they moved the aspie next to me at work

she's the one who walks without swinging her arms, btw

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/noise-canceling-headphone-6.jpg

already done that, problem is when i need to talk to another co-worker i have to speak over the aspie and she always starts talking to us when the conversation has nothing do with her

introduce her to noise board

xpost gossip about her to colleague in her presence?

the thing is, i'm nice to all of my co-workers, but this aspie bothers me so much i'm almost to the point of being rude to her so she stops speaking at inappropriate times.

mostly she just mutters something to herself tangentially related to what i am speaking about, and i ask what, and she says oh, oh, nothing.

i'm almost to the point of being rude to her so she stops speaking at inappropriate times.

I think this is okay. If she's being rude and interrupting you, then fuck it.

do aspies get hurt feewings?

take her stapler

just how do these people get hired?

'The aspie'

Pretty offensive, don't you think?

Grow up.

aspies call themselves aspies.

i'm sure if you give her a chance you'll find you have a lot in common and a beautiful friendship may soon blossom.
she could even be the one ;)

aspies call themselves aspies.

http://www.undergroundwestcoastrap.com/nwa.jpg

NWA ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU

it's not the same thing, actually. but nice try.

ha "grow up"

sorry, i am not a medical doctor like you, dr. c

Oh dear.

x-post What are you then?

cutty where do u work

they moved "the person whom i believe has asperger's syndrome" next to me at work

just doesn't have the same ring to it

the moved the person that i can't get on with but i'm sure is a fine individual in their own right with talents and hopes and dreams that i will never fathom next to me at work.

i had to google "aspie".
apparently everyone i know has some base level of class.

You don't read ILX?

Doesn't read Noise, more likely.

The new guy sat next to me has "Only Shallow" as his ring tone. I don't think he is on the Autistic spectrum.

u think?

xpost

somewhere far away...

with no blacks, no jews, and no gays

i too had no idea what an aspie was.

i used to walk without swinging my arms. does that make me one?

first they came for the aspies....

yet another example of how something that works online fails miserably in three-dimensional space

I am friends w/2 aspies and they're pretty normal, they just stare a lot more and reveal occasional glimmers of suppressed inner rage where they talk about stabbing people

u_u

they moved the old man who makes fucking stupid "jokes" 94/7 next to me at work

My stepmum teaches kids with Asperger's, so I've met a bunch and read a couple of books on it and autism, and I've never heard the term used by anyone other than Jon describing someone, or someone describing Jon. As shorthand for someone with a specific set of personality quirks I guess people might be offended, but really, who gives a shit? Not the aspies, that's for sure.

I was going to say, is this a preursor to the "they moved the darkie next to me at work" thread?

fuck - that sounds like half my friends!

xpost to curtis

they moved me next to the passive agressive at work

how to cope?

HEY ASSHOLES "ASPIE" IS NOT A RACE

yeah it's the taking part that matters

they moved me next to a coworker at work

xpost

Dr C and others getting riled: It doesn't seem worth taking offense at "aspie" when some significant percentage of the gen pop prob falls on the spectrum...? Like my dad, for starters, he's just never been tested/diagnosed b/c he's an engineer and a mechanic at heart, and not understanding his own or anyone else's feelings is, like, "masculine" and not "weird and un-human GAWD what is WRONG with you?" etc.

Shortening it to a casual "aspie" is more a reflection of the potential silliness of labeling EVERYONE with SOMETHING in order to know "how to deal" w/ them instead of just taking people as they are.

Many xps

there's something moebius-like about this thread

i am starting to doubt that dr. c is really a doctor, he is probably one of those internet people who like to call themselves a doctor. probably has aspies.

right now there's an aspie starting a thread on the noise board complaining about being moved next to the office douche.

but yes, the way to cope is maybe speak to your boss about it. or perhaps speak to your aspie colleague without necessarily being rude. i guess.

i think he is a doctor of rock, is the thing

we have waspies in the back yard, they come in summer

like, standard techniques that one ought to know without having to consult the internet about.

xxpost

We have summer waspies in my home town too, they take all the parking spots at the beach.

today at work, they seated me next to cuttyhorse.jpg

I'm not getting riled. Just irritated at some dork's inability to find a way to describe a no-doubt annoying colleague without resorting to calling them by the name of a particular condition that they have. Is this person annoying simply because they're 'an aspie'. Are all 'aspies' annoying? Hey, let's laugh at the aspie, she doesn't swing her arms when she walks, you know. She mutters too. Har fucking har.

Shortening it to a casual "aspie" is more a reflection of the potential silliness of labeling EVERYONE with SOMETHING in order to know "how to deal" w/ them instead of just taking people as they are

Yeah, right. Or a way of getting cheap laughs on a message board.

How is yr relationship with yr office manager? If this were me I'd have a talk with him/her, even frame it as "your problem" if you have to, and speak of it as a "quirk" of her personality rather than a clinical thing.

this is the kind of thing that drove kate off ILX, people.

The new guy sat next to me has "Only Shallow" as his ring tone.

jesus

Can I make my Cleopatra joke again? Cause no one lol'd when I did it on the NB ;_;

I'd say "I give up" but I'll probably do something equally earnest next week. Or tomorrow.

xxpost, I've heard worse. Mine is Bitch by the Stones, for instance. That's worse.

without resorting to calling them by the name of a particular condition that they have

what's wrong with that?

people do not choose which race they'll be born to, likewise they don't choose whether or not to be born with aspergers syndrome

one of my best mates has asperger's, you knob.

HEY ASSHOLES "ASPIE" IS NOT A RACE

No shit. But you wouldn't refer to the guy in the wheelchair as "the crip" would you?

BUT IT'S OK BECAUSE THEY CALL THEMSELVES THAT!! RIGHT? LIKE FAGGOT!

haha look whose talking!

there's a nice old thread where dr. c brags about his wife's ability to do comedy jewish voice

how come we don't have a nice shorthand for people who exhibit the characteristics of being rude cunts

oh, wait

No shit. But you wouldn't refer to the guy in the wheelchair as "the crip" would you?

IF YOU WRITE THE BURGER KING KIDS' CLUB COMIX, YOU CALL HIM "WHEELS", DUH.

But you wouldn't refer to the guy in the wheelchair as "the crip" would you?

I think it all depends on familiarity. If you know the person pretty well, you can call them that, right?

