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"I don't really listen to music..."

I resent having to lie so much just to get by socially.

This always seems like too much effort to me. Way too much. I always figure, if being social is going to require this crap so much that I'd have to do it constantly to even be considered acceptable... then I dont want to be social, and everyone else can go jump into the nearest cactus if they have a problem with that.


In my case, there are three big ones that people I meet cant seem to comprehend:

1. I dont drink alcohol. Ever.

2. I dont watch movies.

3. I not only dont do politics, I dont even understand the basics of it, AND, dont actually WANT to know the basics. I will go out of my way to NOT know these things. And indeed, I do not vote. All I know is the name of the president, and I sometimes get even that wrong. Though usually I'll just say "President Whats-his-face" to show my extreme disdain for the whole politics thing. Frankly, politics is disgusting.

Pointing out any of these three things to someone usually results in that sort of blank expression that I call a "mental bluescreen moment" where their brain is clearly trying to reboot.

Pointing out all three at once, well... better dive for cover, because their head is about to burst!


I have noticed that these three things are so utterly ingrained in our braindead society that most people will almost immediately forget my expanation and start ranting about movies or politics again. It is, frankly, pathetic. Particularly the politics part.
 
This always seems like too much effort to me. Way too much.

You're right. I mean, everything you said was spot-on, but you're so right when you say it's too much effort. It is way too much work.

And you know what? I don't want to do it anymore. I say I resent it, yet I keep doing it. Why? Because it's what I'm supposed to do? To impress the people around me? I actually watched every NFL game last year so I'd be in the loop with the office scuttlebutt. Well screw that, screw them, way too damn much work.
 
There's a particular classical piece used in an obscure Hong Kong film and I can't get my hands on it, principally because I can't see a copy of the film with the music in!
 
In my case, there are three big ones that people I meet cant seem to comprehend:

1. I dont drink alcohol. Ever.

Unless you have a literal alcohol intolerance, you were an alcoholic, you don't like alcohol or you're religious, why such hostility?

I guarantee you there will be something you like. Your orange juice has alcohol in it. Not much, but some. It's natural alcohol.

Don't just think cheap and nasty spirits and poor mass-produced lagers, think fruit beers, ciders and perries, golden ales, stouts and porters and Belgian beers, the most amazing of them can be a religious experience.

2. I dont watch movies.

What films have you seen that you didn't like? I know that this is a nosy question so you needn't answer.

3. I not only dont do politics, I dont even understand the basics of it, AND, dont actually WANT to know the basics. I will go out of my way to NOT know these things. And indeed, I do not vote. All I know is the name of the president, and I sometimes get even that wrong. Though usually I'll just say "President Whats-his-face" to show my extreme disdain for the whole politics thing. Frankly, politics is disgusting.

Forget about the people. Think about the way you think about life. What do you want? Go from there. A lot of it's fights about personalities but it's really all to do with achieving the right result. Think ideas. Read in simple language and you'll come to figure it out. Wiki will help.
 
Unless you have a literal alcohol intolerance, you were an alcoholic, you don't like alcohol or you're religious, why such hostility?

I guarantee you there will be something you like. Your orange juice has alcohol in it. Not much, but some. It's natural alcohol.

Don't just think cheap and nasty spirits and poor mass-produced lagers, think fruit beers, ciders and perries, golden ales, stouts and porters and Belgian beers, the most amazing of them can be a religious experience.



What films have you seen that you didn't like? I know that this is a nosy question so you needn't answer.



Forget about the people. Think about the way you think about life. What do you want? Go from there. A lot of it's fights about personalities but it's really all to do with achieving the right result. Think ideas. Read in simple language and you'll come to figure it out. Wiki will help.

