Aspies For Freedom

The shooting in Virginia is all over the news and thus all over the web, what is the appropriate response to this? I honesly have no clue what to say about it and the one attempt I did make to lighten the converation on it did not go well. I seem to lack the ability to form an emotional response to this. I don't think I'm a sociopath but apparently I am some kind of souless wretch. I mean I think about it and I just don't feel anything I just try to understand it. I literally had to have someone explain to me why people who didn't know anyone at the school felt anything about it using psyc terms because I just didn't understand why people were responding like they did. I need some set of rules to help me avoid situations like this because it's just odd and people seem to get very angry about it.

Rule: When people die, it is sad.

You don't have to cry about it, but realize that it is saddening or disturbing to many people.

All you have to do is look serious, shake your head and say, "It's a terrible thing..."

It doesn't make me sad either (though I do find it disturbing), but when people mention it to me I just say "Yeah, it really sucks" or something along those lines, and then they usually stop talking to me about it.

I know exactly what you mean, I often think I should feel something more in these sort of situations but usually I just feel detached. I usually try and stay out of those sorts of conversations. It doesn't make any sense to me to feel something for someone you don't know.

Max is right though
"Rule: When people die, it is sad.

You don't have to cry about it, but realize that it is saddening or disturbing to many people."

Its usually ok to just agree its sad, in most cases its true.
I found its best to keep your full opinions to yourself until the main group emotion has past, usually takes a couple of days, then its easier to discuss.
I think it is partly because most people are surprised that one person could do such a thing.

"There's no rule that says you have to have an emotional reaction to something that doesn't personally involve you. "

Of course not, Callista, but Avulsion was asking what the general social rule of behavior was: " I need some set of rules to help me avoid situations like this because it's just odd and people seem to get very angry about it."

"Now do all see why NTs say we lack empathy? We really don't lack it but it's not the same as how NTs feel."

I agree. It's important to make a distinction between a differentiated experience of empathy (posts #6 and  #7) and a true sociopathic response (post #9). It's possible for a sociopath to also be Aspie, but they're not synonyms.

I was more interested in who had done it, his reasons why and if Marilyn Manson was going to get the blame.

I kinda feel the same, Bob.  I know this must be agonizing for the families who lost someone, and the friends, but everyone else?  People die every day.  Are we supposed to only care for the ones who make the news?

Also, I don't find death sad, and I can't understand why anyone does.  The loss of someone you love is sad, yes, but people act as though death is some unnatural thing, the worst thing that can happen.  I don't agree. In times like this, I just nod whenever someone speaks of how sad it is.  Inside, I save my pity for the living.

<hugs>

Athie

I seem to do that a lot too and try to figure out why the person did what they did and whether they were "mad", "sad" or "bad". I might note that a local News Article had a picture of the gunman headed "the face of evil".

It is a natural part of life, these things do happen. I firmly believe we all have a time and date and when our numbers up that's it, you can't stop it.

I think it's only a matter of time untill a similar incident occurs in the uk the way it is now becoming so easy to get hold of firearms.

It's healthy that people question why these things happen and what could have been done. Sometimes it takes a tragedy before things improve, I know this is the way on the railways especially.

I wholeheartedly agree, but we as single individuals can not change what is happenning abroad, only powerful governments can do that. And for all the *** that things liek Live8 and MakePovertyHistory took, at least they made the effort and some good things have come of it. BUT NOT ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!

What annoys me is when our governemnt and that of the US is more interested in pursueing Iran than getting the bastards in Zimbabwe. Let Iran be, we have nuclear weapons, so do they, so do many countries. Leave them alone. If they do something wrong then so be it.

I am sick of living in such a crap country at times

An example is where the Martin Bryant massacre of 35 people at Port Arthur in Tasmania led to the Australian Prime Minister bringing in very restrictive gun laws.

"Reality has a liberal bias," as Stephen Colbert said. As do facts and truth, apparently.

NPR is in no way equivalent to FOX news. FOX's lies and distortions are extensively documented, using nothing but their own materials -- http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/2...razy_.html is as funny as it is amazing. For an unbiased view on media bias, try http://mediamatters.org/ They offer this brief analysis on FOX: http://mediamatters.org/items/200509010007

People who depend on FOX for their news have been found to be factually ignorant about major political and historical facts. The best and most accurately informed get their news from NPR/PRS.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/100403F.shtml

NPR and PBS are much more centrist than FOX. The human longing for symmetry and naive trust in false equivalency create the illusion that they are equidistant from the center.

At least your prime minister does something. Unlike the soft b*****d in charge of ours.