"noize dudes"?
xxpost

Because, you know, calling attention to someone's dysfunction in a NICE way is FINE, you just have to be NICE ABOUT IT.

no, i guess i would say crippled but never the crip--that's too specific.

Right, forgot about that one.

I really don't give that much of a shit, just struck me as pretty rude and offensive. But I don't know any aspies to ask their thoughts.

http://www.joelchasnoff.com/images/title-jewish.jpg

But I don't know any aspies to ask their thoughts.

This is sort of key, isn't it?

so, has cutty found some good advice on this thread yet, is all i want to know.

otherwise this thread has failed, nice or not.

i think we've all learned how to be better people, and that's what really matters.

it's just the way that people started getting defensive once Dr C pointed out that the intention of this thread may not necessarily be genuine

http://www.ilovemyaspiekid.com/ilovemyaspieheader.jpg

i think if she continues i will say something to her, and not fear her aspie social frailties

for what we know this aspie colleague may not even exist in real life.

are you accusing me of not being genuine, you chinaman

i wish you didn't exist in real life

"aspie" is a term of endearment, wtf at people getting offended

yes. i want to see pictures

BAN FAKE ASPIE

I generally try to think in terms of "would saying this out loud to the person cause me to wind up in a closed-door meeting with human resources?"

but I've also got aspie-hardman disorder so take that as you will

what is hardman

my friend with asperger's does sometimes refer to himself as an "aspie" and is pround of it. there's a whole subculture of these guys who refer to non-aspergers folks as "neuro typical" and consider themselves mentally superior.

Some people's senses of humor are differently abled, bell. But that's okay, because they're people too, so as long as you speaking very clearly and in simple words around them, you'll be fine.

My re-reading skills are apparently not enabled at all this morning. COFFEE PLS.

Great thread.

Takin retards to the zoo

i suspect about half of my friends of having autism spectral disorders

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newtype

They moved an indigo childe next to me

hahahaha SexyDancer ftw

see the way the whether the aspie colleague actually exists question has been totally evaded.

i think i'm onto something here.

crap. got to go to class

expect to see 6000 posts when i come back

does it matter that most aspies haven't really been diagnosed with aspergers, they just havev shitty social skills?

why the fuck would i make this shit up. i first brough up aspie co worker in the "people who walk without swinging their arms" thread

ken c why are you such a little cunt face

you were a dick in that thread too

my friend with asperger's does sometimes refer to himself as an "aspie" and is pround of it. there's a whole subculture of these guys who refer to non-aspergers folks as "neuro typical" and consider themselves mentally superior.

-- max r, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:47 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

^^^ i know a guy like this, too. he is definitely asperger's, super smart, socially cumbersome but ultimately endearing. also thinks everyone else in the world is much, much dumber than he is, so i don't feel all that bad for calling him out when he's being an overbearing douche about how idiotic it is that i don't understand his particular niche of astrophysics.

FIRST PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF ASPIE COLLEAGUE

cutsy i think when its a problem you should growl at her, is my advice
when she is problem you go GRRRRRRR and move your head down a little
she will know you are unhappy and stop, if she doesn't stop then roll her over on her back and bark at her

there's something morbius-like about this thread

I actually find using any disability-related terms as a pejorative to be really fucking cuntish actually and all the arguments defending it here range from disingenuous to downright flimsy.

Essentially all they "hey, what's wrong with calling someone an aspie?" arguments would translate perfectly into the right-wing UK press as "political correctness gone mad" or "just a bit of fun".

The "term of endearment" argument doesn't really stack up either unless there's some affection in the opening posts that I'm missing.

I actually find using any disability-related terms as a pejorative to be really fucking cuntish

LOLLLLLLLL

and using the word cunt isn't demeaning to women?????

I can say 'dickish' if I want but oh noes demeaning to men!

why do women use swear words to refer to their privates?

but there's no brownie points for that, eh?

xpost

Que, surely you can see a nontrivial difference between calling a man a "cunt" and calling a woman a "cunt", particularly when you take into account the difference of strength between those words in the UK and the US?

can you call a man an aspie? what if he's black?

i guess it is fair to point out that people use the word cunt in England more than they do over here, so yes.

http://www.umbrella-autism.org.uk/images/Autism-AutieAspieCulture.jpg

The "term of endearment" argument doesn't really stack up either unless there's some affection in the opening posts that I'm missing.

calling cunt in the US 1D4 damage to male; 2D4 to female
calling cunt in the UK 1D4 (+6) damage to male; 2D4 (+6) to female

this reminds me of that thread where 2/3 of ILX claimed to be synaesthesiacs

All of you stop it at once, have you learned nothing from the multiple sclerosis toothpaste debacle and the little jew can opener disaster? For shame, ILE. For shame.

also, counts as magic weapon if yr fighting a troll.

xpost

show me a woman who refers to her vagina as a disability

a big, cunty, troll

and i'll show her a wonderful evening

crosspost

If I found out that any of my friends are referring to me as "the nigga" to other people, they would no longer be my friends, so from my viewpoint the "term of endearment" argument is horseshit regardless. (NB: This has happened to me.)

xp: omg gff

dan OTM.

They just moved the guy who shits in the morning next to me, dudes.

they just moved the swimmer next to me so i thought i'd go to the pool and complain about it

ok Tracer wins

in high school i accidentally used the word 'vagina' in front of this crazy girl who spat on me and told me she'd spit on me every time i referred to it as anything other than cunt. i asked if she was really serious about making me say 'cunt' and she slapped me.

so the swimmer is the aspie and ILX is the pool

wau

xp to remy

even *I* got that, cutty

remy, you have met some incredibly bizarre people!

in high school i accidentally used the word 'vagina' in front of this crazy girl who spat on me and told me she'd spit on me every time i referred to it as anything other than cunt. i asked if she was really serious about making me say 'cunt' and she slapped me.

-- remy bean, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:32 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

her OB must be one tough son of a bitch

or at least very, very patient

Yes, he's been sitting around since high school, waiting for her to get pregnant.

a year later she asked me to come to lilith fair with her. i had to decline, but not because i had scruples and didn't want to go to womyn-fest, but because i was already bearding for another girl

i was upset i didn't get laid, actually

i meant ob-gyn, nabisco, but your zing still stands

remy: dude she wasn't gay! she fucked one of all3n r's friends and it caused some weird falling out

also, I WAS THERE....

