Tell me if any of you relate to my ramble:
I thought I was good at socializing. I can be quiet charming, actually. And I actually really love the linguistics of social interaction, both verbal and nonverbal, even though it trips me up a lot.
I'm stuck on the concept of using an apology as an opening. Like, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply sooner" in an email. To me it's not actually an apology, no one's done anything wrong, and the other person isn't even inconvenienced in this case. It's just a polite greeting, a buffer before the actual content. But it's awkward when they reassure me I don't need to apologize, which I already know. Even though I'm aware that's just a "correct" way to reply to an apology in as casual a manner as I gave it. It's just like a mutual acknowledgement that unexpected time has passed.
So I think, look how much I know about weird unspoken social rules! I can't actually be autistic, right?!
As if laying in bed deliberating the off-label use of apologies in conversational transition and filler, while mentally rehearsing an email I hope to write tomorrow and puzzling over the least important but most concerning part (the greeting) isn't autistic as hell.
No, no, the frequent sensory overload and nonverbal shutdowns have no weight here.
Anyway, thanks for reading and happy stimming!
Edit: I'm okay on the wording/apologizing thing and don't need advice (though I appreciate the effort all the same)! I wrote this post oddly but the point was imposter syndrome about autism and the apology thing was just an example.
Then stop doing it. An apology is for when you did or could have fucked something up. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply sooner" means you are aware of a deadline involved for the other party and that deadline may have been fucked by your untimely response.
This means there was either no deadline involved or the deadline did not pass or nothing was fucked as a result. Also means that you may have incorrectly assumed information about the existence or properties of a deadline.
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Knowledge and skill level can be divided approximately by degree and type of brainpower used. In this manner, Unconscious Use > Conscious Use.
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Think about it this way: You've blocked everything out so you can dice an onion perfectly. If one thing distracts you, the dicing is gonna get fucked. Meanwhile, Sous Chef-san can dice an onion with his eyes closed and yelling at the new guy because he's about to dump the wrong spice into the soup. Who one do you think is better at chopping onions?
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Memorization is not learning. Learning is the ability to cross-reference information, and intelligence is the ability to select the appropriate knowledge to apply for the situation.
I don't think "Sorry is only for actual apologizing" is how everyone communicates, though. It's a nicety or etiquette thing the same way people ask "How are you?" as a greeting without expecting—or wanting—a genuine answer.
I would prefer not to over-apologize or have a polite nicety misunderstood because it's awkward, but sometimes it also feels necessary for masking reasons.
But while misleading, my post was about doubting my own autism while spending a disproportionate amount of brainspace on how to write a greeting in an email.