Shout out why you are proud not to be normal

Hello,

I own a 1976 Land Rover and it is my transport other than my bikes. I would love to add a Route Master bus and a DC3 plane to my fantasy collection. On second thoughts, add a Lotus Seven series two and a Delorean (modified by Doc Brown). What cars did you like at the show?  

I’ve only ever known my normal, it’s normal to me, I can’t tell you what other peoples normal is, they seem to act abnormally  most of the time. I’m watching less and less TV as it’s so predictable, I do love ‘ The one percent club’ though. It’s autistic heaven, questions like, “ what’s the pattern in this?” Autistic catnip!

I don’t really socialise much anymore,  love 70’s and 80’s music. Once I have an idea, the research into becomes all consuming. I never buy expensive clothes, Primani is mostly my designer label. I do collect anything to do with Classic Mini cars, it’s getting up to a container size problem, I don’t inventory any of it, I know exactly what I have and where it is. I’ve had a thing since childhood with my things being touched or moved.

I just quit my job because for five years I've had to keep my pink hair hidden.  I appealed to those in charge, pointing out how it felt like discrimination and was (eventually) told that there would be no change to the dress code and no accommodations would be given.  So now I'm leaving.

It's hard but exciting. 

I also just bought a huge inflatable unicorn costume which I plan to prance about in at the school summer fair, bringing joy to everyone.  And I'm going to wear it on my last day. ;)

I haven't worn a wristwatch since 1997, I realised that I took them off, because they irritated my skin, and kept them in my pocket most of the time. In 1997 I bought a pocket watch. I now own 8 and a range of watch chains. I often wear a waistcoat just for the ease of looking at my pocket watch.

I sing songs and replace the lyrics with my own nonsense words. The sound of my electric razor induces me to hum little tunes that harmonise with it.

Proud to be me! Wearing my hat and just being happy 

Trying to be the majority's version of normal is like trying to be their version of cool: stressful and hard to maintain. I'd rather be odd and save myself the bother!

A few things about me that aren't 'normal':

When I finished my Masters degree I went to my graduation in a purple trouser suit.

I knit my own socks.

I listen to a lot of folk and power metal.

I have green hair.

I actively enjoy doing my job which is extremely niche and technical- it's good for my particular flavour of autism because it needs really good attention to detail and I can do it at home on my own. I love that I've found a job where I can support myself and still have control over my environment, and it's a job most people would hate because it's a solitary deep dive every day.

Absolutely. It's normal not to be normal autistic or not. 

I love classic cars. Went to a classic car show on Saturday. If you had to pick a favourite which one would it be?

Shardovan said:

Striving to be 'normal' is "surrendering our personal freedoms to meet the verdicts of strangers.

I love this. It is so true

Very good point. I meant what the NT world sees as normal and tries to force us to be like them

I am normal.
It’s normal to be autistic.

I have a photographic memory of Doctor Who, every episode, character, speech, and can recall them when I need to info dump about Doctor Who to my family! :) 

I dress in old fashioned clothes, vintage cap, tweed jacket. I get a lot of looks but it makes me happy so why not?

Am obsessed with music from the 80s and own a great collection of vinyl records.

I'm honest, sometimes to a fault, not everyone likes how honest I am but I feel you should always be honest with people even if they don't really want to hear it.

I am very very creative.

Have a healthy obsession in classic cars.

To want to be normal implies a distinct lack of ambition....

Taking a slightly different approach to this topic, I'll just go directly to the 'why' (minus a personal list of specific ways I go against the grain, though it's heartening and interesting to see those lists already given above) and express it as an irreducible bottom line: Striving to be 'normal' is "surrendering our personal freedoms to meet the verdicts of strangers." (Alain de Botton). This would be true of anyone, but doubly so for the autistic I think. A square peg will never fit a round hole without significant pain. The motivation to suffer an unending contraction of one's 'corners' like that in unbearable total orthodox conformity would be ... what? In a word, shame. Its opposite?: pride. In the end, some degreee of pride in being (to varying degrees) atypical  - marching unapologetically to the beat of one's own drum - is the only true sanity for us. We can only try our best with that. 'Normality' will still make us feel some discomfort under its gaze, but let's resolve to make that as little as possible. 

I don't care about shallow things like how people look, I care about whether they are a kind person or not.
I feel telling people the truth is a matter of basic respect. I don't lie about or hold things from people out of a disingenuine notion of protecting their feelings or dignity just because the talk might be awkward to have.
I love my nigh non existant social quota and having a rolodex of intense interests, I'm never bored and I'm never lonely when I'm on my own. If I find people I like and/or like me back it's not a requirement for my happiness, it's a bonus.
I'm not into mainstream anything much, so I get to explore more niche and varied cultures and subcultures.

I care about things other than self-image.

I don't listen to the garbage on the radio; these days.

I don't watch TV anymore.

I don't get paranoid over money.

I still remember the, long-forgotten, Nineties Bands from the UK.