Everybody knows that there are just two kinds of people in the world, right? But what are they exactly? I submit ...

Warpies and Wefties

Yes, it is one of those absurd, over-generalised binaries. But bear with me, because you will find that these are binary opposites that unite us rather than divide us. Thus I submit that they are a great metaphor for building harmony between different Neurotribes whilst avoiding medicalised jargon.

I base my argument on

The Art of Weaving

(as Social Metaphor)

"Warp" and "Weft" name the the diametrically opposite threads on a loom, which, when interwoven, create infinite varieties of fabrics

Weaving is arguably humanity's oldest technology, one that combines Art and Usefulness.

And one generally associated with the Feminine, which doubly appeals to me.

And thus Weaving might just be both an adaptable and enduring, metaphor for creating harmony in these fractured times

But before I extend the metaphor to humans, a brief ...

Weaving Basics
for novices

WARP

Taut fixed threads
Provide structure
Limited colours

WEFT

Threads at 90°
Provide variability
Many colours

WOVEN

Intersections create virtually infinite variety

SEPARATELY

A tangled useless mess

INTERSECTING

Infinite potential

Now take the quiz!

Are you a Warpie or a Weftie?

If inclined, do take this well-meaning, if totally unscientific test. If you are perfectionist like me, you will complain bitterly that the test lumps together adjectives that are unrelated and doesn't reflect your uniquely fascinating characteristics. Just do it anyway.

How to score:

Afraid I haven't figured out how to setup a quiz on blogger, so you will need a writing implement...

Rate each item 1 to 5 from "Not at all like me” to "Totally me"
Subtract the Warpie total from the Weftie total
Warpies will of course have a negative value but only for linguistic reasons - i.e. warp usually precedes weft in English usage. No negative aspersions intended. On the contrary, the point is to show we need each other.

	WARPIES	WEFTIES
THEIR GIFT	Provide the backbone of society: Create, maintain and perpetuate social structures	Provide adaptability for society: Weave through established social structures, experimenting, creating change
PRIDE	Pride themselves on being orderly, predictable, responsible, reliable, prudent	Pride themselves on being change agents, brainstormers, creatives, subverting ossified cultural mores
CAREER STRUCTURE	Vertical: prioritize staying in stable employment and rising through the ranks. Will build up an upwardly mobile CV as they progress	Horizontal: In traditional jobs, may move in and out of work, with a patchy CV: From billionaire innovators, to social security recipients
VALUES	Security, stability, promotion. May be willing to sacrifice intellectual and moral freedom for career	Flexibility, autonomy. Unwilling to compromise intellectual and moral freedom for career
ACCUMULATION	Accumulate money due to stable employment, prudence, build up retirement funds	Boom and bust, may end up millionaires or penniless at retirement, and even homeless:
RELATIONSHIPS	Tend to stable upwardly mobile relationships and marriages	Relationships tend to be less stable, often de facto
OPINIONS OF EACH OTHER	Consider Wefties to be erratic, untidy, unpredictable, unreliable, self-indulgent, lazy	Consider Warpies to be authoritarian, controlling, boring, dictatorial
DREAMS	Dream of throwing it all away and becoming beach bums and artists. Rarely do it till retirement, when they splurge on travel	Dream of getting through just one structured day perfecty:rising early, getting chores done, having regular mealtimes, sleeping by midnight. Rarely achieve it
BIGGEST REGRET	Not spending more time with family, being creative	Not building a career, not paying attention to accumulation
ENVY	Weftie freedom and creativity	Warpie wealth and status
COGNITIVE PROFILE	Cognitive profile fairly level across strengths and weaknesses	Cognitive profile "spiky" across strengths and weaknesses
SLEEP PATTERNS	Morning people: regular sleep patterns	Night owls:irregular sleep patterns, insomnia

Why is this a good metaphor for society?

Warp and Weft, separated, are weak and useless

Warp and Weft, intersecting, are strong, and have infinite potential

Their strength as a metaphor is that unlike the ND/NT divide, they do not oppose each other nor diverge in a different direction, perhaps never to meet again. They separate off, but only to meet again in a constructive fashion.

Warpies and Wefties intersect and create the fabric of society

They do not divide society

They construct society together

We need each other!

Disclaimer

This is not intended to replace the Neurotypical/Neurodivergent binary which is a necessary advocacy tool. I intend it as an affectionate, plain English form of self-identification for the people it suits.
The description will obviously fit many who have been the object of prejudice in work and education. It is obviously not a "disability label" though there maybe obvious overlaps with neurodivergent conditions