BANG! AHHHHH! (I hate loud noises)

I've noticed I haven't actually done anything about autism for a while. Don't get me wrong, I like saying what I think about society but it's about time I taught you something else. Namely, how much I hate loud noises. In fact, I'm terrified of them!

These range from balloons popping, small explosions, gunfire, lightning, champagne corks, fire alarms, jump scares in horror films etc. All of these things give me the heebie jeebies and they pretty much sum up all of my fears. The reason why this is, I think is because of how much it disturbs the peace. There I am, happy in my own little world and then BANG! Something shocks me out of it whether it's a balloon at a party or a fire alarm in lessons, it just catches me by surprise.

Yet the odd thing is, I fear them the most when I expect them. This is definitely the case with balloons, especially with little kids because they have a greater chance of popping. I think it's because that loud noises scare me so much, I dread them when they come. Much like how an arachnophobics is scared that a spider is going to get them or something. This is the same for horror movies (especially since jump scares are apparently more common in them) and pantomimes (because the Fairy Godmother loves to summon explosions for some reason). 

You know once upon a time, any loud noises distressed me. I used to go around wearing earmuffs for crying out loud! (They didn't work but hey ho!). Whilst it isn't as severe now it was a huge problem because like I said, it disturbed my peace and quiet and I didn't like it. In fact longer loud noises still stress me out, such as babies and kids screaming around.

I doubt I'm alone in this. Not that I know whether or not this is true but I'm sure other autistic people hate loud noises as much as I do. Perhaps they hate it even more depending on where they are in the spectrum! Regardless it's always been a thing that has distressed me and I'm sure people like me. Speaking of people like me...

How can you help people like me? - If such loud noises or loud environments occur, find a 'happy place' for them. I suggest you find a quiet room away from all the noise with lighting and music appropriate to their needs. Alternatively, if it’s in a theatre or a party, take them outside or give them earplugs (something far more effective that earmuffs) so they can be less distressed about the noise. Also don't tell them when a loud bang is coming, surprise is better than dread in my experience. However if they know it's coming and get distressed about it, tell them to cover their ears and close their eyes or even leave the area for a quieter place (as mentioned above). 

Overall, loud noises suck for us autistic people but it is avoidable so long as you know where to go and what to do.

And that concludes this thought from an autistic mind. What do you think about this? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments below, be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' for more blogs and share this around to spread the word. Thank you for reading this and until the next time: fare thee well! 

Duckface: Deconstructing the selfie

There's this weird trend where people, for some reason, spontaneously take photos of themselves with their phones at any random occasion be they in a party, a public area or even at home. This, as many of you know, is a selfie. Pretty much everyone with a smartphone (which is pretty much everyone who is remotely wealthy) take 'selfies' for some strange reason and I thought "hey, since my brain is different and I don't understand this new trend, why don't I point out all the things wrong with it?" which is what I did and here we are!

Firstly, the name is stupid. Selfie is something that a toddler would say when they talk about themselves. The name alone makes a mostly harmless trend into something completely ridiculous! It's like when you're hurt and you say 'ouchie.' It just makes you sound like a three year old!

Secondly, the framing. This doesn't matter as much for one person since you can easily get them into the picture but for a crowd? There's no way you can get an entire crowd of people or the background into one tiny little phone picture. At least, without a stick (more on that later). Actually I take that back, you have to have steady hands in order to get it into the frame right. If your hands shake then the picture would just look odd.

Thirdly, the selfie stick is actually impractical. They do fit in more people but when used in public (which is where it is mostly used), they get in the way. People might get hit if it's wiggled around and during a thunderstorm... well let's just say they'll go the way of Benjamin Franklin if they're not careful.

Fourthly, the pictures themselves are mixed. Most of them, to be fair, are actually pretty good but there are two things that niggle me. Firstly, why do people pout (or duckface as I call it)? It doesn't look attractive, it makes them look vain and up themselves and it makes you look like a duck or Greedo from Star Wars thus making it look silly! The second niggle are the use of filters. It makes the picture look better but it does so artificially. It's like another shade of make-up, it just hides who the person is and it sometimes feels needless as the person already looks beautiful! (Refer to this for my further thoughts on this).

