We used to keep the light off in the tech bullpen. There were no windows but enough lights from the screens to keep people from tripping over themselves walking to their desks. Fucking director level POS hated it. When he didn't have anything to do he'd come back there and loudly exclaim "I don't see how y'all can work in the dark!"
It's almost like different people work different ways and have different levels of comfort. I can deal with either just fine but damn, don't just loudly pronounce shit and change the environment immediately. That absolutely stops pretty much everyone from working because they want to bitch about how it's different now.
I think it was 50/50 not giving a shit about the comfort of others and wanting attention because he was as useless as a bag of used microplastics.
I have a backlit keyboard, but the light is always off. If you can't type by feel and you work on a computer then what the hell are you doing? I will never understand how people can't work on a light up screen in the dark.
I don't need a backlight for normal typing, but I switch between laptop / pc / keyboards with different layouts and it's nice to be able to see where the volume controls or the home / end buttons have run off to. Also I like the pretty colors.
I used to work in an IT call center like that. It wasn't even dark it was just dim because no one wanted the light over their desk turned on. There was enough light from the kitchenette area and the walkways to easily see. We got a new manager that hated that we all wanted the lights off so she used like 3 people who complained about it (and were in a corner of the room with the lights on so... stfu) as a pretext to do a poll to keep the rest of the lights turned on. She came back saying there was "a lot of" support for turning the lights on so now it was required but refused to release the results. Immediately lost all respect from the room. She would have eventually anyway because she was a shit manager but that was like right out of the gate.
Another reason why my previous phone was better than my current one: backside fingerprint scanner. Infinitely superior to a screenside fingerprint scanner, as I was able to unlock my phone in the same motion as picking it up or removing it from my pocket. With a screenside fingerprint scanner, it is no longer more convenient than just inputting the lock code.
My new pet hate is that I'll unlock it with a finger print, go to do a contactless card payment, and then it demands the fingerprint again, because it turns out the original unlock was the face detection, which is a lot faster than fingerprints but not secure enough for a small payment.
I'd turn that off, but then it just takes ages every time I unlock my phone rather than the once or twice a day I need to buy something.
Is there a eye-strain-related reason that the lights should be turned on in this circumstance? I find myself in this position a lot, not realizing the screen is way brighter than it needs to be for the brightness in the area.
I don't believe the iPhone screen gets dark enough. I've had mine on its lowest possible setting since I got it, and I still sometimes want to make it darker. Thank goodness so many sites have "dark mode" nowadays.
Check under accessibility settings, there’s a mode called “Reduce White Point” that will make it even darker. It’s great. You can add a toggle for it in your control center so it’s easy to switch on/off
Would you like it if you were in a room with a comfortable lighting level and changed the lighting level to suit ourselves without saying anything first?
I want a secret button that makes the room 100x brighter than normal lights so when this happens I can come back with, "idk how can you see in such dark spaces?" Then close my eyes and initate Operation Surface of the Sun.
I like the way they worded it as if you were misplaced by them. Ah shoot, where did I leave my nuerodivergent again? Probably left them next to my keys in the kitchen.
I had to spend six months in the ICU and I always had the lights off and no sound, not tv or music, no talking, all the staff would comment on it or ask if I wanted them to turn things on for the first few months but by the end they were always telling me how my room was so peaceful and they actually preferred it to other patients rooms. I just want peace!!
Everytime I read something about neurodivergent behavior I am astonished that another atypical thing I do is actually typical behaviour just not for neurotypical persons. (sry for my English - not a native speaker)
Your English is good, don't worry! In fact I quite like the way you worded that. Isn't it comforting to realize you're not as alone as you had thought you were?
Somewhat related but does anyone else like driving in the dark? Like no other cars back roads in the middle of nowhere, the only light is from my instruments, radio, and headlights? Fucken peak especially out in the truly middle of nowhere with minimal light pollution with the cosmos visible.
The Prius (and more historically Saab) used to have a near blackout mode which shut off interior lights and dash indicators, basically only leaving the indicator that shows your headlights are on. It was wonderful to drive with the blackout mode and just have your eyes perfectly adjusted to the light outside the cabin.