To answer the questions:

1, the alcohol: I dont drink this because I see it as one thing: basically, a "potion of stupidity". It has no benefits. It slows you down, reduces coordination, makes you more gullible, makes you more likely to make a damn idiot of yourself, and can even ruin not just your life, but even the lives of those around you. Or, in the case of drunk driving, can outright end them. Alot of people seem to drink because it's somehow "social", which I find baffling. I'm not going to "impress" someone by making a total moron of myself. AND, on top of that, it has cumulative negative effects, because of course it does. Addiction and things like ruining your liver (my uncle got hit with that one, and it was baaaaad... and he wasnt a heavy drinker either). There's no reason whatsoever for me to touch the stuff (and no, I dont drink orange juice). But there's about 5 bazillion reasons to avoid it. And lastly, I dont even like being around people that have had any, because I"ve had waaaaayyyyyy too many seriously irritating and problematic experiences with that. My mother and stepfather used to drink a bit too much, and tended to display all of the most annoying symptoms of drunkenness. They only finally stopped after a little incident in the driveway, where I finally snapped and outright shrieked at them at max volume about it. AKA, the neighbors could hear the whole thing (which was the point). The drinking IMMEDIATELY stopped... and they've been soooooooo much better as a result.

And really I have things I drink that dont need that crap. I drink ALOT of milk and also try to drink alot of water because hydration is important.


2, the movies: ehhhh, it's not a matter of not liking any specific movies. In fact, it's not a problem with the movies themselves. It's that I have zero patience. Movies are LONG. Well, long by my standards anyway. And as they are not something interactive, my attention soon wanders. I have the sort of mind that is constantly spinning at high speed, never slowing down, so a great many things are long or slow by my perception. And they're the sort of thing where you cant really stop in the middle of one and come back later... it ruins the experience. They're just not meant for that. So I just read books instead (which I can do very quickly, and in small doses rather than huge chunks). So yeah, it's my issue, not an issue with the movies themselves. I understand why so many people like them. I just have no interest or patience.

3. Politics: This one is the worst of all of them for me... it's not even a contest. There's a couple of specific reasons. 1, the toxicity. And yes, I use that word to describe it. Politics brings out the worst in people. Even friendly, pleasant people can be reduced into a screaming, frothing mess over this, and I seriously dont even want to know just how many times I've witnessed this. It's all arguements and yelling and insults. Hell, even the damn political ads! Ever notice how political ads DONT focus on what the candidate can do for you (most of the time), but instead focus on what sucks about the OTHER guy? These people are spending BIG MONEY to throw INSULTS around! Talk about childish! And these fools are RUNNING things? What I HAVE noticed about politics also... the sort of info that I'm unable to avoid even if I try (because some people in my life never shut up about it, so I WILL hear details whether I want to or not, and those people ALWAYS have political stuff on TV, which is the only reason I see the damn ads)... is that there is no "good" choice. You can vote for one greedy and corrupted asshat, or you can vote for a different asshat who is just as bad, but in a different way. Gee golly, which should I pick? So I dont bother, and quickly stopped giving a fart. These days, I just outright leave whenever political discussions start. I have a very short fuse, so... yeah. That's the best option. Yelling at people to change subjects doesnt accomplish anything.

On top of that, I have certain immediate family members who are VERY political. Like, they get involved in everything. And it's NOT a positive thing for them. It's very negative, because of course it is. It leads to lots of anger and even ruined/damaged relationships between them and others. Hell, I remember both my mom & stepfather spending like 10 straight minutes insulting my uncle behind his back, because he picked the "wrong" choice in some damn stupid election. And this sort of thing isnt an exception: It's the NORM, when it comes to taking part in politics. To me, it's like a bunch of angry toddlers shouting at each other on the playground. I've seen enough of that in my time. I dont need more.

AND. On top of that. I've noticed that politics doesnt revolve around the issues: It revolves around tribalism (look it up if you dont know what that is... it can be a very interesting read). By far the vast majority of people dont REALLY think about the issues when it comes to voting. They choose STRICTLY based on what political party they're affiliated with. Tribalism is unfortunately one of our deepest instincts/tendancies, and it causes ALOT of problems... and this is one of them. This is one of those aspects where you dont need to actually know much in the way of details about politics to spot it. Just watch the behavior of people engaging in it, and listen to some of the things they say. It's usually VERY blatant... but few people ever actually spot it. A fascinating phenomenon, really, but also a depressing one.



