Completely absurd questions that NTs tend to ask

[DuckRabbit]

They NEED people like us to feed off of.

I believe there is some truth in this. Unless one is highly conscious and evolved psychologically, the unconscious need for scapegoats seems to be innate in many people's psyches. Groups of people have been scapegoated throughout history. In the old days, men needed women to look big and successful against, then ethnic majorities needed ethnic minorities to grind their axes against, then upper-class people sneered at lower SES people. History suggests that it's the devil's own job trying to exist without a people to look down on or look superior against. It seems to be the path of least resistance. As religious author Karen Armstrong puts it:

“There are some people, I suspect, who would be outraged if, when they finally arrived in heaven, they found everybody else there as well. Heaven would not be heaven unless you could peer over the celestial parapets… and watch the unfortunates roasting below.”

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the vital function that Aspergers serve in the psychic life of many NTs, the 'cool normals'. Whereas Aspergers have their faults and failings brought up at every turn - made to feel deficient, other, less (as you pointed out), the anger, hostility and stony blanking of some NTs at the suggestion that their values, assumptions and modes of thinking may be anything less than worthy and desirable, suggest that they are a long way from withdrawing their projections and accepting the fact that they too cast a shadow on this earth.

 

[Streetwise]

I believe there is some truth in this. Unless one is highly conscious and evolved psychologically, the unconscious need for scapegoats seems to be innate in many people's psyches. Groups of people have been scapegoated throughout history. In the old days, men needed women to look big and successful against, then ethnic majorities needed ethnic majorities to grind their axes against, then upper-class people sneered at lower SES people. History suggests that it's the devil's own job trying to exist without a people to look down on or look superior against. It seems to be the path of least resistance. As religious author Karen Armstrong puts it:

“There are some people, I suspect, who would be outraged if, when they finally arrived in heaven, they found everybody else there as well. Heaven would not be heaven unless you could peer over the celestial parapets… and watch the unfortunates roasting below.”

I wouldn't be surprised if this was the vital function that Aspergers served in the psychic life of many NTs, the 'cool normals'. Whereas Aspergers have their faults and failings brought up at every turn - made to feel deficient, other, less (as you pointed out), the anger, hostility and stony blanking of some NTs at the suggestion that their values, assumptions and modes of thinking may be anything less than worthy and desirable, suggest that they are a long way from withdrawing their projections and accepting the fact that they too cast a shadow on this earth.

i personally I think it's whoever is sociably acceptable to belittle theres a list now jews are usually first then it's sort of a Long list for second place so if you're not Caucasian (white)then its your skin colour , then it's between certain disabled groups and certain religions and certain mental illnesses -usually schizophrenia.
I think autism is ranked with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder and tourettes if you have vocal tourettes .
add to the list being female .

 

[DuckRabbit]

I find medical and psych questions to be very hard to answer. I have to think what the base is from which they are asking. "Are you depressed" when at that moment I may not be because I am talking to a therapist, whereas right before and after, yes. But I would have to ask myself do they mean RIGHT NOW or when?

Because we have emotions that change, it is very hard for me to get what they want!

I wonder whether this is linked to the lack of "Bayesian priors" identified in ASC people:
A failure of Bayesian inference

Pellicano and Burr (2012): "[...] autistic people tend to perceive the world more accurately as a consequence of hypo-priors or reduced bias by prior experience, a notion that fits well with extant empirical data." (p. 509)
"[...] the possibility that the non-social symptoms of autism might be attributable to fundamental differences in sensation and perception" (p. 504)
The hypo-priors mean that ASC individuals experience everything afresh, rather than mediated by prior knowledge and expectations. (p. 508)

It is cognitively tiring to be interpreting everything as if it is relatively new --- like functioning without stereotypes or without established templates for interpreting stimuli. This could be why ASC individuals are more quickly tired out by social interaction and try to minimise stimuli while NTs seem to be able to withstand a lot more stimulation - noise, colour, lights, movement.

