People Who Take Everything Literally/Can't Think About Stuff

[Shalom]

All I know is I never experienced such literal thinking as I do in this state. Mostly it's having to explain that I didn't literally mean that statement; that would be called a JOKE. My stepmom, who's from this state, does this. She takes my sarcasm or joke literally and then argues why it isn't so. And it isn't just her. They just don't get sarcasm here. Drives me nuts.

Reminds me of Twain's "Pudd'nhead" Wilson.

If you haven't read that one, he was a city lawyer who'd moved out to the country to set up a practise. He got that nickname by making a crack about an annoying dog, saying that he wished he owned half of that dog, because he'd shoot his half. Obviously he was being facetious, but the folks in his rural community didn't understand his sarcasm, or whatever you want to call it (deliberate understatement, whatever).

I'm one of those who tend to take things literally myself. Occasionally, though, I do it deliberately, by pretending to take an exaggeration at face value and then extending it. Weird sense of humor, what can I say. I do try not to be too annoying with it, though. Time and place, you know.

But sometimes, I say something that I mean to be taken literally, and have people think I'm speaking figuratively. Case in point, once I was at a meeting (Aspergers' group counseling session, as it happens, so they should have known better!) One or another of us always brought refreshments, and there was a 2L bottle of ginger ale there. I asked the moderator if I could pop the cap. She said, sure go ahead. I cracked the seal off with my thumbnail, got a good hold on the bottle with my left hand, and spun the lid with my right thumb, hard. Of course, the cap fired off with a very gratifying BLAM, and shot upward with so much force it went clear through the dropped ceiling panel and vanished. She jumped three feet and said "What did you do that for!" I said, "Hey, I asked if I could pop the cap, didn't I? You told me to go ahead!" She said "Well, I didn't realise you meant it literally!" I said "You know I have Aspergers, of course I meant it literally!"

[Food Lady]

All I know is I never experienced such literal thinking as I do in this state. Mostly it's having to explain that I didn't literally mean that statement; that would be called a JOKE. My stepmom, who's from this state, does this. She takes my sarcasm or joke literally and then argues why it isn't so. And it isn't just her. They just don't get sarcasm here. Drives me nuts.

[telecom_goddess]

It's a certain amount of give or take. People should be accurate, but people should also clean the shit out of their brains. Just like it's important to type accurately and clearly so people can undderstand what you're saying, but it'd be a dickhead move to ignore everything I just said to point out that I just misspelled a word.

I agree with that .....although people who do the same misspellings over and over cause they won't learn to do it correctly annoy the hell out of me.

[LadyMage]

errrm, I kind of have an issue with taking things too literally, always did, so I ask what someone means if they same something and I end up confused, is that so bad?

its even harder on the internet, sarcasm does not translate well tone wise in writing sometimes (sadly)

of course I could just be an idiot so what do I know

[DrFaroohk]

Obviously I mean in the daily course of life people should just be accurate in their statements. To not be accurate is just lazy and sloppy in my opinion.

It's a certain amount of give or take. People should be accurate, but people should also clean the shit out of their brains. Just like it's important to type accurately and clearly so people can undderstand what you're saying, but it'd be a dickhead move to ignore everything I just said to point out that I just misspelled a word.

[telecom_goddess]

That's fine, if the discussion is about butter and margarine. But if you and I are having a discussion on whether the best way to get to Maine is to take Route 1 or I95, and somehow butter comes up, and you correct me to tell me it's margarine, that's just stupid. It doesn't matter whether it's butter, margarine, coffee, tea, up or down, we're talking about the best way to get to Maine.

Obviously I mean in the daily course of life people should just be accurate in their statements. To not be accurate is just lazy and sloppy in my opinion.

[DrFaroohk]

This...right here....I am very literal minded and I expect people to say what they mean precisely. My job kinda depends on that kind of thinking..and it drives me nuts when people just throw around words that don't apply and call things names that aren't accurate.

