The Honest Abe Thing

Borat's cousin, Simon Baron-Cohen, wrote an article about the honesty that people with autism/Asperger's Syndrome have.  It's called "I Cannot Tell a Lie - What People with Autism Can Tell Us About Honesty."

This article reminded me of my efforts during the 1990s to improve my social skills.  I was so amazed that people thought I meant the opposite of what I said to them.  It led to many arguments.  I called a lot of people "lunatics," "morons," and "idiots" during these arguments.  In fact, I told them that they were very inept at socializing with other people.  They laughed at me.  So I walked out on them and never spoke to them ever again.  A lot of them were very harsh towards me. 

My best defense was "I'm the one with the degree from Emerson College, a communications school!  And you're not!"

When I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder in 2002, the doctor complimented me for getting a college degree from a communications school in 1986, despite having two undiagnosed communication disorders at the time.

I remember when I was a kid and told other kids and teachers the ages of my parents and other things that were none of their business.  I was only telling the truth.