What have you taken literally and it got you into trouble?

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Ha ha ha! "generic Greeting!" That is so great I'm laughing my socks off (not literally!)

Oh yes, and I can now forgive myself so doing so badly on my school tests where there were dumb ass questions (particularly multiple choice, lol!)

The other day a local Police Officer was crossing the road towards me with a colleague and did a massive fake "Hi, How are you?" whilst continuing to walk past. I did a robotic smile and "good thanks" that i've learned to do of course, but whilst all this was happening it occurred to me.. why did a Police Officer ask me so fakely how I was?? Surely it's their job!! What if I wasn't fine? I know the answer really, it's social, they're already on a task, etc, but life still surprises me, over and over!! !

I have known my friend P** for years, we live in the same housing block, and lately we've been having coffees every day together. So. Even though she had said she was busy for the rest of the day she ended with "See you later". Well it is a bit of a phrase in my part of the country that people say it as an expression and don't mean it literally. But I didn't think I was so stupid to then tell her that I was feeling unwell (as she knew) and I probably wouldn't come down. She was like "it's an expression, people say it but they don't mean it". Well I decided to be easy on myself that day and I said "Well, I do take things literally you know!". "we KNOW that, yes" she replied. Well I do. Even with prior information and knowledge to the contrary I still made that mistake with the phrase. That is why I "feel" so dumb sometimes.. just because people can't understand why I you didn't get it. And I curse myself for making the same mistakes again and again. But fortunealtey my friend can laugh at herself too. So I'm not the only one who messes up and that works fine for us!

I help teach a class sometimes, and this weekend the other teacher sent me a text saying

"I'll be there Sunday night, but I have laryngitis. Will you be there?"

I answered "yes, hopefully" not realizing that he was asking if I would teach the class. We got there, and no one had prepared the lesson.

In answer to "how are you?", I say "I'm good...at least I try to be."

When I was in kindergarten, we all went down to art class. The art teacher had the room set up so that there was a table in the middle for her to demonstrate things, and the students desks were arranged in a U shape around it. We had been talkative that day, so the teacher burst out "No more talking! Do your work! If you want to talk, raise your hand!". I wanted to talk to a friend across the room, so I raised my hand, and began talking to him like he was right next to me.

Before I understood what my mom meant by "Do whatever you want! I don't care anymore!" when she was mad, I would always do whatever I wanted and get in more trouble.

Another time in school (about 2nd grade), we all went into the library to watch Arthur as a reward. The teacher said jokingly "If anyone doesn't like Arthur, tell me now. Once we're watching we won't be able to stop!" And I said "Arthur is my least favorite show!" Needless to say, I got sent into the hallway.

Okay I haven't really gotten into trouble for taking things literally but that was maybe because I was in special ed and I had an early diagnoses of autism and I was known to have language problems so that could have been why.

But when I was 11, we were coming home from Montana and I kept teasing my mother. She kept telling me to stop that teasing. So I would stop that tease and do another tease. Turns out she meant "Stop teasing me" and I really did upset her and left her crying in the car and she kicked me out of the car and was going to have me walk home but decided to not do that or else she get in trouble with the law. We were three hours away from home.


When I was 14, I kept doing funny names and I said Harry Balz and the aid from the resource room got upset with me for it and told me no more. So I went to another student and asked her what if her last name was Ball. The teacher started yelling at me and I didn't know why. Turns out she didn't want me talking about funny names to other students, not to her only. Mom had to tell me that is what she meant.


I also remember in 6th grade I was working on something and this girl in my class who didn't like me complimented me on something. I told her "thank you" and she got mad at me saying "geez, I was being sarcastic" and I was so confused. I don't remember what she said to me which is a shame but I will never forget that. I still don't see how it was sarcasm and what she was trying to imply.


I don't know if this counts as me being literal but when I was in 6th grade, these kids would ask me personal questions on the playground and I would answer them and they get mad at me. I didn't know why and just figured maybe they didn't like me being nice. My school counselor told me in my teens it was because they were trying to upset me and they didn't so they got mad. Sometimes I think having Asperger's is a good thing when it comes to this because then we have no clue we are being picked on and it pisses people off and we are hard to mess with.

That happens to me a lot. I'll get a compliment on something and they have to tell me that they were being sarcastic. I don't understand why people feel the need to do this. Wouldn't it be easier to just say "I think that ______ looks ugly"?

Something that didn't really get me in trouble, but made me feel really bad was when I moved to a new school, and this kid "hooked me up" on a date with this other girl. But then they started laughing about it, and anytime I saw them in the hallway they would all laugh and say "Hey when are you gonna go on a date with her?".

Maybe that girl in my class was trying to say whatever I was doing was ugly.

I didn't get your story. So what happened when they hooked you up? Did you go out or something and what were they implying when they asked you when you are going out with her?

I think she was just trying to insult you. If it was a particular item, then she may have meant that the item looked bad. IE, a shoe, article of clothing, etc.

