I've just finished reading "Blind Faith" by Ben Elton - absolutely brilliant book.
Basically, it's about the sort of society that would exist if all the stupid social rules were exaggerated, then written into law.
A thought that occurred to me not long into the book is that it would be a good way of showing how autistic people perceive social rules. (For those familiar with the book, I'm not suggesting that the humanists were aspie and everyone else was NT, just that by getting an NT to imagine existing in a world with exaggerated social rules, it might be easier for them to understand an autistic persons reaction to current social rules).
As a bonus, it also goes into how disturbing the vaccination=autism link is... *grins*
I've just finished reading "Blind Faith" by Ben Elton - absolutely brilliant book.
Basically, it's about the sort of society that would exist if all the stupid social rules were exaggerated, then written into law.
A thought that occurred to me not long into the book is that it would be a good way of showing how autistic people perceive social rules. (For those familiar with the book, I'm not suggesting that the humanists were aspie and everyone else was NT, just that by getting an NT to imagine existing in a world with exaggerated social rules, it might be easier for them to understand an autistic persons reaction to current social rules).
As a bonus, it also goes into how disturbing the vaccination=autism link is... *grins*
Does it mean disturbing as in the idea that vaccination causes autism or that it is promoting the idea that vaccination causes it?
Does it mean disturbing as in the idea that vaccination causes autism or that it is promoting the idea that vaccination causes it?
The former - I can't say too much, though, as it gives away some plot points of the book...
Is the author Aspergian or autistic?
If not, why would he be interested in writing a book about social conventions and rules, with a subplot related to the vaccination/autism link?
Is the author Aspergian or autistic?
If not, why would he be interested in writing a book about social conventions and rules, with a subplot related to the vaccination/autism link?
Nope - at least I don't think so, from what I've seen of his interviews.
There's plenty of NT's out there that hate social conventions - just because they can navigate them a bit more easily doesn't mean they don't realise how screwed up some of them are...
Nope - at least I don't think so, from what I've seen of his interviews.
There's plenty of NT's out there that hate social conventions - just because they can navigate them a bit more easily doesn't mean they don't realise how screwed up some of them are...
Sounds like "my kind" of NT, from how you describe them. To be willing to examine such unwritten rules on a very conscious level implies a curious mind... a great quality in my opinion.
I think Ben Elton is an excellent author.
I haven't read 'Blind Faith' yet...but have read some of his other books.
Have you read any of these???
No, sad to say. I haven't got around to it yet and have got far behind in my reading but I will look out for them in the bookshop.
I think Ben Elton is an excellent author.
I haven't read 'Blind Faith' yet...but have read some of his other books.
Have you read any of these???
Aye! All but "The Last Casualty"...
"This Other Eden" is an absolute classic, and I quite liked "Past Mortem" too...