I drive a lot of retro cars and can say that while there usually wasn't a dedicated mode you could turn down or off all of the interior lights. For example my 2001 Jeep Cherokee it's just turning the light knob (same applies for the '91) as for my 2001 Toyota Tacoma it's a matter of turning the dedicated knob that's funnily enough the same spot as the one on the Cherokee.
I was carving out the exception because if you turn off all the interior lights, they're just off. Saab at least had a system that monitored things and turned them back on if there were issues.
Jeep would sense the water temp rising out of control and day "lol u turned the lights off dude."
Agreed, I love this part of long drives to out of the way destinations. Definitely better in older cars without obnoxious touch screens.
I enjoy some games that can simulate this too, like Elite Dangerous scooting around in the lander on the dark side of some barren planet deep in uninhabited space. Not the same as the real thing of course, but I still enjoy it.
Then you pull aside, roll down the window, and hear nothing but the buzzing and chirping of whatever nature's out there. It's just... zen.
I've always lived in pretty densely-populated areas, but a few years back I got to drive around eastern Arizona for a few hours at night. It was so dark and so empty, I felt like I was flying through space. I could've gone into a trance, had I not been somewhere unfamiliar (I had to keep some focus in this unfamiliar area with spotty cell reception, where I was alone, at night.)
Yes! I wish I could drive with out headlights but I know it’s too dangerous. I have incredibly good night vision even in my late 30s, I don’t need light at night why am I forced to use it??
The lights are also so others can see you, not so relevant when you're really out away from civilization but there are many laws that require headlights to be on when windshield wipers are used
Going outside to let my dogs out in the AM is genuinely painful! The dark to light is SHOCKING mentally and physically, I used polarized glasses for driving for the same reason you do. I find certain kinds of lights to be agitating even not just uncomfortable or painful
This is why I wear sunglasses when in the office, it’s too damn bright. If in the first one in then it’s always the next guy asking why I don’t have the lights on and I’m like cause I can see just fine like this.
That’s always my question, like yall really need that much light to see?? Do their eyes just literally not work? Why would I need hella bright light to see normally?
Nah, dark showers are actually peak. I have my eyes closed for most of the time anyways. Unless I’m doing something like shaving, there’s no reason to have the lights on.
I used to have these cheap, waterproof light ball things, that could be either red, green, blue, or a slow transition between all three. They were designed for use in a pool, but I got them for my shower.
They were absolutely perfect. If I was having trouble sleeping and decided to take a shower (which sometimes help me sleep), I could keep my night vision intact by setting the light balls to red. They provided plenty of light for me.
I moved houses since then, however, and haven't seen them in years. I'm going to have to look around pool toy sections soon, see if I can find something else like them.
Furthermore, other people turning OFF a light that's in another room because that's the precise amount of light I want where I'm at. Absolutely infuriating.
I find myself wearing my sunnies indoors more often than not. On days I forget and grab my regular glasses, switching over to the tinted lenses is literal full body relief as the light input is reduced.
It's really not about being "the weird kid", some of us just legitimately have light sensitivity. Me and all my siblings have it, cause my mom has it. My dad is the only one who likes bright lights and the rest of us prefer darker lighting. Well I do like the sun, so not always, but most indoor lighting feels way brighter than sunlight and feels strange on my eyes.
You're completely misreading this because you're assuming our brains work the same as neuro-typical brains when it comes to status seeking. The vast majority of autistic people couldn't care less about asserting a "cool flex". The whole point of posts like this is just to say, "this thing that you see as different is because we're different then you NTs and this is why". Being different is only inherently cool if you're an NT. We NEVER win that game, so we don't play it.
In other words, this post is saying "don't tread on me because I'm different than you. There's a reason I do it this way." Your response is essentially "you're actually just like us, so you should just assimilate and learn to be like us. StOp bEinG So EDgy!"
Also, this IS "the weird kid coming out into the light". You just don't like that what that looks like isn't what you expected or, apparently, wanted. No, the world wouldn't be a better place if everyone just saw it the way you do. That's an incredibly immature and self-centered perspective.
