* ron: "Some day same-sex marriage will become a "litmus test" for millions of Americans. Some day soon."does feingold think he is french or something? before we know it, homosexualists will be allowed to vote - and then they'll want to marry atheists and adopt communist children - and then we'll have hurricanes and other assorted wanton wrath-of-god destruction.
* "DeLay will soon be gone, and there is a good chance that he will be convicted of at least a few of his crimes against democracy. But his greatest crimes will go unpunished, at least for so long as the Congress Tom DeLay created and the presidency that he made possible continue to punish America and the world." (link)
* Zinn: "Given the overwhelming record of lies told to justify wars, how could anyone listening to the younger Bush believe him as he laid out the reasons for invading Iraq? Would we not instinctively rebel against the sacrifice of lives for oil?
A careful reading of history might give us another safeguard against being deceived. It would make clear that there has always been, and is today, a profound conflict of interest between the government and the people of the United States. This thought startles most people, because it goes against everything we have been taught."
* gary hart:
"I have been pleading with the American press corps for months to ask the Bush administration one simple question, a question designed to expose our true agenda: "Are we, or are we not, constructing permanent military bases in Iraq?" Full stop.comsymp
[]
Anyone thinking we are entering the end-game better wake up. Our neoconservative policy makers are still willing to risk the U.S. Army in a mad Middle East imperial scheme that composed the real reason for the Iraq war in the first place."
* for the aspergerians out there (hi rimone! (and yep. i scored 34)):
"On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be:(btw - i've decided - at least for the moment - that i'm gonna try to add a pic to some of my posts (see above). they will usually/often have absolutely nothing to do with the context of the post - and will be added purely for your visual pleasure. i've taken a bunch of pix in my time and they are just sitting on my hard drive - so i figger i might as well post some of em. they dont mean nuthin - just random pix)
01:02:03 04/05/06
That won't ever happen again."
10 comments:
lol, based a bit on your politics but mostly on your Asperger's quotient, will you marry me? ;-)
i've been waiting for you to ask
rimone, lukery,
Thanks for the AQ test! I've long suspected I was in Aspergian territory since learning about the syndrome in 2nd year of med school, but this kind of confirms it (I scored a 31).
Judging from that Wired piece, I recognize many of the symptoms (which were at least an order of magnitude or so worse when I was a child), but I don't quite "fit" the classic example. I am EXTREMELY socially awkward in new settings with people I don't know (even now), though I've been trying to make a concerted effort to work on that, and alcohol helps, a lot. (I'm not alcoholic, but I do have a few when I'm at these types of parties, otherwise I barely drink at all).
Interestingly enough, I also have problems with my friends when we're in loud, smoky environments, like nightclubs or bars. I much prefer quieter places, and I have much more fun during these encounters than when we go to louder places. I think it might have to do with social multitasking, as all that noise just kind of "overwhelms" my system and I retreat into autistic like behavior.
In that regard, multitasking and trying new things at work is also very difficult for me. I will put off doing new experiments for weeks because I'm anxious/afraid of what the process entails and what the results might be. I like doing the same types of experiments over and over again, though not to the point that it becomes repetitive and boring.
The problem is that my "boss" doesn't understand what's wrong with me, and thinks I'm just lazy, when in reality it's that I have to overcome a lot of psychic momentum to get stuff done. So that's also had the negative effect of making me hate my workplace, which sort of gets you into this positive feedback loop.
