Are non-Aspies actually always that empathetic? (No NT bashing intended)

[Ste11aeres]

I am wondering if people without AS are actually always that empathetic. Because in my experience, that's not necessarily the case. I think it depends on the individual.
I am wondering what experience other people have of this.
I was reading the article below, which made me think about this. Please notice that in this article NT is used in a narrow sense to mean only people "without a diagnosis of a mental illness or disorder.
Empathy for the Neurotypical | Boredom Breeds Contempt

By the way, this thread is not intended as NT-bashing. Let's be careful not to go there. Also, let's not speak as if all NTs are always the same, because different individuals can be very different, and the same individual can act differently at all times.

 

[King_Oni]

No they're not... since sociopathy and psychopathy are not neurological disorders and to some degree either pathology is signified by a lack of empathy (amongst other things).

 

[Loomis]

Baron-Cohen discusses the various categories of people with low empathy in his excellent book titled: The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty. I highly recommend this book, however, it is written for a scientific audience so if you are unfamiliar with neurobiological terms you will have to do some work to read it.

He finds that the population of humans are distributed normally on a bell curve when tested for how much empathy they feel. He makes a distinction between zero negatives (low empathy, negative effect on self and others): psychopaths, borderline, antisocial, and narcissist personality disorders vs. zero positives (low empathy with moral codes of behavior): people with autism. Autistics have low empathy, not because they do not care about the effects of their behavior but rather as a result of how they view the world.

Here is an interview:

Q&A: Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen on Empathy and the Science of Evil | TIME.com

 

[Loomis]

It is very interesting and revealing to read comments from sociopaths on forums like this one for people with antisocial personality disorder. It is actually quite shocking to read how they perceive others. Their mocking, disdainful attitude toward others arouses my anger, outrage, and pity. They are a very sad group of individuals lacking not only empathy but also remorse. It is important for aspies to be aware of these pitiable creatures because we can easily become targets of their predatory behavior. During my lifetime I have gotten to know quite a few sociopaths and have suffered some very unpleasant consequences as a result. Mostly I do not have great interest in personality characteristics of people I meet but I have made an exception for the sociopaths of the world because of the danger they pose to the rest of humanity. Curiously, I find them easy to relate to because the lack of empathy provides a superficial connection and commonality between us. They need to be kept at arms length, however.