It me
aaron @lovedcrimes
23 Dec 2020
HE CANT BE SERIOUS nitter.vloup.ch/madsdoingthings/…
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I was a professor for YEARS and had a 50/50 chance I’d forget students’ names on the regular.
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One time I bumped into a student in the mall. She reminded me, said she was sure I forgot her — and I did forget her name, but knew her class, where she usually sat, and that she missed class once because she had a scorpion infestation.
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Other times, I’d forget names but remember the topic of extra credit presentations — fun 3 min topics on ANYTHING students could give to jazz up class and earn 2% EC toward their final grade. (Good for everyone and avoided negotiations at end of term.)
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The problem is that names are essentially arbitrary labels your parents choose, but stories and experiences are specific to a person. So yeah sorry I’ll just keep asking what your name is I’m so bad at remembering, even with all the tricks.
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I have that problem too. It feels awful, cos it’s rude especially when you’re on a pedestal, but that kind of stuff just doesn’t stick in my brain.
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Replying to @martinfowler @nicolefv
I’m not sure you two have what Mads describes here. He doesn’t forget people’s names, it’s as if he’s never seen them before. I have exactly that problem myself

Dec 27, 2020 · 8:05 AM UTC

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Replying to @stilkov @nicolefv
That's what I meant. I remember introducing myself to a co-worker and he replied that it was the third time we'd met 😳 Now I try to treat new people in a neutral way.
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Exactly the kind of embarrassment I run into way too often :) I remember introducing myself to someone on the second day of a workshop. She had sat directly facing me on the other side of the table the whole previous day. She had her hair styled differently, though🤷‍♂️
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more replies
Replying to @stilkov @martinfowler
Yeah. I have worked with someone who has prosopagnosia, or face blindness. Mads doesn’t say that’s what he has, but it could be it if he completely forgets and is only relying on cues like what they’re doing or holding.
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I’ve always wondered whether there’s an official name for the mild version. I (and maybe he as well) recognize lots of folks, e.g. family, friends, coworkers, some actors … but there seems to be some threshold for time I need to have spent with them
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