Christopher describes his memory as like a film, attesting to the inerrancy of such a medium. After all, what is captured on film is captured exactly as it was in the moment, without any filter. Just how accurate is Christopher’s memory, really? It’s clear that he remembers very minute details. Dialogue is presented unmoderated. No matter the subject matter, Christopher will dutifully reproduce any and all that was said in a conversation, and his inner reactions to it. Any misconceptions he has are readily obvious, owing to this detail. Instead of focusing on all the detail he is able to take in, it is important, then, to look at the information he misses. To further the film analogy, we cannot see into the minds of those who are on screen. However, while neurotypicals can’t say they know exactly what is going on in the heads of others, they can certainly make inferences based any number of clues—posture, speech, minute facial expressions. For Christopher, this isn’t the case. He is uninterested in the inner workings of the people he interacts with. If their emotion is recorded in his memory, it is only because they have made it obvious through their “on-screen” actions—nothing short of shouting “I am angry” will suffice. Christopher cannot infer, he can only record. A neurotypical actively takes part in their memory. Christopher watches it robotically.
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