Asperger's Syndrome - No Sense of Humor

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There ya go - making generalizations again - big, sweeping statements about *Aspies*. Are we a herd? Are we all identical? I don't think so. There are no absolutes in AS, as there are no absolutes in anything aside from the Ultimate Truth (which is the end all to all arguments and the basis for all life - another thread perhaps). Everyone sees the box. Some see the inside, some see the outside, some see the angles, some see the color, some see it's missing a hinge, some want to carry the box, some want to change the box into a triangle, some don't see the box - but see its shadow. So you see, we're all seeing the box (humor, punchline) from a different perspective - and there's not just one *right way*. It's all valid. Does the box exist - that was really the question, albeit here the metaphor of a container is being used. Humor - you got it - or you don't. Saying you do in spite of contradictionary evidence is, however being unTruthful.

Of course not! Aspies have all kinds of senses of humor, and while dry sarcasm is one example, just on these forums I've seen plenty of smart and lighthearted jokes too. It's not all cynicism here, and I don't think having AS affects one's unique sense of humor.

Ok I confess turn off the bright lights and put away the rubber hoses... I confest I confest! I laugh my head off when humor is an ugly non-life threatening event that happens at someone elses expense. I laugh at those films where some poor smoe ends up face planting on some hill after doing something like motobike riding or extreme sports.

I have been known to laugh at some pretty horrible things because, I am sorry it just made me laugh. Deep down I lack the empathy most typical humans expect when you see some one get damaged. When I see something that will likely make me laugh inappropriately I do what I always do excuse myself and leave before I break into screams of loud uncontrollable laughter. I usually go outside to get lost among all the smokers forever bannished from lighting up indoors. I am the one not smoking just sitting on the ground laughing like a mad man at nothing others can see.

However I kept only a logical literal sense of humor for years. A chap I used to work with helped me expand my understanding of humor. In time he helped expand my sense of humor into area's only I thought neurotypicals could travel. I learned humor can become a very effective survival tool when working in a stressful job. I used to drive myself merciliessly at work and I held others to the same high standards I held myself to. I still have a merciliess perfectionism and I still hold myself up to rigid high quality output standards BUT I have fun while working too.

Typical humans are more willing to work to help you reach goals if you joke with them and become someone they associate with more than just generating work product. Typical humans feel more at ease with you if you can engage them in humor. I actually have found it is almost better to lay humor on a little thick so when people see you they want to get to the business at hand fast to get rid of me. You have to be careful with humor however because aspie humor is usually too strong and real for faint hearted typical humans. Aspie humor tends to be based on logical literal fact because of this the humor tends to cut deeply and directly into the real flesh, flaws and inconsistancies of a persons core being OUCH! Aspie's are just sharing the humor as we experience and understand it in our world. Most aspies have a sharp tongued wicked sense of humor which is part of who we are. You just have to share this part of yourself with people who know and love the real blunt direct aspie you. For the good gentle folk at work or other sensitive places you have to supress the blunt part of your aspie humorous nature, unless youo just do not care then you must deal with the consequences.


My crude lonewolf humor is too strong, too direct and biting for most typicals in my sadate upper class workplace. If I worked in the sewers with blue collar men or on a construction site with day laborers my humor might yet be considered observant and a bit high brow, I might sound full of myself and stuck up.


On the right wrong side bar....

I think true means it reflects who you are and false indicates it does not reflect who you are, what you think or how you define an experience at a fixed point in time. True and false are more subjective than right and wrong. True and False while definative they are what I call open ended absolutes. If I said ... I am a pigeon? True or False. When I say False which is the accurate answer, the open ended absolute nature of True or False allows me full freedom to define who I really am on my terms. When you say something is either right or wrong those are options are what I call closed absolutes. TRUE Right is absolutely Right, True Wrong is absolutely wrong. True Right & Wrong are supposed to be patently obvious to all who experience their like, leaving no open ended area for definition because true right or wrong by design need no further definition.

Right or Wrong defines a moral judgement. Moral Judgements are framed by the mind and life experience of the reader or trier of facts.

True or False define a condition or current state of being. Condition is by its nature subjective. One persons raining like cats and dogs is anothers sprinkling of light rain. One persons soo cold in the building I must go home immediately is another one's brisk invigorating nip in otherwise warm air. Defining a state of being is highly subjective. the purpose of TRUE or FALSE questions is to elicit the subjective ideals of a target audience meaning there can be no true right and wrong as is possible in moral judgements.

