While it is true that not all geeks are autistic, and that not all autistics are geeks, some of us *are* autistic geeks — and happy to be that way. I know that this might sound like I’m being bizarro-PC with this assertion, but I’m really not — I just wanted to suggest that perhaps in the future, it might be a good idea to remain sensitive to the fact that some listeners, and some geeks, might actually be on the autistic spectrum.

And it can be rather alienating to hear ourselves tacitly excluded by fellow geeks. It’s a bit on the disconcerting side to be laughing along with, and agreeing with, people on a podcast only to experience a sudden chill at realizing that these people that sound like they might be friendly toward you actually think you are a member of a group considered to be “unfortunate” and “diseased”.

If I end up meeting cool geeky people I certainly don’t want them to feel sorry for me on the basis that I have AS! To me, that sort of thing is just as annoying as people feeling “sorry” for me because I don’t have (or want) babies, or because I don’t accept [deity of choice] as my personal lord and saviour. I have managed to make friends — a fair number of them — over the past few years (I am 28 now), and one of the defining characteristics of my friends seems to be that they are very open-minded and quirky themselves, and certainly not prone to pitying me for things like not being able to drive or having to leave noisy restaurants due to sensory overload. In the right environment I can be very happy and functional, and this makes sense, since many of the problems experienced by autistic people are actually very much a result of “unfriendly environments” as opposed to intrinsic deficits. See this paper:

http://www.autismandcomputing.org.uk/dysfunctionalworld.en.html

for a fairly decent description of what I am talking about here.

Now, don’t worry — I am not sitting here wallowing in Being Offended (not really one to play the victim), but I figured that I would make an attempt to treat others as I would want to be treated. Which means that rather than just hoping for opinions to become more informed regarding something of personal concern to me, I ought to take an active role in helping to at least spark people’s curiosity regarding a subject that is probably largely unfamiliar to them. That is what I am attempting to do with this comment.

There are a lot of stereotypes floating around out there regarding autism (e.g., “Aren’t you all like ‘Rain Man’?”) and these annoy me just as much as stereotypes regarding, say, girl gamers. Anyone who lives on the fringes in any sense, whether this be due to their neurological wiring or their chosen interests, ought to be able to understand how different it is to actually *be* something as opposed to simply *observe* something. Just being a girl geek is fairly “fringe-y” in and of itself, at least to the point where we are still occasionally subject to accusations of nonexistence! Putting it in perspective like that, hopefully it is clear where I am coming from here.

I have lived with this brain my whole life and know a fair number of others who are similarly-wired, and none of us wish we were neurotypical. And pretty much all of have figured out how to bathe regularly and thoroughly.

On a lighter note, the “sausage tent” thing had me in total hysterics.

And I, for one, would absolutely buy polyhedral soaps.

Contact: Stacey McGowen-Hudson, 706-738-1142 x. 208, Stacey.hudson@metrospirit.com
Brenda Durant, 706-826-4702, arts@augustaarts.com

For immediate release

The Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival invites local authors to join our Literary Village in 2007. During the annual three-day event, tens of thousands of people celebrate all that is the cultural arts in the Southeast, including our deep literary tradition.

The Literary Village is a gathering of writers from all walks of life and from all publishing methods who sell their work, stage readings and network with other authors in a fun, casual and creative environment.

Interested authors should feel free to contact Stacey Hudson, or check out artsintheheart.com. An application is attached to this release. Feel free to pass it along to others you know who might be interested.

Speaking as an ex geek of the type described. You should also let them know that if the shower and clean up and people and you still start to smell in a couple hours you might have hyperhidrosis. Or very strong body order. I have it and I take one little pill a day and it solves the problem. Remember why shower if people complain anyway.

Also my hair always looked geeky no matter what I did so I shaved it all of and now go to weight watchers (35lbs down about 65 to go).

Can we add to this? add some rules for the girl geeks?