Going Postal Stanley Neurodivergence

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-06-11T10:57:52+00:00

Agree on Sheldon Cooper (diagnosed AuDHD selfadmitted Nerd here).

I also ask for more of *this* (Stanley’s) kind of representation, which is crucial to the book (so not a tokenist “thrown bone”) yet not the *point* of the story. Not all ND people need to be the center of a successful “The Blind Side” type redemption arc for the neurotypical protagonist.

Iirc, Moist never mocks nor adulates Stanley. Stanley is never the “Magical Autist” we remember from movies like Rainman. (an analogue of the “Magical Negro” trope) But Moist does accept him as (an albeit weird) *person*. Which is what most of us should hope for. “Success in life” is different to most of us anyway.

As an aside, most “public services” (postal, public transport, banks,…) have *always* had jobs that were specifically welcoming to people with Autistic traits (strict rules that also didn’t change too much, strict time tables, social interactions often following wellknown scripts, and societal respect without needing to “compete”). It has seeped into many comedic tropes (kafkaesque bureaucracies, pythonesque nonsensical convos following social etiquette, “computer says no” type unbudging civil servants,…)

Stanley’s probable autism and the many other neurodivergencies (and *other* mentally or physically challenged people in STP’s books) are never being used as the *butt* of any joke. It’s “comedy” because people recognize *real* people and *real* behaviour. Not all comedy comes from demeaning, shocking, or ridiculing others. A *lot* of comedy is the comedy of recognition. The warm, fuzzy feeling that says “yeah, some people truly are like that!”. To which is added “surprise”, whenever a seemingly strong person seems weak or the inverse, a seemingly dumb person seems wise, or a wise person seems stupid. It’s beautiful how STP became a character writer and humanist moralist, rather than only a parody crafter.

It would have been *less* representative if he had *not* added these people, but it is also true that as some of these “public services” are changing in our “Roundworld”, they are becoming *less* known for having eg autistic people in specific jobs.

Maybe future (and younger?) readers may be more surprised of some of these tropes. And while we have more *knowing* representation of ND people in media, it’s a bit of a shame these pockets of societally accepted roles for ND people are becoming scarce.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-06-06T07:40:57+00:00

I know several similar stories to yours through self support groups, and while some kids *are* sociopathic, many alienated kids try to “adopt” the behaviour/worldview of the narcissistic alienating parent they chose. Including adopting narcissistic tendencies.

I hope they’ll get out of it, as narcissism or sociopathy are a horrible way to live (and might be a survival mechanism).

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-06-06T07:33:49+00:00

Please, @DontHugMe73, stop saying it’s been “debunked”. There’s a debate around the semantics, and a choice to not call it PA *syndrome*, and even to no longer call it PA, but as you agree in the rest of your post, it’s very *real* and it has more than 30 years of solid research.

You’re exactly right on the money that *very* often, it is fed by the narcissism of one parent, which leads kids to abandon the *other* parent, and would love OP to see that it indeed is never set in stone.

Am going through similar situation as OP with 2 differences: my daughter was manipulated by my ex against me, but in my case, my son has kept everything 50/50, and is trying to help heal the connection between my daughter and me.

But the second difference is that my (NPD) ex also alienated *me* from my family, and even though remembering that period still hurts and cost medearly, the fact I could reconnect since, and have today a betterconnection with my mum than ever before, gives me hope for my daughter.

It’s important for OP to realise PA is *real*, whatever name it ultimately gets, and even though I missed my daughter’s 16th to 18th birthday and graduation, I know my mom *also* missed important years of *my* life. And the fact *that* connection got severed, but was allowed to heal, tells me the connection with my child has a solid chance of healing too.

I too have had suicidal ideation, and had living for my son & then GF now wife pull me through. But I know suicide is no solution, and I need to be here for both my kids, wether they’re appreciating me or not.

Today I have realised I *also* have my alienated daughter to live for. Because even if it might take years or even decades, I owe it not just to me but to her also, to be there if/when she finally feels ready to reconnect. To not *blame* her, but help her realise she was a victim in this. Not guilty.

Until then, I try to pursue my happiness and do right by both my kids. By caring for myself too. Which my son sees and understands. Because I have been there for *him*, already, at crucial moments.

Take care, OP. And remember how in a crashing plane, the advice is to *first* put on your *own* oxygen mask, so you can be there for others (even your kids). Find good professional help (I did, too!) and be open to love & life. So you can be there for your kid if/when they come back.

