It's a lot less pressure to go to an IRL meetup when you're already accepted in the group as yourself and the group just doesn't care if you just sit there 1 hour straight without saying anything drinking with a cap on before you say something awkward like that you love the group. The only times I can remember Chris being a little bit like that was in the gay club(but not quite).
If there's something I pity about Chris is that he never seemingly had comradeship of any sort growing up, any organic friendships, never part of a team - not even friendships that he would've failed(maybe megan counts, but that's kinda too late and chris viewed her just as potential mate), instead he was protected from failing so much that he never had anything except the ballooning ego, hatred for other guys and jealousy. Dude never had even as much as a "gg" from a randomly assigned teammate. Never had genuine feedback from having genuinely made himself useful for a team, never had anyone he trusted as a friend who had his best interest in their mind tell him that showering is better than an axe and that a lanparty does actually smell bad if there's no sauna because BO does smell even if he can't smell himself or tell him that his socks smelled awful and that it's not a good look when they smell that bad - and that it's okay and normal that he isn't yet getting laid so aren't many others and let's go to vegas.
Well, you wrote a lot that sounds somewhat similar to Chaz's argument but I'll address it separately from him. I couldn't quote directly but I'll try to address your overall point. You're putting the fact that Chris not having any networks or close friendships in 2004 down to:
- His artificial friend's circle
- He didn't get out enough nor had the desire to
- Never had a male as a friend
All of which are completely wrong or not his fault. First off, Chris had more friends than the gal pals. He was friends with Sarah Hammer as a child and though she picked on him, he considered her a close friend. He was forced to move away. At school we know he was a waterboy on the basketball team and made friends with the other waterboy Joseph. He also became friends with Joshua Martinez. Later on, before Megan, he ended up befriending Anna through his own initiative. Who are all these people and how did they all act? Other than Joseph, we know the other 3 were not friendly towards him. Chris tried to make friends with people but it just fell through, like it does in real life. He didn't just sit in his room and wait for things to come to him.
Second, Chris was forbidden in later years from leaving his home to go to conventions, and with Barb's already documented hysteric nature, it's possible he was earlier as well. Chris, did have a desire to meet people and socialize with them and went out multiple times eventually ending up at the Game Place but he did attempt to garner attention in ways that made sense to him and he did with limited success. Upon researching for my response, it turns out he did go to a a convention
https://sonichu.com/cwcki/Anime_Mid-Atlantic where he attempted to socialize with little success.
Not knowing where to look wasn't Chris's only or even main problem in making friends or a girlfriend. He wanted to do things only on his terms, which like I said was why he so consistently tried to use Sonichu as his point of attraction. That approach honestly was even more ridiculously niche than if he had joined some Sonic fansite or group online. He knew how to use the internet and he didn't need to be sociable IRL to look around online. And if he had no motivation to have social interactions at all then the idea of having a girlfriend was never a good fit for him anyway, a woman wasn't going to be a blowup doll that he can put away when he's done with her and go back to playing vidya.
Wouldn't say I was or am I highly social person but like anyone I had the desire to discuss my interests with those who shared them, and mid-2000s internet was pretty amenable to that if you had the curiosity and initiative. Chris just ultimately does not put much effort into anything he does or pursues. When he does try to pursue a goal he takes the path of least resistance and lowest odds of success, like the attraction signs or trying to build a Sonichu fanbase of admiring fangirls. Whether he is that way because of autism, I don't know, but I doubt that's his only problem since many autistic people are able to interact more comfortably online once the pressure of IRL social interactions is removed.
Chaz I feel like you're just re-stating what you said earlier without taking my responses into consideration so re-stating them would be a waste of time for both of us. Additionally, while Chris didn't make "cold approaches" back in those days his primary strategy, he did attempt it at least on two occasions and as I said to the person this conversation was originally to, it's likely that one of the Black girls at his campus who asked him about why he wouldn't go out with Black women was at least curious enough to have gone out with him for his assertiveness/boldness of the attraction sign. He put in a lot of effort with the newsletters too.
I feel like both of you guys haven't read enough Christory that you think all Chris did all day was walk around with the sign then go home and play vidya lamenting that no one cared about him when the truth is that Chris did socialize in pretty much conventional and non-conventional ways just not met with the exact success you insist he should have had and if it's a disagreement with me saying that autistic girls were difficult to find you may as well just call it a day and give me the red X because I think you in particular Chazz lived in a subculture and were successful in it that you can't see how it wouldn't apply to most others even Chris and I don't think you can convince me otherwise on that point.
