We welcome and accept Susan Boyle

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Apparently, in the last day or two, the singer Susan Boyle has publicly stated she has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

Okay, so maybe this isn't the greatest statement.  It's not saying, able to achieve many of these things precisely because I am on the Spectrum.

But, all the same, I think we should accept Susan as the unique creative person she is just as she wishes to present herself, without insisting on any kind of ideological or purity test.

And actually, this is a very good day for Asperger's-Autism publicity.  :D  Susan Boyle is a famous and popular person.  We do well.

She'll be a good counter point to all the "AS = mass shooter" speculations in the media, hopefully.

I think we should also tell people about Thomas Jefferson, Jane Austen, and Nikola Tesla. I mean, let's play our cards.

I'm afraid none of those were diagnosed with Asperger's, Susan was.

Ooooh, she should join here! I want to tell her that I like her voice.

You should invite her. You can write to her agent and invite her to check us out. I am sure she would like that.

Given the number of WP members who attack other WP members, I think that would be a BIG turn off for Susan Boyle.

Absolutely! Mostly, though, I would like to thank her and tell her that I like her. I admire her even more because she is a shy and reclusive person yet she still stood up with autistic integrity and let the world know.

Perhaps, but perhaps not. She would be just as anonymous as the rest of us so no one would know who she is and she might find some comradery and much support here just like many of us have. If she joined she would be just another member like anyone else. And she is a regular person just like the rest of us. Just because she is a celebrity does not make her a super human being who can't relate to the rest of us or find friends among people who have common issues. We all suffer and hurt from those here who attack others and we all feel encouraged by those here who encourage others. And we all make our own decisions which threads we want to participate in or whom we want to ignore or interact with. I can't imagine that she would have a different experience than the rest of us. As far as we know she may already be a member.

I think we do better than the average Internet site. That said, we can still do better.

At another web site and a little here at Wrong Planet, I have tried to just matter-of-factly ask people to be better citizens. It was poorly received. The fact that I'm not an official moderator, a person can take a great deal of offense in me telling them what to do.

So, one lesson, let's appreciate the work our moderators do, even if they're sometimes a little slow getting to a situation, or even if they sometimes come on too strong.

And then maybe, let's develop the skills of recovery where a medium mistake doesn't necessarily need to cascade. Or, the zen skill of letting a medium mistake just be a medium mistake. Maybe some skills in this neighborhood.

Doesn't matter, if there is no diagnostic exam that outrightly rules out ASD and there is the tinyist thing that suggests it (or even nothing at all), then the general public will assume that ASD was the cause (which is why I said "speculations").

That story is quite similar to that of Elvis Presley, the best singer who ever lived. It's obvious he had AS.

The autistic mind can be great with music - it's all patterns, precision, details and sharp hearing.

Another autistic musical genious:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpIigV7-kJk[/youtube]

What makes you say that Elvis had AS?

The only pop musicians that I know of who claim to have AS, are Gary Numan and 'Example'. Both mediocre.

Morrisey? I thought he was diagnosed