A common misconception about Aspies, in my opinion, is that we simply are not capable of understanding many social conventions, and that’s why we’re known for “failure” to follow them.

In some cases from my life, it is exactly that simple, but not most of the time. The whole of reality is messy and complicated, and there’s another explanation that accounts for more of this phenomenon.

Remember, Aspies think differently from other people, by definition. Sometimes, we have analyzed a set of social conventions carefully — for how else are we going to understand them? — and see them, therefore, for what they really are.

What are they, really? Well, some are insidious and evil. Consider, for example, the social conventions which have played strong roles in creating eating disorders. What good do those memes do anyone? Would we not all be better off without them? In a sense, then, some Aspies know some social conventions too well to follow them, and we do this on purpose. If you see through something, you’ll notice if it’s idiotic, and, if it is, then it’s perfectly natural to want nothing to do with it.

Not all social conventions are without merit, but many are not only that, but are actively pernicious. The ability to often identify which these are, and then avoid them, is not something I would quickly trade away.