tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385543751878406713.post3371095273592906614..comments2024-02-26T21:31:18.490-05:00Comments on The Wrong Monkey: Autism: X-Men Superhero Mutations! Steven Bollingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03215202747829300924noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385543751878406713.post-36667271336136415332015-05-01T11:36:18.127-04:002015-05-01T11:36:18.127-04:00You did not offend me in any way whatsoever. Relax...You did not offend me in any way whatsoever. Relax. Everything's fine. I got that you agreed that nothing is wrong with me. I like your messages, I think they make a real contribution, and I'd be delighted if you continued to comment on my blog whenever the mood strikes you. You are more than welcome here. (You should see how nasty some of the comments from other people are, and I still publish them!)Steven Bollingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03215202747829300924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385543751878406713.post-73290057275187602312015-05-01T09:27:01.520-04:002015-05-01T09:27:01.520-04:00Hi, thank you for taking the trouble to reply.
Fi...Hi, thank you for taking the trouble to reply.<br /> First; I'm sorry, if I offended you in any way. I don't want to say the medical term "autistic" doesn't apply to you. Actually I mean the same as you when you stress that nothing is "wrong" with you. You might be different in this special way, but we all are different from one another in one way or other. That "everyone else" is not a uniform entity, there are so many different kinds of human beings, more or less intelligent, musical and not musical, sportive and not sportive, hyperactive and immobile, people with all kinds of special abilities and so on - I want people to realize that our society consists of a lot of normal individuals and "normal" means being different in many different ways. In a fruit basket there are apples, pears, oranges peaches etc. and all are normal fruits.<br />Again, I'm sorry, if that got too personal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385543751878406713.post-80040478690194440632015-04-29T10:03:57.734-04:002015-04-29T10:03:57.734-04:00Thanks very much for your comment!
I'm defini...Thanks very much for your comment!<br /><br />I'm definitely autistic. I've had contact with quite a number of psychologists and psychiatrists who specialize in the autistic spectrum. One of them, who saw me for one 50-minute session only, said I wasn't autistic; the rest have spent more time with me, and all agree that I'm autistic. The phrase "textbook case" has been used. <br /><br />Unlike many autistics, I'm also hyperverbal: I began speaking and writing very early, I've always been fascinated by language. This sometimes makes me seem more in touch with the general population than I really am. My differences from the general population are much more apparent face-to-face than what can be seen from my writing: I don't make eye-contact much, I'm not good at non-verbal communication such as reading facial expressions and body language and tone of voice and so forth. And I miss irony and sarcasm very frequently. I miss them very frequently in written form, too, although you're correct that I often use them. <br /><br />But there are other things which I'm exceptionally good at. I'm good at writing because I'm very interested in it and because I've read a lot of very good writing. Another autistic person may not have spoken until he or she was 4 years old and may always lag behind in language, but may be exceptionally good at fixing machines, because he or she is fascinated by machines the way I'm fascinated by language. <br /><br />I don't feel stigmatized by the label "autistic." Not at all. And I don't think that autistics are better or worse than others. We're just different. An apple is not better or worse than an orange. Being unusual is perfectly okay. I've never been normal and I've never wanted to be. I know that for many people, there is a lot of stigma attached to the label "autistic." The term began as an indication of something which was considered to be a disorder. But I hope that changes, without us having to try to be like everyone else, when we're not. I love that line from Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" : "I try my best to be just like I am."Steven Bollingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03215202747829300924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2385543751878406713.post-54048674927828112962015-04-29T06:02:45.083-04:002015-04-29T06:02:45.083-04:00Hi Steven, is it really 99% that you feel differen...Hi Steven, is it really 99% that you feel different from other people? As a frequent reader of your blog I don't see you as so different from "normal", you have wide spread interests, you understand and often use irony and sarcasm, you can feel into other people and get other people's feelings and you can express your own. An autist -to my knowledge and understanding- is not able to do any of these things and needs help to lead his life - that makes it a disorder. I'm not a friend of too much labelling, it narrows the spectrum of normality, it stigmatizes on the one side and can be used as an excuse on the other side. I prefer a great variety of normal - being not very social or socially awkward and having special interests, abilities or quirks doesn't put you and shouldn't voluntarily be put out of "normality".Not two people are the same - that's normal!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com