If it seems like I'm irked by your comment, it's because I am. This is the exact BS NT people are always trying to cram down our throats without realizing how harmful it is to us. Just let people be who they are. We don't need the entire human race to look and function in pure homogeneous order.
I know it took pain to write that, and thankfully the original comment that inspired it has been removed, but I wanted to thank you for writing your piece. From start to finish, you nailed your point, and I feel personally vindicated by reading your words. I've had to make the same argument so many times, for so many people who can't seem to comprehend that my differences aren't deliberate choices. In fact, sometimes I don't even realize I'm being "different."
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that your comment resonated with me strongly. I saved it for the next time I encounter this sort of situation, because you phrased things so perfectly that I don't think I can improve on it. Thank you.
"The world only exists in the way I experience it, and everyone else is a 'weird kid'."
You
Perhaps you should realise that it's not all about people trying to be weird, sometimes it's just ordinary life. Nothing needs fixing, no one needs to get better.
Maybe your comment was bait, but still needs saying.
From my perspective, it's like most people just mindlessly stumble through the world how they've been taught. They turn on lights not because they need it, but because it's normal. They trust the label on the back of products over their own lived experience of using it.
I like the dark. I like the sun. I like being able to see. I see just fine in the dark. Excess artificial lights make it so I see less. This isn't a me problem, this is you projecting
I'm not being weird or edgy. I'm not inviting you to comment, I'm being comfortable. I'm so tired of pretending, it's fucking exhausting. I don't need to come into the light, I want to be acceped as I am, not what you think I should be. If you ask genuinely wanting to understand, I'd explain that I like it. I'm so tired of explaining myself to people asking "why are you sitting in the dark?"
Coworkers like 75% spectrum. Office is DARK
When we have meetings, boss comes in and opens the blinds. We scurry around like roaches
We used to keep the light off in the tech bullpen. There were no windows but enough lights from the screens to keep people from tripping over themselves walking to their desks. Fucking director level POS hated it. When he didn't have anything to do he'd come back there and loudly exclaim "I don't see how y'all can work in the dark!"
It's almost like different people work different ways and have different levels of comfort. I can deal with either just fine but damn, don't just loudly pronounce shit and change the environment immediately. That absolutely stops pretty much everyone from working because they want to bitch about how it's different now.
I think it was 50/50 not giving a shit about the comfort of others and wanting attention because he was as useless as a bag of used microplastics.
Lol people see me in the dark with a laptop and backlit keyboard and are like "how can you see / read in the dark?
Like wtf it's backlit. IDC what's happening in this - until recently - otherwise uninhabited room.
I have a backlit keyboard, but the light is always off. If you can't type by feel and you work on a computer then what the hell are you doing? I will never understand how people can't work on a light up screen in the dark.
Oh, that's easy:
They can barely type without looking at the keyboard.
They don't actually know how to type.
This is still shockingly common amongst Boomers and even Gen Xrs... they never actually learned how to properly type.
And now this is at least somewhat wrapping back around to Gen Z, who can type like a speed demon on a touchpad, but not on a keyboard.
I don't need a backlight for normal typing, but I switch between laptop / pc / keyboards with different layouts and it's nice to be able to see where the volume controls or the home / end buttons have run off to. Also I like the pretty colors.
We did that as interns. Our official response was the light was causing interference with the testing and needed to be off.
I used to work in an IT call center like that. It wasn't even dark it was just dim because no one wanted the light over their desk turned on. There was enough light from the kitchenette area and the walkways to easily see. We got a new manager that hated that we all wanted the lights off so she used like 3 people who complained about it (and were in a corner of the room with the lights on so... stfu) as a pretext to do a poll to keep the rest of the lights turned on. She came back saying there was "a lot of" support for turning the lights on so now it was required but refused to release the results. Immediately lost all respect from the room. She would have eventually anyway because she was a shit manager but that was like right out of the gate.
She showed her true colours immediately. Didn't care about the people in the team.