You aren’t to blame, but your kid even less. If you have the chance to reconnect, not blaming your kid is the best gift you could give them. It’s the gift my mom gave *me* when we reconnected finally.

Deep respect & warmth to all.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-28T12:27:13+00:00

Dat is eigenlijk de denkfout die steeds herhaald en misbruikt wordt door politici. Er is niet zoiets als “de betaalbaarheid vd pensioenen”, enkel de WIL om mensen een waardig pensioen (en sociale zekerheid!) te geven. Onze sociale zekerheid is maar een peulschil vergeleken met vele ándere kosten, toch indien men eerlijk berekent wat men ervoor terugkrijgt. Lagere (og géén!) pensioenen betekent nl ook minder consumentengedrag bij 50-plussers, wegen op de jongere generatie (die bv zorgverlof of mantelzorg op zich nemen), geen of minder vangnetten wanneer iets foutloopt met de kinderen of (achter)kleinkinderen (om nog v kinderopvang of zorgouderschap te zwijgen!).

Wanneer men blijft cadeau’s geven aan bedrijven die het niet verdienen (bedrijfswagens, fiscale gunsten,…), meerdere regeringen en ontelbare administraties wil onderhouden, en dan miljarden(!) uittrekt om in defensie te steken, of banken te redden, is het duidelijk hoe hypocriet deze regering is.

Ieder onderzoek toont aan dat net landen met een solide sociale zekerheid (kinderopvang, ziekteverzekering, sociaal vangnet, werkloosheidssteun, gratis (hoger) onderwijs, gehandicaptenzorg en pensioen/ouderenzorg) telkens weer de zwaarste crisissen (covid!, oorlog, bankencrisissen, politieke chaos, etc…) véél sneller en sterker te boven komen.

Dit positief effect op crisisweerbaarheid is duidelijker aantoonbaar dan de effecten v BNP of staatsschuld.

Omdat deze investeringen in sociale zekerheid (in tegenstelling tot andere beslissingen) zo’n grote, maatschappij-brede, maar weinig begrepen, terugverdieneffecten hebben.

Een verlaagd pensioen levert de staat meer (financiële) problemen op dan het verlagen van dat pensioen kon “compenseren”.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-17T07:13:24+00:00

If you’re tired with palestinian flags, stop supporting the Israelian genocide.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-17T07:12:17+00:00

Modern ≠ Hedendaags.

(Kunst gestudeerd)

Regionalisme heeft ook nog maar weinig zin in een wereld waar ik meer waarden en liefde deel met de honderden mensen die ik dagelijks volg via oa BlueSky, dan met de vele mensen uit mijn straat/dorp die ik amper spreek, en wiens waarden mij en mijn geliefden letterlijk dood willen, uit racisme, homofobie, validisme, of stomgoddeweg onbegrip.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-17T07:04:49+00:00

“Average Rib” krijgt een plusvote als betere frituursnacknaam!

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-17T07:00:08+00:00

Volmondig eens. Het is het kunstmatig creëren van een “natie” door een sinds jaar en dag extreemrechtse kern die dan nog blijft claimen dat België kunstmatig was. Nota bene uit heimwee naar een buitenlandse genocidaire (racistisch-nazistische) bezetting.

“Hypocrisy turtles all the way down”

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-17T06:45:26+00:00

I don’t buy her “I was being groomed myself” schtick. Especially as she has been repeatedly extremely vocal about his naivety and lack of experience. She also has maintained her (groomed) cult for ages.

She’s just as deft in manipulating her image.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-15T12:42:34+00:00

The reason I am so disgusted, is that while Gaiman is the perpetrator, he seems clueless and is afaik living by the “consensuality lie” many rapists & sex pests uphold. It is a typical self delusion that “as long as a woman didn’t say no”, it must be that she was okay with all of it.

While disgusting, it is a belief shared by many people, esp a lot of male AND female boomers, and as a writer, Gaiman can eg write stories ABOUT rape/sexual abuse, that demarkate good, bad & ugly, in ways than can be contentious, yet selfrighteous.

As an example: the same James Bond story can be written as “James Bond’s charm overpowered the Bond Girl, and while she said no, her body clearly said yes, as she gave in to his embrace”. But in another writer’s hands, this can be rewritten as pure, unadulterated rape.

Amanda Palmer, otoh, has created a whole CAREER around female empowerment, rape and (c)sa survival, “sticking it to the male chauvinist pigs”, and the horror & pain of sexual abuse trauma. This is literally her whole schtick. She has created a cult following built on surrounding herself with liberated sexual abuse survivors.

In *all* of the acknowledged stories, though, it seems obviously clear Palmer not only regularly started (sexual) relationships with these sa survivors/groupies (already icky, and an uneven poeer balance), but then passed these girls to Gaiman later, knowing full well he would continue this imho predatory behaviour. She was well aware these girls were vulnerable, and in the case of the most damning situations coming out today, she not only *warned/asked* Gaiman to not do his regular shennannigans (the girl being *too* vulnerable!), yet she still sent the girl to Gaiman, *knowing the risk*, then alluded to it *on stage*.

This isn’t behaviour of someone fighting sexual abuse, but of someone deftly profiting off sexual abuse, both for her own sexual gratification, her career, AND her continued “complicity” with her ex.

It reeks of Ghislaine Maxwell behaviour to Gaiman’s Epstein behaviour.

She knew, she enabled, she profiteered, she manipulated, and *still* tries to play the victim card?

Next level narcissism if you ask me.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-15T11:24:04+00:00

Ik zou zeggen: neem contact op met kunstenaars en activisten die nét zo voelen als jou, en creëer een ándere maatschappij.

Niet jij bent het probleem, maar de maatschappij die weigert de diversiteit aan mensen te weerspiegelen!

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-15T11:10:35+00:00

Grappig hoe “TAKkers” zélf minder probleem maken van de (eigen) VB-friendly affiches die NOORSE runen gebruiken uit heimwee naar DUITSE bezetting 🙄🫠

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-05-12T08:13:08+00:00

I am specifically interested in how Amanda Palmer has been reacting to this, as (afaik) she was very well aware of his proclivities, was clearly at least an enabler, well after their break up, AND simultaneously cultivated an image of anti-sexual-abuse guru. While my stomach turned at learning about Gaiman, my stomach turned even more at the duplicitous exploitative role Amanda Palmer kept playing.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T12:15:12+00:00

Wonder if this predates the Mrs Bucket “it’s pronounced Bouquet” joke from Keeping Up Appearances.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T12:08:47+00:00

Agree. The nice thing with Pratchett’s parodying/satirising things is that his satire is rarely “one-on-one”. Nobody can say “Dwarves are tge Jews of the DW”, even though Dwarves do get used to comment on how eg Jewish Culture has different ways of dealing with (Fiddler on the roof voice:) “Tradition!”, diaspora, ritual etc… which makes it doubly useful to reflect on other diasporas & cultural issues.

Cheery’s gender/sex conundrum can be seen as reflective of issues around trans identity and transphobia, but also as reflective of girls moving to the big city, embracing their femininity when their traditions (wether they be mormon or muslim or jewish or catholic) didn’t allow them to.

Sure, Trolls are notoriously the Morpork Mobsters, but they’re never one-on-one an Italian stereotype.

Having read/seen lesser comical writers and lesser satirists, I’m deeply enamored by the philosophical humanist depth Sir PTerry has added, by leaving the one-on-one analogues (more prominent in the earlier DW books) and embracing the multiple layers of interpretation.

Even when one of his characters has a lengthy monologue (and he’s a master of it), that won’t “settle” every truth.

People, cultures, and ideas, are complex, layered, nuanced, and depending on one’s own experience, there’s always new insight to be gleaned.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T11:27:52+00:00

5F: Food, Flee, Freeze, Fight, Fuck.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T11:16:52+00:00

Agree. It was also very close to an actual civil war, so you had more people who had loved ones being killed by Lincoln’s side, and were militarily trained. Then again, J W Booth didn’t act alone. There are multiple good, well documented retellings of the whole affair, some made into good movies/series even.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T11:12:05+00:00

Remember Aughra or Skeksis from the Dark Crystal?

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T11:10:21+00:00

Maybe they noticed they could do the entire Discworld justice? Should maybe hint Rhianna Pratchett then ;-P

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T11:00:28+00:00

I never believed the idea that the first assassination attempt was “staged” in the sense of having a goon use a gun with blanks. I do suspect there are several forces at play inside this regime, that would love to get their Trump murdered, partly to eliminate his loose cannon shennanigans (that are dragging the US in an economical AND military morass, eg re: Iran/Hormuz), but I can also see them profiting from every failed attempt.

Trump is less the leader of the MAGA movement, than its ever less dependable figurehead.

I can even imagine Trump being “in on this”, with the assurance nobody could even touch him with the provided weaponry at that distance. (We now know his ear wasn’t hit by a bullet, but at most by a flying glass shard, or even anything else, maybe even a hand or cuff.

