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No, as far as Chris goes, Chris' willingness to accept help is irrelevant. Help will only work for Chris if it's forced on him.Holdek said:gumbarrel said:Holdek said:Your argument doesn't work precisely because Chris isn't an autistic that "can can barely talk and wipe [his] own ass."
That was an extreme example I gave, but it's still the same situation with the less severe cases. People like Chris plain and simply don't and can't help themselves. They GET help. Real help, not just advise and suggestions from internet dwellers.
I really don't understand why you keep denying this stuff. It doesn't really change anything, besides demonstrate how unreasonable it is to expect Chris to do things that simply don't ever happen.
You seem to think that people who get help usually have it forced upon them. A person, especially one in Chris' condition, usually must make the choice to seek, or at the very least, accept, help.
Chris probably won't do that, but it's the only way it can happen, and he's ultimately responsible for making the choice, one way or the other.
He Sets Me On Fire said:A little late to the party, but Marv's last comment above, I think, indicates another reason why Chris doesn't "just stand up" to Barb.
Chris is stupid, autistic, short-sighted, and has the critical thinking skills of a half-eaten donut, all true. But there's one issue that I think is missed out on. We see Chris as a pompous, egotistical moron who thinks the world of himself. We are well-justified in this perception. But the aspect that we tend to leave out is Chris's woeful sense of dependence. This may be written off as laziness - again, a fair assessment, given that he's a slothful lardass who can't even be counted on to draw a lousy comic page on time. But it goes a little deeper than that.
There have been times when Chris has openly admitted his inability to handle things on his own. A perpetual example of this would be his numerous "I'm lonely! I'm lonesome!" laments. While we may dismiss these as nothing more than "Fatty has a tiny, bent boner, and no female to poke it into", the simple truth of the matter is that Chris has no social life whatsoever. I, a hermit curmudgeon, have friends. I can find a group to hang out with when I want to, be they folks I know, or random people I meet in a pub. Chris, however, doesn't have the social ability to introduce himself to strangers, let alone maintain a friendship. Certainly, while he is a selfish jerk who mistakes friendship for servitude, there are those who are far more egotistical - hell, even downright abusive - who still have people to talk to and hang out with. His lamentations to the Internet that he has no offline friends may be a "serve me!" whine on its surface, but its also an admission, however unintentional, that Chris cannot make friendships or secure a social life on his own.
Was Borb deliberately trying to make Chris entirely dependent on them, or was it neglect that made Chris into the desperately needy person he is today? Whatever the answer, it's clear that Chris grew up with the notion that others were needed in order to make his life work, and that he seemingly had no problem with that. Initially, that is. And then the world started turning its back on him.
So, HSMOF, bring us back to your point: Why doesn't Chris just stand up to Barb?
Simple - he's just too damn dependent. The idea that Barb would switch locks on him is ludicrous. From a survival perspective, she needs him more than he needs her. But Chris was brought p with the notion that he cannot survive without a mother figure, or at the very least, would be subject to horrible loneliness without one. Thus, he is emotionally dependent on her. If Bob were still alive to convince Chris otherwise, perhaps he wouldn't be so fearful of crossing her. Alas, Chris was brought up to rely on others in more ways than one, and so now, he's seeing the results. It ain't pretty, as you can well see.
Chris said:I do NOT need a caretaker; I am capable of taking care of myself. I am 28 years old with a High School Diploma, a Degree and a Certificate in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), and my grades were on Honor Roll throughout, and I made the Dean's List at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
gumbarrel said:Holdek said:You seem to think that people who get help usually have it forced upon them. A person, especially one in Chris' condition, usually must make the choice to seek, or at the very least, accept, help.
Most of them don't really get "forced" in to it, rather they get help early, but, really, at that point it's not like they have a real choice to make. The really bad examples that people bring up as a counter point to Chris sure as hell dont seem like they got help on their own.
And, again, most of the help is direct and comes from active family members, not from internet idiots. Marvin has said that Chris will listen to brab if she ever started helping him.
Chris is incapable, plain and simple. Deal with it.
and he's ultimately responsible for making the choice, one way or the other
It's interesting how people constantly say that Chris is 10 years old mentally, yet expect him to be responcible for things like this. It's either Barb, or somebody else. He has to be "forced" in to it, one way or the other.
Holdek said:Chris has been recognized as a legally a competent adult. The professional psychiatric opinion that we have had access to indicates that that he has autism and anxiety, but is not a mental invalid.
No, as far as Chris goes, Chris' willingness to accept help is irrelevant. Help will only work for Chris if it's forced on him.
gumbarrel said:Holdek said:Chris has been recognized as a legally a competent adult. The professional psychiatric opinion that we have had access to indicates that that he has autism and anxiety, but is not a mental invalid.
And yet most autistics are also not mental invalids, but still require constant assistance to live what is still less fulfilling lives than regular people.
