• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

I don't think NTs really care about their interests

Ephraim Becker

Ephraim Becker

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
I had college math class on zoom today and there was someone that has a nasa sweatshirt so I put on nasa tv on my video and he didn’t care at all. Looks like people that don’t have autism don’t really care about their interests which is why I only want to have autistic friends.
 
I believe you are over generalizing.

So one guy wasn't interested in what you posted, when you offered it.
That does not prove that all non-asd people "don't really care about
their interests."
 
There's another married person my father's age that's interested in stargazing and has a telescope but he lives in Brooklyn which has a lot of light pollution. If he would really be serious about stargazing, then he would live in the countryside.
 
Perhaps he needed to "switch off", or simply stick with the maths, and wasn't having a "NASA moment" at that moment. They tick exactly the same way as us. (Which is different from saying it the other way round!)
 
@Ephraim Becker
You have appointed yourself the judge of what "people ought to do."

Interest levels vary.

You are wearing a shirt in your avatar image.
By your reasoning regarding NTs, this proves that
you have researched the history of clothing, shirts in
particular, including the method of weaving, and what
plants are used, and how synthetics have come about,
and possibly the symbolism of color etc......

But I doubt that is true.
You are wearing a shirt in the picture because you have a shirt.

There is no reason to assume that asd people have a monopoly
on caring.
 
tree said:
@Ephraim Becker
You have appointed yourself the judge of what "people ought to do."

Interest levels vary.

You are wearing a shirt in your avatar image.
By your reasoning regarding NTs, this proves that
you have researched the history of clothing, shirts in
particular, including the method of weaving, and what
plants are used, and how synthetics have come about,
and possibly the symbolism of color etc......

But I doubt that is true.
You are wearing a shirt in the picture because you have a shirt.

There is no reason to assume that asd people have a monopoly
on caring.
Click to expand...
But it's specifically a nasa shirt
 
Ephraim Becker said:
There's another married person my father's age that's interested in stargazing and has a telescope but he lives in Brooklyn which has a lot of light pollution. If he would really be serious about stargazing, then he would live in the countryside.
Click to expand...
There are many reasons why one could be really serious about stargazing but still live in the city. Work, relatives, amenities, mobility, liking the city, er cetera. Having an interest doesn’t define you completely as a person and doesn’t mean you’re supposed to engage in that interest 100% of the time.
 
Bolletje said:
There are many reasons why one could be really serious about stargazing but still live in the city. Work, relatives, amenities, mobility, liking the city, er cetera. Having an interest doesn’t define you completely as a person and doesn’t mean you’re supposed to engage in that interest 100% of the time.
Click to expand...
It does mean that when someone is autistic.

Bolletje said:
Maybe he didn’t even see it.
Click to expand...
Not only did I put it on but I turned on the sound which disrupted the class a little.
 
I wish someone had helped me stay in maths, I've got the mind for it (but am glad I was into other things anyway). I find "50 mathematical ideas you really need to know" by Tony Crilly a really nice book.

If stuck for gambits among mathematicians, could you look up some maths jokes or invent your own?

But just listening quietly to others chattering is joining in, too. For us Aspies "not trying too hard" can become a strength eventually.

Ephraim Becker said:
It does mean that when someone is autistic.
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't!
 
I get this now. They are gossippy. About who's in whatever box with a lid, none of which existed as boxes in my young day. Just listening doesn't mean getting interested in the same things.

Showing a loud NASA video isn't necessarily a paux pas: you simply don't need to be offended you didn't get much reaction, that's all. They might get used to your sense of humour. It might lighten the atmosphere!
 
I do believe if an autistic person is wearing a NASA sweatshirt it is more likely to indicate a true interest in NASA than an NT wearing it. Although, I think most would find it strange that someone would be wearing it and have no interest in NASA. I would have expected him to explain why he was wearing it, unless he was just trying to be unfriendly. But how often do we get that reaction from NTs :angry:.
 
To my understanding NASA is itself a brand that people wear because it's trendy. They have a collaboration with Vans for example, and though Vans is known for skateboarding shoes, the number of Vans wearers who actually skateboard is likely a very small minority. Likely, the typical person on the street who wears Nike runners likely has no idea what I'm talking about if I talk about waffles.
 
Ephraim Becker said:
I had college math class on zoom today and there was someone that has a nasa sweatshirt so I put on nasa tv on my video and he didn’t care at all. Looks like people that don’t have autism don’t really care about their interests which is why I only want to have autistic friends.
Click to expand...

As a university instructor who does a fair amount of these Zoom classes,...I would be a bit taken back by your lack of interest in the class you are taking,...and likely paying for,...because you saw someone with a NASA shirt and wanted to "reach out to them" by playing NASA TV on your video feed. This is not the time nor the situation where that would be acceptable. As you mentioned,...you've interrupted the class. According to your profile age, you're 24,...not 12. You're taking a class with adults.

Furthermore, I can empathize with your lack of "cognitive empathy" and lack of "theory of mind",...it can be confusing trying to understand the social language of neurotypicals. What is socially acceptable doesn't always make sense,...I've tried,...I am 53, work with the public,...and still get perplexed by it all. It can lead to some thinking errors,...which others have pointed out to you on the above posts. Right or wrong, I have learned to keep my natural impulsive nature at bay,...forcing myself to keep my mouth shut,...and then, if possible, ask appropriate questions to gain some more context before firing off comments or making judgements. That, in and of itself, takes a bit of self-discipline,...and it is not easy.:);)
 
Last edited:
Neonatal RRT said:
As a university instructor who does a fair amount of these Zoom classes,...I would be a bit taken back by your lack of interest in class you are taking,...and likely paying for,...because you saw someone with a NASA shirt and wanted to "reach out to them" by playing NASA TV on your video feed. This is not the time nor the situation where that would be acceptable. As you mentioned,...you've interrupted the class. According to your profile age, you're 24,...not 12. You're taking a class with adults.

Furthermore, I can empathize with your lack of "cognitive empathy" and lack of "theory of mind",...it can be confusing trying to understand the social language of neurotypicals. What is socially acceptable doesn't always make sense,...I've tried,...I am 53, work with the public,...and still get perplexed by it all. It can lead to some thinking errors,...which others have pointed out to you on the above posts. Right or wrong, I have learned to keep my natural impulsive nature at bay,...forcing myself to keep my mouth shut,...and then, if possible, ask appropriate questions to gain some more context before firing off comments or making judgements. That, in and of itself, takes a bit of self-discipline,...and it is not easy.:);)
Click to expand...
That math class doesn't have a class chat and it's on zoom so I would never be able to speak to him. It's so annoying that I can't make friends in college.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom