I have no idea at all how you can draw the conclusion that I am glorifying this. Quite the opposite. This pathological outcome is partly due to the fact that "normal" people are such assholes to anyone who doesn't readily fit into their social expectations. People who supposedly have all kinds of social skills often merely use them to torture people who don't have them instead of using their savvy to bridge the gap.
>If he were growing up today, they would likely give him some diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum or some related diagnosis and try to give him meds and force him to somehow fit in.
That sounds like you're saying that being able to fit in is a bad thing when talking about a guy who lived in the wilderness alone stealing from people for 25 years as a better alternative.
I still have no idea how you are getting that interpretation. The only thing it suggests is that forcing people to "fit in" instead of helping them figure out how to happily be themselves actively causes problems. I can't see your interpretation even if I squint hard and try to read it that way.
Shaving a metaphorical square peg rarely gets you a round one that works beautifully. Usually, it just gets you a misshapen, mutilated thing that is neither square nor round.
>If he were growing up today, they would likely give him some diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum or some related diagnosis and try to give him meds and force him to somehow fit in.
The way you've written this makes is sound like you're saying that current medicine and techniques to help autistic people are bad(give him meds and force him to somehow fit in) and that his solution of running off into the forest to avoid all human contact and surviving off theft is a better solution. If that isn't what you mean then you've worded your point badly.
>For as long as humans have existed, there have been those that don't connect well socially. We may label them and pontificate and categorize, but this has always been true and is not likely to change
Ok but for as long as humans have existed they've needed societies to help them survive. The article even makes that point with regards to historical hermits needing to sell stuff to buy food. There is a reason exile was one of the harshest punishments available in a lot of historic cultures.
>Perhaps we should get over our arrogant idea of normal.
But participating in society IS normal. No arrogance needed. That doesn't mean that people who have difficulty with it are bad but it does mean they aren't normal.
>The way you've written this makes is sound like you're saying that current medicine and techniques to help autistic people are bad(give him meds and force him to somehow fit in) and that his solution of running off into the forest to avoid all human contact and surviving off theft is a better solution. If that isn't what you mean then you've worded your point badly.
IMO Mz was a bit terse and you jumped to conclusions. It's true that it would not be uncommon for someone to write what she wrote and mean it how you took it, but it's not the simplest interpretation.
