IAMA Albino Human Being

Put in Red or Violet or Dark Blue contacts and you can be a Targaryen.

I had to look that up, but ya! Now that you mention the show, I wonder if I could just be an actor that plays angels and gods and shit. I mean, I feel like I would make a good half horse half god thing.

Hey man, you're cute-you'll do great in life, whatever you decide

haha well thank you!

Are your pubes white too?

They ain't black.

So, orange.

Bingo.

You could seriously be an actor. Type-cast as all hell, but you could just cry your way to the bank, son.

That's be awesome. Obviously not a real career option, but if I could make some money for a short period of time why not.

I would fangirl the heck out of you.

Haha well thank you.

What sort of reactions have you had from people in the public?

I was in Tennessee a few years back, and while I was in a hotel, this black women just laughed historically in my face. Looking back on it it's pretty funny, but at the time I was pretty embarrassed with her pointing at me.

I would be pretty upset at this.

You'd have a mob formed if you did that to her.

Soooo true. Back then I wasn't as comfortable with myself, but now I'm quite happy with myself.

Would you try spray tan just to fuck with peoples heads?

End of 7th grade I dyed my hair black and got a spray tan just to fuck with people... awesome day to say the least. Spray tan turned out very orange, and my hair ended up being gray, but hey, it was funny.

So there is truth to the "myth" I've heard that albinos are unable to color their hair.

It was temporary dye so I'm not quite sure. I've been told that a lot though, so I've never tried with permanent dye.

Y'know how people's genitals are often a little darker than the rest of their body? Are yours? Do you have any color variation in general?

My arms have a more pinkish hue than the rest of my body. But uh to answer your first question id hav to say that yes, I follow that rule.

Have any girls tried to get with you just for the experience? If so, how did it turn out?

(I'm sure you are a nice person and can get plenty of girls with just your charm, but I'm curious if you have ever experienced girls who might want to get with you just because you are different.)

Actually yes. Nothing serious, but I have had a number of women that just wanted to kiss me for the experience. I can't complain. :)

Phew! I thought you would be an albino whale. What a relief.

One time I went into the ocean and I summoned three albino whales using our sacred albino connection. We traversed the seas for several nights in what was a magical journey. Those things are so majestic.

What ethnicity are you? Is anyone else in your family Albino?

Classic European. Little but of everything. I'm the only one.

How bad is it when you get sunburned?

Are you the only one in your family with Albinism?

Any cool pranks, Halloween costumes, or advantages most wouldn't think of?

Shiiit I keep sunblock next to my deodorant in the summer. One time in 4th grade I was on a boat, and I got a 2nd degree burn from the the sun. Blisters all over the backs of my arms. Wild stuff.

I wih I could grow a big beard so I could go as colonel sanders or Santa Claus. I make a good Michael Jackson though.

Your cat is very cute, but you are too! What are the upsides to being different? I have a genetic disease that causes me to be very disabled but I can do things that "normal" people can't and their reactions make me laugh. What do you like about the way you are?

Well personally, I love my hair. On the negative side, I can't drive without using these things called "bioptic lenses." It's a little telescope on top of a pair of glasses, and when I dip down I can use it to read signs while driving. Really, really hard to learn. I'm in the process right now.

do you had a girlfriend yet

I do :) She's very rad.

TIL - Apparently "rad" is still something people say. ;-)

I'm a fan of odd vocabulary haha

you're not that bad. There was an albino african american when I was in middle school. Now, that was weird.

hahaha I saw one at JCPenny. Obviously I don't like judging people, because I don't like to be judged but it was like an optical illusion. One second it was a white girl, but then she turned black, and back again... Trippy.

I love the cat.

What interests you in life? What kind of music do you like?

I love being outside, which is ironic. Longboarding, snowboarding, swimming, hiking, traveling. All that good stuff. I also just recently stopped making beats for rappers and singers. I'd post a link but I took it offline once I lost interest in it. Now I listen to a lot of indie music.

• Does it affect anything else other than skin and hair color?
• Have you ever been treated "specially" in places?

The eyes quite a bit. I have 20 80 vision when corrected. There is a nurse at my school that swear I'm blind. Ill be right in front of her an she will be like "can you see me? It's the nurse." Yes, I can see you from 3 ft away...

