Another facet of yesterday's madness was a long term follow / followee of mine who has twice this week told me I have to have empathy despite freely admitting that she had known I was autistic for some months.
Is this not like telling a legless man he needs to walk, or saying to a blind man - "for fucks sake man - look, use your eyes, its not that fucking hard is it?"
Telling an autistic person to have empathy is just like that - so why do people do it? I think it's down to simple pig ignorance. autistic people look ok, seem to be perfectly normal, "so get a fucking grip man!! Be normal FFS!"
Though apparently it may be possible to learn empathy. I think I have a much reduced sense of empathy of truth be told. I can do it on a simplified level, and very strongly when it comes to animals. In fact I seem to be ultra sensitive when it comes to the sufferings of animals.
Also think I read others' pain quite well and respond quite strongly when someone has clearly hurt themselves. I wouldn't quite say I feel their pain, but nearly.
But I'm crap at reading emotions, often reading emotions that are completely the opposite of those the person is experiencing, once they vocalise their emotions, feelings, I realise I was way off!
so don't expect much empathy when 1. I have a reduced sense of my own emotion and 2. I have no idea what you are even feeling!!
If you really do want me to undertsand, you could try actually talking to me. Would that be so difficult? Like letting a blind man touch your face, or mouthing clearly for a deaf person, you could make that little extra effort for us empathy impaired types.
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