I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like

[Kavigant]

One of the things I hear most frequently regarding autism is that autists don’t understand metaphors. This really trips me up as I try to evaluate myself for autism, because I think that I understand metaphors just fine.

I think that perhaps I don’t get it: isn’t it true that metaphors cannot be logically understood by anyone and everyone just has to be told what they mean?

For example, the first time a child (or a non-native English speaker) hears someone say that it’s “raining cats and dogs” outside, I’d guess that none of them would have any idea at all what the heck that means. But once someone else explains to you that “raining cats and dogs” simply means “it’s raining quite heavily,” wouldn’t you just know to substitute the words “really heavily” for “cats and dogs”?

Kind of like a phrase in a foreign language: I didn’t understand what it meant the first time someone said to me, “Que sera, que sera.” But now, in my head, I just substitute “whatever will be, will be” when someone says it.

I’m certain that I am not understanding something, and so I turn to the authorities on autism: all of you. Please help me to understand better.

 

[Tyer]

Well, the thing with me is that i need to understand which part presents what.
Meaning, as long as my brainy brain understands the references I understand tge metaphor just fine. The same with jokes.

I use metaphors to explain alot of things to other people, because 'drawing pictures' with words functions quit well to visualize matter.

And if you want to know,
I also understand irony, if i know the references.
The same with memes.
And I understand sarcasm (but if a person I dont know shows sarcasm in a way too suble way...I get confused if their serious or not.... I hate it when that happens) and i slso do sarcasm myself. CUZ ITS FUN.
(i still understand some things too literally, but i try to think over thing twice, so I realize what they probably meant. I allow myself sometimes to just be me snd think just in one way. It pisses so msny off, which can be funny too.)

I learned those things(metaphor, jokes, irony, memes, sarcasm, etc) with times.

Once someone tried to test me if Im really autistic, and asked if i undersand what "the apple doesnt fall far from the tree" means.
I starred them dead in the eye, knowing this saying since years. "A relative being alike"
Even pushing one more in why its easy to understand. "Apple grows on tree, meaning theyre the same kin. Apple falls down, a seperation. But apple still near, meaning: its still pretty near/similiar" ....it pissed me so off because the guy looked at me as if its impossible for all autistic people to learn data...
how does he think i can talk over 4 hours over my favorite movies if im unable to sava data in my brainy brain.

 

[Kavigant]

Thank you, Tyer!
What about the specific metaphor "It's raining cats and dogs," which is a complete nonsense metaphor?

It's even the title of a book specifically about how people with autism don't understand metaphors! But since the metaphor is literal nonsense, wouldn't it be accurate to say that no one understands it, but most people know what is meant when the phrase is used?

P.S. - As I post here on Autism Forums, I am actively working to reduce the number of metaphors I use in order to communicate most clearly to everyone.

 

[Outdated]

It's even the title of a book specifically about how people with autism don't understand metaphors!

Almost everything written about us and recognised as some sort of authority on autism is wrong.

You need to talk to the people that live it. Different people have different types of intellects and there is no one broad sweeping rule for all of us. I'm ASD2 and I use metaphors and analogies in my speech all the time.

 

[Tyer]

Thank you, Tyer!
What about the specific metaphor "It's raining cats and dogs," which is a complete nonsense metaphor?

It's even the title of a book specifically about how people with autism don't understand metaphors! But since the metaphor is literal nonsense, wouldn't it be accurate to say that no one understands it, but most people know what is meant when the phrase is used?

P.S. - As I post here on Autism Forums, I am actively working to reduce the number of metaphors I use in order to communicate most clearly to everyone.

Totally.

I always though they say the cat and dog thingy because it somehow implies "ITS RAINING LIKE CRAZY! LOOK AT THAT NONSENSE! DAAAAMN!!!"

yeah....
People are weird.

 

[Kavigant]

Almost everything written about us and recognised as some sort of authority on autism is wrong.

You need to talk to the people that live it. Different people have different types of intellects and there is no one broad sweeping rule for all of us. I'm ASD2 and I use metaphors and analogies in my speech all the time.

And that is why I'm here, my brother, asking the real gangsta autists what's what!

 

[Forest Cat]

What about the specific metaphor "It's raining cats and dogs," which is a complete nonsense metaphor?

If you think that's nonsense you should hear the local version of it that we have here: "Det regner trollkjerringer". That means "It's raining troll-women".

 

[Kavigant]

I love, love, love wordplay and that's one of the things I am most known for among family members.

But the way I view wordplay is really a matter of making extremely quick and usually unexpected connections between words, substituting words that either sound alike or are outrageously out of place in what I am saying. The minor shock of this often makes people laugh.

My thoughts seem to be always racing, so it takes very little neurological processing time to do this. My brain is always doing it anyway, I just decide sometimes to vocalize it. The first time I made a cute young lady laugh by doing this, I was hooked for life and it's one of the things my wife fell in love with about me.

I've found that this process has some similarity to what our brains do when we "mis-hear" something like the lyrics to a song. I just do it intentionally, sending my brain on a high-speed mission to find words to substitute.

For example, I grew up with the old "Schoolhouse Rock" cartoons every Saturday morning. One of those cartoons was "Mother Necessity." In that song, it is said of Samuel Morse: "he never met a horse he didn't like." Nowadays, I cannot read, hear, or say the word "metaphor" without singing (in my head) "he never metaphor he didn't like." That is why I had to title this thread as a I did.

So, it seems to me that there may be very "autistic" ways to play with words and make jokes. (If I'm understanding correctly, of course!)

 

[Outdated]

So, it seems to me that there may be very "autistic" ways to play with words and make jokes. (If I'm understanding correctly, of course!)

