9 ms·

Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis

66 points by ColinWright 5y ago

vecplane 5y ago
Her Nanette special - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0 Nanette 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJhMnYv6Mg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJhMnYv6Mg Can Nanette 3 be about autism?
- CPLX 5y ago
  I found these fundamentally unwatchable, but I guess there’s an audience for it.
  - ramraj07 5y ago
    their first one quite good and thought provoking. The fact that this person had the gall to make a second one after all the talk in the first, the words sellout and hypocrite are not enough.
    - vecplane 5y ago
      Did you watch the second one?
  - BurningFrog 5y ago
    Nanette is more an angry speech by a clever and witty person than the "comedy special" it's made out to be.
    - psyc 5y ago
      Worked for Carlin.
      - drewcoo 5y ago
        I don't recall Carlin ever playing up self-pity. That's the part, for me, that's hard to watch. It's the even less funny cousin of cringe comedy, imho.
    - coolso 5y ago
      Well, she’s certainly angry at least.
    - stevage 5y ago
      I mean she starts out by saying she is quitting comedy. See also https://blog.ted.com/how-hannah-gadsby-broke-comedy/ https://blog.ted.com/how-hannah-gadsby-broke-comedy/
thenerdhead 5y ago
I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum. I have no problem sharing that detail of my life as I sit in front of a computer for more than 8 hours most days and would identify as introverted and eccentric in my own ways. What I found interesting is that as I experimented with lowering my screen time and doing more analog activities, my symptoms that had me believing I was on the spectrum started to disappear. I became more extroverted. I regained my attention towards a single task. I no longer exploded with anger or frustration when I was overwhelmed. I even started to accomplish things I never thought I would and see side projects to completion. At a certain point, I said enough is enough with regards to coping and dedicated each new day to working on these challenges. I don't think I'm the same person I previously identified as. I mean that in a good way. The article mentions this a bit later: > Most people who struggle to find stable employment also contend with things like intergenerational poverty and/or trauma, cycles of abuse, mental illness, systemic discrimination, disability or neurological disorders. Not only are these all chronically stressful and traumatic circumstances, they have all been linked to a high incidence of impaired executive function. I would agree here. As I started to face my childhood/generational trauma, mental illnesses, and other regular things you question as you approach 30, I started to find much more peace with everything. On-top of that, I started to find what I'm passionate for and continue to work towards that each day. I think everyone has their own journey to go through, but I do believe it's possible to change drastically as an individual.
- appleflaxen 5y ago
  > I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum Has this changed over time? Your opening sentence kind of suggests that it has, but you do not return to this idea. I'm curious what your current opinion is.
- Pearse 5y ago
  Really interesting to hear about the link between the things you were spending time on and thr person you were. We forgot how much the things we do affect who we are. It makes me think of the idea in that book the shallows: Where every tech advancement also removes a skill or connection. Writing meant we lost our oral tradition and the social bonds that came with it; Maps made us better at navigating but we lost touch with the spaces we were in; The clock gave our days structure but we stop depending on our bodies to tell us when we were hungry or tired. I do wonder how many subtle things we are giving up for the privilege of using computers and participating in a global digital culture. Thanks so much for sharing it was insightful.
bsder 5y ago
> "It is a basic human right to have average abilities." I really like that quote from her on multiple dimensions.
- colechristensen 5y ago
  And from it a management philosophy which needs to be more prominent: the goal is to strive for the best output each employee is capable of by shaping their environment to serve them best. The goal is not to hold each employee to the same standard and punish the below average.
- simulate-me 5y ago
  I like this quote because it doesn't make any sense. It's obvious that not everyone operates with the same level of ability. Some have more ability than others, which necessarily means some are below average. Stating that "average ability is a human right" doesn't change the mathematical reality.
  - bsder 5y ago
    > Some have more ability than others On some dimensions. On other dimensions, some will not have more ability. I may be good at programming computers. That does not make me good at welding or art. In particular, I like the fact that it drives home that it is NOT okay to set up our society so that it demands better than average in order to be considered to be a "worthwhile" member of society. A person who is simply "average" should be able to have a meaningful life.
slibhb 5y ago
Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains. I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles she enumerates are common: most of us have crises of identity or meaning, many of us feel intense insecurity, cut off and isolated from others. This isn't to minimize her suffering, it's to say that suffering is normal. I have a strong objection to people who freely talk about negative experiences. Some of the people I respect the most have had extremely negatives experiences but mention them only with great reluctance. There's something about that that seems right. Columns like this debase the currency: by exalting empathy and understanding as the highest values, they devalue them.
- fsckboy 5y ago
  you're fairly judgmental, you think there's a way people should be, and other ways people should not be. this is exactly the type of attitude that exacerbates the alienation autistics already feel.
  - twoneurons 5y ago
    Autism is not an emotional cycle, it's not a circumstantial state it's a disorder determined by genetics. Either you got the genes, or you don't. Pretty binary.
    - KennyBlanken 5y ago
      > It's a disorder determined by genetics. This is wildly inaccurate. > Either you got the genes, or you don't. Pretty binary. Even more wildly inaccurate. It's not remotely binary. There is no autism gene or genes. Environmental factors (nurture) still factor heavily. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-genetics-explained/ https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-genetics-explained/ and a myriad of other articles and research papers one can find by googling "genetics autism."
twoneurons 5y ago
Not a fan of how she's focusing her career on grievances and opening up on her grudges. Doesn't lead anywhere. She's got talent to do more interesting things than complaining about the same over and over, in a dead end road.
- Gugabe 5y ago
  Saw her most recent special (Hasn't been on Netflix or anything) last August in Darwin, and it was a pivot back to more standard comedy. Mentioned some of her issues, but far less rant-orientated than Douglas or Nanette.
- todorus 5y ago
  I think this sentiment would be good motivation for her to keep on going. For one, a lot of comedy is based on grievance and grudge and presenting them in a novel light. And she is shedding light on subjects, that could use a more honest representation in mainstream culture. And as a dutch person, I was happy that I could finally watch a comedian with my wife, that didn't have the rapid fire of separate jokes and at some random point just... ends. Instead I could watch a show with her that had theme and an arc, and also wasn't afraid to just put the audience in uncomfortable position and leave them there for a while. It really felt like going to a dutch comedian, and I was surprised to see this have any success in the US market.
- stevage 5y ago
  I bet she's devastated that her struggles are insufficiently entertaining for you.
whoisthis111 5y ago