IN 1997

no, i wasn't bearding for her, i just couldn't go with her because i was already bearding for that girl that went out with t051

who wanted a free homo pass for the day

I saw you leaving the lilith fair feeling empowered so I paid two skinheads to rape you

My disgust and amusement are actually cancelling each other out. Result: I think overall I feel "neutral" about that post.

*_o

aspies. very dangerous. you go first.

as with depression, many people don't take Aspergers seriously as an 'illness', 'disorder' or 'disbility'. retard is probably a worse term than aspie technically.

Funny.. I was just daydreaming about Lilith Faire probably because of the Lilith Records thread xp

this is the kind of thing that drove kate off ILX, people.

-- blueski, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 12:29 PM (2 hours ago)

boy do i miss her

oh she's gone? :D

Pls don't quote name a third time, okay?

show of hands, who wants kate back?

Me

you're not even a real doctor, though

Well, there's one. Anyone else?

Really? But who said I was?

^^^

What does that mean?

crew cut

^^^
o_o

lol I made beavis

^^^
o_o

Bart Simpson

Thanks.

And?....

<^^^
o_o

Calvin

. . .

^these are called ellipses

you are obviously not a doctor

We need a dictionary of these confusing symbols, like the one that hobos carry around with them so they know where to sleep.

http://www.ogzv.com/images/hobo_signs-2.jpg

(o )( o)

Cutty - who said I was? Did I? And how is it relevant?

tedious

YOUR NAME IS DR. C. THAT'S WHO SAID IT. YOU DID. WHEN YOU FILLED OUT THE FORM FOR USERNAME YOU THOUGHT--I'LL CALL MYSELF DOCTOR. DR.C.

DOCTOR NO CHARGE

Someone is going to get cursed out, here.

DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOOD

~~~~~
o x o

~~~~~
o x o

means this thread has good water, in hobospeak

it is probably good that cutty does this to britishes on the internet instead of to his actual coworkers, though

QUIT FUCKING WITH MY SPACING/TEXTJUSTIFICATION NUILX YOU SUCK

xpost

YOU CAN SLEEP IN THE LOFT

Cutty - I am not a medical doctor, nor have I ever said that I am. The origins of my username are on some other thread about same topic. Why do you care?

what about the "C" part?
is the C for Cutty?
are you guy srelated?
are family functions uncomfortable for you guys?

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c335/Elementfire0666/cutsman.gif

cutty?

http://images.wikia.com/muppet/images/3/35/CookieLP.jpg

The origins of my username are on some other thread about same topic. Why do you care?

there's another aspie thread? i don't care, you seem obtuse though and therefore i'm having fun. plus, you keep clicking on this thread even after you voiced your disdain and disapproval. kudos to you, doc.

I keep clicking because this thread is serving a useful function - it's confirming that a list of people who I thought were probably twats actually are. Thanks for that, mate.

TWAT LIST

so does this mean you do not charge for medical advice?

xpost

oh wait i mean

NO ALCOHOL TOWN

show of hands, who wants kate back?

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 7:59 PM (32 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

lunathread could have used her calming influence and sense of perspective.

///

cutty, there isn't much you can do to avoid aspies w/o being mean in my experience. part of being aspie is the inability to read normal social ques that would allow you to be tactful. prob best just ignoring all their tangents and non sequiturs

that's what i've been doing and i guess it is the only route besides confronting her about her syndrome and what it is doing to my work environment.

but do aspie's notice that i am in fact ignoring them?

Why people dislike aspies? I can kind of relate to them. I like most everyone who isn't intentionally an asshole, though. Would rather sit next to a person with that kind of "developmental problem" or whatevs pat term to use than some frappachino-guzzlig mindless momma.

sometimes you just have to ignore/put up with annoying co-workers. just be glad you don't work in software/engineering/etc and only have ONE aspie co-worker.

^^^OTM

lol america

abbott so otm

I will take the aspies any day over nascar dads

talking irrationally over me when i'm trying to communicate with another co-worker (ie, do my job) is not something i relate to

seriously i spent a year sitting across from a 36 year old republican who lived with his parents in queens and had never dated or learned to ride a bike. he compulsively made a snorting sound every couple of minutes and didn't realize he was doing it. and the only band he listened to was rush. it was disturbing.

Maybe it's because I grew up in a family of seven, but I am really, really good at tuning out the irrational, personal, unself-aware mutterings of others. However, a woman loudly jabbering about how she can't believe people hate Americans is too infuriating to tune out.

ok in that case I usually approach that by explaining politely why it is disruptive to my work sometimes, just going and saying "hey can I talk to you about ..." and almost 100% of the time IME the person really has no idea they've been causing a problem and is willing to try something to stop doing it in the future. In which case we arrange for some form of signal, verbal or otherwise, to let them know to settle down or whatever. I had something like this with an engineer at my last job to let him know when he was getting out of hand without coming off as rude, it just comes down to how you approach the person in the first place.

People generally respond in turn to gentle politeness.

Great thread.

-- caek, Wednesday, 17 October 2007 16:50 (2 hours ago) Link

is it safe to say most aspies are NOT aware of their condition?

lol that's not how noise cancellation works at all!

oh i see it's just a really bad illustration.

show of hands, who wants kate back?

Only if we can swap you in the process. Then again,nah, it's so much fun having you here. We get to experience that maybe we don't have it so bad in our workplace unlike your, y'know, Aspie.

By the way, hate to break it to you, Dr John isn't really a doctor either.

i am a fucking treat and don't you forget it

i am a fucking treat twat and don't you forget it

fixed

is it safe to say most aspies are NOT aware of their condition?

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 8:53 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

http://aspiesinc.blogspot.com/2007/02/is-this-funny-because-im-aspie.html

fucking hell this is 'sot-ilx' blowback for yesterday isn't it?

xpost

soft but sot works too.

I think that settles the original complaints, don't you? Now that their objection has been made irrelevant, maybe they could apologize for having a go at everyone else.

fucking captain save-an-aspies

is it safe to say most aspies assholes are NOT aware of their condition?

hey, i might be an ASSHOLE in ILX-WORLD, but at work i'm a professional, i know decorum, and i know how to act appropriately in the fucking workplace.

so do what I said

lol @ stevie "all i do anymore is whine about ilx" nixed.

BTW YOU DONT HAVE TO POST HERE ANYMORE!

54

tombot, your comment was reasonable and appreciated

Fuck the aspies, what about the functionally illiterate? Can I complain to ILX/the Human Resources Department about THEM?

lol you work in publishing

lol @ stevie "all i do anymore is whine about ilx" nixed.