I recognize that alot of people wont agree with me on these things. But frankly, I dont care. I've always been the sort to just do whatever, no matter what. Or, in this case, simply ignore things I hate, even if that causes people to dislike me. And these opinions/thoughts/whatever are ones that have formed over probably 20 years of pondering them.

However, if someone has a different view than myself, I'm not going to belittle them or think less of them (even if I'm sometimes driven to rage over how someone is acting). Everyone is different, and can have different interests and beliefs, and that's fine by me. Doesnt make me like them any less. I just dont share those common thoughts when it comes to these three things. And to be totally honest, prefer not to discuss this in most situations. It usually leads to trouble while accomplishing next to nothing.

Kudos to you if you read this far. Alot of people wouldnt. I do apologize for the long post, I'm very bad at making things concise and short. I do hope none of this sounded insulting or anything... it isnt meant to. But as I'm a very negative individual (there's a reason I use the name "Misery") sometimes I can appear that way to people. I apologize if that is the case.

That's enough out of me for now. I now return this topic to it's regularly scheduled... whatever.
 
I vote on my worldview - I didn't vote tribally (I've voted for multiple parties). I don't really vote for the politician so much but the idea of what they want.
 
I agree about not liking politics. I don’t enjoy listening to politicians lie and spin and b.s.. I listen just enough to decide who to vote for, takes about 15 seconds. That leaves time for chocolate pizza!
A while back someone mentioned that listening to music with lyrics is too distracting while he or she drives. Me too, so I listen to Spanish language station, I don’t know much Spanish so I’m not distracted by the lyrics and the beats are really cool.
I have a hard time answering the question,”What are you interested in, do you have a hobby?” First of all I have learned to not share what I’m interested in because I will be ridiculed, or not, no way to know beforehand. One day it’s if ionizers help clean the air or not, for months I might be interested in backyard chickens or how to train a dog to do tricks.
 
Don’t own a tv, don’t have music downloads, never played a video game beyond Tetris (and that less than 4 times in life), and do not walk down street staring at phone, or have ear phones plugged in. Radio and politics important as I want to be an educated informed voter. I spent decades not caring...but the mess my country is in now is really serious.
 
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I agree about not liking politics. I don’t enjoy listening to politicians lie and spin and b.s.. I listen just enough to decide who to vote for, takes about 15 seconds. That leaves time for chocolate pizza!
A while back someone mentioned that listening to music with lyrics is too distracting while he or she drives. Me too, so I listen to Spanish language station, I don’t know much Spanish so I’m not distracted by the lyrics and the beats are really cool.
I have a hard time answering the question,”What are you interested in, do you have a hobby?” First of all I have learned to not share what I’m interested in because I will be ridiculed, or not, no way to know beforehand. One day it’s if ionizers help clean the air or not, for months I might be interested in backyard chickens or how to train a dog to do tricks.

Ah, that's another good one! I dont like listening to music with lyrics myself.

Two reasons: 1, the bloody singing just makes the actual music harder to hear, and 2, the subject matter of damn near all songs is boring to me.

There seems to be exactly three things that a song can be about:

1. Love.
2. Relationships.
3. How great some guy's girlfriend is.

I mean, seriously. Someone could sing about freaking carpentry and it'd be more interesting at this point.

Well, no, there is a third reason I dont like lyrics: Sometimes I cant even freaking understand the words because the screwy singing is distorting them too much. There'll be some song, the music will kick in, and then the voice going "BLERGITY GLSIHBOAH WHOOOOAAAAA BLUBGLUBBADOOSH" and what am I supposed to make of that? Pronounce the bloody words properly, dagnabit! Or dont, they'll just be about your boring relationship anyway.



As for the question of what you're interested in, I can say this: On this forum, you can feel free to talk about it. We all understand the idea of having funky interests. I'm not quite sure what backyard chickens are or how they differ from the usual chickens you see on farms, but still, you might find that people here are actually willing to listen and learn more.
 
