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Do you have a problem with authority?

For me I think it depends on the type of authority. I had a very hard time with respecting authority in the schools I went to because I hated school so much. I have a hard time with governmental authority when laws are passed that adversely affect my life without my consent.

However, in regard to law enforcement, I've always had the attitude of respecting the "badge" even if I haven't respected the person wearing it (e.g. because of their personality, etc). The number of times in my life when I've had to interact with law enforcement I've ALWAYS answered questions with: "Yes, officer.", "No, officer.". Recently I was pulled over after leaving a grocery store at night because I allegedly drove too close to the curb on a street. The officer asked to see my drivers license. I kept both hands on the steering wheel and I told him that my wallet was in my right front pocket and that I'd have to remove my hands from the wheel and reach in my pocket to get my wallet. He said that was fine for me to do. He technically has the power to arrest me. He has a gun and technically he could kill me. Because of those reasons I consider law enforcement to be armed and dangerous. Because of those reasons law enforcement is literally one of the last types of people that I would ever want to disrespect to their face/in the moment.
 
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As a child I did. I got very annoyed by being bossed around by any "authority" figure, including my parents sometimes. Now, anyone I see as an "authority" figure just intimidates me, so I try to be respectful so I don't anger them. Especially cops, since they already get frustrated with me as I have the 'tism.
 
I have always seen 'people as well people' and not given any extra regard due to their position or status, this has proved problematic i recall a job as a care assistant when i was in a review for someone i supported and something promised to that individual hadn't happened, much to the managers disgust ( do you know who i am syndrome!!) i challenged this, i guess the need to 'advocate' for the person who due to his disability had little power or say meant more than some N/T need to accept bad practice due to their qualification and position, so yes i need/want authentic honest and consistant behavoir and responses and will often challenge if i sence injustice or unreasonable behaviour regardless of who's responsible, not often swayed by the need to 'fit in' or 'say the right thing' honesty i find is rare and often seen as a negative tract, oddly i like rules and order but only if they make sence (to me of course) otherwise i ignore or find my way round them.
That said, yes the law and law inforcers need their authority taken seriously.
 
As @Magna has mentioned it's the type of authority that I either accept or become irritated by. While renewing my passport or driver's license it's expected that you do certain things, provide information and have your picture taken. It's understood that you have to 'jump through these hoops' to manage these things. Since I understand what's involved, it's easy enough to do them. Knowing what's expected. It does not matter that I feel like a 'number' with a code from birth, that erases my individuality and dehumanises. Must put that thought aside to achieve the pieces of paper and plastic that are required by authorities.

Dislike the idea of other people deciding how I should be, or act or think. Attempting to circumvent my perspective with what they consider their 'better' ideas. Either through what they think of as rationality, authoritarism, class, wealth or education.

The province in Canada that I live in, is the most authoritarian. It's in no way unusual to go to a store or a provincial park or government office and find a large placard size list of ten or more things prohibited. The wooded path that I hike on regularly has a map of the path, along with actions prohibited. No swimming, no fishing, no feeding the ducks, dogs on leash, clean up after your dogs, no dogs allowed in the river, no littering, no bikes, no motors, no feeding of wildlife, no harvesting of plants, no camping and no campfires. There are more that I can't think of.

Many simply ignore the restrictions, since it's not monitored. And I often see people and happy wet dogs running about in fun. Each time I go, I imagine the person that wrote those prohibitions. Sitting in their office throughout their lives, with their glasses on their nose, pointing their finger at their list of restrictions thinking, if I can't have fun, no one else can either.
 
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Yes, I do. I don't like being bossed around, don't like being told what to do, don't like being 'managed' or 'handled' by those in authority (school teachers and parents, then later police, airport staff, etc.) I avoid dealings with authority if at all possible.
 
I treat everyone with respect until they don't treat me with respect. If you're decent to me I'll be decent to you, regardless of position or status. I'm also a straightforward person who doesn't make adjustments for the "status" of the person I'm talking to, for the most part. I refuse to participate in office politics and the like. I think it's stupid and I won't do it. If something needs done I do it, with little regard for the hoops that you're supposed to jump through to get it done in the proper bureaucratic fashion.

When I was younger I had serious problems with the concept that I was born, and by nature of when/where I was born, some people were automatically "more important" and got to boss me around. I had SERIOUS problems with that. But I was also treated like crap as a child, and that's a big part of the reason why.

I'm also one of those people who needs to understand the why and wherefore of everything before I do it. If I ask why something needs to be done, "because I said so" is NOT an acceptable response. (Of course I rarely encounter such nonsense as an adult, which makes things a lot easier.)
 
Depends on the nature of such authority. Having been raised in a military household, it was made very clear to me at an early age that such authority was unconditional. A major tenet of military chains of command. Where using your initiative can be inherently dangerous.

My suspected autistic cousin who was once in the Marine Corps made the mistake of challenging (and assaulting) his commanding officer. It predictably ended badly for my cousin. Very badly.

