Master Troll or Serious? (autistic even?)

[jeremyclark]

I can't tell whether this guy is serious...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYEzhRbVDC0

or...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=794i35FBPog

 

[zoobyshoe]

I watched the first one. To me it looks like the guy is a serious toy geek. It could well be he has Asperger's and toys are his thing.

 

[jeremyclark]

Yeah that is kind of what I was thinking. I think he is pretty entertaining. I have asked a couple of my friends what they think. One thinks that this kid seems totally normal, and another thinks he may have something like apsergers (which I am not saying is a bad thing). So thanks for your response, I am just curious to see what people's opinion is.

Either way, he is a total geek, and geeks are cool.

 

[Willowz]

It's fun listening to him talk.

I was actually going through a dilemma about which duster to buy (I ended up buying both);

 

[jeremyclark]

I hadn't seen that one, lol, I think he's really entertaining for some reason. I'm glad you see where I am coming from.

His shirt in that duster one is classic.

 

[Willowz]

I hadn't seen that one, lol, I think he's really entertaining for some reason. I'm glad you see where I am coming from.

His shirt in that duster one is classic.

Indeed he is. But, I don't see any justification or need to draw conclusions about his mental health. Or over-analyzing his intentions for the matter.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Indeed he is. But, I don't see any justification or need to draw conclusions about his mental health. Or over-analyzing his intentions for the matter.

His intentions make a world of difference as to why he'd be entertaining.

 

[Willowz]

I don't get it. Take it or leave it.

 

[wuliheron]

Everybody's an art critic. One famous Italian artists sells his own feces in mason jars for thousands at a pop, Andy Warhol paints soup cans, and this guy makes inane youtube videos about trivial products.

 

[chiro]

He sort of reminds me of Tom Hanks' character in the movie Big.

 

[jeremyclark]

His intentions make a world of difference as to why he'd be entertaining.

Exactly! I am not trying to make fun of him, but his intentions are exactly why it would or wouldn't be funny.

 

[jeremyclark]

Everybody's an art critic. One famous Italian artists sells his own feces in mason jars for thousands at a pop, Andy Warhol paints soup cans, and this guy makes inane youtube videos about trivial products.

He sort of reminds me of Tom Hanks' character in the movie Big.

Haha I love both of these comments and actually agree with both. Haha and if this is his form of art, it is indeed entertaining then. I love this kid.

 

[Klockan3]

He doesn't seem autistic at all, why would anyone draw that conclusion? Having autism/asperger is not about having strange interests. Since asperger/autism have such low prevalence if you see someone having strange interests like this it still is very unlikely that he got asperger.

If we look at what is important then he have normal speech, smooth hand movement, do not get caught up in details and he don't make a lot of awkward jokes. Seems to me like just a normal guy who thought that it would be funny to perform reviews for things people don't normally review, but it is hard to diagnose with just a few clips of him talking about toys.

 

[jeremyclark]

He doesn't seem autistic at all, why would anyone draw that conclusion? Having autism/asperger is not about having strange interests. Since asperger/autism have such low prevalence if you see someone having strange interests like this it still is very unlikely that he got asperger.

If we look at what is important then he have normal speech, smooth hand movement, do not get caught up in details and he don't make a lot of awkward jokes. Seems to me like just a normal guy who thought that it would be funny to perform reviews for things people don't normally review, but it is hard to diagnose with just a few clips of him talking about toys.

Yeah that's a good point too. Do you think they are funny at all though? Because regardless of mental state, I do.

 

[zoobyshoe]

He doesn't seem autistic at all, why would anyone draw that conclusion? Having autism/asperger is not about having strange interests. Since asperger/autism have such low prevalence if you see someone having strange interests like this it still is very unlikely that he got asperger.

What do you think about this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOcX0oS4eQI

He's uploaded a gazillion videos about these paper shapes he makes. Asperger's? Or just a geek?

 

[jeremyclark]

He doesn't seem autistic at all, why would anyone draw that conclusion? Having autism/asperger is not about having strange interests. Since asperger/autism have such low prevalence if you see someone having strange interests like this it still is very unlikely that he got asperger.

