This really bothers me....

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Has anyone seen the "My Strange Addiction" episode/video about a 27-year-old woman named Audrey and her stuffed blue lamb?

*TW for people not accepting you for who you are, talking behind your back, and being made to feel like you're weird for something that's really not hurting anybody*

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBnQAxbgElI[/youtube]

I relate to Audrey very closely in that she and I are both very close to/attached to our plushies, and have been since childhood, although unlike Audrey, I don't really "talk" out loud to my plushies (yet I can do so telepathically) and when I do take them out with me in public (for social anxiety reasons) they always stay in my shoulder bag where all the "normal" people and plush-haters won't have to see them and be besieged by their horrible, dreadful cuddliness and cute-ness! /sarcasm

I'm getting really, really tired of how other people make such a big freaking deal out of something so innocuous and make it seem like a "bad" thing. I'm 21 years old, still have a ton of plushies, and I plan to have them further into my 20s and beyond. In addition, I am NOT like a hoarder when it comes to plushies, although there are people who have judged me as such based on one glance at my room....in fact, when I get back to my dad's house, I plan to donate a bunch of plushies who could use a new home to a location that dispenses stuffed animals to children's hospitals and those who work with EMT, the fire dept., and social services.

So yeah...bottom line is, the people who do those kinds of shows need to leave people like Audrey and I the f-k alone. Audrey's blue lamb (I do wish she'd give him/her a name; it's too cute a lamb plushie to remain nameless! ) and my plushies serve a purpose....they are our comfort, something soft to stroke and hold close during panic/anxiety attacks and meltdowns long after everyone who supposedly cares about us has abandoned us, and our friends (maybe even an extended family of sorts).

There's even an article floating around about how Audrey was doing post-episode (Since we can't post links in WP, you'll probably have to Google "my strange addiction audrey lamb" and go to "After the Show" if you want to read the whole thing) where Audrey explains that she's "cut down on her addiction to the lamb" and even went on a weekend vacation and house-sat for 4 days, all without her little friend (jeez...spending a 2-4 day period in unfamiliar surroundings without even one of my plushies sounds like h*ll to me! ).

So....Is Audrey genuinely happier now that she and lamb aren't as close anymore, or did the pressure and shame for just being herself and doing what she has to do to stay emotionally and psychologically safe simply become so great that she finally capitulated and cried out, "Okay, society/media, you win!"? You be the judge. Personally, I suspect the latter.

As a side note, I've been wondering if Audrey could possibly have AS...I have no way of knowing for sure, but I suppose it's a possibility.

I'm sorry I sound angrier/more angsty than I usually do when I post here, it's just that this is one of my hot buttons, and this particular episode of this show has been bugging me ever since I heard about it. It's like it's gotten to where everything people like/do to feel safe has become pathologized.

Thank you all for letting me get this off my chest....I'm off to cuddle in bed with some of my plushie friends now!

TLC is absolutely horrible. It's one big freak show and exploiting of people who are a little "different". Toddlers and Tiaras, Honey Boo Boo, addictions, hoarders, all splashed across TV screens for the rest of "normal" society to leer at. Bedlam lives. TLC is owned by Discovery Network, they own like 7 channels that all feature bizarre, sick, and exploitative TV. Somebody tell me again why 150 cable channels is better than six over the air TV stations.

Now that I have read your post, I find it to be rather ridiculous. I can relate to you on that one. I have loads of plush toys myself, I even still sleep with the very first toy I was ever given after birth (a rattling teddy bear that was given to me by my grandma). Anyway, do not fret about what people say about you regarding this. They simply have no good judgment about your reason for bringing your plushies with you. I don't do that often (hardly at all really) but I wouldn't let others bother me about it. If they have something to say about that, then hey, just let them be judgmental. Now, if someone was to beat you and/or steal your plushies to make you miserable, I can see there'd be a huge problem. And between you and me (and all others who read this lol) my very first toy's name is Baby. And trust me, I still sleep with my Baby (sometimes I don't). And anyway, my bed is filled with plush toys (and a few pillow pets). Anyway, if you ask me, if you enjoy bringing plush toys with you wherever you go, be happy to do so, because that shows it's who you are as a person. And if you remember from watching My Little Pony (which I assume you do watch it) you must always be happy to be yourself no matter what others think. What really matters is that you like who you are and that you have friends who admire you for who you are.

This is why I only watch PBS. If it wasn't for Bob Ross, I would probably just throw away my antennae.