Do you have a selective reading problem or something?

BTW YOU DONT HAVE TO POST HERE ANYMORE!

*head explodes with new information*

why do you guys get so mad at each other

(lol I am asking this question)

aspies

Mad? *pinches Chaki's cheeks* I love the man!

people taking me to task/getting mad all over this thread all over the place because i used the word "aspie"

reasonable? knee jerk? britishes?

I meant... mad gay

hahah Britishes? hahaha You silly you.

mothers with aspie children use the term aspie as i made clear by posting this img:
http://www.ilovemyaspiekid.com/ilovemyaspieheader.jpg

therefore people getting upset with you for using that term should feel a tad silly.

someone even went so far to accuse me of making it up? for what?

so is this an aspie lawyer? Does she have to focus on something like IP law where she'll never have to go to a trial?

hath not an apsie eyes?

a tshirt sold on http://www.iloveachildwithautism.com/ :

http://www.iloveachildwithautism.com/images/croppedblackaspie.jpg

she is a paralegals

no-one stood up for the london zingers when we got called 'shut-in aspie rubes'. and it goddamn *hurt*.

i bought that shirt when i was dating and in love with jon williams

thanks, chaki--can we plz compile a list of all the knee-jerk assholes on this thread

hey, at least cutty didn't call her "the ass burger"

someone even went so far to accuse me of making it up? for what?

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:07 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i thought ken c was making a luna/"omg fake" type joke

i mean come on has anyone here ever even met this coworker? i didnt think so

nothing is worse than some self-righteous dipshit trying to be politically correct when there really is no issue to defend

schrodinger's aspie

If your only exposure to the word "aspie" has been its perjorative use on ILX, your only frame of reference for it is as a slur. The reaction may have been unwarranted but it's completely understandable.

If your only frame of reference for the bottle opener is its across Western Europe, etc.

ITS USE, ITS USE. Bah.

asperger's uncertainty priciple

lol illiterate assholes amirite? xpost

maybe i deserved their unwarranted reaction because i don't shit at work and i swing my arms when i walk

show of hands, who wants kate back?

http://www.bert.bulletclip.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/double-hands-painted-cut-out.jpg

If your only exposure to the word "aspie" has been its perjorative use on ILX, your only frame of reference for it is as a slur. The reaction may have been unwarranted but it's completely understandable.

what isnt understandable, if that is your only exposure to the word, is a knee-jerk, sandy vagina'd, self righteous proclamation that someone else is using the word "wrong."

and i don't remember maligning aspie's at any point during this thread, i'm talking about one aspie, the one that sits next to me and makes me uncomfortable. am i vindicated yet? fucking idiots.

Some of this is down to US/UK word use I'm sure. I work with people with AS and I wouldn't call them "aspies"; if I did I'd probly be in deep shit. I know it's different in the US but it does sound a bit weird to us, is all.

they moved the menk next to me at work

they moved the jew next to me at work

you're soft, pal

they moved the knee jerk sandy vagina'd ILXor next to me at work

am i vindicated yet?

Yes you are. I was wrong.

jews talk with their mouth full all the time, don't worry about it

At least we can rest easy in the knowledge that having a cute nickname for people with bad social skills won't at ALL contribute to overdiagnosis and lame lay- and/or self-diagnoses of Aspberger's, and that mothers wearing t-shirts saying stuff like "my kid is an Aspie" doesn't at ALL do a disservice to the idea that we should try to keep people's difficulties or challenges distinct from their identities as people

it does kind of sound like a breed of dog

What are you talking about? MY CHILD IS SPECIAL. xpost

this is the kind of thing that drove kate off ILX, people.

i honestly can't tell if you're saying this as a caution against this thread or not...

i keep glancing up and seeing this title as 'they moved a spic next to me at work'.

this thread makes me want to cancel the internet

all of it

We'll just do verbal gymnastics so as to avoid all potentially sensitive terms pertaining to their conditions, instead and try to make allowances for the poor dears in daily life. That will probably help.

Nabisco, those Tshirt .jpgs only got called into service to prove that the term is ALREADY in use.

http://www.aish.com/graphics/articles/JLWhyAreJewsFunny230x150.jpg

I've seen kids wearing "I'm not Naughty, I'm Autistic" t-shirts which I find kind of problematic, but on the other hand I've worked with those kids and I know how wearing other people's lack of understanding gets after a couple of hours.

this thread makes me want to cure asperger's. and teach morons.

you're off to a great start

http://www.suecloninger.com/Images/psych101.gif

I've changed my mind again.

hey guise remember gzeus lololololololololololol

:-/

oh god dude

yeah. maybe that was, uh, inappropriate.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_pr.html

aspies. very dangerous. you go first.

-- omar little, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6:34 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

lol

I know, Laurel, that's what I'm talking about -- I'm saying it probably does no one any good to start casually and affectionately referring to their kids or anyone else as "Aspies."

It (a) turns a condition into a whole identity, which is something people with lots of other conditions prefer to avoid, and (b) turns it into some cute casual thing that can lead to every awkward child in the country suddenly getting home-diagnosed as having Aspberger's (see also ADD, ADHD, and the general autism area)

The way I see it Cutty has three options:

1. Ask for the aspic to be moved to a more appropriate location, such as the snack room or the kitchen
2. Persuade one of his coworkers to eat the aspic
3. Eat the aspic himself, if he likes aspic

do aspies get hurt feewings?

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:52 PM (Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:52 PM) Bookmark Link

just how do these people get hired?

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:54 PM (Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:54 PM) Bookmark Link

Is this a joke? I'm not bothered about the term itself so much (it's how you use it, blah blah), but I'm missing the bit here where this is supposed to be OK? Were you making an ironic joke against victimisation/labelling/your own feelings or something?

At last a voice of reason.

cutty maybe you should work harder and get promoted so you can have your own office or cube like awesome me.

4 cutty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-xL4ZFWUZs

You know, to be perfectly earnest, I don't really know if either way is better or worse, Nabisco. History shows that as awareness of a partic condition grows, people will over-diagnose it for some amount of time -- med students reading the DSM are FAMOUS for thinking they have everything they study! Eventually it'll die down, though, and we'll have a greater body of knowledge about the condition than we did originally.

Would you prefer that no one talked/knew about autism and those kids were diagnosed as schizophrenic and institutionalized? You kind of don't get to have only the good parts of medical study without the bad.