Can you imagine if we just started making snarky comments and turning off lights that people purposely put on? Wow, that'd be so rude! Right? Right??
Why are you standing in a brightly lit room, do you need to be seen or something?
Why are you always in the light? Are you a plant or something?
Doesn't matter if they're neurodivergent at all, it's rude to flashbang anyone like that
Tell that to any phone with the fingerprint reader behind the screen.
Apparently thumbs can now only be scanned by harnessing the power of the fucking sun.
Another reason why my previous phone was better than my current one: backside fingerprint scanner. Infinitely superior to a screenside fingerprint scanner, as I was able to unlock my phone in the same motion as picking it up or removing it from my pocket. With a screenside fingerprint scanner, it is no longer more convenient than just inputting the lock code.
My new pet hate is that I'll unlock it with a finger print, go to do a contactless card payment, and then it demands the fingerprint again, because it turns out the original unlock was the face detection, which is a lot faster than fingerprints but not secure enough for a small payment.
I'd turn that off, but then it just takes ages every time I unlock my phone rather than the once or twice a day I need to buy something.
or worse, using face unlock in the dark
Huh? My s21+ screen reads my thumbprint with the screen off
90% of the time, the explanation is "I was doing a thing that didnt require external light source and didnt notice the sun went down."
yeah but even if i did notice the sun went down i prefer to stay in the dark as long as it's not necessary to have light
Is there a eye-strain-related reason that the lights should be turned on in this circumstance? I find myself in this position a lot, not realizing the screen is way brighter than it needs to be for the brightness in the area.
I like to be in the dark and with screen at minimal brightness, all light is the enemy
I don't believe the iPhone screen gets dark enough. I've had mine on its lowest possible setting since I got it, and I still sometimes want to make it darker. Thank goodness so many sites have "dark mode" nowadays.
Check under accessibility settings, there’s a mode called “Reduce White Point” that will make it even darker. It’s great. You can add a toggle for it in your control center so it’s easy to switch on/off
lol I don’t bother to explain I usually just say “nothing” I don’t owe anyone an explanation for why I want the lights off
Also, we sometimes like the dark.
Would you like it if you were in a room with a comfortable lighting level and changed the lighting level to suit ourselves without saying anything first?
I want a secret button that makes the room 100x brighter than normal lights so when this happens I can come back with, "idk how can you see in such dark spaces?" Then close my eyes and initate Operation Surface of the Sun.
With home assistant and enough LED drivers you probably could.
"I rule from the shadows" is my usual response.
"leave me to do my dark bidding in peace".
"Oh, what are you bidding on?".
"A table"
Normally I just hisss
I like the way they worded it as if you were misplaced by them. Ah shoot, where did I leave my nuerodivergent again? Probably left them next to my keys in the kitchen.
“Why don’t you ever come out of your room?” flashbacks, lol
I like to sit in my desolate room. No lights. No music. Just anger.
I had to spend six months in the ICU and I always had the lights off and no sound, not tv or music, no talking, all the staff would comment on it or ask if I wanted them to turn things on for the first few months but by the end they were always telling me how my room was so peaceful and they actually preferred it to other patients rooms. I just want peace!!
You've killed everyone.
You're away forever, but you're feeling better?
How do you feel, what do you say? In the end it all goes away
"Does a vampire live in here"!?
*flips switch*
Haha I used to get this from grandma who always complains about the electric bill. Like im trying to save money!
Everytime I read something about neurodivergent behavior I am astonished that another atypical thing I do is actually typical behaviour just not for neurotypical persons. (sry for my English - not a native speaker)
Your English is good, don't worry! In fact I quite like the way you worded that. Isn't it comforting to realize you're not as alone as you had thought you were?
Reminds me of an Aussie comedian who said that when someone turns the light on suddenly you get momentarily transported to hell.
Be honest. At least half the time, it's because you've forgotten lights are a thing.
Somewhat related but does anyone else like driving in the dark? Like no other cars back roads in the middle of nowhere, the only light is from my instruments, radio, and headlights? Fucken peak especially out in the truly middle of nowhere with minimal light pollution with the cosmos visible.
