On Being a British Aspie

I love Britain. For all its flaws I don’t think that I could think of a better place to live. That’s not a slight on any other country; I’m just proud to live where I do. Pride usually involves a certain degree of chauvinism, but as I have already mentioned, I love other countries too. To be something of a patriot doesn’t have to involve xenophobia or even arrogance. People all too often seem to confuse these emotions and patriotism can get incredibly ugly. I am aware of my country’s flaws and I accept that things could be done better. I have studied British history extensively and I am well aware that we, as a nation have made mistakes. To forget them would be foolish, but to dwell on them would be just as bad.

The Queen’s visit to Ireland filled me with pride. Finally, both nations are starting to look forward rather than back. I can’t apologise for what my predecessors did and neither should I take the blame. The Real IRA campaign is something that I have never fully understood. Ireland is an independent republic now. Northern Ireland chose, under democratic conditions, not to join that republic. They could opt out of the UK at any time they choose, so why is the rest of the being involved in their bombing campaign. The UK government has no real say in Irish matters, so why are we being dragged into it. I grew up with the ‘troubles’ and the possibility of being blown up by IRA bombs. I remember asking my dad when I was little, why the IRA would want to blow people like me up: what did I ever do to them. I understand that one man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter, but there is absolutely no excuse for violence against innocent and unarmed people. That is defined as murder. Try and morally justify it from a rational point of view and I’ll bet you can’t. Even when nations attack civilians it is universally condemned. Alex Salmond’s plans to dissolve the Union worry me. I love Britain and I don’t want to see it fall apart. Both sides of the argument have merit, but as Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand’. Together the countries that make up the Union form something greater than the sum of its parts. Individually, they amount to small, insignificant countries. As you can imagine from this argument, I like the European Union. I wouldn’t go for Britain’s full economic integration (the problems that the Eurozone is facing now demonstrates why better than I could), but I believe that many nations working together to form something great is how the world should be run. Until humanity realises that we are all the same species, I guess that the EU is a reasonable goal to work towards.

I’ve been told by ‘foreign friends’ that I am exactly what they expected all Brits to be like, so I guess I am a stereotypical Brit (that we all have bad teeth is a myth). I still don’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not. I think it is because Brits are supposed to be polite (I try), love tea (green for me!) and be emotionally and physically reserved; this plays right into an Aspies’ hands. Add into that equation my home county’s reputation for its people to speak their mind and you have a haven for an Aspie.

With regards to being an Aspie, I am very lucky to live in Britain where it is understood and accepted. In many third world nations it seems to either be ignored or treated as something to be ashamed of. Even in some developed countries it is only just starting to be recognised. Until recently it was treated as if it was leprosy in South Korea, though things seem to be picking up. Who knows how Aspies are treated in North Korea: I hate to imagine. The NHS, despite all of the negative publicity that it gets, is actually pretty good. My local hospital is one of the best in the country (lucky me again), and the local surgeries and services also perform well above the national average. Half of my life I have had some form of counselling or therapy, the vast majority on the NHS and in my experience, they have been pretty good. When I was diagnosed with Aspergers in my later teenage years, my local adolescent clinic agreed to keep seeing me until I could find an adult service, even though I was over the age limit. Prescriptions are cheaper than they would be under private health care, which is important to me because I am likely to be on my medication for the rest of my life. I also have a good GP who is very understanding; even if he is not entirely knowledgeable on Aspergers. Specialist NHS services for mental health issues are run well even if they mostly rely on cognitive behavioural therapy (or CBT). In my experience of the NHS, the top may be slightly messed up, but the people on the ground are hardworking and dedicated. If you need to, you can also gain access to private healthcare and there are many excellent services dedicated to ASD in the UK, as well as charitable organisations and support systems in schools and universities. For the record, the university that I went to had an excellent support network for students, without which I would certainly have struggled.

Britain is also geographically stable. I can’t imagine having to live with deadly weather features such as those tornadoes currently sweeping the US mid-west. To have all that you own including your home picked up and smashed to pieces right before your eyes must be devastating. To see your world come crashing down around you like the Japanese did earlier this year would also take a lot of strength to survive. Being an Aspie, I love stability and if I found myself in the above situations I don’t know how I would cope. The most I have to cope with in terms of weather is the changing of the seasons, which I perversely kind of love. Cold and frosty mornings in winter and misty morn’s in the summer cannot be beaten. I must admit that I even love the rain. Coming back from a family holiday in Spain where there was no rain the whole time made it all the sweeter. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain all the time in Britain, though it depends on season and location as for how much you actually get.

I love Britain and I believe that I have been very lucky to be born here. As such I feel no need to wait impatiently for wanderlust to affect me. I am content where I am.