66 points by ColinWright 5y ago

Her Nanette special - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0 Nanette 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJhMnYv6Mg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJhMnYv6Mg Can Nanette 3 be about autism?

CPLX 5y ago
I found these fundamentally unwatchable, but I guess there’s an audience for it.
- ramraj07 5y ago
  their first one quite good and thought provoking. The fact that this person had the gall to make a second one after all the talk in the first, the words sellout and hypocrite are not enough.
  - vecplane 5y ago
    Did you watch the second one?
- BurningFrog 5y ago
  Nanette is more an angry speech by a clever and witty person than the "comedy special" it's made out to be.
  - psyc 5y ago
    Worked for Carlin.
    - drewcoo 5y ago
      I don't recall Carlin ever playing up self-pity. That's the part, for me, that's hard to watch. It's the even less funny cousin of cringe comedy, imho.
  - coolso 5y ago
    Well, she’s certainly angry at least.
  - stevage 5y ago
    I mean she starts out by saying she is quitting comedy. See also https://blog.ted.com/how-hannah-gadsby-broke-comedy/ https://blog.ted.com/how-hannah-gadsby-broke-comedy/

thenerdhead 5y ago

I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum. I have no problem sharing that detail of my life as I sit in front of a computer for more than 8 hours most days and would identify as introverted and eccentric in my own ways. What I found interesting is that as I experimented with lowering my screen time and doing more analog activities, my symptoms that had me believing I was on the spectrum started to disappear. I became more extroverted. I regained my attention towards a single task. I no longer exploded with anger or frustration when I was overwhelmed. I even started to accomplish things I never thought I would and see side projects to completion. At a certain point, I said enough is enough with regards to coping and dedicated each new day to working on these challenges. I don't think I'm the same person I previously identified as. I mean that in a good way. The article mentions this a bit later: > Most people who struggle to find stable employment also contend with things like intergenerational poverty and/or trauma, cycles of abuse, mental illness, systemic discrimination, disability or neurological disorders. Not only are these all chronically stressful and traumatic circumstances, they have all been linked to a high incidence of impaired executive function. I would agree here. As I started to face my childhood/generational trauma, mental illnesses, and other regular things you question as you approach 30, I started to find much more peace with everything. On-top of that, I started to find what I'm passionate for and continue to work towards that each day. I think everyone has their own journey to go through, but I do believe it's possible to change drastically as an individual.