The Prius (and more historically Saab) used to have a near blackout mode which shut off interior lights and dash indicators, basically only leaving the indicator that shows your headlights are on. It was wonderful to drive with the blackout mode and just have your eyes perfectly adjusted to the light outside the cabin.
That sounds really really nice.
I drive a lot of retro cars and can say that while there usually wasn't a dedicated mode you could turn down or off all of the interior lights. For example my 2001 Jeep Cherokee it's just turning the light knob (same applies for the '91) as for my 2001 Toyota Tacoma it's a matter of turning the dedicated knob that's funnily enough the same spot as the one on the Cherokee.
I was carving out the exception because if you turn off all the interior lights, they're just off. Saab at least had a system that monitored things and turned them back on if there were issues.
Jeep would sense the water temp rising out of control and day "lol u turned the lights off dude."
Agreed, I love this part of long drives to out of the way destinations. Definitely better in older cars without obnoxious touch screens.
I enjoy some games that can simulate this too, like Elite Dangerous scooting around in the lander on the dark side of some barren planet deep in uninhabited space. Not the same as the real thing of course, but I still enjoy it.
Then you pull aside, roll down the window, and hear nothing but the buzzing and chirping of whatever nature's out there. It's just... zen.
I've always lived in pretty densely-populated areas, but a few years back I got to drive around eastern Arizona for a few hours at night. It was so dark and so empty, I felt like I was flying through space. I could've gone into a trance, had I not been somewhere unfamiliar (I had to keep some focus in this unfamiliar area with spotty cell reception, where I was alone, at night.)
Yes! I wish I could drive with out headlights but I know it’s too dangerous. I have incredibly good night vision even in my late 30s, I don’t need light at night why am I forced to use it??
The lights are also so others can see you, not so relevant when you're really out away from civilization but there are many laws that require headlights to be on when windshield wipers are used
I try, but then that fucking clown shows up...
This is one of my great sensitivities. I can't drive without sunglasses. My eyes will tear up and I'm unable to keep them open.
Going outside to let my dogs out in the AM is genuinely painful! The dark to light is SHOCKING mentally and physically, I used polarized glasses for driving for the same reason you do. I find certain kinds of lights to be agitating even not just uncomfortable or painful
No not in theaters unless it's a really bright scene like an explosion.
I just hiss as I retreat under the bed.
Old school photographer
No pigment? They're transparent?
Think about it. Have you ever seen one in person?
Yeah, why tf do people need to turn on my lights?
I'm not Vashta Nerada (I wish tho).
Yes! Please let me be part of the flesh devouring hive mind colony that likes books and lives in the dark.
It's the prefect life.
This is why I wear sunglasses when in the office, it’s too damn bright. If in the first one in then it’s always the next guy asking why I don’t have the lights on and I’m like cause I can see just fine like this.
That’s always my question, like yall really need that much light to see?? Do their eyes just literally not work? Why would I need hella bright light to see normally?
Hum... Yeah... That'd be me. The creature of the night. Not rave n' disco night... More like, night night. Even during the day.
In my old gym there was a guy who liked to turn the lights off and then take showers in the mens locker room.
Neurodivergent or not, that's really weird.
Nah, dark showers are actually peak. I have my eyes closed for most of the time anyways. Unless I’m doing something like shaving, there’s no reason to have the lights on.
I wouldn’t do it in public though…
By all means, do your thing in the privacy of your own home. No shame in that.
I used to have these cheap, waterproof light ball things, that could be either red, green, blue, or a slow transition between all three. They were designed for use in a pool, but I got them for my shower.
They were absolutely perfect. If I was having trouble sleeping and decided to take a shower (which sometimes help me sleep), I could keep my night vision intact by setting the light balls to red. They provided plenty of light for me.
I moved houses since then, however, and haven't seen them in years. I'm going to have to look around pool toy sections soon, see if I can find something else like them.
I'm guessing he is just self conscious. I never really liked showering around others. Even when I was really fit
That could be. My first thought was... what's he doing in there that not having the light on is a necessity?
Why weren't the lights already off?