Sorry about the story, I didn't elaborate very well. The kid that attempted to arrange the date, a few of his friends, and the girl were all sitting in around me. They all said that I was going to go on a date with her. At first I thought they were serious and was agreeing to everything, except when they all started laughing. They would yell it after me in the hallway, and then laugh. Another thing that made me think they were being sarcastic/ mean is that they would point out obvious flaws on me and then say "[the girl] thinks that [obvious flaw] is attractive", and then laugh really really loudly.

To be honest, I still don't know what they were implying. I think they were just picking on me. It seemed like they were laughing at me.

One of the earliest times I can remember this situation happening to me was when someone got kicked out of health class because she asked the teacher "do you spit or swallow?" referring to semen. I was so confused.. and after class a friend asked me if i spit or swallow jokingly and i said confidently, "both. sometimes you have to swallow when you're in school!" referring to saliva, obviously. he didn't say anything and walked away, and it bugged me for so long, like "what just happened"?
I didn't realize the mistake I made until a couple years later

I don't believe it has ever happened, actually.

Yeah. That has never happened to me. If it has it was in passing. Like most of you I lack in social skills, yet excel in one or 2 things. I like words, myself. Saying them, writing them, singing them, rhyming them, drawing them, clawing them into my face to scare away the human race from my solitary place.

I'm the Silver Tongue Devil. Sarcasm is my nature. You cannot trick the trickster.

Eh, after reading this I do do a lot of these things. But I have no trouble with intended sarcasm. I just hate the false reactions people give. The "How are you?" dilemma is true. Tell it like it is! What's wrong with that? I don't even greet people anymore. I just get down to business as if I just saw them 10 minutes ago. To hell with pretense!

and

I still think if everyone had this gift of insight the world would be a less confusing, happier, healthier place. Greed runs it!

Geez I woulda slapped the s**t out everyone involved in that situation lole... Girl included! Like for real. No one'd be sarcastic with you just slapped the s**t out of everything!

I dont always get jokes right away,there has been times when someone told a joke and I dint get it then a year later I will be thinking about it and get it,then when I tell them they are like um yea I told you that like a year ago, lol

I was just reading over this thread, and my older daughter was in the next room making French Toast. She's NT. Very NT. I laughed out loud over the "paint the bunny" story, and she asked "What are you in there chuckeling about?" I said "Well, it's on this forum I'm on. This guy was in about second grade and his teacher brought in this stuffed white bunny she had as a child.." and my daughter interrupted me and said "Wait, wait, a real stuffed bunny like from the taxidermist or a toy stuffed bunny?"

I told her "You have no idea how appropriate your question was to that particular thread!"

I posted about a recent taking something literally - my default setting - in General discussion under "Excuse Me" It's pretty funny, and was at the time.

Frances

Growing up around a parent who knew every saying in the book I am not too bad when it comes to taking things literally. After all to follow the conversation I had to make sure I was aware of the alternative meaning otherwise things could get very strange...ie

On telling a friend that she was having trouble making a decision about something because she felt stuck, my mums side of the conversation would go as follows:

Well, it's a difficult situation and I feel like I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and if I take the option that x wants me to take it will be like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!

I was also no stranger to sayings such as:

Can you stop going around the mulberry bush and get to the point please!
The lights are on, but no one is home (I wouldn't always respond when people spoke to me, these days I over compensate and annoy people the other way by always trying to respond in case I was supposed to lol)
She is away with the fairies again
and
She is in a world of her own/you are in a world of your own.

Now whilst I do get the not so literal meaning my brain does like to fire the literal meaning at me in image format at the same time lol. For this reason I really hate sayings like "that is frying my brain" for example. All I see is a brain in a deep fat fryer.

I can however take things literally and get really stressed out on occasion. Usually I am not too bad at getting jokes but there are a few examples where I missed it completely lol.

1 On greeting me, a friend used to say "hi stinky". As my response I would immediately sniff my arm pit and say "no I don't". I actually thought he meant it. Eventually he had to point out he was joking! After which I would respond with "Hey skunk butt" instead, given that he had trouble digesting certain foods!

2 More recently I was a at work related interview and I mentioned that the bus service in my area (as it is out in the countryside miles from anywhere) was really bad and that would need to be taken into consideration when looking for work as I don't drive. To which he cracked a joke about using a bicycle. I got upset over this thinking he was being serious as, as a woman I don't think I could cope with cycling a 28 mile round trip (to the nearest city) through pitch black country lanes on my own. I was then informed (after getting myself wound up into a faff over it) that he was apparently joking. I do hope so!

Sometimes things go over my head lol

All the time in high school. It took me years to recognize the patterns and turn it all around so that these unexpectedly funny comments became something I could control. Learned a deadpan stare, learned how certain people personally react, and how the general public tends to react.
For example: last week I delivered a pizza to a VA hospital. One vet jokingly asks me if I'm bringing free pizza for him. I put on a pretend sad face and shake my head. When he persists, I look thoughtful and suggest he call the (imaginary) 1-800 number for that. His friends all howl in response, saying "Ohhhh, SNAP!! !"
Sometimes I wonder if I'm AS, or just a really late bloomer as far as social skills go. Maybe someday, the same will be able to be said for my executive functioning. >_<