If we look at what is important then he have normal speech, smooth hand movement, do not get caught up in details and he don't make a lot of awkward jokes. Seems to me like just a normal guy who thought that it would be funny to perform reviews for things people don't normally review, but it is hard to diagnose with just a few clips of him talking about toys.

Yeah it's impossible to diagnose with the videos and considering the fact that none of us are qualified to do so, but I thought this was interesting.

What do you think about this guy:

He's uploaded a gazillion videos about these paper shapes he makes. Asperger's? Or just a geek?

Hmm.. That is really interesting as well, I could see something like Aspergers being involved with that person as well, although my wife isn't convinced.

Key points from PubMed on the subject:

Asperger syndrome is often considered a high functioning form of autism.

Children with Asperger syndrome will present many facts about their subject of interest, but there will seem to be no point or conclusion.

They often do not recognize that the other person has lost interest in the topic.

People with Asperger do not withdraw from the world in the way that people with autism withdraw. They will often approach other people.

They may speak in a monotone, and may not respond to other people's comments or emotions.

They may not understand sarcasm or humor, or they may take a figure of speech literally.

They may be singled out by other children as "weird" or "strange."

I do find it extremely interesting to notice some of these possible signs as I watch through a bunch of markymort's videos.

 

[Klockan3]

What do you think about this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOcX0oS4eQI

He's uploaded a gazillion videos about these paper shapes he makes. Asperger's? Or just a geek?

That one is much harder, I can't tell much by just hearing a couple of snippets of him talking and watching his hands. I forgot to mention eye movements and such, do he have a video where he talks into the camera?

ed:From these video I'd suspect it though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iULUxLnaB3k&feature=related
Notice in the first how he just ignores the camera most of the time and in the second his eyes looks really inattentive and just focusing on the paper and almost never on the camera even when he turns to the camera. That would be equivalent to a professor who just talks into the blackboard and the few times he is turned to his audience he just looks down into his notes. It might be easier to forget with a camera but for a normal person that is usually natural and not something you need to remember.

 

[zoobyshoe]

That one is much harder, I can't tell much by just hearing a couple of snippets of him talking and watching his hands. I forgot to mention eye movements and such, do he have a video where he talks into the camera?

ed:From these video I'd suspect it though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iULUxLnaB3k&feature=related
Notice in the first how he just ignores the camera most of the time and in the second his eyes looks really inattentive and just focusing on the paper and almost never on the camera even when he turns to the camera. That would be equivalent to a professor who just talks into the blackboard and the few times he is turned to his audience he just looks down into his notes. It might be easier to forget with a camera but for a normal person that is usually natural and not something you need to remember.

You're saying you'd suspect he might have Asperger's?

 

[Klockan3]

You're saying you'd suspect he might have Asperger's?

Yeah, I get that vibe. You can imagine the person demonstrating gym equipment or something like that if you have a hard time removing the distraction of them having strange interests. But it is still just a few videos, it isn't like it is easy to see who has it even when you meet them face to face. Is there a special reason why you are asking, do you know that guy?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Here are the criteria for a diagnosis of autism.

http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-autism.html"

The videos do not justify concluding that he exhibits any of the symptoms, except possibly item 1 in section (1)(C). Even then, there is not enough to conclude that he exhibits that symptom pathologically.

I'm not saying that he isn't autistic, I'm saying that the video provides insufficient evidence to make the diagnosis.

Edit: I discussed these videos with my wife. She says that if a keen interest in uninteresting things was sufficient for a diagnosis of autism, then all physicists would be autistic.

 

[jeremyclark]

Yeah I agree it is impossible to tell from that video, but I do personally think there are signs of some symptoms. Look up aspergers on pubmed and you'll see what I mean.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Look up aspergers on pubmed and you'll see what I mean.

Here are the criteria for a diagnosis of Aspergers.

http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html"

They are similar to, but not exactly the same as for autism. Again, there is not enough evidence in the videos for any symptom except perhaps (II)(A). Again there is not enough to conclude that he exhibits that symptom pathologically.

As before, I'm not saying he doesn't have Aspergers, just that there isn't enough evidence here to make that diagnosis.

There is not a standardized (used and accepted by almost everyone) test used to diagnose Asperger syndrome.

