I liked this movie and thought the acting was great and the story uplifting, but it seems unrealistic to address Temple's life and not deal with her sexuality. We never get any clue to her orientation. Surely she's not an asexual intellectual.
What's the deal?
Surely she's not an asexual intellectual.
Perhaps because it has nothing to do with the movie and isn't relevant.
Why is it a certain facet of the public has to stick their nose in other people's private business?
Who cares?
I think the portrayal was wonderful. I'm definitely on spectrum as is my daughter(DSM V, no more aspies)
I let my wife and kids hug me, but anyone else make me feel disgusted. I have to pretend at family gatherings. I don't like it when people stand closer than 10 feet when we're speaking. I can accept 6 feet, but I back away if they are closer than that. If anyone touches my neck (as in casual neck massage) I panic and am likely to strike the person. I nearly decked my bosses mother when she brushed my neck from behind. I've known her for 15 years and it still tripped me.
I can totally see her being truly asexual and I think Claire Danes did a fabulous job.
Very interesting to hear this. I sort of feel I'm averse to "emotional touching", analagous to physical touch, in that the idea of being emotionally close to people is kind of repugnant to me. It comes from my traumatic upbringing in a dysfunctional family and being pathologized as an adult with a mental illness label. Emotionally I just don't trust people, essentially I always feel on the defensive with them. Or maybe I should specify my issue is with Americans, maybe it would be different with people from different societies.
shareThe differential is interesting in that my wife had traumatic emotional experiences in her teen years yet likes a light touch on her shoulders and neck. Whereas I freak out when people do it to me. Somehow it calms her but has an opposite effect on me.
I think that's where the Autism comes in. My daughter, that is diagnosed, likes when I hug her very tight. Tighter than even my wife can handle. It calms her. However, she hates being tickled or wearing any garment that touches her wrists or neck. Same with me. My other daughter doesn't have any of the same behaviors.
As an anecdote apropos of autism, I took my daughter to her psych appointment a few days ago and I noticed the chairs in the waiting area were "wrong". They were facing each other instead of being in a square. When her therapist came to talk me after the appointment, I just said,
"This?" to her and pointed to the chairs.
She said "I know. It wasn't my decision. I'll ask about it."
She seems to be autistic herself and I was amazed how quickly she queued in to what I was saying. That was our whole conversation.
I remember reading somewhere that Temple mentioned that when she was a teenager in the '60s, she was never obsessed w/ the Beatles like many of the girls were. Also, she was never obsessed w/ boys in general, fashion, movie stars growing up. She also stated that she never had a crush on a celebrity. And, Temple is okay w/ that. Those types of emotions had never appealed to her. She's nust her own person.
share*just
shareI don't know why being asexual would disqualify someone from being an intellectual. I'm asexual and was always the 2nd smartest in my class. Anyway I saw an article where she said that she used to have sexual urges but doesn't any more and she said good riddance to it. People go around saying that oh a person's sexuality isn't anyone's business but I disagree; if someone is like you it's nice; especially if they have achieved a lot as they can serve as an inspiration just like I find it inspiring that Dr. Grandin is autistic like me and achieved so much. The reality for most people who are autistic is living with one's parent(s) and not having a job but it's good to know that we can achieve a lot too in spite of being disabled.
This is yours, that is yours, so what? It's everybody's planet.