Or when they do it in other areas of life...calling margarine or the like butter...it's NOT butter. Or calling tortilla chips corn chips...it's not the same thing.

Be precise and accurate it isn't that hard.

That's fine, if the discussion is about butter and margarine. But if you and I are having a discussion on whether the best way to get to Maine is to take Route 1 or I95, and somehow butter comes up, and you correct me to tell me it's margarine, that's just stupid. It doesn't matter whether it's butter, margarine, coffee, tea, up or down, we're talking about the best way to get to Maine.

Now if, in that same discussion, I said "You want to take Route 95 or Interstate 1?" There would be a good time to correct me since it lies at the core of our problem. I'm sure Route 95, if there is one out there in the US, will not take us to Maine.

[Greenday]

Or when they do it in other areas of life...calling margarine or the like butter...it's NOT butter. Or calling tortilla chips corn chips...it's not the same thing.

Because being so accurate with their words on this kind of thing really matters so much.

[telecom_goddess]

I sometimes have a tendency to be literal-minded myself. Usually I'm pretty good, but every once in a while my brain crosses wires or something and I either end up confused by something or end up giving a dumb response because I interpret the situation literally and can't see what's intended until it's pointed out to me.

This...right here....I am very literal minded and I expect people to say what they mean precisely. My job kinda depends on that kind of thinking..and it drives me nuts when people just throw around words that don't apply and call things names that aren't accurate.

Or when they do it in other areas of life...calling margarine or the like butter...it's NOT butter. Or calling tortilla chips corn chips...it's not the same thing.

Be precise and accurate it isn't that hard.

[DrFaroohk]

If someone genuinely doesn't understand, that's fine, but some people do that just to be difficult.

I was talking with someone about WoW, and the Random Number Generator, and I compared it to dice rolls. He says "there's no dice in wow, dude." yeah, seriously. he knew what I meant.

I get it a lot when I use an example, too. I'll say "Well how would you feel if I crashed YOUR car and didn't pay for it?" To which they reply "I don't have a car." THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!!!!

[Miss_Maple_Leaf]

I have a button somewhere that reads "Can you imagine a world without hypothetical situations?". That has broken many a brain over the years (I'm not apologizing for it).

That's awesome! I'd love to have that button myself.

I sometimes have a tendency to be literal-minded myself. Usually I'm pretty good, but every once in a while my brain crosses wires or something and I either end up confused by something or end up giving a dumb response because I interpret the situation literally and can't see what's intended until it's pointed out to me.

I've gotten better about it as I've gotten older, but I still have my moments now and then.

[Dreamstalker]

I'm 'supposed to be' extremely literal-minded...whoever came up with that couldn't be more wrong. What ticks me off is people (my mom does this on occasion) who think I need every idiom or decision explained in detail.

I have a button somewhere that reads "Can you imagine a world without hypothetical situations?". That has broken many a brain over the years (I'm not apologizing for it).

[Andara Bledin]

All I said was that it was possible and that I had no trouble believing in the possibility. You're reading far too much into things that weren't stated.

^-.-^

[kiwi]

I don't. I once watched a woman (heavily autistic, but functional) take nearly 30 minutes to stop trying to pay for something that was being given to her for free. I've always wondered if she'd have been good if he'd just told her it was $0.

^-.-^

I think that is really projecting. Just because their may be people who have functioning autism doesn't mean in my example the person I dealt with did. There are people out there who are just space cadets or who just don't think. Not everyone who is frustraing has something wrong with them.

[Andara Bledin]

One of the things to remember about purely textual conversations is that it's infinitely more difficult to gain insight into how other people mean what they say than in person. You lack any visual or auditory clues to the meanings behind the words they're using.

Sometimes it's necessary to ask what seem to the original author to be stupid questions in order to avoid a misunderstanding on the part of the person asking the questions.

^-.-^