Neurodiversity and social change
your dreams will be reduced down to breathing, and you will be grateful
The thing about not-being-a-person is: They will say those people and the price of being a person is to nod and agree that yes, those people aren’t people at all. They will have no idea who they are talking to. You yourself will start to forget, too. They will say a million small things that sow the seeds for violence done against you, and you will smile and let them. You will do math, constantly. How much do I want to be a person today? How much do I want this project to succeed? How much honesty can I afford? How much dishonesty will kill me? What is the cost of coming out? Is there a way to delay, soften, transmute? How long can I survive as half a person? Ever since the world ended ... I don't go out as much. People that I once befriended, just don't bother to stay in touch. Things that used to seem so splendid, don't really matter today. It's just as well the world ended -- it wasn't working anyway. Your dreams will be reduced down to breathing. [Read More]
Julia Bascom on 03/5/12 | 2 Comments | Read More
J.R.R. Tolkien was the sort of man who tended to stick close to an adored few friends and family. He was an academic who spoke awkwardly and had an uncharismatic presence. He loved obscure subjects th...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 01/23/12 | 5 Comments | Read More
Night clubs embody a mentality that is inimical to my own. That is exactly why I have been drawn to them on occasion. To grow we all need challenges and changes. Putting oneself in an unfamiliar ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 01/16/12 | 6 Comments | Read More
Beyond Introvert Survival: Finding Allies in an Extroverted Society
For many introverts who find themselves isolated, the advice they receive seems reasonable enough: “Get out more. Meet some people.” Yet in practice it never seems to work. One ends up e...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 01/9/12 | No Comments | Read More
Introvert vs. Extrovert: Restaurants
I found the ideal sort of introverted restaurant in England. It’s a dying breed of restaurant except perhaps in the countryside where only 20% of the country’s population lives. It’s anoth...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 01/2/12 | 8 Comments | Read More
Surely a culture where everyone must smile must be a happy culture? Surely a merry holiday must be the happiest time of year? Surely a stunning model makes everyone feel good about themselves. ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/19/11 | No Comments | Read More
When we think of diaries the first image that comes to mind is the popular image. A slim volume with lots of pink hearts all over the cover. It might have a little toy lock on it so that its con...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/12/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introvert Survival: Any Small Thing
One of the most powerful remedies for feelings of depression, loneliness, and rejection is a hobby or discipline that commands your intimate attention. As a kid I loved insects and all kinds of sm...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 12/5/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Especially in youth, an extreme introvert feeling little commonality with the surrounding society must find ways to nourish the spirit even through the most trying times. A life on the fringes i...[Read More]
School As Introvert Prison Sentence
I got pretty good grades in school. Homework was easier for me than for most kids. Yet as an adult it’s easy to look back and realize that none of that was important. Once one gets into coll...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 11/21/11 | No Comments | Read More
A friend of mine was once wondering what stats we would have if we were D and D characters. We supposed we might have strengths of 12 or so and less than impressive dexterity. When it came to ch...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 11/14/11 | No Comments | Read More
Extrovert Critic: “You Read Too Much”
We’ve all heard this criticism. We read too much. When we’re seen reading, especially some subject material that seems uninteresting, we seem ‘out of touch,’ ‘with our head in the clou...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 11/7/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
For an introvert few tasks can be as daunting and titanic as making a cold call. The very idea of disturbing an unseen stranger over the telephone fills us with anxiety. -We wouldn’t want to ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 10/31/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introversion and Schizoid Traits
Not so long ago, I was dropped a link by a reader to Wikipedia’s entry on schizoid personality disorder. I was shocked as I read it over. I read through the descriptions and lists on this page ...[Read More]
Extroverts and the Concept of ‘Deserval’
We turn on the TV and encountering the concept is inevitable: “I deserve it.” says a waifish, urban thirty-something woman as she justifies buying that expensive dress or that decadent slice o...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 10/17/11 | No Comments | Read More
I received this comment from a reader: Hey this is Adi. I have been reading a lot of your posts and like this blog a lot and I am posting for the first time. I have a question that has been bugg...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 10/10/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introverts vs. Extroverts: Learning
The acquisition of knowledge has a very different meaning to introverts and extroverts. Extroverts: Learning is a means to an ends Introverts: Learning is an end unto itself. Extroverts lea...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 10/3/11 | 3 Comments | Read More
Extrovert Success and the Introvert
What kind of life in society is considered a success? In obituaries we see ‘was a great person/parent’ and all kinds of statements, but never do we see ‘This person was successful. In thei...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 09/26/11 | No Comments | Read More
