- Joined
- Jun 2, 2017
I think it's interesting to think of Chris as having existed in a cultural time capsule of sorts, having grown up with retired parents who could have easily been her grandparents.
Autism, in my opinion, is a naturally counter-cultural condition. I've noticed that when autistic people do value social-cultural protocol, it's always in the context of following formalities, perhaps out of the threat of stigma. And autistic people are usually the first to question social norms or just naturally not follow them.
But does that mean that autistic people are above having a culture? No. I think it's interesting how autistic people "metabolize" the cultures of their homes.
Ever wondered why Bob seemed so excited to see Chris master her C64 games as a kid... as if being a pro at video games was some especially rare skill in the 1980s? Because Bob and Barb both worked in the electronics industry, and both retired before the rise of the GUI (graphical user interface) that people could teach themselves in a day. Being good with computers means a lot more than using one... yet Chris seemed to think that her parents' reinforcement meant she was destined for greatness. But did Chris ever play around in the dreaming studio? Did Chris ever realize the irony of "random access humor" – in that "random" doesn't mean "stochastic" but just "in any order possible"?
No. I wouldn't say Chris is any more of an electronics nerd than my old friends with smartphones.
Yet that was always what Borb would say was her gift. Chris was a techno-wizard.
I think this was also why CWC was always so adamant that smoking was wrong. A lot of older people especially view bad health habits as not just actions with known consequences, but as stains on your character. So when Chris heard that smoking was bad, she didn't just think smoking was a bad habit that can directly lead to lung cancer, but thought that smoking must make you a bad person.
Autism, in my opinion, is a naturally counter-cultural condition. I've noticed that when autistic people do value social-cultural protocol, it's always in the context of following formalities, perhaps out of the threat of stigma. And autistic people are usually the first to question social norms or just naturally not follow them.
But does that mean that autistic people are above having a culture? No. I think it's interesting how autistic people "metabolize" the cultures of their homes.
Ever wondered why Bob seemed so excited to see Chris master her C64 games as a kid... as if being a pro at video games was some especially rare skill in the 1980s? Because Bob and Barb both worked in the electronics industry, and both retired before the rise of the GUI (graphical user interface) that people could teach themselves in a day. Being good with computers means a lot more than using one... yet Chris seemed to think that her parents' reinforcement meant she was destined for greatness. But did Chris ever play around in the dreaming studio? Did Chris ever realize the irony of "random access humor" – in that "random" doesn't mean "stochastic" but just "in any order possible"?
No. I wouldn't say Chris is any more of an electronics nerd than my old friends with smartphones.
Yet that was always what Borb would say was her gift. Chris was a techno-wizard.
I think this was also why CWC was always so adamant that smoking was wrong. A lot of older people especially view bad health habits as not just actions with known consequences, but as stains on your character. So when Chris heard that smoking was bad, she didn't just think smoking was a bad habit that can directly lead to lung cancer, but thought that smoking must make you a bad person.