However to me the civilian world is very different. Where you encounter too many persons wielding authority without any sense of discretion. Unimaginative bureaucrats who simply follow rules without exception. Especially problematic for police officers or even insurance underwriters. Fortunately for me the very few dealings with law enforcement have been positive for me, involving policemen who seemed to go beyond simply following the law to the letter. Though I remember so many fellow insurance underwriters who never even attempted to make accommodations to corporate guidelines. They would just turn down anything and everything, making their job easier. They were always the ones laid off or terminated first.

I was always impressed by an underwriting manager who once very sternly told me, "To break the rules, just make sure you know the rules." It served me well, writing some very hazardous risks yet maintaining sufficient control to make a underwriting profit on them. After all, the job involved bringing in premium dollars every bit as important to screening out bad risks. It was never all about enforcing underwriting policy.

I also recall when I once questioned a stupid decision by my supervisor when I was a rater. His immediate response was, "Because I'm the boss". Way wrong answer considering his boss (the Operations Manager) was standing right behind him when he said that to me. She escorted my supervisor into her office and everyone could hear her yelling at him behind a closed door. Oops. :rolleyes:
 
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When I read this question in the ASD quiz I thought it meant if I had trouble with the police, like being in jail or something like that...

But I do have a problem, because I don't believe in such thing as "authority". A hierarchical social structure doesn't do any good to keep the decisions of those who are up in the hierarchy at check — everyone should be questioned equally.
 
I am a very independent person and after reading many posts on this forum, I believe many of us are independent people as well. I also believe that this probably why many of us question authority at times.
 
I am a very independent person and after reading many posts on this forum, I believe many of us are independent people as well. I also believe that this probably why many of us question authority at times.

Yep. Many of us being "lone wolves" who simply don't follow the pack. Any pack. ;)
 
I also recall when I once questioned a stupid decision by my supervisor when I was a rater. His immediate response was, "Because I'm the boss".
Yes - this "do as I say, because I say so" attitude is guaranteed to very quickly lose you respect, and is an example of abuse of authority unfortunately all too common. Unfortunately postitions of authority very often attract exactly the wrong kind of person for the job.
 
I was wondering if autistic people who have had to live in the mainstream have had a hard time with authority due to certain teachers and bosses coming down on them too much.
 
My problem with authority is ABUSE of authority, not necessarily authority itself. Mentioning cops, I have seen people attack cops without any real provocation, apparently just because they hate all cops. That in the cop's mind is carte blanche to beat the guy to a pulp. I've heard of cops in places like New York City attacking civilians without being provoked. That really doesn't happen in California, if the cop shoots first it's because he thought the guy had a gun when he actually had a hammer or phone or something and it was night so the cop couldn't see that well. I am always pleasant to cops. If the cop asks for ID i usually assume that he has given me permission to reach into my pocket for my wallet.

However, when people use their authority to try to force me to do something nonsensical I generally hate it. That rarely happens to me nowadays though, but it happened a lot in school. I don't work so I don't have a manager playing politics and trying to thwart me at every turn simply because he hates me. I also don't rent an apartment so no building manager out to get me. Some posters here are in situations where money issues force them to live with somebody who uses the fact that the poster depends on them for housing as a sword over their heads to force them to endure abuse.

But usually with bureaucracy I am generally patient knowing that the front counter droid doesn't make the rules but they still get screamed at all the time because a lot of encounters are with people who are too unintelligent to realize that the front counter people have no say over the rules.
 
I'm with the "it depends" crowd. I used to think I have one but discovered I have a problem with bad authority.

So I don't automatically respect professions or people normally perceived as authority figures and I have a very staunch stance if they are incompetent or abusing their power, as such people can cause a lot more harm than regular folks.
 
None really. There need to be more laws in my country but even the ones we have aren't respected and that is unfortunately happening on a broad scale.

I have issues to say no to authority figures. I automatically highly respect them for their position but keeping that respect is up to them, when they lose it I start to talk back and fight their behavior. I respect outsiders that aren't friends anyway so I usually say nothing bad ever if they are respectful.
 
Yes, I had problems in school and I've had problems at every job I've had except for my current one where my boss hardly ever says or does anything that affects me. It's great.
 
In my mind, it's not that "authority" is a problem.

It's "egotistical powermongers" that are the problem. Or, on the other hand, rules that are simply stupid, or make no sense.

As someone who experiences zero peer pressure, and zero desire to go with the herd, I dont go along with something simply because "that's how it's done" or because some doofus wants to throw his weight around.

I dont work anymore, but back when I did, it could certainly cause friction. Didnt matter to me though. It was kinda funny, really, how employers tended to react to a barrage of pure logic that countered some bloody stupid "rule" they'd come up with. Usually just alot of stammering.

Honestly I was like this even in highschool. Time for sports, you say? No it isnt. What's that? You insist? Well... bloody tough. I'm gonna go pace around over here now, thanks. I can exercise just fine without crashing full tilt into the various idiots that are going to be playing your stupid football game, thanks. All those morons suck anyway, I wont mingle with them.

Eventually they outright gave up, and I was officially allowed to do whatever during gym class, so long as I kept walking.
 

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