Or they could turn out like my dad, who is almost certainly slightly Aspb but will never get tested. His life is totally fine, if you don't count having been emotionally unavailable to any of his children and only considering that he and everyone else had "feelings" and inner lives after his stress-induced heart attack.

Other people have feelings?

"I heart Aspies" paraphernalia isn't really a part of medical study, though! I'm saying I think there are probably ways of encouraging awareness and sensitivity that make people with this condition sound slightly less like some cute new lapdog hybrid someone fancies. But what do I know, maybe that's helpful to hear when you're a kid.

No one here is talking about kids.

they moved the hufflepuff next to me at work

THAT fucking guy

WTF, Laurel, I'm pretty sure "I love my Aspie child" bumper stickers and whatnot are talking about kids!

It's not nice to talk about Fr@nz that way, Carey.

xp NO ONE WAS TALKING ABOUT KIDS ON THIS THREAD BEFORE THEY HAD TO START 'DEFENDING' THEIR USE OF THE TERM ASPIE. JESUS.

Is this a joke? I'm not bothered about the term itself so much (it's how you use it, blah blah), but I'm missing the bit here where this is supposed to be OK? Were you making an ironic joke against victimisation/labelling/your own feelings or something?

-- Alba, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:39 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

first, thanks for poring over the thread and looking for things to call me out on.

#1 the "feewings" comment is directed at the aspie's inability to read social cues. they don't get jokes. so, therefore, do they notice i am ignoring them or dismissing them? i have yet to be rude to her, but is my silence already being translated as rudeness or not?

#2 how do people with no social skills get hired, especially in jobs that require verbal communication with others? is that worded better for you?

Aspie Jesus?

thanks, nabisco, now everyone's going to want an aspieoodle!

good band name

Would you prefer that no one talked/knew about autism and those kids were diagnosed as schizophrenic and institutionalized? You kind of don't get to have only the good parts of medical study without the bad.

-- Laurel, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 9:42 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

lol oops

I don't know, cutty, but there's a person with no social skills in our HR department. She also gave all her colleagues Christian-themed coffee mugs for Christmas some years ago, including the Jewish ones. A real winner.

Nabiso, stop being dense. The Tshirts and bumperstickers and the use by adults of the term "aspie" to refer to THEIR OWN CHILDREN came at the end of a day of no one British believing that the term itself wasn't offensive. Yes, the word "children" has cropped up in the thread here and there since then, but lemme tell ya, it's been cropping up a lot more since you made it the focus of some great level of personal concern.

20% of the people in EVERY office, you have no idea how they got hired.

wait, is it true that aspie's dont get jokes??

this sounds like a stereotype.

is this because of the fisting photo?

I had to look up aspie too, I thought it was a debutante or wasp.

larks' tongues in aspie

Individuals with AS appear to have particular weaknesses in areas of nonliteral language that include humor, irony, and teasing. They usually understand the cognitive basis of humor but may not enjoy it due to lack of understanding of its intent.

everyone who posted on this thread = aspie

incl. me

Mmmm larks' tongues.

Cutty - I wasn't poring over the thread. They were at the start. I just began reading it and was genuinely taken aback at the crass, insensitive and self-centred way you introduced the topic.

WTF!!

Seriously, I am not being dense. I made a comment about whether the stuff discussed earlier -- bumper stickers and whatnot -- was at all helpful to kids / future adults with this condition. I was discussing / referring to the t-shirts and bumper stickers brought up upthread. I have no idea why you're all like "nobody was talking about children" -- I was talking about children! I was making an observation having to do with them! I'm still not clear what your objection to that observation is, either. If you're just mad about the bad joke, sorry again.

I thought nabisco's point is more "the thread had drifted to talk about X, therefore acting like a response that addresses X is unreasonable crazypants talk is weird to me" than anything else (but I might be wrong).

(xpost: lol)

in no way was it crass, insensitive, or self-centered. if the use of the letter W instead of L in the word feelings upsets you, then you are crass, insensitive, and self-centered.

Why would I be mad about a horrible joke that has given so many people so much enjoyment? I'm glad everyone on at least two boards of ILX is enjoying it.

It would be really inappropriate to go "lol u butthurt", yes?

crass, insensitive, or self-centered

it's okay, i'm sure alba meant that as a term of endearment.

did someone just accuse an attorney of being crass, insensitive and self-centered?

Dan, if anyone wants to offer the women they love to have fisting jokes made at their expense, please, don't let my aggravation stop you. Maybe they'll even like it.

this thread makes me want to cure asperger's. and teach morons.

-- cutty, Wednesday, 17 October 2007 22:32

a lot of people with asperger's would tell you to fuck off, because they don't see it as a problem that needs to be "cured". they're proud of their condition, they see themselves as superior in a lot of cases, being able to concentrate on complex problems for long periods of time, having very good logic based skills, etc...

Individuals with AS appear to have particular weaknesses in areas of nonliteral language that include humor, irony, and teasing. They usually understand the cognitive basis of humor but may not enjoy it due to lack of understanding of its intent.

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 4:55 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

this symptom also describes problems that everybody has whenever trying to communicate purely by text as we do here, so hey, look, everybody on the internet is automatically somewhat aspergersified

(I apologize once again. Beyond that, I'll try to leave it off this thread.)

hey mac, i wasn't serious, i am not a doctor! ha ha!

you don't have to have very good logic based skills to work here

it's just weird that people are so vitriolic when 1)people call each other aspies on ilx all the time and 2)people bitch about their co-workers all the time and no one ever gets offended. or is only jon allowed to call people aspies?

well in jon's case everybody automatically thinks to themselves "takes one to know one" and moves on

i keep glancing up and seeing this title as 'they moved a spic next to me at work'.

Is this because I called Jesse an "ignorant spic" twice this week?

dude.

jaymcblanchard.xls

Is THAT the kind of shit that goes on on the Chicago thread?

jaymc also got called a stupid drunk mick IIRC

I got "over-diagnosed" on the noise board last week

jaymcblanchard.xls

Nice.

You know what's really good—the aspic around paté.

aspié

ASS PATE

ass pee

ASS PIE is where I would have gone.

i think people want me to admit i phrased the thread title a certain way to cause controversy. and honestly, i do think the thread title is funny--but it is capable of being funny without being offensive.

people are reading the syntax of the thread, "the aspie" and are reminded of every other offensive word that could be substituted there, obviously ASPIE must be offensive too. obviously cutty is INSENSITIVE CRASS ARROGANT ASSHOLE, ETC.

well, i'm not. this thread was posted with sincerity, there really is someone with asperger's syndrome sitting right next to me, she was moved there yesterday, and she sucks. i've been ignoring here and i will continue to ignore her. now this isn't saying ALL ASPIE'S suck. just this one.

