Thursday, June 7, 2007

Today's...topic...is...robots

Today's topic is robots. What's so great about robots? I'm so glad you asked!
I'm not a big science fiction fan, but I do like robots. I mean the classic retro-futuristic style robots from the fifties and sixties. The clunkier and boxier the better. Rosie from the Jetsons over R2D2 any day. But in a pinch, just about any friendly robot will do.
Although in many ways I am a certifiable grown-up, I still love talking in a stereotypical robot voice. There was a TV show in the eighties, by all accounts a terrible show, Small Wonder, which featured a robot girl stuck in a non-robot family. She never smiled. But then, she never cried either. She took language very literally and always left me in stitches (!) much to the annoyance of those who got to listen to me repeat Vicki's lines for the rest of the week.
Now lest anyone think this is a statement that deserves being twisted into some ridiculous lie about autistic people not having feelings, I should be clear that this is most definitely not the case. I have found that people do not read me well, that I am not conventionally expressive, and am in fact "oddly" expressive in such a way that I am frequently accused of feeling things quite removed from the reality of what's really going on. Pair this seemingly counter intuitive nonverbal behavior with a conversational style NTs tend to perceive as evasive or even hostile, and maybe you get the idea why presenting as a robot might be easier and actually enhance one's ability to communicate. For one thing it takes some complicating factors out of the equation. For some NTs, robots are a more familiar concept than Aspies. This may help them "translate" the language and behavior better, resulting in less confusion for all
I met the robot pictured above tonight at one of those pizza buffet/game arcades. No, there was not a child with me. There is much more I would like to say about robots. But not right now. I am done writing for now, so this is the end. Thank you for reading this post, which has been about robots.

10 comments:

  1. Then I will not be able to admit you to my exclusive robot-seeing club. So sorry...

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  2. You have a soulmate in my son, Buddy Boy. For the past several months I have been serenaded by "I AM A ROBOT" while he will walk jerkily around the room.

    He's a hoot.

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  3. hey i can see it now. (^_^)

    i did robot voice (in context of saying the reflexive verbs) for my students in spanish 101 and it cracked them up. they wanted no more lesson and just laugh at me the robot until class was over. oops.

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  4. Club 166 and Bev -
    My son, too. I mentioned it here:
    http://onedadsopinion.blogspot.com/2007/06/meeting-of-minds.html

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  5. Last night my boy said "I-AM-A-ROBOT. ROBOTS-DO-NOT-LOVE. BUT-I-DO."

    That made me feel good.

    Joe

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  6. Hooray! I love ROBOTS! I also loved Small Wonder. It was one of my favorite shows growing up along with Bobby's World.

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  7. Wasn't there a techno-song from the late 70s or early 80s that went: "We are the robots"? And also another one with "Domo arigato mister Roboto"...?

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  8. And let's not forget: "Danger, danger, Will Robinson". xD

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