That's the way it works for me. I've been like that since I was very small. A lot of my jokes are subtle though, intended for myself and knowing that they'll go straight over the tops of other people's heads.

One I liked for a few years was when ordering at KFC, "Just a kitten fillet burger please.". Most people never realised that I had said anything out of the ordinary and got me my burger, with a few I saw a moment of confusion on their faces before they told themselves that they must have heard wrong. Only one girl ever seemed to hear me correctly, and I got a laugh.

 

[Tom]

One of the things I hear most frequently regarding autism is that autists don’t understand metaphors. This really trips me up as I try to evaluate myself for autism, because I think that I understand metaphors just fine.

I think that perhaps I don’t get it: isn’t it true that metaphors cannot be logically understood by anyone and everyone just has to be told what they mean?

For example, the first time a child (or a non-native English speaker) hears someone say that it’s “raining cats and dogs” outside, I’d guess that none of them would have any idea at all what the heck that means. But once someone else explains to you that “raining cats and dogs” simply means “it’s raining quite heavily,” wouldn’t you just know to substitute the words “really heavily” for “cats and dogs”?

Kind of like a phrase in a foreign language: I didn’t understand what it meant the first time someone said to me, “Que sera, que sera.” But now, in my head, I just substitute “whatever will be, will be” when someone says it.

I’m certain that I am not understanding something, and so I turn to the authorities on autism: all of you. Please help me to understand better.

Two things about autism that I have noted is that 1) The medical profession and population in general tend to think in stereotypes about it and do not realize the great ammount of variation that exists. 2) There is practically no universal trait in it. The variation in genetic variations that lead to what we broadly group together as autism has almost literally infinite combinations. Imagine a combination lock with 500 numbers. The ammount of combination possibilities are almost endless.

You will find social autists, autists who don't like math, autists who have no special interest, athletic autists, etc, etc. And oh yes, autist humorists.

 

[Tom]

If you think that's nonsense you should hear the local version of it that we have here: "Det regner trollkjerringer". That means "It's raining troll-women".

I'd like to see that!

 

[Tyer]

"he never metaphor he didn't like."

Oh man, you made me laugh out loud. Ah, this feels good. Thank you, i needed a laugh.
My dad (whos probably on the spectrum too.) Like such stuff too.
The rest of the family always looks smirking at us two, when he and me giggle in a corner like little school girls.

Wordplays are so enjoyable.

 

[Tyer]

That's the way it works for me. I've been like that since I was very small. A lot of my jokes are subtle though, intended for myself and knowing that they'll go straight over the tops of other people's heads.

One I liked for a few years was when ordering at KFC, "Just a kitten fillet burger please.". Most people never realised that I had said anything out of the ordinary and got me my burger, with a few I saw a moment of confusion on their faces before they told themselves that they must have heard wrong. Only one girl ever seemed to hear me correctly, and I got a laugh.

Golly, "kitten fillet"! this made me laugh too.
Dammit, you all make my day.

 

[Kavigant]

My youngest daughter gets embarrased when I order a "vanilla bean frappu-cheen" instead of frappucino.
Is it autism or is it dad jokes? Only my hairdresser knows for sure.

 

[MildredHubble]

I use a lot of metaphors to try and explain things to other people. I think part of what motivates this for me is knowing how lazy a lot of people are, particularly when trying to understand another person's point of view.

Often if people haven't experienced something personally themselves, they don't want to use any energy to try and understand it. They can't easily comprehend, so they prefer that you stop talking as listening is hard work, and may even challenge some lazy ideas they might have about things.

I have often encountered people trying to pretend that what I'm saying doesn't make sense or is wrong. I've dealt with a lot of gaslighting. So I always feel like I need to make what I'm saying as robust as possible.

So I try to make it as easy as possible for people to understand without expending any effort. At least that's the intention. But you can never overcome a stubborn and bigoted mind unfortunately, no matter how hard you try. So it doesn't always work.

When I explain technical things, I try to use metaphors a lot. I can often see how things are similar in some way. So it's a useful strategy to use to make it easier for people who have limited knowledge of a subject.

The main problem I will encounter, for example, when using water as a metaphor for electricity is people saying "yeah I know, but that's water.". Usually though this has been when talking to people who are pretending to have knowledge about electricity (or whatever) that they don't. It wouldn't be a metaphor or analogy if it wasn't something else.

I read somewhere that when it comes to ASD, with some people, it's all metaphor, and with others it's just not. I guess it's the same for NT minds too. I think it's just a way to convey complex or unfamiliar ideas in a simple and accessible way.

 

[Outdated]

My youngest daughter gets embarrased when I order a "vanilla bean frappu-cheen" instead of frappucino.

One I loved was on a pub blackboard for the daily meal specials. The girl couldn't remember how to spell it properly so they were serving Chicken in Pyjamas. (parmigiana)

 

[Rodafina]

I think you are conflating metaphors and idioms, and throwing in a mix of wordplay. But don’t get me wrong, I think they are all fun.

 

[GrownupGirl]

When I hear someone say "It's raining cats and dogs", I like to make the old joke "Don't step in a poodle."

 

[Tyer]

I think you are conflating metaphors and idioms, and throwing in a mix of wordplay. But don’t get me wrong, I think they are all fun.


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Oh I know, and also know the difference. I just wanted to say alot of things at the same time and just didnt care enough. Because, we're just having fun.

But Im sure we are grateful (or at least I am) for the correct informations.
so we can know, learn and get remembered thanks to you, Rodafina. ^^

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I think you are conflating metaphors and idioms, and throwing in a mix of wordplay. But don’t get me wrong, I think they are all fun.


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Thank you for this. I never quite understood the metaphor criticism applied to Autistic people. I do take things (fairly) literally, but love metaphors. Idioms I hate, though. I just think of them as cliches.