"Hands" Asperger

how do you know she has it?

> ASPIE'S

anyone fancy a fight about misplaced apostrophes instead of all this shit?

no, thought not.

uh probably because she told him

xpost

ASPERGER'S HAS AN APOSTROPHE

it can also be written as "Asperger syndrome"

xpost, Who has sand in their vajayjay now?

asperphobia

honestly cutty I did think you started the thread off wearing a fire-retardant suit and chuckling to yourself

People with Asperger syndrome may refer to themselves in casual conversation as aspies, coined by Liane Holliday Willey in 1999.[72]

Liane Holliday Willey, EdD (born 1959) is a popular keynote speaker and best-selling American author. She was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 1996.

tombot OTM ;)

tombot and jon head-to-head is the eighth most interesting Flickr result for aspie

honestly, would i ever really ask anyone on ILX for help with a real-life problem?

yes but only with tongue firmly in cheek, and probably only on NB or now ILTRMB

lolz at flickr results

for penance i will join this organization:

http://aspie.freeservers.com/Cycle_US.jpg

I think cutty is a closet "aspie".

Obsession about a subject is a trait of Asperger's...

honestly, would i ever really ask anyone on ILX for help with a real-life problem?

Isn't that why you started the thread? Or was it just to let off steam at the non-arm swinging aspie co-worker?

actually one of my strongest traits is social interaction, in the real world. usually i do my best to make socially awkward people feel comfortable. oftentimes i'll enter an awkward situation and try to smooth it out. however, i do notice that these powers are rendered useless against the aspie. they are my kryptonite.

CUTTY THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT A MINERAL

but they are from outer space! zing!

but ... you lack empathy

they moved me next to the guy in girl jeans

you could have said, jew, spic, etc, and it would be equally funny, i would be the first to laugh

The theory behind this minor but groundbreaking metamorphosis is that in order to adapt to life in space, the human body evolved with heightened mental awareness.

(for those that are not aware, i am jewish and spicish)

I AM A SPACENOID

LOL SUCK IT EARTHDONKS

http://myufo.com/pics/starchild1.jpg

Is this because I called Jesse an "ignorant spic" twice this week?

probably

This thread (s/ginger/aspie):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/143296774_97691615cb.jpg

Both sides of the fight are the dog.

(for those that are not aware, i am jewish and spicish)

-- cutty, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 10:33 PM (2 seconds ago) Bookmark Link

http://www.theflagpole.com/images/eagle_cry_white_backgnd3.jpg

a lot of people with asperger's would tell you to fuck off, because they don't see it as a problem that needs to be "cured". they're proud of their condition, they see themselves as superior in a lot of cases, being able to concentrate on complex problems for long periods of time, having very good logic based skills, etc...

-- max r, Wednesday, October 17, 2007 11:04 PM (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

fucking troll.

Guys guys guys, let's take a deep breath.

http://www.asaphilly.org/merchandise_files/Magnet%20Car%20Ribbon.jpg

Not much of a drinker, but if I get my work done early, I've sometimes pop two NyQuil capsules and then jelly-belly my way around the office, giving people hugs and whistling "Patience" by G'n'R. There's this one guy I detest, though, and once I found his chair empty so I just gurgled up a nice one and spat on it. Immediately afterwards I got paranoid and rubbed it into the upholstery and walk- sprinted away. As I wiped my finger on my sock I bitterly realized that the whole process probably resulted in me getting more spit on my clothes than on his. Hmmm. I don't want to physically assault him; trying to chip away at him psychologically wont work - he's one of those people so removed from any social loop that nothing offends him (Example: Me: "You're wearing neon yellow suspenders and a sweater your gramma knitted you and your fly is undone you dumb bastard." Him: "Well I'm SOOOOORRY...I guess I don't conform to your standards of "COOOL" and "FASHION", hmph!").
I think I'm just gonna steal his fucking stapler.

-- Ramosi (olafsonski...), February 1st, 2002.

http://images.bestwebbuys.com/muze/books/86/9781843104186.jpg

"Some of this is down to US/UK word use I'm sure"

don't think so, it's down to people desperate to be offended by something, as usual.

have we established whether the colleague is real yet?

i hope they are, i sent them flowers

I'm in hysterics imagining Wendy Lawson saying the title of that book to her friends and colleagues

have we established why you think i would make this whole up?

this whole thang baby

I'm shaking up inside imagining Wendy Lawson being the colleague sitting next to me.

xpost how am i to know the motive!

maybe you want someone to send you books and poetry?

i want some ass poetry

here you go

GOTHIC ANUS

cutty's colleague revealed:

http://www.hembeck.com/Images/FredSez/24Chloe400.jpg

Did someone say Ass Poetry? Here is Jennifer Knox:

Hot Ass Poem

Hey check out the ass on that guy he’s got a really hot ass I’d like to see his ass naked with his hot naked ass Hey check out her hot ass that chick’s got a hot ass she’s a red hot ass chick I want to touch it Hey check out the ass on that old man thats one hot old man ass look at his ass his ass his old man ass Hey check out that dog’s ass wow that dog’s ass is hot that dog’s got a hot dog ass I want to squeeze that dog’s hot dog ass like a ball but a hot ball a hot ass ball Hey check out the ass on that bird how’s a bird get a hot ass like that that’s one hot ass bird ass I want to put that bird’s hot ass in my mouth and swish it around and around and around Hey check out the ass on that bike damn that bike’s ass is h-o-t you ever see a bike with an ass that hot I want to put my hot ass on that bike’s hot ass and make a double hot ass bike Hey check out that building it’s got a really really really hot ass and the doorman and the ladies in the informatiom booth and the guy in the elevator got themselves a butt load of hot ass I want to wrap my arms around the whole hot ass building and squeeze myself right through its hot ass and out the other side I want to get me a hot ass piece of all 86 floors of hot hot hot hot ass!

cutty, yesterday

http://www.kiefersutherland24.net/5-LouisLombardi.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1130/cuttymz5.jpg

^^^ YES

Does asperger's make your pee smell funny?

it was all worth it for caek's last post

HUNTER AGE 3 AND CUTTYHORSE: CRIME SOLVIN' BUDS

blueski with the alley oop.

