Re: [tlug] Interesting Hans Reiser article in Wired

[Shawn <javajunkie@example.com>]

On Wed, 2007-07-11 at 10:26 +0900, Pietro Zuco wrote: 
> On 7/11/07, Josh Glover <jmglov@example.com> wrote:
> > http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/15-07/ff_hansreiser?currentPage=1
> 
> I wonder if "geeks" are really so discriminated?
> I had never feel some discrimination because I played roll games or
> stay nights and days in front of my computer...
> In US are geeks so discriminated?

Well my son is a geek and ...sigh... his differences cause problems.
Maybe you are a geek but not from another planet (this is a reference to
how people with Aspergers have been referred to).

I really don't know about Hans and his situation.  In my son's case, he
was asked to leave the US Embassy preschool in Tokyo.  Of course he was
bored and causing trouble, they are drawing three dogs to represent the
number three.  He is teaching himself multiplication and reading books
that explain fractions.

I don't think anyone really set out to discriminate against him but it's
just that his interests are so different than his peers.  He loves
looking things up in the index of a book and is aks things like why
infinity/2 isn't a specific number (this is tough for him to
understand), or why the sun's light doesn't bend around the earth so we
can always see the moon .  Those just aren't the things they talk about
in preschool and makes it tough for him to have something to talk to
peers about.

In Japanese preschool, we got called in yesterday to explain his
differences in front of all the other parents.  He doesn't interact like
other kids.

I remember the day he realized he was different.  He hid under a blanket
and covered his eyes and kept saying "I'm different, I'm different".  I
put on a Thomas (the tank engine) episode where Thomas ridicules a
tractor for having caterpillar tracks and not proper wheels.  Of course,
the tractor later pulls Thomas out of the snow.

Maybe though you wouldn't say my son is a geek.  Maybe you would say he
is a mutant.  He likes Gnome very very much too if that tells you
anything.

I don't know Hans' story so much even after reading the whole article.
There is no justification for harming others even if he faced a
difficult life.  Still, sometimes I honestly can't believe how painfully
difficult and problematic it is for people who are different by their
nature.  

Other kids draw animals and people.  Mine does train maps of Tokyo.
Other kids can sense when they should follow the rules (kids are kids
and need reminding).  Mine will point out every time he sees someone
breaking a rule and use that as justification for his own behavior.  He
just lacks a sense of people's intentions and when he can get away with
it. 

Shawn