Mozart and the Whale was about a relationship with someone with Asperger's Syndrome, now this movie is the same.
I guess "normal" people just can't fathom someone living a life, that doesn't circle around finding someone to mate with.
...or it's just the fact that among both people with Asperger syndrome and people without it, individuals who are truly asexual are a very small minority. Love and relationships are important to most people, whether they have AS or not.
share"Most Aspie movies"?
To my knowledge this is only the second film that revolves around a character with Aspergers Syndrome. All previous movies dealt with full blown Autism.
I guess it'll take till the third, or fourth movie, for them finally to realize hey people with Asperger's Syndrome, actually tend to be anti-social. They tend not to go out and meet people and get in relationships.
I guess you have to make a plot about a movie, and nobody's going to go see a movie about an Aspie who's helping the world with skills at computer coding, it has to be about modeling us as NT so they can accept us. I guess we should be grateful for that, instead of another film suggesting we throw a temper tantrum like a child when we aren't able to go to the right K-Mart.
Hm. Now, I saw Mozart and the Whale--the only other mainstream movie about characters specifically identified as AS that I know of--and I disliked it partly because it fed into inaccurate stereotypes by portraying both protagonists as savants, and because the character of Isabelle is just plain obnoxious and seems more like she suffers from ADHD or some mental illness rather than Asperger's. But it did portray the characters as "anti-social" in the sense that they had profound difficulty with social interaction. And I believe it is well understood by "NTs" that social issues are an integral part of Asperger's.
That said, social problems do not equal a lack of desire for social connection. In films like Mozart and the Whale and Adam, the characters remain "anti-social" while still seeking out and forming relationships, and that in itself, as someone who has been in a relationship with a person with AS and known several people with the condition, as well as countless other people who are just plain introverts, seems perfectly realistic to me. Sure, it's a kind of contradiction, and there is a profound tension between the desire for meaningful connection and the inability or difficulty with navigating social landscapes, but that's how life is.
I certainly don't want to claim that your own experience is invalid. Sure, I bet plenty of "Aspies" aren't really into love and relationships. "NTs" can be the same way. But I know for absolute fact that there are also plenty of people with AS who DO go out, whatever that entails, and seek out friendships and romantic relationships. They are clearly different from the non-AS people around them, in various ways and to various degrees, but their social difficulty doesn't represent an immutable obstacle for their desire for a social existence.
Frankly, the idea of people with Asperger's as shut-ins with not only a tough time with interpersonal interaction, but an utter lack of interest in it, is a harmful stereotype in itself. People already do think people with AS are like that; that they lack interest in others, that they lack empathy, that they are alien, automaton-like people who live a solitary existence "in their own world." I mean, you know that's not true. There's even a definite stereotype that people with Asperger's possess superior skills when it comes to computers and mathematics, and while some certainly do, I've known people with AS who suck at math, and whose talents lie more toward writing and the arts.
Personally, my expectations for future Hollywood portrayals of Asperger's and autism-spectrum conditions on the whole are low, the film industry being what it is, but if I have any particular hopes, it's that future films acknowledge the breadth of different experiences faced by people with AS. Because those experiences are as varied and individual as those of the general population.
That will happen only when people with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome are seen as people, and not as a novelty or to be pitied. This movie isn't going to help either issue.
shareTrue. And I'd agree whole-heartedly that that's a problem.
I think television is making greater strides in that regard, right now, than film. True, Doctor Dixon on "Grey's Anatomy" was a mortifying caricature, but there are characters who are ambiguous, who may or may not, have AS, like Bones and Zack on "Bones" and Sheldon on "Big Bang Theory." It doesn't need to be explicitly discussed whether these characters do or do not have the condition, because they are, indeed, just people, but viewers on the spectrum can see themselves reflected in a positive way.
As a person with Aspergers i thought i should give my view on this discussion.
I admit that i am not a very sociable person and that i usually spend my free time at home rather than going out. However, this does not indicate a lack of desire for social interaction, merely a lack of desire for social interaction as dictated by NTs. Too often social interactions involve getting drunk in venues that are loud and crowded. In such environments i simply cannot function. My senses are overloaded, i zoned out and i become anxious and stressed. I have tried going out with people from work on several occasions and the result was the same every time. I do get to go out sometimes as part of an Asperger social group of which i am a member and this allows for a more controlled environment with people who are like me and who understand me.
In addition, while i am single it is not through choice but due to the fact that i have never been any good as interacting with the opposite sex, especially after a number of rejections in the past. I want a girlfriend more than anything but with standard modes of social interaction failing for me i don't really know to meet anyone. To say that i have no interest in relationships is just ridiculous as the thing i want most in life is a meaningful relationship. It's just that this is a goal i am unsure of how to achieve at this time.
So, in conclusion, while i have no doubt that there are Aspies who simply don't want relationships (just as with NTs) it is absurd to claim that all people with Aspergers are the same. Many of us want to engage in social interactions and many of us want relationships. The problem is that our personal difficulties and the rules of society tend to make these things extremely difficult for us to achieve.