hee heeeeee

Edgar 24 is totally a "take a dump as soon as i arrive at the office" guy

man i gotta give you people more material to work with

why don't you fuck her already?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23417115-details/Shorter+people+'have+a+chip+on+their+shoulder+which+makes+them+unhealthy'/article.do

LOL gabbneb is drunk

if by drunk you mean sleep-deprived then Y

ppl i don't want to work with:
- morons
- MBA-type douches
- annoying laughers
- nasal voices
- Republicans
- apoliticals
- van driessens
- sarcastics
- superciliouses
- hallway-talkers
- unfailingly-polites
- overbearings
- drop-by-too-oftens
- boarding-schoolers
- people who think that liking Springsteen makes them into music
- people who have no distinguishing characteristics whatsoever
- girls who wear high heels or belt-dresses
- guys with no-brainer haircuts
- gym rats
- closet-fighters
- supervisors who overcompensate for their lack of confidence in their leadership skills
- employees who don't give a shit
- mr and mrs ringtone
- total psychos

(apologies to m groening)

- unfailingly-polites

the clipped waspy kind i mean, not yr average works-hard-at-being-nice of course

ppl i don't want to work with:
-gabbneb

that too

in case anyone gets the rong idea, my link isn't a volley at cutty

i didn't, but thanks

oh, thanks for clearing that up

The thread title is like one of those sentences that changes meaning depending on comma placement.

# they moved the aspie next to me at work [Started by cutty, last updated 6 minutes ago] 415 new answers
# The Office (US): official SEASON 4 thread... [Started by Johnny Fever, last updated 7 minutes ago] 8 new answers

http://rdr.zazzle.com/img/imt-dzn/pd-235164378336920175/isz-m/tl-Don

As a "person of difference," with many characteristics in common with Cho Seung-hui, I am understandably concerned that I will be so singled out. I'm even more concerned on behalf of my Aspie step-son.

This just in: Aspies are now persons of difference. Please make a note of it, and don yr bullet-proof vest.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/162/aspiepokesv9.png

I have read that Aspie is an acceptable term of affection in the Autism world and is "PC" - not a bad word.

THAT DOESNT MAKE IT OK

"girls who wear high heels"????

maybe it's ok when women do it

what's wrong with high heels and belt dresses?

Hey I remember this thread.

stop hating on aspies, dom.

hi dom

cutty, in the future you should consider using less ambiguous grammatical structures in your thread titles. "they moved the aspie next to me at work" could be taken to mean, "the aspie who was previously seated next to me has been moved to another location." upon review of this thread's contents, your intended meaning is clearly the opposite; "an aspie with whom I work has had their seat moved next to mine."

you might also wish to convey your unfavorable reaction to the state of affairs in order to provide an accurate indication of the thread's contents to potential readers. therefore I suggest a new thread title: "an aspie with whom I work has had their seat relocated to my immediate area, and I am finding the situation unpleasant. to whom should I make an appeal?"

if you find this comment to be helpful, you may contact this message board's administrators. it is my understanding that they possess the appropriate security levels to enact such a change.

p.s. get back to work you whiny bitch

Nice!

i think the thread title is perfect

the way it is

ambiguous, offensive, fuck--half of you assholes had to google to word before you could get properly offended

half an asshole is not a hole at all

you should know. i've never even seen MY OWN asshole.

were you trying to zing me? it felt like a limp-wristed slap.

i don't think i was, though

http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/32230.jpg?is=350,350,0xffffffhttp://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/32230.jpg?is=350,350,0xffffffhttp://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/32230.jpg?is=350,350,0xffffff

i think the thread title is perfect

Onanizing.

Onani Zing

shocker

NO MOMUS STUFF, TOM

OMG THE ASPIE'S HALLOWEEN COSTUME IS "SUICIDE VICTIM" :/

maybe victim is not the correct word

"ATTEMPTED SUICIDE"

SPASTICUS APERGEGUS

That's funny, considering I told gbx to wear his climbing gear and a fake head wound and go as a "faller".

I R insensitive, apparently. He did not take my advice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?ei=5087&em=&en=317598468b2847ed&ex=1196917200&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1196813067-MX9yZzohICRZxr4vP8naFw

q. for Cutty: If aspie at work looked as good as Heather Kuzmich, would you complain?

I can't even tell what she looks like!

q. for Cutty: If aspie at worked looked as good as Heather Kuzmich and created special effects for the rock band Kiss, would you complain?

It would probably be hard to work your office job next to a stunner fashioning things of flame and black powder and fake blood, no matter what condition they had.

argh, no youtube videos for heather kuzmich being all aspie

HEY ASSHOLES "ASPIE" IS NOT A RACE

-- cutty, Wednesday, 17 October 2007 16:18 (1 month ago) Link

it's just OTHER

Just saw some dreadful medical program. They showed a boy who was an (*cough*) Aspie. Apparently his "special interest" (or obsession) was computers. I couldn't help but think: ILXOR. No Kiss job nor Heather type looks though.

Move to rename Jazzin' Pop the Aspie Award.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject: What the hell do I do now????

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey all,
I started a relationship with this aspie woman like a month ago. She had another girlfriend at the time, but the other girl was bi-sexual and looking for a man, so te aspie woman was looking for someone new too.
We all got along great, and I felt so relaxed being around someone of our kind.
And she's hot, and I usually don't get crushes like this.
Then a week and a half ago she calls to tell me she has just realized she's become obsessed with the girl she's with and doesn't want to see anyone else, even though that girl will eventually leave.
And so now I'm crushed. And obsessed. And really confused.
The worst part is every time I try to talk to her about it, I scare her off because i've become emotional, but how the hell can I NOT be emotional?

So she's hiding from me, and the more she hides the worse I feel inside, and the worse I feel inside, the worse I keep trying to find her, which just makes her hide more. I keep trying to walk away, but my OCD isn't letting me.

WHAT THE HELL DO I DO????

http://www.aspergianisland.com/viewtopic.php?p=46204

Move to rename Jazzin' Pop the Aspie Award.

Seconded!

Maybe instead of talking right over her, you could get up and walk to the other coworker's desk and have the conversation there. Maybe you'd have to get up a hundred times a day but it beats having your day ruined by this woman. This way there are no confrontations or meetings with HR to hassle with.

