My World Is Your World

Mar 28, 2013 15:37

No, I am not "trapped in my own world ( Read more... )

communication, stereotypes

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timeprojectile March 29 2013, 02:23:41 UTC
Nice post. Along with other stuff that I've been reading, it helped me to think differently about people wired differently from myself, most notably those I perceived as having "better" wiring. (For what it's worth, I'm a non-autistic of high-average intelligence who for a long time envied "geniuses," including high-IQ autistic people.) I have no reason to envy nor to disdain - deep down, pretty much all people are more alike than different and struggle to pursue the same wants and needs. Wiring doesn't make anyone better or worse.

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chaoticidealism March 29 2013, 04:14:12 UTC
Agreed. If there's anything that makes me mad, it's somebody looking down on somebody else because they're different. We cannot judge a person's value by his talents. We should not have to validate our existence. I don't want my worth to be judged by my talents; what a precarious position to be in! If I mess up, suddenly I'm not so valuable any more. Or if I do something well, suddenly I'm expected to lord it over others who tried just as hard. I hate that! I want to be an equal ( ... )

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timeprojectile March 29 2013, 14:45:14 UTC
Indeed, feeling that a specific condition is necessary in order to have a place in the world and deserve to pursue fulfillment is highly problematic. My problems started when, as a young kid, I noticed that people said I was "smart" and "different" and praised me for those things, and I took that to mean that my worth was dependent on them. That led to my long-time envy of those who were "smarter" and more "different," because I thought their existence rendered me redundant and useless. But one of the things that helped pave the way for my seeing through all that was dating an autistic guy with a higher IQ than myself (and who also happened to have above average income), and realizing that for all his uniqueness and all his skill with math and words and gaming, he had many of the same longings and struggles as I did and as anyone else did. He, too, was still waiting for the secret to fulfillment. He, too, was insecure about his place in the world and worried about being out-competed. I still talk to him online even though we're ( ... )

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In which I read a LOT of blogs livejournal March 29 2013, 20:53:43 UTC
User ada_hoffmann referenced to your post from In which I read a LOT of blogs saying: [...] Lisa D. on why it's not correct to say autistic people are "trapped in their own world [...]

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Another non-NT like you ext_1736029 April 3 2013, 17:45:35 UTC
You sound a lot like my friend Iris Johansson, whose book "A different childhood" I translated into English. You might enjoy it.

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