tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394310461939093453.post8364019026419788500..comments2024-03-18T22:26:38.621+13:00Comments on The Tearoom of Despair: JerksBob Temukahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09181473725170489213noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394310461939093453.post-46632718656701229182010-12-07T17:50:16.740+13:002010-12-07T17:50:16.740+13:00Oh man, I forgot to mention Our Valued Customers, ...Oh man, I forgot to mention Our Valued Customers, I found it the other day and went back and read every single comic in one go. It was fascinating. <br /><br />A mate of mine told me the other day that everybody has a little bit of Asperger's in them, which seems to make it more of a human condition than a syndrome.<br /><br />I guess we can all be a bit antisocial every now and again, but I just don't get how people feel the compulsive need to offload it on other folk. If I'm in a shitty mood, being a dick to other people isn't going to make me feel better.Bob Temukahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09181473725170489213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394310461939093453.post-69415649125527041422010-12-07T05:42:49.637+13:002010-12-07T05:42:49.637+13:00This is what made the Fanboy Outrage blog such a h...This is what made the Fanboy Outrage blog such a hit before it collapsed under its own weight. We seriously need something like it in these dire times.<br /><br />Say...<br />http://ourvaluedcustomers.blogspot.com/DeBThttp://sundaycomicsdebt.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5394310461939093453.post-62222157260805955902010-12-05T16:14:11.371+13:002010-12-05T16:14:11.371+13:00Years ago, one of my then-girlfriend's young n...Years ago, one of my then-girlfriend's young nephews was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of Autism. Suddenly all his peculiar and sometimes offputting behavior- rote repetition of arcane facts, obsessive need for a specific order of events in his entertainment and in his conversations, and a general obtuseness toward the concerns of others- had a name. It was a real thing, he wasn't just being a willful little jerk.<br /><br />And just like that, they became his quirks instead of insufferable traits. Sure, we'd try to wrangle his social ineptitude, and his rage when you went off-script as he was reenacted his favorite TV shows was frustrating, but we realized he was communicating with us as best he could and we tried to do the same for him.<br /><br />Whether correctly or incorrectly, I see so much of the same behavior among superhero fans (because, let's face it, it's primarily us superhero fans who have the jerk traits you describe) that I armchair diagnose many of them as having Asperger's. Am I right? Probably not all the time, and I don't mean to paint all people with Asperger's with the same brush, but I bet it accounts for much of the obsession with orderly continuity, repetition of stories and themes, and what can be seen as insensitive or even boorish behavior. <br /><br />Of course, some people are also just <i>fucking assholes. </i>Jesse Farrellnoreply@blogger.com