(I also happen to dislike it when someone is having a conversation around or over me. As far as I know I'm not an aspie.)

they moved the aspie next to me at free software conferences: http://etbe.coker.com.au/2008/02/09/an-obstacle-for-women-in-the-it-industry/

PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the students voted Alex — who is in the process of being diagnosed with autism — out of the class.

Melissa Barton filed a complaint with Morningside's school resource officer, who investigated the matter, Port St. Lucie Department spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said.

Port St. Lucie Police no longer are investigating, but police officials are documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident took place.

Portillo could not be reached for comment Friday.

Steele said the boy had been sent to the principal's office because of disciplinary issues. When he returned, Portillo made him go to the front of the room as a form of punishment, she said.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marcia Cully.

Children diagnosed with Asperger's often exhibit social isolation and eccentric behavior..

Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disability, Barton said. After the family moved into the area and Alex and his sibling arrived at the school in January, Alex spent much of the time in the principal's office, she said.

He also had problems at his last school, but he did not have issues during his two years of preschool, Barton said.

School and district officials have met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan to address his difficulties, she said. Portillo attended these meetings, Barton said.

Barton said after the vote, Portillo asked Alex how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,' " Barton said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said.

Barton said the nurse told her to talk with Portillo, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special" over and over.

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

The other students said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside but said he could not elaborate.

It's political incorrectness gone mad.

Good. Kids should be held accountable for being smelly or weird.

or wearing ridiculous sunglasses and a insane amount of gel.

You know, that picture's not actually me.

Ladies and Gentlemen, not Mr Burt Stanton

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2008/07/14/haspergers114.xml

hope for ILX

It was all going so well until he mentioned the Corrs.

Michael Savage, the incendiary radio host who last week characterized nearly every child with autism as “a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out,” said in a telephone interview on Monday that he stood by his remarks and had no intention of apologizing to those advocates and parents who have called for his firing over the matter.

"cut the act out"

i would also like to hear his views on cancer.

tbh the mike savage treatment is pretty much what i got and it's served me well (altho i appreciate i'm not actually very autistic at all and his views are shockingly insensitive to those with genuine difficulties)

oh ffs louis

why do you do this?

i have a really bad tendency to get naughty, whimsical thoughts, express them on ilx, and then, worse, attempt to justify and reason through them, i mean this is precisely the sort of thing i've learned to cut out, but in trying to explain this i am demonstrating precisely the sort of unwanted traits that made me so unpalatable, think of this as a grotesque, self-fulfilling prophecy and forget i even had the gall to press "submit response" which is after all something i could at this stage not do...ah fuckit

you don't have autism, you're just a dipshit.

works every time!

ladies and gentlemen, mr jagger offed

"have autism"

TWAT LIST

-- Mr. Que, Thursday, 18 October 2007 05:32

Asperger's syndrome hacker 'should not be extradited'

"Humanitarian considerations" that have arisen in the case of Asperger's syndrome sufferer Gary McKinnon mean he should not face trial in the US for hacking into American military computers, the high court heard today.

In a last-ditch attempt to overturn earlier court decisions that the 43-year-old "UFO enthusiast" should be extradited, his lawyers accused prosecutors of ignoring the "disastrous consequences" of facing trial and a possible lengthy prison sentence in an American "supermax" prison.

The case also comes as the Tories are expected to devote an opposition day debate in parliament tomorrow to McKinnons' extradition, after David Cameron said he was "deeply saddened and worried" about the case.

McKinnon's barrister, Ed Fitzgerald, told the high court: "The Crown Prosecution Service wrongly failed to address the specific human rights issues, and the humanitarian issue, raised by the claimant's Aspergers syndrome.

"The CPS, as a public authority, had a duty to consider whether its failure to prosecute [in the UK] has inevitably exposed him to an avoidable and unnecessary risk of serious psychological suffering," he added.

The hearing comes after McKinnon signed a statement earlier this year admitting he had committed an offence under UK law by hacking into 97 computers belonging to the US navy and Nasa. The incident, which the US government says is the "biggest military hack of all time" and cost more than $700,000 (£430,000) in repairs, has led to talks between UK prosecutors and the US department of justice since charges were originally brought against the 43-year-old in New Jersey in 2002.

Although previous attempts to halt the extradition – which reached the House of Lords last year – failed, McKinnon's lawyers have since obtained a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome after consulting two psychiatrists last year.

"Both experts referred to the grave risk to his health if he was extradited to the US, and [autism expert] Professor [Simon] Baron-Cohen referred to the risk to his life," Fitzgerald said. "[The director of public prosecutions] failed to confront the human rights arguments for prosecutions in this country rather than in the US," Fitzgerald added.

Both former home secretary Jacqui Smith and the current home secretary, Alan Johnson, have said they would comply with US requests for McKinnon's extradition, while prosecutors argue that although McKinnon has admitted to "computer misuse" under UK law, it is less serious than the offence of "computer fraud" alleged against him in the US

The CPS, which defended its positiontoday , claims that the damage caused by the offence took place in the US, and that the investigation and most of the witnesses and evidence were located there. In February the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said there was not enough evidence to try McKinnon in the UK, an argument which McKinnon's lawyers deny.

"This was inconsistent with the CPS's own finding that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute," Fitzgerald said. "McKinnon's computer hacking conduct all took place in the UK, insofar as he was located here and using a computer in his home in the UK when he gained unauthorised access to the US systems."

McKinnon, from Wood Green, north London, is described as "vulnerable" and "misguided" by his supporters, who contrast the efforts to extradite him with terrorist suspects who have been kept in the UK.

"I will not give up this fight until the government intervenes to protect my vulnerable son," McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, said. "When considering the extradition of Abu Hamza, the then home secretary said 'Had we evidence in this country of a crime committed here then of course the police and the attorney general would have taken action'. Well, if that's the approach for a convicted terrorist, why not for a gentle, misguided Asperger's sufferer like Gary?"

WHAT EXACTLY DOES BIP-BOPPING MEAN

I USE IT ALL THE TIME as a replacement for "running around" - like "I was bip-bopping around the office"

some coworkers have caught on and have changed it to "bebopping" as in bebop music. for some reason this upsets me as I love the initial BIP of BIP BOPPING but I have no idea if I've even used it correctly.

what the eff does it mean? is this a britishism?

are you bibimbapping around?

http://www.foundrysite.com/bibimbap/bibimbapcover600.jpg

put your hair in curlers
we're going to see a band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqJxQPYTvqY

http://www.aspiritech.org/