Maybe I just grew up in a different environment, but I have to take issue with the predominant opinions put forward in the articles above.
While I would tend to agree that there is a certain stigma in being "different", my take on my whole ostracization experience (which was the case pretty much up until my last two years of HS) is that it was more due to anti-social behaviour on my part than anything else. The anti-social, condescending attitude that I see in many of these posts is generally not very likeable, and most people just aren't going to look past it.
Passing the blame onto others ("the only reason they hate me is because I'm smarter than them..") is a wrongheaded attitude. The fact is that when I was younger, I just didn't have a good grasp of various social nuances.. which was what isolated me from most of my peers. It really had nothing to do with my interest or ability in computers/whatnot.
The fact is, you're going to have to deal with "normal people" for the rest of your life. The trick is to play their game of interpersonal communication (fit into their culture when you need to) while maintaining your own sense of identity.
Slashdot Mirror
While I would tend to agree that there is a certain stigma in being "different", my take on my whole ostracization experience (which was the case pretty much up until my last two years of HS) is that it was more due to anti-social behaviour on my part than anything else. The anti-social, condescending attitude that I see in many of these posts is generally not very likeable, and most people just aren't going to look past it.
Passing the blame onto others ("the only reason they hate me is because I'm smarter than them..") is a wrongheaded attitude. The fact is that when I was younger, I just didn't have a good grasp of various social nuances.. which was what isolated me from most of my peers. It really had nothing to do with my interest or ability in computers/whatnot.
The fact is, you're going to have to deal with "normal people" for the rest of your life. The trick is to play their game of interpersonal communication (fit into their culture when you need to) while maintaining your own sense of identity.
---
Meat. Isn't it time you made the switch?