I think maybe there is more then one, or perhaps just multiple aspects of the issue. But to not go overly long I will mention just the overall situation as I see it.

NT's are mostly flock birds, and autistics mainly live in small family groups, pairs or solo.

To NTs social aspects are often one of their main interests and they are focused on it for better or worse. One of the most basic aspects of the flock is determining hierarchy/pecking order, and it is often a constant and energy consuming process. It is most intense in younger people, because besides normal standing within the group instinctive competetion for mates is at work and is a very primal motivator.

They also tend to follow trends and norms religiously, for not keeping up is considered a weakness and will draw negative attention. Many will belittle, any nonstandard behavior they can find, as a way of establishing themselves as higher in the hierarchy.

There is some ritualized deviation in attempts to set new trends and gain credit for doing so, but such involves a lot of potential energy as it involves exhibitionist behavior and swagger and willingness to fight (verbally or physically) anyone who challenges it.

We are born into a different group, that isn't really small, but in comparison to the NT population is a very small minority. Some NT behaviors don't do anything for us, or can even seem silly, as some of our behaviors seem to them. But when you enter the public domain you are entering NT territory and can expect NT behaviors, just as you know you will be dealing with wolfish behavior if you went into the wolf pen at the zoo.

Individually or after getting to know someone, NTs can be quite accepting of your personnal preferences and traits. Some are naturally quite accepting of a broader spectrum of people types.

Personnally it is too much trouble to me to openly display things I know NTs will consider immature or stupid, etc, in the general public arena... unless I am in a rare combative mood (see full moon schedule ). But I do enjoy sharing it with NTs in more controlled situations, as it usually is something new to them, and shows them a little more of the real me. But first I will normally have established a certain level of trust. This approach does have some aspects of giving in, you win, etc. But its not total capitualation as I still maintain my interests privately, and to a limited degree share it. There is some value to fighting the fight to establish a broader acceptance, but you have to know your own strength and how long you can stay in the fight before needing a break.

Uh... I went long anyway. I knew I would on this subject!

I wonder how many of those shows are actually real, and how many are just for ratings and also how many people volunteer to be on with some eyecatching thing just to promote their own business or something.

I've seen some things that I don't think they could even really put on there. Like this one had a lady who drank bleach. I would think that legally they would be required to just take her to the hospital and let them admit her for that. I wouldn't think legally they could just follow her around and film her even though they took her to the doctor. If she died her family could sue them for not intervening.

I saw another one with a lady whose whole house was pink, her hair was pink, her clothes were pink, everything was pink. She was supposedly addicted to pink and the whole thing was like a horror movie where Barbie is attacked by the Pepto Bismol monstor. But they mentioned several times that she had some kind of career aspirations in Hollywood I think it was, or maybe it was something else. But I remember she was trying to be something.

Also, on this Obsessed show there was this one guy who they profiled who had these rituals but also this fear of El Camino's. He was in a band called Pool of Frogs and I looked them up after that and they were pretty good.

I wonder if they get some people to overplay things for the shows like they do on COPS. I don't much trust reality TV. I also wonder how many are just flat out actors looking to get seen on screen by somebody or other. Like this one guy on one of the shows who literally was having a love affair with his car. His car was his girlfriend. He would get under the car and do things that you don't do just cause you really like your car and wash and wax and take care of it well. He would even kiss his car, as in make out with it, not a quick kiss on the hood or something like I've seen people do.

I didn't see the lady in question here, but I'd be curious to know what she does for a living, and if it's some kind of job that clients call her themselves about instead of working at a business or a store. If people see you on tv like that, and associate you with something they think is cute and eccentric they will remember you and when they need the service you provide they are more likely to call you because they remember you.

I'm pretty cynical about those kinds of shows, except about the hoarding ones. They would have to go to a lot of trouble to set up those places like that, and I think they do come out and help people, but I also think they shouldn't do some of the things the way they do. They push them farther than they need to just to get a reaction. They may make things look a little worse for the cameras, I don't know, but I don't see that as 100% real either, because of how the 'therapy' is done.

I'm sure some people are really on those shows for the help but I think just as many, or even more, are on there for other reasons.

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I now hate that show. After that one one of the suggested clips was of a woman who was "addicted" to rats. I've had lots of pet rats, more than her actually.

This just seems like a show to make fun of people that like things that society doesn't consider to be normal. I don't care about stuff like that. I don't make my choices in what I do or don't do based on what is "normal".