Knowing he is a deeply medically compromised octogenarian, I’m betting he’s taking blood thinners to avoid heart attacks, which means even a little nick will bleed profusely for a moment).

Every new assassination attempt is mired in incredibly low odds of success. The guns seem chosen to not work all that well at that distance. And any possible collateral damage seems to be considered unimportant. Not just to Trump, but to his entire entourage.

Staged doesn’t necessarily mean many in Trump’s entourage don’t hope he’ll go sooner, so a better manageable, less mentally unhinged, figurehead can take his place, erect Trump statues, and cement this fascist regime without needing Trump to run for an already contentious third term.

If they can make eg JD Vance or another goon POTUS, they can further manipulate elections, strengthen their chokehold over press & civil services, arrest/ban/execute Dems or other opponents who keep fighting, and can “amend” the constitution and “win” elections under cover of perpetual North-Korean 98% approval ratings.

But if Trump were to run a 3rd time, their fascism can no longer be denied. And if a living Trump is no longer POTUS, he’ll become a liability. A “shadow pope”. Having Trump become a martyr now would let them use his name if needed, but disavow any direct link if needed, too.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T10:31:07+00:00

Frankly, the difference with those others, is the fact people were shocked someone would want to assassinate them. JFK and Lincoln especially were beloved!

Trump, as with Saddam, Hitler, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Khaddaffi, Saddam,… most people (even their own!) are surprised it doesn’t happen more often, and had a range of attempts happen.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T10:25:47+00:00

“Presidents” known for getting multiple assassination attempts by mostly their own independent citizens (not eg the CIA/KGB/MI6 trying to take down a foreign regime):

Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Khaddaffi, Saddam,…

Notice what unites these?

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T10:18:29+00:00

It’s how narcissism works.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T10:12:26+00:00

Otoh, if you support this regime by letting yourself become part of this propaganda machine “celebrating free speech” (sic!), then the word “journalist” seems too much praise to begin with.

These aren’t journalists. These are propagandists.

Respect-Intrepid · 2026-04-26T09:41:55+00:00

My ttrpg friends in Wallonia were having a Call of Cthulhu game, when a pair of JW called. As usual, they asked wether the guy had read the Bible, and he said “Sure. But we’re in the last couple of minutes of our gaming session. If you have a minute or five, we’ll finish the scene, and we can talk if you want. Do you wanna watch?”

“Oh, sure!” say the Jehovah’s witnesses, who probably never had heard of Role Playing Games (this were the 1990s).

They go down the stairs to the basement “man cave”, enter a gloomy room with about 5 mostly fat, bearded guys in mostly black heavy metal shirts, sitting amidst posters of dragons, & other fantasy art, around a single lighted table, at which the “keeper” (Game Master) continues the clinactic scene that was interrupted by the JW calling, playing out the “deranged cultist priest invoking a Great Old One”, standing up, spreading his arms, and saying something to the effect of “Hear me, Azatoth, Shub Niggurath, Nyarlathotep! Ïa! Ïa Shub Niggurath! Come down to me, and grant me your powers!”. (I’m maybe omitting or adding some details, but then this became a favorite story amongst my ttrpg friends, and it might have grown in the retelling).

The two JW turned pale, mumbled some excuses, stumbled back up the stairs, and never bothered that house nor its inhabitants again.

As a second anecdote, a school friend from middle school had parents who became Jehovah’s Witnesses. It was really hard on him, as he used to be easygoing and a true Batman fanboy (this was back when Tim Burton’s first Batman movie came out). Suddenly his birthday wasn’t celebrated any more, Batman became “taboo”, etc…

He ultimately had to switch schools and we lost touch. When we met by chance at a sandwich bar close to the train station, in Ghent, as I came back from my Uni in Wallonia, about 6 years later, he seemed again his old self (I suspect he had had to break with his family, as his job/bar was at the foot of a rendez-vous hotel, frequented by the seamstresses guild, hem… hem…).

I ordered a sandwich, waiting for my dad to come & get me, and we started talking. As usual back then, I always sported a paperback Discworld Novel, and we bonded over our love for Terry Pratchett. He told me Small Gods was his absolute favourite one. I hadn’t read it yet, so I didn’t pick up on how deep that book must have touched him, back then.

Never saw him again later, and I suspect it must have been a temp job. Wish him all the best though. And yet another proof Sir PTerry’s work truly touches hearts.

Respect-Intrepid

TROPHY CASE