Gorilla asks

Autism research on empathy and embarrassment

Matt9 Comments

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The research

My critique of the research:

While this study is good because it makes a point of people with Autism actually having empathy, rather than the stereotype they don’t…

I do have an issue with this bit, “The unease within the autism group remained high even if the performer herself felt only mildly embarrassed.”

How are they measuring how embarrassed they felt? If it’s a self-reported answer then the conclusion that the autistic people read them wrong is potentially a mistake. The person may be so embarrassed that they deny how embarrassed they were out of embarrassment!

Couldn’t actually the truth be that maybe the autistic people accurately read them, and the person lied? And therefore actually autistic people are more accurate at reading people but without the social ability to do much about their ability to be so accurate?

Suffering creates character….

MattLeave a comment

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And isn’t it this train of thought that is the problem?

There is an element of truth to it, for sure. But I see all these people competing who suffered the most, and I wonder if this idea of being heroic and suffering to create character is part of the problem? Not that I have a solution, just that it’s a problem I’ve recognised in the human condition. I get the sense some humans feel they haven’t suffered enough, though it seems counterintuitive to want more suffering it seems like people are jealous of people who have gained ‘character’ from suffering.

If I can be oppressed (or claim to be oppressed), then I have something to fight (or something to claim to be fighting).

The paradox in all this? There is suffering in the conquest for more ‘worthy’ suffering…..

Gorilla asks random questions # 5

MattLeave a comment

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If female sexuality is viewed as being dirty (according to some humans), then why do homophobic humans so often focus on gay males? That isn’t to say they never say anything about lesbians, but most of their sick rants have a tendency to be about gay males. Sometimes with an addage “I don’t condone any homosexual activity” after ranting for about half an hour about dicks and anuses.