Anyway, curious to hear what you and others think, if you'd like to share your own quirks.
thnx viget
yeah - there are many who exhibit strong aspergerian tendencies - but don't take the wired test as 'gospel' - these things can be a bit of an 'aha! thats what's wrong with me!' trap. eg the wired article doesnt mention the number of non-aspergers who also score high - and then there are the 'high-functioning' aspergers who are basically indistinguishable from the normal population (at least externally!)
my ex-shrink once told me that an enormous % of med students score really high on these tests!
personally, i dont find the 'loud' scene too bad - i spent a decade in clubs and what have you - but was allergic to things like phones (or an unexpected knock on the door) as 'intrusions' and simply ignored them
one of the 'good' things about aspergerians is that 'we' can do shit all by ourselves for months on end (not that ive been diagnosed) - its the gift of focus (which other people can see as really fucking weird).
i could happily blog for months on end without ever seeing a real person (for example)
bummer about your thing with you boss - that sux. i always hated having them - and havent had one since 2000.
this is brilliantly funny: "I like doing the same types of experiments over and over again, though not to the point that it becomes repetitive and boring."
peace
lukery
hey viget--thank you for sharing. the older i've grown, the more social anxiety i seem to have--and i get rattled when the phone rings; my best friend Alma in Scotland calls me twice, three times a week and i feel uncomfortable talking even to her (txtng is another matter--i'm ok w/it). i don't mind loud crowded scenes but i, too, am extremely socially awkward when i don't know people (i've been told my face looks 'sullen,' i imagine as a defence). and yes, alcohol helps a lot. but i can multi-task pretty well (i believe it's the ADD that helps w/that). about your boss, i hope that somehow he becomes educated and more understanding.
when i studied emotionally disturbed children (special educ.), i recognised that i prolly had undiagnosed Asperger's as well as ADD when i was a child. i have no idea if this would've helped me in school, if they'd identified the problems then (i did very well in school and at Uni).
lukery--this: 'one of the 'good' things about aspergerians is that 'we' can do shit all by ourselves for months on end (not that ive been diagnosed) - its the gift of focus (which other people can see as really fucking weird).'
and 'i could happily blog for months on end without ever seeing a real person (for example)'
as you already know--same exact thing here. cue the 'oy veys'. ;-)
lol, 23 people mailed me about this (the average score was 24) to which i said 'pffff.'
i worked in 'special ed' too - but with gifted kids (with Stanford's program) - there are enough stories there to break even cheney's heart. stupid fucking education system. ('giftedness' is regarded as a 'learning disability(!))
one of the saddest examples (for no particular reason) was an 8 year old girl who had to do a multiple choice thing at school and was asked a multiple choice question: what does 'a doctor' do (fix people, study history, scientist, study criminals)? - there was no 'all of the above' and her poor little brain nearly exploded (everyone else in class answered 'correctly')
i guess it'd be similar to going to the outlaws for xmas in south dakota or somewhere and having to listen to the father-in-law saying that the iraq invasion was a good idea 'cos we cant forget what they did to us on 911 - and besides, look at all those Purple Fingers' - i know how difficult it is to accept that - imagine being a smart 8 year old and trying to fit that into your brain
Hmm.. both of your comments are fascinating. Maybe the "loud" thing is a combination of auditory defects/social anxiety/Aspbergers, I don't know.
And I know, this doesn't necessarily mean that I have Aspbergers (I've never been formally diagnosed), but it seems to be very consistent with my own observations about my behavior. I'd certainly say my social anxiety is definitely "abnormal," although interestingly enough "couple" friends that I've met through my wife were absolutely shocked when I told them about my social problems. But I always have thought that my wife brings out the best in me. :)
The hyperfocus is definitely a double-edged sword, though, as there are times when I nearly get into car accidents because I'm intently concentrating on something I heard on the radio.
On the other hand, if there's one thing I do freakishly well, it's cram studying and taking tests. It's very easy for me to process lots of information (although the flip side is that I'm very disorganized, as if it's not in my mind's "catalog" I cannot find it).
Oh and my comment about doing the same types of experiments over and over as long as it's not repetitive and boring: I know that it sounds kind of oxymoronic/Yogi Berryish on its surface, but what I mean is that I like using familiar techniques in new experiments. Each experiment is unique, so it's not "boring" to me. What I don't like to do is literally repeat the same experiment over and over again, knowing that I should be getting the same result, and learning nothing new in the process.
I also don't like doing totally "new" experiments that are complicated and involve a bit of planning; that would be more consistent with adverse reactions to changes in routine.