Hello! Fellow person with albinism here (also named Alex). I did an albinism AmA about a week ago—I'm glad yours is doing well. A few questions:

1. Do you know your OCA type?
2. Have you ever attended a NOAH conference?
3. What's your acuity?
4. Can you drive?
5. What's the one thing you wish everyone knew about albinism?

Nope I know what it is, but I have not. 20/150 but 20/80 when corrected. I can using a special telescope that I describe in another post. Basically attached to a pair of glasses and I use it to read signs. Someone actually posted a picture of it in a reply.
I wish they knew how I see. I feel self concepts about my site for some reason and I wish people could just see how I see for a day, an appreciate the awesome ways I compensate for it.

Do you have any special powers?

I can jungle, eat bananas with the peels on them, and move my ears. I chalk it up to being albino.

I would love to know how to jungle. Do you give private lessons?

Use the "Meh, I'll learn it in six months method." Basically when you get bored you juggle for like a minute or two and eventually you are just like "shit, I can juggle." Worked for me.

How the-?

Do you mean you eat the peel WITH the banana or are somehow capable of sucking the flesh through the peel?

Both would be equally impressive!

hahaha the whole thing! I'm gonna have to start working on eating bananas without breaking the peel though!

If you could make your skin any colour, what would it be? Myself, as an engineering student, I would go with purple.

I see your purple and raise you neon yellow feet and hands.

What causes you to not have red eyes like other albino people?

I'm not quite sure. I'm real glad I don't though. My albinism could be considered mild though because my vision is very good compared to other albinos.

Hey, man. This is a great opportunity for me, but alas in the heat of the moment I can't really think of a question. For the past few years I've been writing a novel that includes an albino character; I've been trying my best not to mis-represent people with your disorder, but sometimes I fear that it'll just come off as a sort of gimmick.

So basically what I'm saying is: thanks for doing this AMA - it's both fascinating, informative and a poignant reminder that albinism is a very real condition. And of course, it's great to know you're getting along alright :D

No problem, this is actually quite fun for me. My whole life I was always trying to be as normal as possible, but lately I've come to the realization that I am, in fact, different - and that's pretty cool. The condition comes with some negatives, the vision mostly, but all in all I have a cool perspective to offer people.

And I am thankful of that. Kids can be really mean, and I appreciate the fact that people never judged me to hard. There was obviously some bullying when I was younger, but honestly who didn't get bullied. If you come up with a question feel free to ask! What's the novel about?

Are you more prone to skin cancer?

More prone to sunburn, so I would assume so. Fingers crossed though

Recommendations on sunscreen, please.

Neutropenia SPF 55. Comes in a white bottle. Goes on smooth and doesn't look oily.

Neutrogena*

Hello :)

1st - the cat is uber adorable. Esp the big ears!

So, my son whose 4 was diagnosed with Ocular Albinism. He's extremely fair colored (sometimes almost looks washed out) but definitely not your level of fair.

My question because I've never been able to talk to somebody in a similar situation as him is - What is your vision like? The doctors say he is aprox 20/70 or 20/80 and I don't know how close that is to your vision but nobody has been able to describe what its like for him seeing.

What was/is harder for you? Did you get more mocking/teased by classmates? Does your vision get worse when you're tired/stressed?

and

What did/do your parents do to help you that you have always appreciated?

My vision is 20 80 when corrected. Everything is visible. People's faces, street lights, TVs... The problem is the detail. It's hard fore to be able to tell someone's eye color, it's impossible for me to read a license plate without pulling up right behind them. In general the hardest thing is reading from far away. If something is on the chalkboard, ill see the words, the spaces between them, and the general shape of letters, but I probably won't be able to actually read the words. Don't fret. I'm a fully functional person. I go trough high school with a 3.5GPA and I'm learning how to drive now. My parents have just always been willin to take me to doctors appointments, give me rides if I need them, stuff like that.

Do you have an enchanted, soul-stealing sword, and if so how much do you rely on the strength and vitality it lends you after feeding?

Seriously, though, any other health issues related to your albinism besides sunburns? Photosensitivity, anything like that?

I dropped the sword in water a Long time ago. My dumb ass didn't get sword insurance so I haven't been able to use it since then. I swear they just don't make them waterproof so you have to buy a new one. -___-

But I'm real sensitive to the light. I wear sunglasses when driving and I pee out of my belly button. (Kidding)

You are rare and healthy. Rare things are sought after things, remember that :)

Thank you for the nice words

What's your favorite vegetable?