In a public bathroom? Safety, don’t need people bumping into stuff, slipping and falling, not seeing what they could grab to break the fall etc
Furthermore, other people turning OFF a light that's in another room because that's the precise amount of light I want where I'm at. Absolutely infuriating.
Wouldn’t them being in the dark bolster the argument that they are bats?
And if they were lost bats, what would turning the lights on be meant to do?
I should get that diagnosis. 😐
I never denied I’m a bat, I’m simply not lost!
I find myself wearing my sunnies indoors more often than not. On days I forget and grab my regular glasses, switching over to the tinted lenses is literal full body relief as the light input is reduced.
i use light mode everywhere. i change color schemes to light, and create my own for applications that don't provide them.
i don't know why.
It takes all types. No shame in having your own preferences ¯\(ツ)/¯
@mom @dad
I have a different idea what dark rooms are for I guess
bolderdash
Then you should know it's not good for you to sit in dark
The light isn't being turned on for your sake.
But they are quite likely in the dark for their sake and sudden bright light is not okay.
I never said it was. I just said why the light was flipped on.
No one asked why the light was flipped on
No action whatsoever is being done purely for someone else's sake.
But maybe I don't appreciate their presence and should wait their turn :)
Often it is
It's really not about being "the weird kid", some of us just legitimately have light sensitivity. Me and all my siblings have it, cause my mom has it. My dad is the only one who likes bright lights and the rest of us prefer darker lighting. Well I do like the sun, so not always, but most indoor lighting feels way brighter than sunlight and feels strange on my eyes.
You're completely misreading this because you're assuming our brains work the same as neuro-typical brains when it comes to status seeking. The vast majority of autistic people couldn't care less about asserting a "cool flex". The whole point of posts like this is just to say, "this thing that you see as different is because we're different then you NTs and this is why". Being different is only inherently cool if you're an NT. We NEVER win that game, so we don't play it.
In other words, this post is saying "don't tread on me because I'm different than you. There's a reason I do it this way." Your response is essentially "you're actually just like us, so you should just assimilate and learn to be like us. StOp bEinG So EDgy!"
Also, this IS "the weird kid coming out into the light". You just don't like that what that looks like isn't what you expected or, apparently, wanted. No, the world wouldn't be a better place if everyone just saw it the way you do. That's an incredibly immature and self-centered perspective.
If it seems like I'm irked by your comment, it's because I am. This is the exact BS NT people are always trying to cram down our throats without realizing how harmful it is to us. Just let people be who they are. We don't need the entire human race to look and function in pure homogeneous order.
I know it took pain to write that, and thankfully the original comment that inspired it has been removed, but I wanted to thank you for writing your piece. From start to finish, you nailed your point, and I feel personally vindicated by reading your words. I've had to make the same argument so many times, for so many people who can't seem to comprehend that my differences aren't deliberate choices. In fact, sometimes I don't even realize I'm being "different."
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that your comment resonated with me strongly. I saved it for the next time I encounter this sort of situation, because you phrased things so perfectly that I don't think I can improve on it. Thank you.
Aw thanks haha. I'm glad you liked it. :)
"The world only exists in the way I experience it, and everyone else is a 'weird kid'."
Perhaps you should realise that it's not all about people trying to be weird, sometimes it's just ordinary life. Nothing needs fixing, no one needs to get better.
Maybe your comment was bait, but still needs saying.
That's the annoying part. It's not performative.
From my perspective, it's like most people just mindlessly stumble through the world how they've been taught. They turn on lights not because they need it, but because it's normal. They trust the label on the back of products over their own lived experience of using it.
I like the dark. I like the sun. I like being able to see. I see just fine in the dark. Excess artificial lights make it so I see less. This isn't a me problem, this is you projecting
I'm not being weird or edgy. I'm not inviting you to comment, I'm being comfortable. I'm so tired of pretending, it's fucking exhausting. I don't need to come into the light, I want to be acceped as I am, not what you think I should be. If you ask genuinely wanting to understand, I'd explain that I like it. I'm so tired of explaining myself to people asking "why are you sitting in the dark?"