Extroverted Critic: “You Need to Be More eMOtional”
“Sometimes you need to let go man and just go with your eMOtions. You think too much.” What Subtle person hasn’t spent years getting bombarded with this platitude? The critic is usually wel...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 09/19/11 | No Comments | Read More
Introverts: Denizens of a Social Ghetto
When we say the word ghetto, we generally think of rap, thugs, and crime. What we usually think of is a modern economic ghetto, a neighborhood where all the poorest people live and can’t aff...[Read More]
Introverts, Social Loyalty, and Social Immunity
A Subtle person often grows up an outsider and never really bonds with their birth society. Not only do we lack commonality with the whole, we might very well also have feelings of resentment af...[Read More]
Introvert Survival: Reducing Your Profile
If you’ve ever seen an oil painting or engraving of two men with dueling pistols, you might have noticed that they have both turned their bodies sideways with their arms tucked behind them so that...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 09/5/11 | No Comments | Read More
Extrovert Critic: “You’ll Never Get Laid If You ____”
How many times has any male introvert nerd been told “If you like (DandD, klingons, magic cards, x…) you’ll never get any girls”? The aim of this criticism is to point out the superiority of...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 08/29/11 | 4 Comments | Read More
Unity Without Uniformity: The Implications of Wikis
The internet has resulted in forms of collective human association without any individual being crushed by the collective. One form of such an association has come to be called a ‘wiki.’ In t...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 08/22/11 | No Comments | Read More
Why Introverted Nerds Like Fantasy and Sci Fi
It’s perfectly Ok and respectable to have seen some trek and wars. However, you’re crossing way over the line if you know who Salacious Crumb is or know just how Shaka felt when the walls fell....[Read More]
Zygmunt on 08/15/11 | No Comments | Read More
Sports in their most popular form are just another social venue. The minority players are involved in an intricate group activity and the majority spectators are involved in a mass cult of fandom...[Read More]
Introvert Survival: Handling Extrovert Interrogations
When a Loud person asks you a question it is best to give a quick, snappy, truthful answer. Directly stonewalling or displaying reluctance to answer personal questions from someone you don’t trust...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 08/1/11 | No Comments | Read More
A tragedy of the commons is said to occur when a resource available to everyone becomes overused until it becomes available to no one. Everyone loses in the end. A tragedy of the lords is how ...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/25/11 | No Comments | Read More
Unity Does Not Mean Uniformity
Society and social interaction are helpful tools for the introvert. Society does not just happen for its own sake in our point of view. It requires justification, for from proper justification c...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/18/11 | No Comments | Read More
Extrovert Malfunction in Foreign Societies
Extroverts are extremely specialized and well adapted to the standards of their society. They are so attached to their ways that encountering other customs and world views is extremely uncomforta...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/11/11 | No Comments | Read More
Why a True Introvert Will Never Change
Introverts have wished many, many times that we could be more extroverted, that life in society could be just a little easier. We tell ourselves again and again that we ought to ‘get out more�...[Read More]
Zygmunt on 07/4/11 | 2 Comments | Read More
Autism has been here all along.
Considered as an evolutionary condition with far-reaching social implications, its full presence and impact remain hidden in plain sight, unrecognized and uncredited.
Part neurological mystery, part social construct, and part secret society unbeknownst even to its own members, autism does not lend itself to explanation by those who hold it apart from society, from themselves, or from consciousness itself. Definitions are revised, overhauled, and abandoned all while efforts to explore and examine this condition on its own terms are only now gaining momentum.
Shift Journal aims to showcase and encourage such efforts. Entertaining the notion of autistic as a legitimate way to be in the world, from the crossroads of theory, society, and personal experience, Shift welcomes relevant contributions from all comers.
Mark Stairwalt
Editor and Publisher
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Shift Journal founder Andrew Lehman's groundbreaking cross-disciplinary work Evolution, Autism, and Social Change draws from evolutionary biology, neuro-psychology and related fields to outline an evolutionary process complementary to natural selection that may explain some forms of autism as well as -- and perhaps more importantly -- long-term shifts in large-scale social structure. Download or purchase Evolution, Autism, and Social Change here.
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In a world which relentlessly demands practical advice for day-to-day, Shift Journal remains focused on promoting reflection and discovery. Readers however who are seeking useful information and how-to guidance assembled by a down-to-earth, conscientious and scientifically literate crew who once sought such information themselves and found it difficult to come by may find The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism to be just what they are looking for:
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New or established writers wishing to contribute original or previously published posts may use the submissions page or contact us directly.
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Autism and Empathy Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism Neurodivergent Sexuality Just Stimming Autistic Passing Project