It's interesting that you find your symptoms getting worse rimone...as I've said, my experience has been pretty much the opposite. I wish I could tell you exactly what it was that helped me change, but it just seemed to happen some time in my early 20s. Could be that because I was now in med school, I felt more "comfortable" being around a lot of people that thought like me and knew what I was going through. In that regard, high school was pure hell.
Also, I do have a bit of an aversion to the phone as well, especially, again, when I have to call someone I don't know. But I have no such problems blogging...
Interesting discussion all.... someday maybe we'll all find out what's wrong with us. :)
lol, where to begin? it just occurred to me that i possibly am feeling more Asperger-y since i cut out the hard drugs i did for ages.
about the 'loud' thing--what cracks me up is so many times i'll be hearing something (usually a repetitive sound e.g., a jackhammer in the distance) that others don't and then, a bit later, i'll be told that /they/ hear it as well.
viget: interestingly enough "couple" friends that I've met through my wife were absolutely shocked when I told them about my social problems.
i don't understand it--most people that i'm forced to meet that aren't my friends (like hairdressers or shopclerks) eventually tell me how outgoing and friendly i am. i'll tell them i'm scared stiff (which i am) and they'll look amazed.
about hyperfocus being a double-edged sword, i've found that somehow i can focus on the important stuff, like driving, w/o all the other things in my head interfering too much. and yeah, i'm usually thinking of a LOT of things at once.
viget: if there's one thing I do freakishly well, it's cram studying and taking tests. It's very easy for me to process lots of information (although the flip side is that I'm very disorganized, as if it's not in my mind's "catalog" I cannot find it).
same here--i'll procrastinate like mad for ages and then cram for an hour or two before whatever tests and end up having very high grades. but i've always been pretty organised, in an 'a place for everything and everything in its place' kinda way. somehow that shit comes naturally (i don't get it but always wished to do it for money for disorganised others).
as well, i HATE calling people i don't know--weirdly enough i'd rather show up in person. and i have a lot of trouble not telling the truth to friends (conversely, it was always easy for me to lie to teachers or cops and others in authority).
lukery: re your comments on 'giftedness,' the standardised IQ tests we were forced to take in NYC schools put me in the top 1 percentile. i'm wondering if i was a kid today, would i have been thrown in some learning disability programme or whatever. and yeah, i'm w/you about the stupid fucking education system (then and now).
i apologize for being a bit removed from this converation - i've been trying to get the interview with larisa transcribed
so many things to respond to...
viget - the auditory thing is pretty fucked up. aspergerinas are totally sensitive to that sort of input... personally - i think that a lot of it has to do with expectations - and surprises. i can dance in a nightclub for hours on end - but an unexpected hammer somewhere can send me into a frenzy - i'll happily walk a block out of my way if i can miss a building site
re car accidents - i'm kinda in between the two of you. i can hardly get behind the wheel without thinking 'jeebus - given my head-state - i really shouldnt be here' - i guess i dont trust myself with heavy machinery
re academic tests - yep - i can dance that dance as well as anyone. i cant think of a single test that i ever took where i actually started preparing more than a day in advance
urgh! the idea of repeating experiments to prove something that i already know? couldnt think of anything worse.
in terms of viget 'getting better' - my guess is that having an understanding partner has a lot to do with it. a wise, generous, understanding partner helps us transcend from 'the world is really weird and fucked up' to 'hey - other people are weird too - for reasons xy&z - and other people deal with the same sorts of issues and they deal with them by doing xyz...
my *guess* is that that is where the magical line exists - and similarly that is why i caution against the "im an aspergerian" thing - from my personal experience - the key to it all is not to focus on 'hey - i'm a weirdo' (as comforting and explanatory that might appear) - but rather to listen to our partners who might say 'hey - i love you the way that you are - and everyone is weird in their own way - dont get too hung up on the differences'
rimone - yeah - theres something weird that the difference between autism and genius is basically inseparable. i take solace from the fact that i'd rather be ostensibly clever than the alternative. ignorant isnt my style...
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