Really, how many examples of people like Chris can you give me, who managed to do what you expect out of him? By being "willing to change and accepting help", who did it without direct intervention by family/institutions?
If Chris really is an autistic manchild, then the only way he would change, would be to do exactly what one would do to a child - grabbing him by the hand and enforcing order and direction on him, until he internalizes it, or in his case, turns it in to another routine.
Holdek said:He's not actually a child. We call him a "manchild" because its a way of making fun of the way he lives his life.
He's actually an adult who has to make the choice of taking that first step, but he's refused to do so time and time again. We can only hope that as his illusions continue to be shattered that he tries a different way.
CWCissey said:Holdek said:He's not actually a child. We call him a "manchild" because its a way of making fun of the way he lives his life.
He's actually an adult who has to make the choice of taking that first step, but he's refused to do so time and time again. We can only hope that as his illusions continue to be shattered that he tries a different way.
I don't know Holdek, as far as I'm concerned a person is still a child until they are self-sufficient and seeing as Chris has never been so then he is still a child.
Adults forced to move back into their parents houses are a whole different kettle of fish by the way as more often than not, they're victims of the system more than from their own doing.
Uzumaki said:CWCissey said:Holdek said:He's not actually a child. We call him a "manchild" because its a way of making fun of the way he lives his life.
He's actually an adult who has to make the choice of taking that first step, but he's refused to do so time and time again. We can only hope that as his illusions continue to be shattered that he tries a different way.
I don't know Holdek, as far as I'm concerned a person is still a child until they are self-sufficient and seeing as Chris has never been so then he is still a child.
Adults forced to move back into their parents houses are a whole different kettle of fish by the way as more often than not, they're victims of the system more than from their own doing.
Okay, but you're wading ankle deep into "I make up my own definitions" territory here. In the sense that most English speakers mean when they use the term "adult" Chris is one.
Sure, it's justified. He's funny. I laugh at funny things. People do tend to do that, and it's not a "desperate normalization" of anything. A blanket pronouncement of "I know what's wrong with everyone on the forums (except of course me)" is more than a little pretentious to begin with.RagtimeRoastBeefy said:There's no justifying our laughing at Chris. Its all a desperate normalization of something that has highly sketchy morals at best.
Yes.A-Stump said:Some people on this forum has autism themselves and can't comprehend that Chris is different than they are. Also, you can tell who has the 'tism when the discussion turns to it.
Thems facts
Smokedaddy said:Sure, it's justified. He's funny. I laugh at funny things. People do tend to do that, and it's not a "desperate normalization" of anything. A blanket pronouncement of "I know what's wrong with everyone on the forums (except of course me)" is more than a little pretentious to begin with.RagtimeRoastBeefy said:There's no justifying our laughing at Chris. Its all a desperate normalization of something that has highly sketchy morals at best.
Holdek said:He's not actually a child. We call him a "manchild" because its a way of making fun of the way he lives his life.
Except I said that this applies to the less severe cases as well. It is perfectly possible for someone with autism to get a driver's license, yet be incapable of holding a job for more than a week. Hell, people who don't have autism can have that problem.h
That information that we have about people with autism in general suggest, that unless it's a really high functioning case, the person plain and simply can't deal with most of life on his own.
Hell, even Marvin, the one guy who would know Chris best out of anyone on this forum, has said that Chris can only be trained like a dog to do things. Yet people ignore this point religiously.
So, once again, why do people want Chris to do things that simply don't happen?
Really, how many examples of people like Chris can you give me, who managed to do what you expect out of him? By being "willing to change and accepting help", who did it without direct intervention by family/institutions?
Scuttle456 said:Really, how many examples of people like Chris can you give me, who managed to do what you expect out of him? By being "willing to change and accepting help", who did it without direct intervention by family/institutions?
Well sir, people "like" Chris are really a once in a generation experience... Id say he's one of a kind.... If your saying Chris is the run of the mill high functioning autism, well I really must take exception to that...
Wouldnt you say there is a major difference between Temple Grandin/ the Pokemon founder and Our Pet Lolcow?
And feel free to answer this or not, but I sense a certain angry vibe from you, as if you have a strong contempt/animus for all autistic individuals, and not just our Pet Lolcow? Am I correct in thinking that? And if I am, seriously dude, what gives?
Scuttle456 said:And feel free to answer this or not, but I sense a certain angry vibe from you, as if you have a strong contempt/animus for all autistic individuals, and not just our Pet Lolcow? Am I correct in thinking that? And if I am, seriously dude, what gives?
Well sir, people "like" Chris are really a once in a generation experience... Id say he's one of a kind.... If your saying Chris is the run of the mill high functioning autism, well I really must take exception to that...
Plenty of autistic people are gainfully employed, have friends and can live independently, as long as they aren't terribly low functioning.