appleflaxen 5y ago
> I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum Has this changed over time? Your opening sentence kind of suggests that it has, but you do not return to this idea. I'm curious what your current opinion is.
Pearse 5y ago
Really interesting to hear about the link between the things you were spending time on and thr person you were. We forgot how much the things we do affect who we are. It makes me think of the idea in that book the shallows: Where every tech advancement also removes a skill or connection. Writing meant we lost our oral tradition and the social bonds that came with it; Maps made us better at navigating but we lost touch with the spaces we were in; The clock gave our days structure but we stop depending on our bodies to tell us when we were hungry or tired. I do wonder how many subtle things we are giving up for the privilege of using computers and participating in a global digital culture. Thanks so much for sharing it was insightful.

bsder 5y ago

> "It is a basic human right to have average abilities." I really like that quote from her on multiple dimensions.

colechristensen 5y ago
And from it a management philosophy which needs to be more prominent: the goal is to strive for the best output each employee is capable of by shaping their environment to serve them best. The goal is not to hold each employee to the same standard and punish the below average.
simulate-me 5y ago
I like this quote because it doesn't make any sense. It's obvious that not everyone operates with the same level of ability. Some have more ability than others, which necessarily means some are below average. Stating that "average ability is a human right" doesn't change the mathematical reality.
- bsder 5y ago
  > Some have more ability than others On some dimensions. On other dimensions, some will not have more ability. I may be good at programming computers. That does not make me good at welding or art. In particular, I like the fact that it drives home that it is NOT okay to set up our society so that it demands better than average in order to be considered to be a "worthwhile" member of society. A person who is simply "average" should be able to have a meaningful life.

slibhb 5y ago

Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains. I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles she enumerates are common: most of us have crises of identity or meaning, many of us feel intense insecurity, cut off and isolated from others. This isn't to minimize her suffering, it's to say that suffering is normal. I have a strong objection to people who freely talk about negative experiences. Some of the people I respect the most have had extremely negatives experiences but mention them only with great reluctance. There's something about that that seems right. Columns like this debase the currency: by exalting empathy and understanding as the highest values, they devalue them.

fsckboy 5y ago
you're fairly judgmental, you think there's a way people should be, and other ways people should not be. this is exactly the type of attitude that exacerbates the alienation autistics already feel.
- twoneurons 5y ago
  Autism is not an emotional cycle, it's not a circumstantial state it's a disorder determined by genetics. Either you got the genes, or you don't. Pretty binary.
  - KennyBlanken 5y ago
    > It's a disorder determined by genetics. This is wildly inaccurate. > Either you got the genes, or you don't. Pretty binary. Even more wildly inaccurate. It's not remotely binary. There is no autism gene or genes. Environmental factors (nurture) still factor heavily. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-genetics-explained/ https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/autism-genetics-explained/ and a myriad of other articles and research papers one can find by googling "genetics autism."

twoneurons 5y ago

Not a fan of how she's focusing her career on grievances and opening up on her grudges. Doesn't lead anywhere. She's got talent to do more interesting things than complaining about the same over and over, in a dead end road.

Gugabe 5y ago
Saw her most recent special (Hasn't been on Netflix or anything) last August in Darwin, and it was a pivot back to more standard comedy. Mentioned some of her issues, but far less rant-orientated than Douglas or Nanette.
todorus 5y ago
I think this sentiment would be good motivation for her to keep on going. For one, a lot of comedy is based on grievance and grudge and presenting them in a novel light. And she is shedding light on subjects, that could use a more honest representation in mainstream culture. And as a dutch person, I was happy that I could finally watch a comedian with my wife, that didn't have the rapid fire of separate jokes and at some random point just... ends. Instead I could watch a show with her that had theme and an arc, and also wasn't afraid to just put the audience in uncomfortable position and leave them there for a while. It really felt like going to a dutch comedian, and I was surprised to see this have any success in the US market.
stevage 5y ago
I bet she's devastated that her struggles are insufficiently entertaining for you.

whoisthis111 5y ago