I don't feel the same as many of you

I feel like an outsider here, my experiences seem very diferent, my interests different, the things I do or don't do are different. The books I find helpful or not are different. Most of you seem like lovely people, so I'm not having a go at any of you, but I just feel like I don't really belong here with the rest of you, I don't feel like it's imposter syndrome, more like I stick out like a sore thumb because of some of the above. I feel like I'm irritating people because of my differences, here I feel almost as much of an outsider as I do in NT company.

  • Whats a boomer upbringing?

    Somebody who is conservative and square and bad with technology

    I like that most people don't care or remember me, I don't want to stand out that much, if you stand out people hassle you and want things from you, think you have all the answers, its a massive pain in the bum.

    I remember you, you''re the cat lady, you like cats. Only if you're rich or have green hair will people give you unwanted attention.

  • Whats a boomer upbringing?

    I can answer that question

    I like that most people don't care or remember me

    I remember you, your're the cat lady, you like cats, and you'r a woman

    I don't want to stand out that much

    That's a self-esteem issue

    if you stand out people hassle you and want things from you

    That's only if you're rich. No one cares if you have green hair, but they will stare !

    think you have all the answers,

    In my case, I do. And all the questions too.

    its a massive pain in the bum.

    ***

    [edited by moderator]

  • Whats a boomer upbringing?

    I like that most people don't care or remember me, I don't want to stand out that much, if you stand out people hassle you and want things from you, think you have all the answers, its a massive pain in the bum.

  • Everybody tries to live the best they can. I've forced myself to be social, it doesn't work, there are more of them, than there are of us. Fitting in is a burden, and a high price to pay!

  • Maybe it's because of the additional SMI that I have, but there are people here living far more advanced occupational and social lives than I have ever done. Sometimes I feel like a 3rd rate citizen here. Not because any of you treat me as such.

  • Man on the Moon is a really great movie. I've not seen it for ages.  I love the song too and the band Rem in general.

    Well, i must have seen it 20 years ago. I thought it was lackluster then. (JC from 93-98 was comedy and box office gold though) REM are alright, I know Oasis ripped them off on Morning Glory, stole a riff. REM is more a band i'd be into if i was clinically depressed tho, a little too, melancholic for my taste, and with my new found love of GNR, i'm growin averse to the whole alternative 80s band sound

  • Man on the Moon is a really great movie. I've not seen it for ages.  I love the song too and the band Rem in general.

  • I love Stern and Kaufman. Great guys.

    I have such vast cultural knowledge, I really go into things. Yeah, those two are/were interests of mine at some point. Months ago, I watched the making of man on the moon documentary, unreleased footage of Jim Carrey on the set in what I presume to be Burbank. He was a total madman, and believed he was channeling the ghost of kaufman, he meets with kaufmans family and they are spellbound (spectators are divided on this) but some say he was just being extremely autistic and weird staying in character 24/7 and terrorizing everybody around him with his peculiar brand of 'method' and was total A-hole

    It's interesting. JC is totally insane now, but an enlightened zen master or something, like Gary Busey.

  • I love Stern and Kaufman. Great guys.

  • I go out of my way to make an impression, online. Like Howard stern, i might push some buttons here and there. But IRL i try to manage my self.

    I'm an alien where ever I go. I am the man who fell to earth (Bowie) meets the....uh, t2000, or if i;m in a good mood, Jim Carrey. Andy Kaufman style whacko. Incidentally..They say Jim has ADHD and autism. I believe it.

    I go off on tangents. People find that...problematic.

  • "The reality is that most people do not care that much about your presentation or, for that matter, think all that much about you."

    People need to realize just how little of an impression they make on others. Everybody's is concerned with themselves primarily.

    I have no opinion of Cat Lady, not enough data. The outsider effect is real though. But it's psychological... most of the time !

  • There's a whole set of things that have completey passed me by, like headcannons, I'd never heard of that until I

    -Read your post, googled it and found "headcanons"...  

    Is that the same thing?

  • I enjoy seeing your posts, so I hope you continue to share your experiences with everyone here. 

  • I think there are an awful lot of people here who feel like that, myself included. 

    Most of you seem like lovely people, so I'm not having a go at any of you, but I just feel like I don't really belong here with the rest of you, I don't feel like it's imposter syndrome, more like I stick out like a sore thumb because of some of the above. I feel like I'm irritating people because of my differences, here I feel almost as much of an outsider as I do in NT

    I could easily have written that myself, but unlike yourself I am qualified by chromsomes & boomer upbringing to mansplain why you feel like that!