But these "hypo-priors" pertain to sensation and perception i.e., the non-social symptoms of autism. I rather suspect there is a lack of "priors" for social symptoms as well: a lack of prior social knowledge, a lack of established cultural meanings, a lack of insight into expectations, literal interpretations of metaphors etc. What else could explain the Asperger struggle to come up with the 'correct' answer for simple, seemingly formulaic questions like "How are you?"? Apart from what the question actually means, Aspergers are more likely to think "How am I expected to say I feel?" or "What would an NT say they feel in my situation?" - due to their idiosyncratic and unconventional answers attracting ridicule or bemusement in the past. They then have to overlay concerns about what the person is getting at (a task- or truth-focus) with meta-concerns about what they ought to say in that situation (a social-focus). Exhausting! Whereas NT hardwiring naturally guides them to just the social focus - Phew! A lot less to cogitate about.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

What's that noise?

 

[Rayner]

Being a cowboy. of the absurd questions revolve around what I do for a living. I get it that I have a cool job, and I guess a lot of people are fascinated with what it is I do for living.
Are you a real cowboy?

Where did I park my horse?

Do you ever Lasso cows?

there are so many more I could think of what people say, but I think I'll stop here.

 

[LucyPurrs]

Being a cowboy. of the absurd questions revolve around what I do for a living. I get it that I have a cool job, and I guess a lot of people are fascinated with what it is I do for living.
Are you a real cowboy?

Where did I park my horse?

Do you ever Lasso cows?

there are so many more I could think of what people say, but I think I'll stop here.

That's a winner for the stupidest questions to a cowboy.

 

[Bella Pines]

Heard the other day:

"But that shouldn't have happened?"

Well, clearly it can and it did.

 

[Mr Allen]

i personally I think it's whoever is sociably acceptable to belittle theres a list now jews are usually first then it's sort of a Long list for second place so if you're not Caucasian (white)then its your skin colour , then it's between certain disabled groups and certain religions and certain mental illnesses -usually schizophrenia.
I think autism is ranked with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder and tourettes if you have vocal tourettes .
add to the list being female .

Ugh, people who ridicule the mentally handicapped seriously need to take a long hard look at their own lives IMO, or rather, lack thereof.

 

[LucyPurrs]

i personally I think it's whoever is sociably acceptable to belittle theres a list now jews are usually first then it's sort of a Long list for second place so if you're not Caucasian (white)then its your skin colour , then it's between certain disabled groups and certain religions and certain mental illnesses -usually schizophrenia.
I think autism is ranked with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder and tourettes if you have vocal tourettes .
add to the list being female .

In my book it's not socially acceptable to belittle anyone, period.

 

[Kari_Cookie]

Oh, one of these 'How are you?' questions. Frustrating that people have to ask about when they don't care about the answer. What's the point?

I think it’s just social convention. Samething as “take care”, “have a nice day.”

 

[Ragnahawk]

Co worker asked if I knew what white cheese cake was with strawberries. I told him I don't like cheese cake, no I don't know.
Said it was strawberry cheesecake.

>_>

 

[Chance]

Theres a knock on the door... I answer the door.

This person says, "Can I have a minute of your time?" I answer... "You have 57 seconds."

Too Literal? My guess is yes... But I dislike people asking for a minute meaning an hour I never wanted to give them in the first place....

 

[Melle]

"Do you tie your own shoes?"

That honestly floored me, I mean for a full grown adult what kind of question is that?

Yes, I tie my own shoes.

Her - "Good, it's a very important skill to have in life."

*Evacuates the area as quickly as possible.*

Apparently, you also know how to use the internet, read and post... what a big boy!!! ;-) I'm always being asked what planet I'm from... but I still can not imagine asking an adult if he ties his own shoes.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

Did he want any coffee?

Me : No

Doesn't he like coffee?

!!!

 

[VioletHaze_03]

Them: *Speaking in sarcasm, emoji and jokes the entire time*
Me: *Interprets them seriously and gives logical answers, even though i can't understand what is being said*
Them: Why can't you take a joke? You're so literal all the time and it's so annoying. Don't you have a life?
Me: *Still trying to comprehend what is going on*