Would a society of aspies be more successful?

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Whether successful or not, a society of all aspies would definitely be a very kind, gentle society.

Going back to a point raised on the first page (sorry, just call me Captain Yesterday)

Do you reckon the tendency to be concerned with fairness and justice, and to look out for the underdog, is actually an Aspie trait? OR, is it very common in Aspies because so many of us have experienced bullying of various degrees, and have more pity for people on the recieving end of such behaviour, than the general population?

It would be interesting to see if other communities which attract bullying/harrassment have a similar mindset. I wouldn't know how to even begin researching that, though!

Yes, Aspies are smarter than NTs and we also are smarter on average than Austistic folk. But, we are lousy at leading other people, and working in groups, and organizing people and organizing ourselves and in complex long term tasks that require planning and good executive function. We will need to keep some NT slaves around to do Project Management for us based upon functional specs we write.

Neurotypical and neurodiverse brains are in my opinion both valid and natural versions of brain development. Given that only 1% of the world population have ASD, we do have a disadvantage (and even disabilities) because we live in an NT world. We can’t help but have our parameters set against NT perspectives.

With that said, I must point out that it takes all kinds of brain types to move a society forward. Aspie/ASD minds will push for scientific and artistic breakthroughs, generate advancements in ways that typical people would not necessarily be able to come up with. Neurotypical people are good at keeping things going. I believe we need each other in order to continue as a viable society.

Now, that doesn’t mean things couldn’t be better, because they could totally be better. We could benefit from more understanding and respect. I do like the idea of a school system and work environment that would be more ASD friendly. NTs are not good with dealing with people who differ from their norm. So in order to have a better society we would need to have more education about neurodiversity, and “loving thy neighbor as yourself”.

Bigotry can happen on both sides. We are not better than they are as they are not better than we are. We are all just different. The flaw right now is that society does not accommodate for differences well. And that’s why minorities have so many issues.

A better society will happen when we learn to accept each other’s differences and provide opportunities for different learning methods, and take into account sensory sensitivities, etc. I’m not sure if a school just for ASD folks would be the answer for the education issues, or if adapting current schools would be better. Remember, our society has a lot more types of people too who have different needs, such as people with Down syndrome, blind people, people with muscular dystrophy... I mean, you know, the list goes on. Everybody’s needs vary a bit.

The deaf community seems to do well by having their own schools. But there, they learn ways to interact with people who can hear. Perhaps this is a good model to follow?

In any case, diversity is key to keep a society moving forward. How we deal with our differences is what’s going to determine how better off a society will be - not how similar we all should be.