it occurred to her that my father thought they were a completely different couple of people, she had to tell him:
"No, that's *name* and *name* from across the street, not *other name* and *other name* from work"

It happens, just try not to dwell on it.

I get people mixed up all the time. It's always embarrassing. It's okay though. You probably won't see those people again, plus, it's not your fault you mixed it up. It happens to everyone, I think.

Don't know what you're upset about. The pics online all show the Avatar band members done up in flamboyant costumes and face paint. So why wouldn't you think that a dude dressed like a storybook pirate might be a bandmember? Maybe you were being a little less than streetwise to think that a bandmember would be mixing with the audience, and not be backstage. But still if you haven't been to many concerts you might not haven't gotten the feel for that.

The opposite happened to the Ramones in College Park Maryland in 1979. Before their gig in college park they stopped to get a bite at a local restaurant, but the restaurant manager hassled them because of their "improper dress" (their signature ripped jeans, leather jackets). The bandmembers were flabbergasted and asked him " do you know who we ARE??? Were a world famous band, and are about to give a concert up the street!" Or that was the rumor that I heard at the time.

I relate! I have had quite a few embarrassments due to non-recognition or false positive recognition of people. Greeting a stranger warmly as I have mistaken them for someone I know only to be met with a blank cold stare - check. Having someone I know greeting me warmly and me not know who the heck they are but playing along until hopefully I get a clue - check. I once saw someone I knew well in the street and gave them an excited greeting, only to realise, to my embarrassment, that they were the newsreader on TV every night!

As someone else has mentioned, I am more likely to recognise someone by their voice than by their face.

As another aside I had a fear as a child if my mother had been away for while that I would not be able to recognise her when she came back. (One of many many odd fears of mine).

Yeah, I have had a few embarrassing moments with face blindness.

I used to drive my ex mad with constantly asking him who was who in films. They just all looked the same.

One of the ways I can tell a person from a bit of distance is by their walk.

Also, similar situations to all of the above.

Fans often dress up and wear the same hair styles as their favorite band. Maybe the OP did not realize this.

Naturalplastic, I've seen band members walk around in the back of the building before a couple times.

I don't know if I have actual face blindness or am just afraid I'll call somebody the wrong name. I have been confused on occasion when I saw two people who looked similar.