Are Aspies Superior?: A multi-faceted discussion

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No stake to break them, huh?

Or was the stake offered to you but you turned it down?

Coach McGuirk, I'm a huge fan of your coaching techniques.

Yeah, I win all my games as a result of them.

The prevalent opinion out there seems to be that people on the autism spectrum at the high functioning end, are neither superior nor inferior to NTs. But maybe the question is too broad. Isn't it obvious from all the discussion that NTs excell at certain things and autistics excell at other things? We need to look at specific skills....[and we need to be asking another very important question].

Let's look at social skills. We can make some conclusions within this one variable. There's little dispute that NTs are better at social skills. Social interaction usually gives them both confidence and happiness. Aspies, for whom social interaction is quite painful, may still find dozens of reasons to be happy. But on the social skills yardstick, NTs are superior.

Looking at the happiness parameter, NTs and Aspies being different but equal is a logical conclusion.

Let's look at the invention variable. Aspies in general have more time for invention due to the fact that they spend less time socially. Thinking about doing things in new and more efficient ways is probably more interesting to Aspies than to NTs. On the invention yardstick, Aspies are probably superior. But can we also conclde that Aspies are more creative [a larger category] than NTs? This requires further and more specific discussion.

To say we are equal or different or that we are just different isn't very useful to me. It's more useful to say in which areas NTs and Aspies are superior/inferior.

The reason this discussion is extremely significant is that NTs and Aspies can learn to respect each others' strengths. And that is a huge step forward from seeing the autism spectrum as only a hindrance to 'proper functioning'. The reality is that everyone who is making their best contribution is valuable and needed. Every one of us is remarkable in our own way. NTs who don't feel they are remarkable can be encouraged to do so. Aspies may need similar encouragement to communicate their strengths to the world at large.

How then can we help everyone to make their best contribution? This is the question that needs to be asked. And answered.

You do know that ret*d is an incredibly insulting term used like you did? Taking in the wide range of your insulting vocabulary you use, you do know. Do you have such a low opinion, taken from how you use this word, that equates people who score below 70-80 on a standardised IQ test and with a certain amount of self-help skill problems to something inferior that you think it can be used as an insult?

Why are you asking for opinions on the topic of superiority if you at the same time act as if you're superior to certain other groups of people?

Currently that is not exactly adding to that anybody takes you seriously. Small children already get taught that insulting and degrading behaviour towards others is extremely inappropriate as it shows no tolerance and an irrational and dangerous inclination towards lashing out at others in order to win.

So I wonder how why you think it's acceptable to behave like a big jerk that knows how to insult others in each and every sentence. Even your AS is no excuse for this sort of behaviour, especially if your debating superiority and inappropriateness of other people.

Source?



Argument out of ignorance.

Evolution is not a quick process, don't assume that just because your knowledge of it is very scant that it is not true. Indeed, who has seen a plant with eyeballs, or an animal with vocal cords? Would they even need them? If plants somehow, against all logic, began to develop vision, they wouldn't just sprout eyes overnight. That's not how evolution works. So please, enough of the ridiculous comments. Not that this thread is exactly the pinnacle of human intelligence and reasoning to begin with.

Well said! I as still teaching my husband social skills. Now we are working on nodding when someone is talking about something he feels is stupid and thinking of something to say like a question related to the topic. His eye contact has really improved.
Husband helps me with grammar, vocab and putting things together. I must say my 5 year old helps me more with fixing things and there is no doubt he is gifted and on the spectrum. We find out in two weeks if he is AS or HFA. My son has already invented little things. If I can't figure something out, I can go to him and he has at least two ideas. I also help him with social skills.

I was going to also say alba was dead on. Not insulting either way.

Natesmom,

It sounds like you, your husband, and son have a great relationship.

Sora,

he doesn't care, but isn't worth the time.

FreedomG,

You spoke of using an 80s movie, so I guess you meant ME. HEY, it was a big movie! JC Penny copied it in their LATEST commercials! Jesse Ventura is starting a new project, and compared it to TBC a few days ago. Granted, there IS a trend to use 20-30 year old material because it is forgotten, but they used the SAME concept. The movie was relevant here and, outside of the FAST acceptance, which IS possible because of the marijuana(or was it), and other fast pace was pretty true to life.

You know... I didn't think long enough about it! You ARE represented there! "Richard Vernon"! He thought HE was fantastic also, took joy in others failings, or perceived failings, and he wasn't all that great anyway.

As to the statement "I think I know who you are, the loser who got pushed around by his mother and his bratty sister. And it haunts him how he couldn't stand up for himself. "????? What mother and bratty sister? And nothing has haunted me regarding any forum exchange! As to the "bratty sister" reference, that WAS a quote!

I have only used this username, on this system, for its entire life.

Definitely higher than that.

Wikipedia says "A 2005 survey published in Encyclopædia Britannica finds that the non-religious make up about 11.9% of the world's population, and atheists about 2.3%. This figure does not include those who follow atheistic religions, such as some Buddhists."

And it cites this page:

http://search.eb.com/failedlogin?target ... le-9432620

Which requires a subscription, so I can't verify it directly. The footnote reads:

Worldwide Adherents of All Religions by Six Continental Areas, Mid-2005". Encyclopædia Britannica (2005). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.

* 2.3% Atheists: Persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief, or irreligion, including the militantly antireligious (opposed to all religion).
* 11.9% Nonreligious: Persons professing no religion, nonbelievers, agnostics, freethinkers, uninterested, or dereligionized secularists indifferent to all religion but not militantly so.

I don't feel superhuman. And I don't think Aspies are special. The reason why we are the way we are is because we have to be in order to survive. If we were not logical we would end up dead or something because we are incapable, to some extinct, of acting on instinct. We are not superhuman, we possess a neurological disorder. Right now I'm studying Calculus...for fun! Most people would not spend their time doing this because they would rather be f***ing their gf or going out to the movies or whatever. I love my autism, but I hate it when people say Aspies are somehow superior. By what measure? I feel like we all have a place in this world, and our place seems to be in a lab, in a book, or in a game or something idk. People should be valued for who they are and not who you want them to be. It's been hard for me to accept this view of the world because in many ways I wanted to pay back all those bastards in high school that made me feel like sh**, but then I realized that A) that's childish B) they were dumb kids and C) that doing that to someone else will only cause more misery and pain. Stop trying to put yourself above people and just learn to accept people and their "flaws".

In some ways yes like our obsessions and talents in certain areas but in other ways no we might not be good at otherstuff like most NT^s are like for me math but I am awsome in science. Also NTs are better at socializing than we are generally and have more confidence.

I totally agree and can relate.

WrongPlanet really needs an upvote system...

I do not believe in the idea of superiority no mattwhat the premise is. To think we are superior is no different than certain religious or racial groups thinking they are superior. Equality would be nice, but that cannot exist when someone feels they occupy a higher social status than others.