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Relyt
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11 Nov 2005, 12:51 am

how do i prove to someone that Asperger's is not just an excuse for "not fitting in"? that seems to be what people say about it, even after looking at the Wikipedia page for Aspergers (which is pretty damn accurate).

how do i make ignorant people become aware?

Mark
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Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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11 Nov 2005, 2:13 am

Relyt wrote:

Do you need to have an excuse for "not fitting in"?

AS is just a "short-cut" way of describing a set of behaviours which by definition suggest someone might not "fit in". There is much controversy about the underlying causes, controversy about how much someone might be able to "change", and much controversy about whether or not it is right to try to change someone. Because of this, any argument about "excuses" is very difficult -you might as well just say that your excuse for "not fitting in" is because you "don't fit in"!

Relyt wrote:

how do i make ignorant people become aware?

That is a deep philosophical question with no good answer.

666
Deinonychus

Joined: 7 Nov 2005
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11 Nov 2005, 2:16 am

If they read an article about it and didn't learn anything, then they're idiots and to Hell with them.

DrGonzo
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11 Nov 2005, 3:40 am

Some people will always see such things as a "crutch". Their minds will not be changed and its best not to worry about them at all.

eyeenteepee
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11 Nov 2005, 3:56 am

I suppose the non-social aspects of Asperger's demonstrate that it's not just about difficulties "fitting in" with others. The fact that many of the secondary traits are so common as to be near universal speaks volumes too. If we were all just putting it on for the sake of it, then why our are problems and experiences as individuals frequently so similar with such issues as tactile sensitivity, face blindness, etc. Stuff you wouldn't make up just because you don't want to fit in or because you're a little screwed up.

Chances are though, most ignorant people would have lost track of this argument by the time you start using big words like "demonstrate". I'm being sarcastic there BTW...

What can you do? Not a lot. People are slow to change and even slower to understand. Maybe it will come in time. All we can do for now is to try and remain patient with others, in much the same way as we would hope they are patient in dealing with our differences.

Failing that, attaching electrodes to private parts *cough* may help focus the mind for some?
Please don't actually do that to anyone! Unless they really want you to..

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Relyt
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Joined: 4 Nov 2005
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11 Nov 2005, 3:52 pm

i showed the wikipedia page about aspergers to people on another forum and these are some of the responses i got:

Anonymous 1 wrote:

These days we examine and classify everything to death. This "syndrome" just seems to be another way we try to justify ourselves.

Anonymous 1 wrote:

In the last 20 years, social activities have been on a decline in place of video games, television, computers/internet. Add in how social elite-ism has intensified, it's no wonder why a behavioral pattern like this would develope. Syndrome, no.

Anyone with this just needs some confidence and a kick in the pants.

Anonymous 2 wrote:

I still don't get what constitutes this being labelled a syndrome though. There are tons of behavioral patterns out there displayed by millions of people that wouldn't be considered a syndrome. Granted I didn't read the whole article, and there may or may not be something in there that tries to explain why scientists thought it was justified to call it a syndrome, Genetics predisposes us to a lot of particular behavior. Say someone had DNA that made them genetically very social and outgoing and they enjoyed other people's company. Not only that, but they share this characteristic with millions of other people, who also have DNA that makes them act that way. These people don't have a syndrome that makes them that way. They display a behavioral pattern of being extraverted. Where does one draw the line?

And you mention that before 1981, people with Aspergers were considered "ret*d." Not to be impolite, but how is declaring them not ret*d more than just a politically correct facade? ret*d literally means slowed down. That article says that people with Aspergers have late social/emotional development. That would mean they are literally socially ret*d. Sure we don't go around saying that now because it's not PC, but if this is actually a syndrome, it seems to me that would make peopl e with Aspergers ret*d. And I'm not trying to say this in a mean way, nor am I trying to degrade people with Aspergers or say that there's something wrong with having it...it just seems like people want to be able to say they have a syndrome, but don't want the negative stigma that might go along with it.

Additionally, what constitutes having Aspergers? Is it a mutated strand of DNA or missing/additional chromosome like some of the other symptoms out there? Or can anyone who has the old nerd qualities qualify and they just need some doctor to nod and say, "Sure, you have Aspergers" after interpretting what they said about an ink blot or two?

Anonymous 3 wrote:

Im going to have to agree with *Anonymous 1* here. Eventually we're going to have a "syndrome" to classify every persons specific personally type. It's just your experiences and attitude that make your personality, not a syndrome. But, like he said, in very little cases its probably a syndrome.

they seem to make some good points, but at the same time still seem ignorant about the whole idea of things.

ascan
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11 Nov 2005, 4:49 pm

Relyt wrote:

how do i prove to someone that Asperger's is not just an excuse for "not fitting in"? that seems to be what people say about it, even after looking at the Wikipedia page for Aspergers (which is pretty dam* accurate).

how do i make ignorant people become aware?

You can't prove it to them, and you're unlikely to make them aware. That's just how people are. Even if they're polite and seem to be trying to get to grips with the idea, secretly they're probably thinking it's just being used as an excuse.

You've just got to keep your mouth shut and let everybody think you're an asocial a**hole; coz that's preferable to them thinking you're an excuse-making whinger.

That sounds tough, I wish it wasn't like that, but that's how it is.

Sophist
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12 Nov 2005, 5:21 am

Yes, since you're likely to never convince them, it's probably far easier to train yourself to not care what they think.

Though easier said than done I'm sure.

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Nomaken
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12 Nov 2005, 5:50 am

Okay, if you really want to "prove" to someone something, AS in this case, all you have to do is set them up in a situation where they will question their own wisdom. Like get 4 or 5 people to "coincidentally" say things like, "Oh yeah, My so and so has AS" and "My such and such teacher talked about the revitalization of the DSM and how AS is getting better diagnosis" and crap like that. If you get a small group of people to simultaneously act like something is common sense knowledge the person will likely back off and defer to your view.

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ajs_line_of_silver
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12 Nov 2005, 8:50 am

Nomaken wrote:

Quote:

If you get a small group of people to simultaneously act like something is common sense knowledge the person will likely back off and defer to your view.

To right f*&% sheep the lot of them

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Elk
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12 Nov 2005, 3:18 pm

Relyt wrote:

how do i prove to someone that Asperger's is not just an excuse for "not fitting in"? that seems to be what people say about it

i dont know. thats been my experiance as well with other people.

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