Thank you for linking to my articles. I hope people who have read them have found some interesting insights and maybe gotten a different perspective on some of the issues.
Yes, *especially* in a health context (including psychological health), these interpretations can be disastrous. I think especially when it comes to finding a therapist . . . I have known several asexuals who want to go to therapy for reasons completely NOT linked to their asexuality, and yet one of the first things the therapists always seem to dig into is what their relationships are like. The predetermined reaction to "has no romantic partner" is "this person is failing" and "this person is sad" and "this person must be frustrated." I doubt ANY of those "conclusions" would have been reached had the therapist not had a predetermined understanding of what emotions those situations must cause for the subjects.
Here's another example. I have quite a few videos on asexuality on YouTube. One of my Letters to an Asexual videos was commented upon by a guy who said this:
"why do all asexuals have that boring look and monotone voice tone? You can say whatever you want against society being oversexed but without sex drive you deprive yourselves of some important vital energy and it REALLY shows."
I hardly even knew what to say. Nobody, ever, EVER, has accused me of looking boring, having a monotone voice, or lacking vital energy. I mean, if anything, people are sometimes shocked by how passionate I am and have even used THAT against me ("haha, you are all hyper like a little kid, maybe THAT'S why you're asexual, you're a child, hahaha"). I guess the point is that you see what you want to see, and the preconceived notions you harbor actually CHANGE what you believe you observe.
Re: Yes...
Yes, *especially* in a health context (including psychological health), these interpretations can be disastrous. I think especially when it comes to finding a therapist . . . I have known several asexuals who want to go to therapy for reasons completely NOT linked to their asexuality, and yet one of the first things the therapists always seem to dig into is what their relationships are like. The predetermined reaction to "has no romantic partner" is "this person is failing" and "this person is sad" and "this person must be frustrated." I doubt ANY of those "conclusions" would have been reached had the therapist not had a predetermined understanding of what emotions those situations must cause for the subjects.
Here's another example. I have quite a few videos on asexuality on YouTube. One of my Letters to an Asexual videos was commented upon by a guy who said this:
"why do all asexuals have that boring look and monotone voice tone? You can say whatever you want against society being oversexed but without sex drive you deprive yourselves of some important vital energy and it REALLY shows."
I hardly even knew what to say. Nobody, ever, EVER, has accused me of looking boring, having a monotone voice, or lacking vital energy. I mean, if anything, people are sometimes shocked by how passionate I am and have even used THAT against me ("haha, you are all hyper like a little kid, maybe THAT'S why you're asexual, you're a child, hahaha"). I guess the point is that you see what you want to see, and the preconceived notions you harbor actually CHANGE what you believe you observe.