Most doctors look for a core group of behaviors to help them diagnose Asperger syndrome. These behaviors include:

Abnormal eye contact
Aloofness
Failure to turn when called by name
Failure to use gestures to point or show
Lack of interactive play
Lack of interest in peers

Not a single one of these behaviors was exhibited in the videos. I take issue with pubmed's statement that there is no standaradized test. If their definition of standardized is "universally applied", then there probably isn't a standardized test for any disorder. In my opinion, the DSM-IV is used widely enough to call it a standard.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yeah, I get that vibe. You can imagine the person demonstrating gym equipment or something like that if you have a hard time removing the distraction of them having strange interests. But it is still just a few videos, it isn't like it is easy to see who has it even when you meet them face to face. Is there a special reason why you are asking, do you know that guy?

Exactly. I know him. He came walking into a coffeehouse where I hang out one evening holding one of his geometric paper things, so he caught my eye.

I noticed two things about him: the thing he was holding, and an oddness about his posture: he seemed very self conscious, not comfortable in his own skin, so to speak. Taken together, I got an Asperger's "vibe", as you put it. He came in a few days in a row, always alone, always holding one of his paper things.

Had I seen him without the paper thing I would merely have thought, "Wow, self conscious guy." Had I seen him with the paper thing but with good, confident body language, I would have supposed he was some sort of artist. Taken together, though, the first thing that popped into my mind the first time I saw him was "Asperger's."

Long story short: I eventually talked to him. Correction: I started talking to him, then got my ear talked off about geometric paper shapes: a long, uninterruptable lecture. I was now certain he had Asperger's. Wedging a word in edgewise, I derailed his lecture and asked him what he did for a living. He allowed he didn't work, that he was receiving disability for a condition called "Asperger's Syndrome". He started to explain how it was a mild form of autism, etc, but I told him I was familiar with it.

So, the geometric shapes guy does have Asperger's. My point is that demonstrating a "strange interest" (which really needs to be defined more rigorously to be useful) should contribute to a suspicion of that, not be dismissed from the equation. His many videos are the YouTube equivalent of walking around in public holding one of them.

The fact you wanted to look at his mannerisms and body language tells me you know what you're talking about. You've clearly met Aspies in person.

What I don't get is why you haven't noticed how subtly strange the first guy is. This is clearest in the feather duster review. Watch it again paying special attention to his eyes. He is constantly averting his glance upward in a peculiar way. Additionally, whenever he is mentioning a price, there is some unusual effort he has to go through to remember it. It's as if he is consciously accessing a mnemonic to remember it. Also, when he runs after the frisbee in the tron video, we see he's not physically graceful. He runs after it a bit too quickly for such an enclosed space, like a giddy kid.

I'm not diagnosing him, just defending the suggestion that he might have Asperger's. I don't think it was as off the wall a suggestion as you seem to. It was based on more than the apparent oddness of his interest in making his own product reviews, but that interest was a definite contributor to the notion. The possibility remains he might be more or less normal, but with a weird and subtle sense of humor, like, say, Andy Kaufman. I think that's why the OP is so intrigued: you can't tell which.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm not saying that he isn't autistic, I'm saying that the video provides insufficient evidence to make the diagnosis.

I took the OP as a request for confirmation of his perception there was something intriguingly unpinpointable about the guy. No one is offering a diagnosis, just suggesting things that might account for it.

 

[jeremyclark]

I took the OP as a request for confirmation of his perception there was something intriguingly unpinpointable about the guy. No one is offering a diagnosis, just suggesting things that might account for it.

Exactly. Hey so zoobyshoe, did you come up with any good suggestions yet? :)

 

[Willowz]

This thread is winning in psychobabble.

 

[flyingpig]

That guy needs to get a life.

 

[Willowz]

This thread is also winning is being overly judgemental.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Exactly. Hey so zoobyshoe, did you come up with any good suggestions yet? :)

I went to YouTube. He's got about 24 of these reviews posted. (All the products are like the ones posted here: pretty trivial, inexpensive things.) He seems perfectly sincere and serious in the five I watched (the three here, two more there), and in his replies to people's remarks. I didn't detect any indications in his manner that he was being wry or dead pan. So, at this point, I'm thinking he's serious, that he intends these reviews to be a helpful service.