Australians discussing asperger's joke

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They don't want to know or consider perspectives other than their own.

All of this heavy emphasis on attacking the fakers is really only going to hurt the people who really do have Asperger's and other conditions that are considered "invisible" to people in the end. Everyone's a cynic these days and it sucks because they really don't do anything to help your situation but rather discourage you.

Whether or not you were offended by the joke, people with Asperger's by nature are sensitive people. It is a human flaw very much a part of having AS. Clearly these people dont even know that. I do not appreciate the writer of this article dumbing us down for being offended like that and as far as gaining sympathy goes, everytime I tell people I have Asperger's they never give a s**t. I'll be amazed if actually live in a world where people actually gain sympathy for having AS because that is not the world I am living in.

I don't think people would have reacted as badly if actual real life human beings with AS who have an official diagnosis from doctors didn't currently get told over and over and over again that their AS wasn't a real thing and they needed to just stop being jerks and socialize better. Oh, I'm sure there's a lot of jerks out there who use it as an excuse too... but well, how many of us haven't heard any stories or ourselves experienced being told we just needed to stop being difficult and act more normal/try harder/be nicer when we had no clue what just happened to make everyone upset? It's a joke that can be funny with work in the future with better awareness and less prejudices/misconceptions about AS, but well, generally it's not quite as OK to make jokes about minorities until their situation are dealt with to a point of them in general being close to mainstreaming - otherwise it just comes off as kicking someone while they're down, even if you really meant to kick the guy next to them.

The reaction should still be the same. No official diagnosis =/= no Aspergers. Nor should anyone try to play psych and un-diagnose someone no matter how well they *think* they know them.

Unfortunately, there is no way to force acceptance and understanding on people. Comedians are of the mind that everyone should be able to take a joke. In general, comedians do tend to take that seriously. If you roast them, they don't get butthurt. They laugh with you because that is the nature of their game. they acknowledge their own shortcomings just as they zero in on the shortcomings of others and drag them into the light of day.

Unfortunately, some comedians are in the business of dragging EVERYTHING into the light of day for scrutiny, including things you couldn't say any other place than on a stage at a comedy show...with security. Those comedians on the fringes, the ones that go for the throat, are in the business of challenging peoples beliefs and forcing people to think. That is a much different thing than a joke teller.

I think the comedian in the OP wants to be the latter but is just a mediocre version of the former. Her jokes lacked the courage to go for the big kill so they simply ended up being annoyingly insulting. Personally, I know someone with celiacs who would absolutely explode over this. Calling Asperger's an excuse... well, honey, you'd have to actually KNOW what Asperger's is before you could even attempt to make that joke funny. Do your homework. Your jokes might be better...

[quote="draelynn" Personally, I know someone with celiacs who would absolutely explode over this. Calling Asperger's an excuse... well, honey, you'd have to actually KNOW what Asperger's is before you could even attempt to make that joke funny. Do your homework. Your jokes might be better...[/quote]

Totally agree. I have various food intolerances (fructose malabsorbtion), and running to the toilet with a very upset stomach is hardly anything to laugh at.

But comedy tends to be based on someone ranting about how they feel about things, and how 99% of the audience would feel. You just can't take it seriously.

You think it was second degree? I had seen your post, actually, but since noone in those comments seem to be hinting at that and are not defending the comedy piece FOR THIS REASON, (only you, and here), I didn't think of taking that angle,not sure they would agree. I'd just get flamed down for calling Fiona a hypochondriac.......

I didn't notice anything wrong with it, it was a passing comment that listed a few arbitrary examples of disorders and ailments that are commonly used as excuses for being a prick and she used it as a build-up for a punchline I honestly didn't really understand.