Observations from Slience

I participated in "National day of Silence" on the 16 of April and learned something interesting. People take your choice to be silence oddly, the most popular way was people started whispering to me after I showed them the note explaining why I was choosing to be silent. One guy actually thanked me (he isn't gay either). I was questioned on my motives by another, and one guy seem actually annoyed that I was refusing to speak he said essentially that verbal communication was hard to talk without. I agree that yes verbal communication is key to having a conversation, unless you know sign language, but 95% (yes that's the actually percent I'm not making that one up) of communication is non-verbal. Part of that is inflection but a lot of it is body movements and facial expressions. At points I felt like I was doing an interpretive dance, I did have a notebook to convey important ideas across and luckily I didn't have class or work, but I had to go to the bank. They teller thought I was crazy (my sister was my interrupter for this exchange). He didn't say anything, didn't even ask why I wasn't talking, just took it. He made a face though, one of "are you really just being annoying or are you mute?" he still didn't ask. I thought maybe I should give him the note, I didn't for some reason and I wish I had because I think of everyone who whispered at me I might have made the biggest impression with him.
Verbal communication is important but so is empathy. Without empathy all nuances of conversation are lost and your social understanding is extremely stunted. People with Autism don't have what is called mirror neurons so they lack the ability to empathize with people. I'm not sure where I'm going with that or any of this other than the thought that whispering to people who are being silent for a cause seems like an odd, but common, reaction. If I hadn't have known about it and someone gave me the note I would have immediately shut up and pulled out a notebook and joined the cause...not whispered to them, because whispering is a show of support (<---sarcasm).