Does anyone else hate the Linux analogy?

The Dragster said:

Does anyone else feel this way?

You seem quite passionate about the analogies, but they are imperfect because the two are not similar enough.

We have physically the same bodies but our minds work differently. So considering the sleekness of Apple and Microsoft / Samsung etc devices is not relevant.

It is more like a black labrador having a litter of puppies, most of which are black but there is one golden labrador.

Think of us more as we have experiencing super powers in our brains but these come at a price where we don't really fit into society the same as others.

You can deny your superpowers or embrace them - but in embracing them you can feel as powerful, confident and sexy as you want to - this is all in the mind.

As for being pretty - give me a beautiful mind any day of the week. The appearance is irrelevant in the long run as age will take physical beauty from you and if you have no inner beauty left, what remains will be pretty uninteresting to yourself or anyone else.

I don't hate the Linux analogy, but I do hate the "superpower" thing. I don't have superpowers. I do have some disabilities (I always point to alexithymia as something that causes significant problems in my life, no positives and is clearly not created by society like some other autistic issues). I am slowly coming around to the idea that it's OK that I'm autistic and maybe a few minor positives, but I struggle to find any major positives (SUPERpowers) in my life that are unambiguously caused by autism and not environmental factors or my own personal growth.

I guess supper powers aren't always that great if you can't control them. Imagine going on a date with superman if you knew he can't turn off his x ray vision and your clothes are basically see through for him. Imagine being the flash if the world is eternally moving in super slow motion and it takes you days to watch a move and hours to have a quick conversation.

Autistic supper powers are things you can do that others find impressive because most people can't or at least struggle with it. Not necessarily things that you think are doing you a lot of good. For instance memorising pi to 10000 places is impressive but not useful. Being supper good at maths is useful but that skill might not get used unless you can get a good job which you might struggle to get because of other autism related issues.

I guess supper powers aren't always that great if you can't control them. Imagine going on a date with superman if you knew he can't turn off his x ray vision and your clothes are basically see through for him. Imagine being the flash if the world is eternally moving in super slow motion and it takes you days to watch a move and hours to have a quick conversation.

Autistic supper powers are things you can do that others find impressive because most people can't or at least struggle with it. Not necessarily things that you think are doing you a lot of good. For instance memorising pi to 10000 places is impressive but not useful. Being supper good at maths is useful but that skill might not get used unless you can get a good job which you might struggle to get because of other autism related issues.

It's true. Autism is ... as they say, a spectrum. I got the obsessive brain that works like a sponge for interesting facts and is quite good at maths and science. Take that to an extreme and you have a fascination with everything weird and uncanny (which I also have but is less celebrated). It's a real joy to meet other autistic people who got that too. We have much more in common than I do with autistic people in general.

I really do think there is some merit to the idea of 'mapping out' the spectrum.

It seems to be a fairly common view among people who have these stereotypical useful traits that they don't really see that their experience isn't everyone. Some people can memorise pi to 1,000 places or have this laser focus and whatever else that leads them into a distinguished career in science, but lots of us don't have these "superpowers". 

The same as some people get more or less of the awful ways it can manifest, some people get the positive sides in small magnitudes if at all

There isn't anything that others find impressive. I'm moderately more intelligent than average and perhaps (though I feel awkward saying it) moderately more ethical than average, but I'm not convinced either of those things are due to autism. I'm reasonably good at proofreading, at least when I'm in the right environment (not noisy, stressful, peopling etc.) but probably no more so than many allistics (who don't have the noise and peopling issues) and certainly not enough to qualify as a superpower.

Peter said:

I guess supper powers aren't always that great if you can't control them.

Bingo! That was the point I was trying to make - thanks Peter!