What's your cats name?

Hot banana peppers really get my dick hard, but if you take a bunch of vegetables and put them in a soup with chicken, it evens the playing field and all vegetables can live in harmony. My cat's name is Sophia. She's the best.

Have you travelled much to other countries? If so, were the reactions from people different than home?

I love traveling, but unfortunately I've never been outside the US. Black people in the south find me quite funny though.

If I grind you up into a powder and snort you will that help with my sexual prowess? Or does that only apply to rhinos?

Yes. I grind up my calases sometimes and snort them. Hard for hours.

You should have got a white cat. Why not go all the way?

Everything in moderation. I just got a black tux for the upcoming prom. A white tux would be... A lot of white.

Did you know that albinism is more prevalent in Africa? I'm living in southern Africa now and on many days I'll see tens of albinos. It's actually a beautiful sight, 2 africans, one black, one albino, holding hands.

Awh, that's pretty cool. Kind of ironic that its prevalent in Africa.

I have a question:

Why are you so cute/sexy?

What are the main complications from being Albino? I already know about the whole skin problem with the sun but I also heard that it can be hard to see or that the eyes can be rather weak. Also, is there anything cool that ever happened to you due to your albinism?

Ya I have bad eyes. My vision is about 20 80 when corrected. For reference, to legally drive in my state, you need 20 70 vision. My eyes shake a tad sometimes due to the muscles in my eyes being weaker. Not as much of an issue as you'd think though.

Anyone ever tell you that you look like a younger version of Billy Idol?

Haha nope, but I can see it!

What's it like being an albino model?

Haha life's hard man.

Have you played with different hair dyes? The contrast against your skin would be interesting.

I'm scared that if I use permanent dye, it won't fully work an ill be led with gray hair for a while haha

what color are your eyes? I can't tell from the picture. I know that, amongst the various things people get wrong about albinism is that it makes your eyes red (it's the IRISES that turn red, right)?

Also have you ever considered writing a "How to Write about Albinos" in the fashion of How to Write About Africa

And lastly, how old are you? damn, i really should read the comments more closely next time.

Ya it's weird, depending on the lighting, my eyes will have a red tint. Definitely not prominent. Actually cool more than anything. Also I don't think albinos have suffered from the same injustices described in How To Write About Africans, so no I don't think so.

Fellow albino here!

Go to school, party for a while, find something you love doing, and be great at it! Also, check out NOAH. They're a great organization with a lot of awesome people.

Hey! Ya ill have to check that put. Question: are you at the age of driving?

I've heard people with albinism can't drive. Is there something inherantly wrong with your eyes?

Ya, apparently pigment as a role in eye development, so most albinos have bad vision.

Pulp or no pulp?

No pilp

If black people have lots of 'soul' and ginger have no souls, are souls based in pigment?

No, gingers jus kind of get the shirty end of that. It's a medical condition.

I work in Africa at the moment and one of the bartenders here is a black albino. Have you ever met one?

EDIT: I saw some of your comments regarding vision and it gave me a small light bulb moment. When this guy reads something he gets super fucking close and squints like hell. Now I get it.

Haha ya I get pretty close to stuff. And ya I have seen one at JCpenny. I talked about it in an older comment

do you happen to have any problems playing games like COD? i know for me that i suck pretty badly

I can play cod on a big screen fine, but it's way harder on a small TV

What is one thing people can't understand about your life?

I wish people could see how I see. I mean it's kind of crazy the ways I make up for my low vision. I have made it through high school, never being able to see the board, and I have a 3.5 GPA

is it hard to date? and how often do you go to the skin doc?

A little bit. However, it may just be my personality, but I've never really been the type to pursue women. At the moment I have an awesome girlfriend, and I really can't complain.

What do you do to prevent any lasting skin damage while you are outside?

Just sunblock. Neutrogena SPF 55 baby!

Do most people realize you have albinism? To me, you just look like most of my family. (Of course, my sister & I were cast as albinos in a movie once, so obviously we're pretty white.)

People will ask pretty frequently, but I don't think people are like "he is definitely albino."

Hair dye, spray tan, problem solved.

He may end up neon orange if he did that.

I wish I still had the pictures... I've done it. I wouldn't say neon, but pretty damn funny.