I admit that i am not a very sociable person and that i usually spend my free time at home rather than going out. However, this does not indicate a lack of desire for social interaction, merely a lack of desire for social interaction as dictated by NTs. Too often social interactions involve getting drunk in venues that are loud and crowded. In such environments i simply cannot function. My senses are overloaded, i zoned out and i become anxious and stressed. I have tried going out with people from work on several occasions and the result was the same every time.
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Well, for me it's not that I'm Anti-Social. I would love to be social. I wish I had many friends and a girlfriend. But I'm just so damn scared of people.
What movie was that with the tantrum?
Obsessed - 8/10 (4.0 WTF?!)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 4/10
It's because to your average asperger's sufferer a real life relationship with a human being is almost a myth, or a legend.
For instance, an NT movie might be about a guy fighting a dragon, because dragons are mythical and therefore interesting. I can't see a dragon in real life, so it's neat to see one in a movie. I imagine real life human relationships are the same for aspies - they can't have one in real life so they go see one in the movies.
I think it's sweet. Good job, Hollywood.
People don't suffer from Asperger's Syndrome, they suffer from those around them who judge who they are.
It may not have occured to you, but there are people who may perfer not to be in a relationship. That being in a relationship isn't their ultimate goal, that makes them less than human to you?
It's because to your average asperger's sufferer a real life relationship with a human being is almost a myth, or a legend.
For instance, an NT movie might be about a guy fighting a dragon, because dragons are mythical and therefore interesting. I can't see a dragon in real life, so it's neat to see one in a movie. I imagine real life human relationships are the same for aspies - they can't have one in real life so they go see one in the movies.
I think it's sweet. Good job, Hollywood.
Isn't it funny when bullies claim to know about healthy relationships?
shareI think it's to give aspies hope they can find a relationship and can get married and not give up. plus it's also to spread awareness about it I bet so people understand the condition better but the problem is they seem to exaggerate the symptoms. At least they made Isabelle very mild in Mozart and the Whale and she wasn't too much of a stereotype. I heard the person in real life she was based off of is worse than her. I thought Adam was a little exaggerated but at least they gave him skills so called normal people know such as hand shaking and introducing yourself. People need to know aspies can have normal social skills. I would say he was more extreme than me but still mild.
http://s10.invisionfree.com/Nova_Infinity/
most Aspies suck at inner personal relationships, bacause A they area afraid of being hurt by "normal" people who might judge them for being "weird" and B they dont have the support system in place to help them through hard times.ho the inner personal relations to fallback onto.
i myself am a guy with AS.
On the 8th day God created Marines
AS is easier on women because men are less judgemental about them and they are more open minded I heard so it's easier for us aspie women to find relationships. I think most aspies women are taken such as I am so it's tough for aspie men to find an aspie woman. Plus they are like normal women in some ways, I heard they get creeped out when they see men trying to seek relationships on forums and asking them to IM them or email them. I also heard aspie women get treated better too. Men are expected to be strong and all but when they have this condition, they are shunned and looked down on. Women on the other hand are expected to be shy and not make the first move and quirkiness is more acceptable in them. No wonder women with AS have things easier.
AS is easier on women because men are less judgemental about them and they are more open minded I heard so it's easier for us aspie women to find relationships. I think most aspies women are taken such as I am so it's tough for aspie men to find an aspie woman. Plus they are like normal women in some ways, I heard they get creeped out when they see men trying to seek relationships on forums and asking them to IM them or email them. I also heard aspie women get treated better too. Men are expected to be strong and all but when they have this condition, they are shunned and looked down on. Women on the other hand are expected to be shy and not make the first move and quirkiness is more acceptable in them. No wonder women with AS have things easier.
Guess what: almost 5 years have gone by since my post on the difficulties of finding the right man and now I'm getting married - next month! I met him 3 years ago, and not by chance meeting but through a dating site after all. It just had to be. Just saying: don't give up.
shareCongrats. I wish you and your significant other enjoy the ride =)
Thank you for sharing your experience.
=)
I'm an Aspie woman
The right... and what does this mean according to you?
shareI appreciate your honesty.
It means that you are very, very unlikely to have asperger's. Seeing as it is kind of an "extreme male brain", regardless of the persons's actual gender. "Male-brained" persons left thumb would have been on top.
I understand that many people are misdiagnosed in America.
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Forgive me my honesty, but you are talking nonsense here.
Let me make a few things clear:
Firstly: I do not live in America, but in The Netherlands.
Secondly: I'm not 'mistakingly thinking' I'm an Aspie, as you seem to suggest here, I was officially diagnosed as having asperger at an adult age. They did a lot of different tests but yours was not included. Would you dare to claim that the experts working at the autism-centre had no idea what they were doing?
Thirdly: I recommend you read Tony Attwood's book on Asperger syndrome. He is a well-known expert on this topic. Than you will know what Asperger is all about.
One can certainly have a good time sitting at home, alone, totally engrossed in something, but this would not make for a movie most people would want to watch.
shareI guess "normal" people just can't fathom someone living a life, that doesn't circle around finding someone to mate with.