Of course this is just the ideas of a ret*d old gray wolf who is subjective as heck.

Last edited by Alphawolf on 02 Jan 2008, 4:08 am, edited 6 times in total.

I think you hit the issue right on and straight up. Laughing at the human condition and its foibles (never thought I'd actually use that word), seeing the humor in the absurd, the comedic in the tragic is a sign of good mental health. Heck, all the *experts* seem to agree on that... If you can laugh in the face of oppression and hardship - there's something very noble and beautiful there. It's easy enough to laugh at someone else -but to face my weaknesses. crazy ADD/AS/BPD/reclusiveness/quirky bittchiness and say - you betcha - there I dd it again - screwing up is a speciality and this too shall pass - just like gas. Not in a meanhearted way - but in a detached bemused way - it already takes the sting and horror out of *OMG!! !! !! ! look at what yours truly the definitive A hole did ~this~ time. The energy changes and all of a sudden the suffering becomes slightly less. The heart slows down and the adrenaline gets mixed with some endorphins. Patch Adams is someone I learned this from. Thanks Patch. Wherever you are. Ya ole hippy, you. Master Teacher.

my sense of humour is slightly different from others in that i wil find stuff funny that really isnt funny at all. But sometimes i dont get what they find so funny.

If laughing at non-tragic accidents happening to other people is "wrong" by NT definition, how come America's Funniest Home Videos is still on the air? There just aren't enough "cold, sadistic Aspies" to make up the ratings audience...

False...

I don't have that type of humour, so I don't have problems making people laugh.

Since I can't very well show you my actual dictionary, an online one will have to do.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/right See definition number two.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/true Refer to definition number one.

If that's not enough, I offer this:

http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/true Refer to entry number one, if you will.

http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/real Once again, entry number one.

Have I provided enough proof or will you bring the validity of dictionaries and thesauruses into question?

And I say to calm down because you're getting up-in-arms over something trivial that I'm certain was never meant as an insult.

Panzyo, the lynchings performed by the KKK in the southeastern United States during the period of 1920-1950 (just to grab a range of years) were wrong. They were not false.

Only the slimmest of scannings of the two words' definitions could possibly leave one claiming that they are, in all instances, synonymous.

Stating that the title of this thread is incorrect (false) for you does not render the statement "wrong", unless of course you claim to be completely representative of all Aspies.

The context is different.





That was my first statement and it is correct, right, and true. I said they have definitions that are synonymous. I did not say that all of the definitions were synonymous. That's exactly why I pointed out the proper definitions. It all depends on the context. In the context of this thread, they are interchangeable.



You seem to misunderstand. I disagree with the opening post because I disagree with it. I've got an opinion and I'm stating it. It has nothing to do with the differences between words. The only reason I brought it up is because jjstar has been complaining about other poster's use of the word "wrong" instead of "false." I'm just explaining that she shouldn't be taking offense over something that is not offensive and was more than likely not intended to be offensive.

I don't claim to be representative of anyone or anything but myself.

In "Stranger in a Strange Land" Heinlein pointed out that ALL humor involved someone else's misfortune. In some respect....

As for a SENSE of humor... oh yeah, I have one, a highly developed one, enough that I work on jokes and have thought about both writing comedy and doing stand up. My absolute terror of crowds put an end to that idea, but I've performed in comedic plays onstage and done fine. I agree with one of the early poster's, I'd characterize my sense of humor as "wicked", in the Monty Python, British slapstick, pun filled type of humor. I not only pun in public, but I do so WITHOUT WASHING MY HANDS AFTERWARDS....

My oldest son has shown signs of the same sense of humor, and he's doing what I did, using humor to deflect NT's in high school. Check out Robin William's behaviors sometime.... now there's someone with a sense of humor, and a LOT of signs that look familiar. Whoopi Goldberg as well.

I beg your pardon? I find this baseless assumption on my person offensive and I ask that it be withdrawn, please.

This is a very bad generalization.
As far as I understand, the tendency is the exact opposite.
As far as me personally, normal people tend to find me very funny.

“Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things”

George Carlin

I love the Three Stooges!

Id say False.

I don't laugh at, or find humor in peoples misfortunes, unless they are idiots who have brought it upon themselves. muahaha

I can't tell a joke to save my soul, but i have noticed that i make my friends laugh a fair amount. My boyfriend seems to enjoy my off the wall sense of humor, and I make my mom laugh on a daily basis. I crack myself up the most