IT Geeks' Social Skills (was: Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: Installing windows explorer extension only)

On Sun, 11 May 2014 11:52:18 +0100
Tom Davies <tomcecf@gmail.com> wrote:

[snip]
> On a side-issue ...
> The ones where Urmas does help are often highly technical.  That
> raises the question of whether Urmas is a dev and just socially
> clumsy as so many are. Apparently Microsoft have recognised that
> many engineers and devs have "high functioning" aspergers syndrome
> or, even further along the spectrum, autism ...
[snip]

Asperger Syndrome (it's properly capitalized) is often referred-to
as "functional autism."  In any event: Yes, in the IT world it is
quite common for technically talented people to exhibit impaired
social skills.  It's usually not intentional.  Such people are simply
wired in such a manner that social skills that are second nature to
"normal" people are, quite simply, incomprehensible to them.  Good
examples of these are the TV show characters Dr. Gregory House, Dr.
Sheldon Cooper and Dr. Martin Ellingham ("Doc Martin").  These
characters are all portrayed as being brilliant in their fields, but
socially inept to the point of being widely regarded as rude and
unfeeling.  (These characters portray behavioural extremes, but they
are, after all, actors, and it is, after all, entertainment.)

Such people can learn, to a degree, to work within commonly accepted
social norms, but they will never, ever understand the *need* to do
so, other than that failing to do so may have (potentially) adverse
consequences.

This is not to excuse behaviour clearly out-of-bounds, but more to
explain the reality that, in a venue such as this, you're going to
encounter such people.  The only way to stop it entirely is to
encourage them to go away.  Then what are you left with?  Who will
answer your questions and solve your problems?  The likes of
telephone sanitizers, hairstylists, advertising executives and
lawyers? ;)

Regards,
Jim
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