Fifthly, people overdo it! It's fine at home and in parties since the environment calls for one but in public places? A) Why can't you take a normal photo, the framing will be better and the camera shy people will be off the hook and B) if it's a place like a cinema or a formal occasion, why do it at all? That's really inappropriate!

Lastly, why is it so ingrained to our culture? It's used in films, TV shows (including Doctor Who, I'm sad to say), and songs. There are even TV shows and songs ABOUT selfies such as the TV show 'Selfie' starring Karen Gillan and the song #selfie by the Chainsmokers (the latter of which shows everything wrong with youth culture). The longevity of the show (that being one season) sums up my main problem with selfies. It ain't gonna last forever folks!

Since it's so ingrained in our culture, I'm worried that when the trend dies, the pop culture references to selfies will instantly be dated. That and people will look back at them and see how stupid some of them looked. Also, will the next generation know about selfies? How should I know? I can't predict the future! But maybe the trend will die then... I know walkmans have died out and become a relic of the past. Maybe it will... we keep evolving through trends in fashion and technology and maybe it will be the case where phones will no longer exists and technology will evolve beyond that! Who knows?

Selfies are harmless and the pictures themselves aren't all that bad. But it isn't that huge a deal and there are so many problems with it that I'm confused as to why it's so popular. Maybe I'm missing something but the selfie is a flawed trend that probably won't last forever.

And that concludes this thought from an autistic mind. What do you think about this? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments below, be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' for more blogs and share this around to spread the word. Thank you for reading this and until the next time: fare thee well! 

Music is the rhythm of the night (The night! Oh yeah! The Rhythm of the night!)

You know I think it's time I did something positive for once! One of my favourite things in life, besides film, is music. I don't quite know why but certain melodies just hit me right in the feels. Well certain types of music... ok I'll explain.

Like many people, I have my own taste in music. In my case, my favourite genre of music is classical or instrumental. I'm guessing that's because, with no lyrics to tell you how to feel, I can just experience these emotions for myself. In the Hall of the Mountain King for example is very grand and epic whilst Canon in D is very soothing and relaxing (and I'm not ashamed to say that I imagine myself playing the violin when hearing that even though I can't play it). Even though I won't remember nor name all of it, I will feel calm whenever I hear it.

However my favourite artist is Daft Punk. It has similar reasons as to why I love classical music as it makes me feel calm and relaxed but it does it in its own way. Since I don't consider myself 'normal', I'm a sucker for the weird and wonderful and Daft Punk can be described as exactly that. The fact that they dress up as robots coupled with synth, sci-fi style music makes them weird yet I am drawn into their own little world!

In fact I love instrumental music so much that a part of me wants to make my own. I'm guessing, like most musicians, it's because I have certain emotions that I cannot release in any other way but sadly, unlike those musicians, I cannot play a single instrument (mostly because of patience). But when I can release them, boy is it emotionally fulfilling!

I don't mind current pop music so long as it's either fun or memorable for the right reasons as I do enjoy the likes of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey. However, that doesn't mean that I like all types of music as I don't like R & B for their song content, country music for their age specific style and slow music like Sam Smith for being boring. But I understand the love for them because everyone has their tastes.

But back to music making you feel calm. I'd imagine that other autistic people, like me, feel calm when they listen to their favourite music. I remember liking 'We all stand together' by Paul McCartney from Rupert Bear a lot because that calmed me down no matter how I felt. My guess is, like Daft Punk and classical music today, it just draws me in to another world entirely and it helps me escape the difficult nature of reality.

Maybe that's one way to calm an autistic child. If they are distressed, have them listen to calm and soothing music to see how they would react. Maybe they enjoy the same method of escapism as I do. Maybe as they get older they can learn to play an instrument (if they have the patience to) as they can channel their emotions through said instrument. Whatever it is, music is great and everyone, autistic or otherwise, should listen to it at some point in their lives.


And that concludes this thought from an autistic mind. What do you think about this? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments below, be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' for more blogs and share this around to spread the word. Thank you for reading this and until the next time: fare thee well!