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BirdInFlight
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01 Dec 2015, 12:05 pm

WelcomeToHolland -- I don't think it's a myth, partly because someone did, in fact, actually say these very words to me. I am one of the people to whom someone said, and I quote as precisely as memory can serve:

"I don't think you can possibly be autistic, you don't seem to be like Rainman. You know Rainman, did you see that film?"

I have posted that here on WP in other threads, at one time or another when things like this have been discussed, and other WP members actually said they too have been told the Rainman thing.

If one is take that on trust -- and I know I'M telling the truth, for one -- then it's not a myth "where everyone claims it's constantly said but it actually never is."

Someone actually said it to me, others here have said someone said it to them. It's said, no myth.

WelcomeToHolland wrote:
Funny thing is, I've never heard anyone actually say every autistic person is like Rainman... but I've heard that Rainman isn't representative of autism a gazillion times. I almost think it's one of those myths where everyone claims this is constantly said but it actually never is. Bizarre.



Edenthiel
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04 Dec 2015, 6:02 pm

Hyperborean wrote:
It's a very moving and clever film - perhaps too clever. Dustin Hoffman gave an outstanding performance in an extremely difficult role. Tom Cruise was mediocre, as always.


Tom Cruise is NOT always mediocre! Sometimes, he can be downright abysmal. :lol:


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piiigs
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06 Dec 2015, 5:18 am

I just watched this film last week. I don't know why, but I somehow thought that this film was about an autistic assassin with savant skills played by Hoffmann. I liked the film. When I told my wife about my initial expectation on the film after watching, she was almost crying from laughing so hard.



JurgenW
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06 Dec 2015, 6:43 am

ASPartOfMe wrote:
You have to understand that before Rainman that Autism in the general public if it was known at all was known as a rare childhood disease that robbed the person of all humanity, and for which lifetime institutionalization or inversive ABA therapy such as shock treatments were the treatments. Rainman was extreamly high functioning for what was known in that era. Rainman was not the the only thing moving understanding, prior to Rainman there was Lorna Wings work and odd/off new wave/alternative pop groups such as The Talking Heads, Devo, B-52's but Rainman had the most impact.

What is the connection between these pop groups and autism? :?:



skibum
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06 Dec 2015, 8:08 am

piiigs wrote:
I just watched this film last week. I don't know why, but I somehow thought that this film was about an autistic assassin with savant skills played by Hoffmann. I liked the film. When I told my wife about my initial expectation on the film after watching, she was almost crying from laughing so hard.
That is very funny. :lol:


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skibum
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06 Dec 2015, 8:10 am

JurgenW wrote:
ASPartOfMe wrote:
You have to understand that before Rainman that Autism in the general public if it was known at all was known as a rare childhood disease that robbed the person of all humanity, and for which lifetime institutionalization or inversive ABA therapy such as shock treatments were the treatments. Rainman was extreamly high functioning for what was known in that era. Rainman was not the the only thing moving understanding, prior to Rainman there was Lorna Wings work and odd/off new wave/alternative pop groups such as The Talking Heads, Devo, B-52's but Rainman had the most impact.

What is the connection between these pop groups and autism? :?:
I am wondering that as well.


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kraftiekortie
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06 Dec 2015, 8:12 am

I sense that at least some of the connection between autism and those pop groups might be related to the evident "eccentricity" of the pop groups.



Hyperborean
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06 Dec 2015, 8:13 am

Edenthiel wrote:
Hyperborean wrote:
It's a very moving and clever film - perhaps too clever. Dustin Hoffman gave an outstanding performance in an extremely difficult role. Tom Cruise was mediocre, as always.


Tom Cruise is NOT always mediocre! Sometimes, he can be downright abysmal. :lol:


:lol:



ASPartOfMe
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06 Dec 2015, 10:21 am

JurgenW wrote:
ASPartOfMe wrote:
You have to understand that before Rainman that Autism in the general public if it was known at all was known as a rare childhood disease that robbed the person of all humanity, and for which lifetime institutionalization or inversive ABA therapy such as shock treatments were the treatments. Rainman was extreamly high functioning for what was known in that era. Rainman was not the the only thing moving understanding, prior to Rainman there was Lorna Wings work and odd/off new wave/alternative pop groups such as The Talking Heads, Devo, B-52's but Rainman had the most impact.

What is the connection between these pop groups and autism? :?:


Not autism per say but it was the first time people who were odd different, quirky were successfull enough to be able to see and hear them. Before that Rock and pop music was really group oriented, think Woodstock, it was groups going from city to city playing Arenas and stadiums in each city they played having girlfriends and groupies they visited, or disco hedonism.

Now nerd etc has been trendy long enough it is a bunch of stereotypes. When David Byrne sang he looked and sounded like a guy surrounded and about to be beaten up. Devo was quirky and smart, B-52's quirky and fun. A lot these groups invented Synthpop. I am not saying these people were or were not autistic (Gary Numan disgnosed by his clinicion wife) just that for me and I assume other autistics, most of us who were undiagnosed at the time, for the first time there was music we could relate to and for them first time I understood that there were others out there similar to me. The local New Wave station I listened to had as thier slogan "Dare to Be Different". After years of isolation and bullying what could be more empowering?


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