Backyard chickens are just chickens, but it has become popular in some places to have just a few laying hens in your suburban back yard! You take care of them, get eggs, and chickens are really cool with personalities and you can watch them. They are funny too. They make cluck cluck squawk sounds and they take “dust baths” by rolling around in the dirt where they kick and flap their wings to really get the dirt stirred up. I just love chickens and hope to buy a house someday with a large back yard and have maybe three hens. No roosters though, they are noisy and bother the hens too much, in my opinion.
 
I have never drank alcohol, and movies are sensory overload city for me. My folks would drag me to movies because they couldn't afford a babysitter, and by the time the movie ended my brain was shut down. My dad would say "what do you think about Superman / Captain Kirk doing such and such?" and I'd just say "oh it was ok" then head straight to my room.

I also hate sports, never could see the point. In high school the dances were after the sports games, and I'd simply skip the game and head to the dance. I liked the music back then (early 90s) and I liked getting out of the house and away from my abusive father. I was never into the whole party scene though. I got rid of my TV a decade ago, all the "shows" eventually became either "reality" shows or jingoistic dramas fawning over the military. Today's music? Blecch, awful, three notes on a loop with some guy blabbing about his money and cars and women.

Also, people can't understand why I am not materialistic. They can't figure out why I would voluntarily not have the biggest and latest and greatest of the most popular stuff. It seems like people are just obsessed with stuff to the point where all they want is stuff. Some younger people have replaced "stuff" with "experiences", they spend lots of money to go somewhere simply so they can take selfies. (I don't have a smartphone either. Another thing people don't get.) People are so materialistic and social scene oriented that I prefer to be alone. I can't get hired because I don't have six or seven different social media accounts full of selfies in exotic locations. Whatever.
 
Backyard chickens are just chickens, but it has become popular in some places to have just a few laying hens in your suburban back yard! You take care of them, get eggs, and chickens are really cool with personalities and you can watch them. They are funny too. They make cluck cluck squawk sounds and they take “dust baths” by rolling around in the dirt where they kick and flap their wings to really get the dirt stirred up. I just love chickens and hope to buy a house someday with a large back yard and have maybe three hens. No roosters though, they are noisy and bother the hens too much, in my opinion.

My grandpa said that the chickens are trying to get rid of their fleas when they roll around in the dirt. I want to have chickens too, I will also need roosters since that's the only way to get baby chickens.
 
Your Grandpa is right. You add sand and diatomaceous earth to their dust bath area and they love it. Then every few months you can give them a warm bath with a little shampoo and warm water. They get so relaxed they nod off.
 
I was going to make a longer comment but there are already so many. in short:

I have no art or pictures on the walls of my home. I don't like artsy things (or most artsy people because they appear fake to me) and I don't like looking at people in pictures.

Music: I don't listen to much music because I hate the way it sounds when people push and bend their voices, especially when it's falseto. Yet, some of the only music I enjoy is Neil Young who sings falseto. Try to explain that to someone who's not AS.

Movies, I hate them. To me, it feels like everyone and everything is fake and phony.

TV; Same as above, scripted shows are all fake. Situational actors portraying an event or an actual person make me want to run for the hills.

I'm a minimalist. I barely have any silverware or plates / bowls and the ones I do have, don't match.
 
Yesterday I told my mother that I had found a website called "Stick Figures In Peril", which is basically photos of warning labels and street signs that stick people drowning, getting twisted around poles, falling from cliffs, trapped in quicksand, stung by jellyfish, and other scary stuff. She had a hard time understanding why something like that even exists. I told her, as best as I could, that a lot of the pictures were taken from all over the world, many of the signs were weird, funny, or creepy, and people could make comments on them.
 
Im going to look for that website, sounds hilarious!

Lol found it. Dont lay under an elephant!
Dont run with a fish under your arm!
 
I just googled stick figures in peril, then chose images. They are all funny. Like dont feed your baby to the aligators.
 

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