    But I won't. Except  to point out that how we feel isn't neccesarily an indication of how we are wired. Feelings are complicated... 

    There are people here who seem very like me, then suddenly they aren't. Believe it or not, you are one of those from my perspective, I do hope you do not find that bit of truth horrifying.. For example we both share a friend who we both find to be an outstandingly nice person...  

    Part of autism seems to be well descibed in the character Small Dave the brenttofrd postman, and as much as we complain about the NT's pigeonholing us, we do it seems as a group have a tendancy towards Black and White thinking in the main, and few of us manage to get past that, even for short periods of time... 

    It's VERY easy to feel like an alien here...  

  • I love it when we all think differently, it adds richness to the world and depth to our understanding of humanity. I'm not a fan of conformity - who wants to see everyone wear the same clothes, listen to the same music or eat the same foods? Why would we want everyone to think in similar ways? I enjoy when people can explain their thinking to others, as I struggle with this. Some things I can explain OK, other things I can't... so keep sharing please CatWoman!

  • Being yourself is enough - and I think the joy of this community is that we can hopefully be unapologetically ourselves and (hopefully!) not be judged on here. I read lots of comments on here that I don’t relate to, but also loads that I do. I don’t feel the urge to judge others on here because I feel as autistic people most of us have been through a lot of struggles in our lives and the last thing we need is more judgement and criticism. Not everyone will agree with us or understand us - but on here we share being autistic and I feel a lot of solidarity when I talk to other autistic people - and I really value that.

  • I’m sorry you feel like an outsider here - I’ve never got that impression when you’ve interacted on here (although admittedly I’m not great at judging these things!). I’ve certainly never found you irritating - much the contrary. You seem to have a lot to offer with your comments and contributions and come across as really friendly. I think as autistic people we often feel this way though - I know that I often feel paranoid that people really don’t like me - even when there isn’t much real evidence (according to my husband anyway!). 
    I feel you are very welcome on here - I hope you realise that. As autistic people we all know what it feels like to be an outsider - and I like to think that this community is very good at being welcoming and accepting of each other. 
    And in terms of you being ‘different’ - there’s nothing wrong with being different! Different is good, different is interesting! I like ‘different’! 

  • im also new here like some others but I wondered weather this might help cheer you up 

    its a plant and its unique in own way. everyone is unique in there own way and differances are something to celebrate and it doesnt stop there either  at the same time we also have things common in one form or another. I have lots of different interests and will be interesting to get to know you and everyone else here aswell. 

  • There's a whole set of things that have completey passed me by, like headcannons, I'd never heard of that until I came here.

    I just had to look that up too - you are not alone in your differences.

    Like says, it is the diversity in this forum that is its attraction. Neurodivergents are often wildly different from one another and have a whole range of life experiences to share.

    I learn new things daily and I find there is a steady flow of people coming here with questions or needs and it is nice to share possible solutions, validation and our own experiences with them to show them they are with neurokin (good word that).

    I believe you belong here - you already feel like a friend from the number of conversations we have had across the discussions here.

    My offer of technical support remains if you want to take it - no need to let a lack of knowledge hold you back from making the most of something. I can send you step by step guides with pictures as I have done one a few occasions which I suspect you will be able to follow. - you are smarter than you admit to I think.

  • I don't think you stick out like a sore thumb. I know there are things I agree on like technology. Without people around to help me I would be even worse than I am. I can make quite a mess of my attempts. Like you I don't have a picture on here as that would be too hard, but well done for having a name not a number. 

    I don't get some of the modern terms used on here but there are some on here with whom I have some interests in common. I think often due to similar ages.

    You are one of the people whose posts I reply to so would miss them if you weren't on here. I can't say I remember a lot of things as I have a bad memory. I find some discussions intellectual so some of the time there are things I don't relate to.

    I can't say I have found you irritating. I think I annoy some people in real life and that is something I do find difficult. 

    I have interests that many others wouldn't have, but it seems at times I feel more at home on here with that.

    I presume you like cats and it seems there are lots of others on here that would agree with you on that one. I hope you continue to post. I find solace in reading posts from other older people who were unaware until more recently.