4 ms·

I wonder just how much I'm overreacting by feeling disgusted about the way that Asperger's, ADD and stuff like that are suddenly a thing of fashion. It seems to

I wonder just how much I'm overreacting by feeling disgusted about the way that Asperger's, ADD and stuff like that are suddenly a thing of fashion. It seems to be a trendy thing for journalists to discuss and a sort of a fashion statement for geeks. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me this is a rather simple matter: there are great people who happen to have Asperger's syndrome, ADD, dyslexia, autism or what have you, but unless someone proves some sort of link between their greatness and things they were diagnosed with, then that's just what it is -- people who happen to be both great and have one of the above.

anigbrowl 14y ago
As someone with ADD, I have trouble gaining and maintaining focus while ignoring distracting factors. However, in an environment where distractions are minimized (eg a traditional library), or where there is an agreed-upon system for handling distracting factors - some kinds of workplaces, or an understanding about personal space/time boundaries - then the flip side of this is an ability to stay focused on something for hours, days, weeks, if necessary and a capacity for very rapid adaption and innovation. In film production, which I used to work at, a lot of people have ADD - but the highly procedural (and proceduralized) nature of the work optimizes for this. You need to be willing to keep doing the same thing until you get it right 10, 20 or more times in a row, but also to drop it and switch to something completely different at short notice if other conditions change. I have a strong hunch that people with ADD are considerably over-represented in the military as well.