TV character you or others think you are most like

I admired Mr. Spock's self-control in the face of provocation because I was often upset by cutting remarks at work and, being a rather young person lacking assertion, wished I could have responded like him with logical come-backs.

lostmyway, I agree that Aspies do indeed have some empathy, otherwise we would never care about any situation or person at any time - it's just the desire to get to the base of the problem and work from there without time-wasting emotions getting in the way.

With Mr. Spock being mentioned in this thread, I can remember back in the 70s as a teenager watching the series, that the crew of the Enterprise didn't always understand Spock's lack of emotion, and Spock didn't understand why they let their emotions get in the way of logic!  I can remember that above all else from those early shows, as it seemed so sensible to me.

Well, if I had to choose some sort of character from fiction who most closely resembles my brother I would have said either a Vulcan or Romulan. I think it's because he keeps his emotions pretty bottled-up and tries to avoid becoming upset by other people (usually me or our mom) by behaving very clinically.

I think I'm quite a bit like him so I assume I come over as he does although I am more aware of myself than I used to be and consequently try to seem more 'human' than I used to be to people. It's all an act though because I don't really feel the way I behave. But, what do you do? I'm just not a 'people' person. (Echoes of Reggie Perrin's son-in-law, I think). 

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!  (Robbie Burns, To a Louse)

In starting this thread I thought it might be interesting to relate comments others have made about us, whether in ignorance or some attempt at humour, as to how we are perceived or how we perceive ourselves.

I know it is very diificult for anyone, aspie or nt, to know how they come across to others.  And I find it interesting to get some sort of analogy through characters on tv or in films.

I'm sure others have found themselves being a figure of fun by some sort of mimicry of their demeanour, their turn of phrase, their way of dress, their tics.  And the last person to become aware of these things is oneself.

Some time ago colleagues at work had the idea of making an imaginary cast of "My Workplace - the television series".  And it was interesting to see who was chosen to be the actors or characters to perform the parts of colleagues at work.

  Being told we share characteristics with TV characters, could this help us to see ourselves as others see us?  How many of us when seeing ourselves on video see things we do but don't realise it.  Our voice sounds different, we don't look like we think we do, we make gestures we don't realse we make.  And yes, it is part of life's rich tapestry, each of us is different but however different we are we do share certain aspects in common with others. 

As I always say, it takes Allsorts to make Bertie Bassett.

I think the thing is, Matt, that we need all kinds of human beings to make a world and we all need one another, in various ways.

We would not have progressed as much as we have if everybody was identical.

Trainspotter said:

Just to make it clear it is my wife who says I am like these characters, and although I can see her point a bit it had never struck me before!

Yes, it can be quite revealing when we are told how we come over to others.

But, thinking about it a bit, I have had some comments from my mom about seeming rather cold and lacking empathy at times. The thing is though, it's not that I really lack sympathy for people - it's just that my approach to helping people tends to be rather clinical due to a desire to solve the problem at hand and you can sympathise till the cows come home, in the end you have to actually do something practical in order to really help people.

I'm rather reminded of the old fashion image of 'matron knows best' where the need for properly caring for people trumps continually namby-pampering folk. This can go too far, I know, and must never stray into treating people like 'objects', without feelings.

Good point, Telstar, and isn't it interesting that the highest incidence of Aspies in a given profession is within medicine?

Where would we be without doctors, sugeons, nurses, etc? 

I'm wondering if Florence Nightingale was an Aspie because I believe she brought organisation to nursing, rather than ringing her hands and 'empathising' all the time with the poor wretches who suffered horrendous injuries. In other words, as you have mentioned, it if often better to do something practical to help people rather than simply feeling sorry for them (although I'm sure she did feel empathy for the sick). 

This is where Aspies have their own way of empathising with others. They apply logic in order to solve problems, which can come over as callous, but it's not and is because Aspies are misunderstood.

If I had a choice between 'Mr. Spock' or the Archbishop of Canterbury  treating me for some illness I think Mr. Spock would win hands down. (He was supposed to be half-human after all!)

Trainspotter, very interesting question, and very interesting point made by lostmyway.  I'm not sure which TV or film characters I resemble, because I watch barely any TV at all (apart from The Big Bang Theory, Eggheads, and occasional other programmes).  My interests always seem to have been in other areas/hobbies, such as radio/computers/photography etc.  The other thing is that there has to be an equivalent person that resembles us in the TV or film worlds, so considering our uniqueness, it's not always easy to be compared with any actor/presenter - if that makes sense?

lostmyway, your comment about empathy is one I really do understand and recognise.  I can never understand why so much energy is wasted sympathizing by most people, where actual action will really solve the issue/problem at hand.  It's not that we don't care - it's just the desire to look at an issue logically, and get it sorted out as quickly as possible in the best way.  An example would be when at the scene of an accident there are flowers tied to a nearby tree, whereas actually contacting a council (if the road is a known problem area), or joining a campaign against speeding (if that were the cause), seems to be a much more practical and long lasting tribute to somebody's life.

Just to make it clear it is my wife who says I am like these characters, and although I can see her point a bit it had never struck me before!

I wish I knew.

The trouble is I'm really not very clear about how I come over to other people because I can't see myself as others do. It would be interesting to see myself on film and then I would be in a better position to judge.

It'll be intriguing to find out what others say on here.