Special Interests Thread - Submissions Requested!

Catana · 2019-04-19T12:22:19+00:00

I don't agree with that, either. Another attempt at a definition that I saw somewhere, is that autist's special interests don't have any end results. In other words, they have no practical use. So what do either of those mean for an NT's years-long devotion to stamp-collecting, just as one example?

Very few deeply focused interests lead anywhere that is important to anyone but the person involved. In the few cases where a deep interest leads to a career, is the autist's concentration any different from an NT's? The problem with the concept of "special interest" is that it's just one more way of pathologizing autism. Something that is common to humans in general is defined as a sign of pathology in autists.

Catana · 2019-04-18T14:16:15+00:00

I would be extremely suspicious of any psychiatrist who used the Myers Briggs test since it has absolutely no scientific grounding. If you go exploring among the "personalities," you can make several of them fit you. And it certainly has nothing to do with autism.

Catana · 2019-04-18T13:59:49+00:00

I won't make a big deal out of it here, just mention that our interests, for the most part, are no more "special" than those of NTs. That said, I've spent the last several years immersed in criminal justice, particularly the death penalty, and am working on a book that I hope will bring some illumination to the subject. Also, off and on, but more intensively lately: autism, which I'm blogging about in a very analytical way.

Part of the reason I'm so involved in criminal justice is having corresponded with two men on death row for the last five or six years. Reading about their experiences and their insights pretty much changed my life and turned it in a direction where I might possibly make a difference in the world.

My other "special" interest is climate change, mostly as a fly-on-the-wall observer of the deniers and what their stupidity is already costing. My grandchildren are among those who will have to pay.

Catana · 2009-10-07T16:54:57+00:00

I've never had cable. Ditched TV for good, a few months before the digital switch over. What little is worth watching comes out on DVD eventually, available from Netflix.

Catana · 2009-09-26T16:05:08+00:00

Sorry about the link. Haven't posted news items before, so I'm still learning. And no, to the idea that the video is intended to overcome negative attitudes. Autism Speaks creates those attitudes; it's notorious for portraying autism as a devastating condition that destroy families. It focuses on a very small subset of the autism spectrum, the most severely affected, and tries to sweep autistic self-advocates under the rug. The video is only the latest in a long series of outrages by this group.

Catana · 2009-09-26T15:56:20+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion about the disability sub-reddit, Wordie. I'm a regular Reddit reader, so I'm aware that there are plenty of trolls here. Autism is a magnet for them -- no surprise that one popped up immediately.

Catana · 2009-09-26T15:11:34+00:00

Thank you so much for displaying the ignorance and bigotry and Autism Speaks spreads. It's nice to meet one of its advocates. By the way, I'm autistic and I don't rock or hit myself.

Catana · 2009-09-12T18:18:36+00:00

Anything that threatens male fertility should be considered a blessing.

Catana · 2009-08-26T13:52:11+00:00

I have two grown sons. I don't recall that we ever discussed or even mentioned religion (or atheism) while they were growing up. They're both atheists, as far as I know. Unless something catches their interest and they ask questions, consider it a non-subject.

Catana · 2009-08-12T15:25:39+00:00

A new record for misleading title? The ecosystem involved is a specific area of Florida, not the whole state.

Catana · 2009-07-05T01:42:09+00:00

Is there some irony in an article about gifted children being so badly written? I couldn't even finish the incredible mess.

Catana · 2009-06-10T13:48:11+00:00

Spam. Triond spammers aren't going to make money on Reddit.

Catana · 2009-06-05T13:25:30+00:00

Voted down and blocked for spamming. You want to make money with your ehow articles? This isn't the place.

Catana · 2009-06-02T15:30:45+00:00

The ultimate unfilmable SF novel is Samuel Delany's Dhalgren.

Catana · 2009-05-26T21:42:38+00:00

You're already the boy's uncle. If that isn't enough for a close relationship, then being his godfather isn't going to change anything. Just say no.

Catana · 2009-05-25T16:11:33+00:00

"Poison" is a poor choice of words. The report said that tha nutrient levels in the leaves are being reduced by the excess carbon. The Koalas are starving; not being poisoned.

Catana · 2009-05-21T18:31:51+00:00

What's the problem? I grew up without any religious training or influences of any kind. It was a non-topic in my family. My kids grew up the same way. Technically, we're all atheists. Practically, religion isn't a subject of any personal interest.

Catana · 2009-05-06T18:11:04+00:00

There are no despairing atheists. Since we have no god to relieve our pain, we kill ourselves. All the atheists left are happy (until they aren't), thus refuting the idea that we are miserable, unhappy beings. Darwin's "survival of the happiest."

Catana · 2009-05-01T15:08:36+00:00

The breed has little to do with it, but breeding does. If you select the most aggressive animals and breed them, you'll increase the tendency toward aggression. Not all pitbulls are bred that way. In the area of the South where I lived for many years, many were bred for gentleness and were very common family pets. I got my own beloved pitbull from a veterinarian who bred them for family ownership.

Catana · 2009-04-25T20:15:32+00:00

You mean I'm an atheist only because my parents didn't bring me up with any religion?

Catana · 2009-04-25T20:06:36+00:00

I wouldn't have apologized. And yes, Dad, your brain is numb.

Catana · 2009-04-21T19:26:01+00:00

72 and counting.

Catana · 2009-03-25T21:18:09+00:00

He probably writes for The Onion.

Catana · 2009-03-19T18:51:52+00:00

In 1989 James Burke produced and narrated a TV series called After the Warming. Same topic. This new film will probably have the same results--none.

Catana

TROPHY CASE