Taking things literally!

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maleb
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11 Mar 2010, 6:07 pm

yeah, I've been the brunt of many jokes. It's all good, when they are good natured. I even crack up over them as I recollect.

People who know me well get used to being somewhat explicit with me.

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Moog
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11 Mar 2010, 6:12 pm

KarBaum wrote:

I was going out to a club once with a group of acquaintances that I did not know well, and I did not know how to dress, so I asked a friend how to dress to impress people, and she said to "dress up". She meant, apparently, to dress nicely. I, instead, wore a banana costume.

If that's true it's wonderful. :lol:

Darksideblues42
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11 Mar 2010, 6:24 pm

At work, the warehouse manager sent an email:

"No one is allowed, or has ever been allowed to remove any inventory from the stocking locations"

So I asked him how we planned on being able to build and ship product if it can't be removed from the stocking locations...He called me a prick and walked away....

The manufacturing doors say "Product pass through doors MUST be kept closed at all times" so I asked why they are even there...

and we have an emergency door that says "This Emergency Exit MUST be kept closed at all times" So...what good is it then?

I know what these things all mean, but my first thought was not what was intended for these items to mean.

nanoda
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11 Mar 2010, 8:39 pm

Darksideblues42 wrote:

I would probably think of those the same way in that situation. I don't understand why people who write these things seem to leave out parts that would make these sentences make actual sense.

"No one is allowed, or has ever been allowed to remove any inventory from the stocking locations"

Probably means "No person who does not work here may remove any inventory items from the stocking locations"

"This Emergency Exit MUST be kept closed at all times"

This is more like "The emergency exit must be kept closed at all times other than times of emergencies."

I've seen signs like these and I've heard people say things like this and it would be so much better if they made more sense.

happymusic
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11 Mar 2010, 9:00 pm

I take things literally all the time and am totally distracted adn lost when someone uses one of those weird phrases that don't say what they mean. Like someone above, the ones I know, I understand, no problem, but new ones must be explained to me.

ASgirl
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12 Mar 2010, 1:46 pm

my doctor asked me what i am like with food and whether i have issues with my weight.
"do you exercise?"
"no"
"do you count calories"
"no, i don't count count, just conscious, very conscious of calories".
"so you do count calories"
"no i already told you that i DON'T"

ursaminor
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12 Mar 2010, 3:06 pm

ASgirl wrote:

The doctor is being silly.
Silly doctor.

LoveMoney
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12 Mar 2010, 3:39 pm

Are you guys just plain stupid? (to the 'smarter aspies' here)

I have Autism and I never take things literally, never.
Just use your brains please.

Just try to think a little why something is there, are we just ret*ds who learn by rote, oh my god?!

A real question now:

How does it come that you take things literally?

League_Girl
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12 Mar 2010, 5:48 pm

LoveMoney wrote:

Can you be even more ignorant than that?

It's part of autism. Just be happy you don't take things literal and you can read between the lines, understand vague requests, jokes, sarcasm, teasing, etc. Lot of us are concrete thinkers so it causes us to be literal.

sketches
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12 Mar 2010, 7:17 pm

Whether or not it is part of autism, it is part of me and part of who I am + how I converse. I take almost everything literally, everyday. Like lyricalillusions said earlier, if it is a "stock phrase," I will know likely what it means. I get very caught-up in words.

I think, from time to time, that I could be able to blame my "taking things literal" on many things from my childhood (but then again, I am very much a nurture vs. nature person). Two examples.

1. My grandma read to me (almost every night) a series called Amelia Bedelia; it's about a woman who takes everything literally -- that is not something I was aware of at the time.
2. My dad's most common joke is the type to take things literally. He is intentionally trying to get laughs from taking things literally with people. Anybody know of those "jokes"? I grew up with those.

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lyricalillusions
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13 Mar 2010, 8:00 pm

LoveMoney wrote:

Wow. That is a very rude & arrogant thing to say. Using my very intelligent brain, it always takes me a long time to figure out the non-literal meaning of things. That is just the way my, & a lot of other people's brain works. My brain initially interprets everything literally, leaving me to have to decipher the meanings of everything.

You need to realize that your way of thinking is not the only way of thinking.

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pensieve
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14 Mar 2010, 12:20 am

LoveMoney wrote:

My brain is the main cause why I take things literally, but over the years I have learnt to not be as literal.
Some people can't take time to think, also because of how their brain is wired. People with ADD can take things literally too.

Sarcasm is something very easy to understand why other autistics may take it literally. They may not be able to tell the difference between tone of voice or read the facial expressions.

Actually I may interpret as literal, but I do think 'no wait, I may be taking this the wrong way.' So I guess I do stop and think.

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Philologos
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14 Mar 2010, 1:09 am

"plain stupid is it?"

Passing lightly over several of the other issues surrounding the comment and the innumerable times I have mis-taken something literally in my years in the higher education business, IF you really never take things literally, better not talk to me nor to anyone who counts as smart - the majority of what I say in public and most of what others say is MEANT to be taken literally.

Or when you say you never take things literally, do you mean us not to take you literally? And who kiddeth here whom?

Asp-Z
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14 Mar 2010, 5:43 am

I'm confused on this myself, coz my mum told me that I took things literally when I was younger and have since developed a sort of coping stratagy to think about things so I don't usually do it anymore, though I do still have the problem of taking things literally in my brain and it shows sometimes because my coping system dosen't always work. To me, this makes sense, and I think that's what happens.

However, she also told me (on another day) that I don't have that problem and am just doing it on purpose when it does happen, which is complete crap.

Why did she tell me two different things? Go figure.

Mdyar
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14 Mar 2010, 1:18 pm

League_Girl wrote:

I have gotten better over the years but I still take things literal.

About 20 years ago my grandmother once announced" I'm going home and then going swinging later."
I pictured here on a swing,swinging at home. :lol:

Ive heard a comment once before about this' gap' in me and he said " man, there is something missing" :lol:

I can still fall into this.
A member started a thread here "List one thing that you dont understand about n/t's"
I posted:
1)'The one thing' that I didnt understand. (Rather than a list as others did)

League_Girl wrote:

Anything that doesn't make any sense I just assume it can't mean that. Then I don't understand.

Thats the way with myself too.

League_Girl wrote:

Here is one I will never forget, my office clerk tells me to bring up six rollaways. I do that and I leave them there and go back to my work. At the end of the shift, he asks me why aren't they made and I tell him I don't know and he asks me why didn't I make them and I tell him I didn't know I was supposed to. He asked me how long had I been working there, and said I should know and he said why would he ask me to bring up six rollaways and not have me make them? I said maybe he had someone else in mind to do it. He wasn't happy with me all because he didn't tell me to make them but he said I didn't use my common sense. He told me when someone asks for a rollaway, someone is going to have to make them now before giving it to the guest and our boss might be asking why weren't they made. I felt stupid and bad. Where was my logic?
I decided next time he asks me to bring them up, I will ask if he wants me to make them or not. I decided to do the same with other office clerks if they tell me to bring some up. Ask if they want me to make them.

I have fallen here like this too.
Things that are implied or inferred have been my achilles heel.

Odin
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14 Mar 2010, 6:34 pm

I don't fall for blatant things anymore, but subtle nuance and sarcasm still gets me a lot.

"What!?! Really?"
"No goofus, it's a JOKE"

:roll:

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