Aspie Pride?

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Yep, I know. ^_^

But more likely than not, we're misunderstanding each other with our real intention with what we've said. You know I think it's normal for the minority to feel that way too - especially if you've lived your life knowing "you're different" but you didn't get support - like I did, I only found out about it this month, so some times I feel "superior", something in the lines of "we're the next evolution of human beings".

Though, for me at least, I don't really mean that. It's more of self-satisfaction, of expression of my emotions of finally knowing what's with me, and for the fact that we get categorized and treated as "sick", "disease", or "disorder". Thank God no one has told me face-to-face yet that I'm a "freak", I'd probably lose myself then. I'm used to "weird", "odd", "eccentric", and the way I handled it when I was a kid was "thank you" then smile. Which of course earns me more "you're ()%*@%(@*I weird dude!" lolz.

Now as for the others… I don't know, I hope they don't mean to Viva la Revolution ^_^

You like 'Scatman' John, eh? One of my first CDs.

He's actually not dead. He's in Scatland now.

^

But what is the point of arguing that it's not a disorder on the basis of neurological relativism? The fact is we don't live in a world where autistic neurology is dominant, and I am uncertain that this would even be remotely possible, The world we do live in is one that presents numerous challenges.

I concur.

You grow up in a world where people teach you that somebody always has to win, somebody always has to be on top, and somebody else always has to lose and get stepped on... Sometimes it can be a difficult mental leap to make to understand that you can actually be equals.

But it's a leap worth making. Nobody has to be on top and nobody has to get stepped on. We can all look at each other face-to-face, on the same level. And, anyway, NTs are important. The world needs them--they're the social savants, the glue that holds society together. They're fascinating in their own right.

There is some kind of assumption that "autistic supremacists" seem to have, which is that Aspies only have difficulty because the world is built by and for Enties.

If you really think that this is true, you have to be able to imagine a world built by and for Aspies, in which Enties would struggle. I don't think there can be such a world.

Aspies are simply not good at doing certain things, such as running societies. Aspies can only exist in the context of an Entie society that supports us. I'm not saying that Aspies are parasites! Rather, I'm saying that Aspies are luxuries. We can be very useful in the right places, but we could not be useful at all without an Entie society already built for us.

Well for some having a form of autism causes difficulties...for instance it causes me to have slower processing speed of information so as a kid I got to get called 'ret*d' all the time by other kids. I have sensory issues so sometimes an amount of light or noise that is tolerable for a typical person is painful for me and should I express that unless someone understands they are just going to say 'oh quit whining, not understanding its actually painful for me and if anything I would prefer to scream about it than simply complain.

If you have no impairments whatsoever I'm curious why you consider yourself autistic? because it is actually a disorder that causes impairment in functioning...this is not to say anyone with autism is defective, inferior ect. but you can't very well claim autism causes no impairment because that is kind of insulting to people who are impaired by it.

Agreed, except I'd stop at the NT's are important and the world needs them.

Calling them 'NT' doesn't reduce them to a single-entity in the manner I was intending to suggest. It's only combining 'NT' with some personality trait or behaviour that I have a problem with. So for example, I've frequently seen AS individuals described as logical in contrast to supposedly illogical NTs, however I would class the majority of mathematicians or scientists as NT, thus I wouldn't feel this is a valid (or fair) distinction.

You suggest certain thoughts and behaviours can be attributed to the 'NT mind' yet for any NT exhibiting these traits there will be many who don't, or even show opposite traits. As we expect NTs to show respect for the diversity and differences within autism, I feel we should express the same respect towards them, and not reduce them to stereotypes.

The term "luxuries" indicates "despensible indulgence", or so my legal dictionary so indicates. I hope that none of us are dispensible. I would prefer the term "specialists" in that we are very useful in the right places - like locomotives, for example. Electromotive Corporation produces two kinds of locomotive: General Purpose or GP locomotives are used for exactly that: switching and propulsion for trains of mixed payloads. GP locomotives are distinctive by their two axle trucks. Special Duty or SD locomotives are used for the trains with heavy payloads (i.e. coal trains) where extra traction is necessary or on railroads going through mountainous terrain. They are distinguised by three axle trucks. I like to think of us as being the SD-90's that can harness our gifts for the ultimate betterment of society.

Longshanks

Tend to agree here. Aspies need NTs. The autistic genetics are good for NT society too though because they're involved with things like invention, which are useful for NT society. But they are useful in the context of NT society.

It's not a matter of anybody being superior; it's a matter of having diversity in a population, and that diversity making everybody stronger. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: NTs and autistics can do more together in the same society than they could if they were separate.

Working toward greater acceptance will benefit everyone, because it will allow better cooperation and interlinking of skills between the two groups--thus, more benefit from the diversity in our world.

I don't know why some Aspies would be prideful when it comes to having AS. Maybe because it's better than feeling like crud. Maybe it's because they identify with a larger group and feel a part of something bigger than themselves. It's kind of like some black people who are part of the NAACP, or blind people who are part of the NFB (to name a couple examples). The feeling of wanting to be part of something bigger than yourself isn't related to being autistic.

I would forfeit being part of any group if I could get rid of it. What benefit is there anyway to belonging to this group?

I don't see it as pride becauseof being an aspie so much as it is pride in being able to function despite what we have. It is inherent in human nature to have pride in overcomming obstacles. We are a minority, and minorities in society do have a tendancy to flock together as there is strength in numbers. Lastly, while I agree with you entirely about wanting to be in something bigger than one's self not being related to being autistic, it can still be argued orthodoxly that many people in general, AS or NT, have a natural desire, no matter what the motivation, to be involved in something bigger than one's self.

Longshanks