Aspies For Freedom

First of all, I apologize for not posting on here since forever.

I know a lot of neurotypicals who don't really have autistic people in their lives (and some who do) are often ignorant about the concept of neurodiverosty, and blindly support a "cure". But have you met any who were really supportive?

I have one friend who's bipolar, and he's really supportive of the neurodiversity movement. He's also a transgender guy, so I think he "gets it" - sometimes people's situations might be more challenging, but they also can have a lot to offer the world.

I have another friend who is a very neurotypical woman in her 30's, who is very involved in a lot of anti-opression causes. She is really kind of a mentor to me, and when I told her "I think I might have AS but I'm scared my parents are going to freak out about it", she didn't tell me I was a hypochondriac, or go all "oh, you poor thing." Instead, she told me "Wouldn't that explain a lot, then?" She went on to tell me that there was really nothing wrong with it if I did have it, and she understands why I wouldn't want to be "cured".

Has anyone had any similar positive experiences?

Hello!

Luckily for me, just about everyone I know supports neurodiversity, which is why I was surprised to find there was such a large movement against it.

Will

Aaargh I made a typo, we really need an "edit" button!

And yes.... there is a HUGE "cure" mentality out there.

What about the unsuccessful ones...

Yes, those of us who are talented in our own ways but are never going to be famous.

Once a decent NT gets to know an autistic person personally, it seems that they begin to accept us. But before that--when "autism" is just a specter in their brains--they support a cure just because they don't know there's another option.

Many NTs--especially those who are mature enough to think objectively--just need to get to know an autistic person. After that, it seems the "fear of the unknown" in their minds is erased, and they start forming an NT-style mental definition that makes autism a known category in their minds; something they no longer fear.

That's the only really good way of erasing prejudice: Just have personal experiences with a member of the group, especially a member who's willing to talk openly about it. They did an experiment with prejudice and mental illness--and it turned out that even the severe stuff like schizophrenia responded to that. Once you meet somebody who lives with it, you stop fearing, start thinking of them as people rather than some horrible unknown threat.

That's why I think it's so important for us to "come out" as Aspies, rather than hiding it.

I had another date with Keisha, whom I dated last December at a ice skating rink in Pentagon Row and again a year earlier at Sequoia in Georgetown, last night.  We had soul food at a Union Station restaurant called B. Smith.  As she is an NT, I guess I need to revise some of my assumptions regarding the inevitability of Aspies dating Aspies.  She had unexpectedly text-messaged me asking for the date that afternoon.

I am glad I have the attention of an intelligent college-educated woman (a National Institutes of Health researcher or research assistant ironically involved with some autism research), as I can't even get that without dating an NT.

Theoretically, I could date an intelligent Aspie woman (Nobel Prize, patents, scientist?  She blinded me with science!) but not so far in practice.

$80 for dinner, $8 for 10% DC tax, and $16 for 20% tip, or $104 in all. (Brag) Approaching 8.5 years salaried in this job, plus wise spending, permit investing in quality women of one's peers.  It also reinforces the idea that dating follows employment, employment follows education.

From how socializing the other guys (college students??) were while I was trying to evaluate AJAX computer books last night at Barnes and Noble, maybe that is why they do not hire us or interview us.  With our intense focus, they know they could not win as long as we are equal to them, let alone better.

This is not a social class put down.  This is social commentary on Washington DC vicinity dating norms.

The Slightly Cynical Washington DC Dating Man might say a young professional woman expects a young professional man to meet her to eat at places like that.

We have already seen, in 2002, how another Washingtonian female Christian single (also African American and in her twenties) was eager to get The Ring on her finger.

Now the Slightly Cynical Washington DC Dating Woman might say that the guy expects sex.

That is not universally true, I do not.

College-educated NT women do seem in much greater agreement, though, on the wining, dining, and The Ring, though.  

And where that leaves us Aspies, if we want the hope of intelligent life partners, is the need sooner or later to pony up.

Gee, was it a three course dinner or something? I've heard soul food is really tasty (only watch out for the beans)

That's expensive and whyever would you tip 20% when it has already been taxed 10% Surely unless the service was over the top wonderful, 10% tip would have been plenty?

One of my friends wrote on my Facebook profile wall that he is the lucky one to have me as a friend.

Jimmy posted something that someone sent him that was mean (Jimmy's gay btw and I have no problems with it) and I responded that I am lucky to have him as a friend, but he said that he is the lucky one because he said that I am a strong person because of my autism.

For Facebook, to see a profile, you got to be login. In order to see mine, you got to be both login and on my friend's list.