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dekaspace

Use of terms like "autist" or "you have autism" are the new insults in life

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Thought I made a thread about this before but can't find it.

 

But noticed more and more online whenever someone doesn't like another person, they automatically call that other person autistic.

 

To break it down its more like if they have a different opinion to someone and think they are right and the other person is stubborn they call them autistic/autist because the stereotypes of people with autism not knowing social norms.

 

Or if they think someone shows obsessive behaviour.

 

Or if they are talking to someone that is sensitive

 

Or if they are talking to someone who has different tastes like a kid who likes cartoons and toys whilst other boys like things like Call Of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, so its a variation on what used to call someone a "wimp"

 

I have even heard insults like "stop acting/being like an autist"

 

Its shocking how people can act like that in this day and age.

 

Just thought I would share and get other opinions.

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Yes, I recently came across this on a film forum where a member, responding to someone else who'd made the same point repeatedly, wrote, "Stop banging on about this like an aspie!" The other person replied, quite reasonably, "I do not have Asperger's Syndrome." What really surprised me, though, was that the film forum Moderator - who is (rightly) super-vigilant about insults to other minority groups - did not intervene.

 

There's a parallel here in the way "gay" became an insulting term, as described in this article: http://thetab.com/2016/02/27/its-2016-there-are-still-people-using-gay-as-an-insult-and-they-really-need-to-stop-75926 This is ironic because "gay" was originally adopted as a positive alternative to terms of homophobic abuse like "queer", "poof" and "ponce" which were commonly used when I was at school in the 1970s.

 

Historically, the politicised sectors of minority groups have reclaimed words that were once used against them. Some members of my generation of gay men adopted the word "queer" to describe themselves in preference to "gay" which they felt was too bland. Black American activists - like the radical writer James Baldwin - reclaimed the "N" word in the 1960s. Maybe one day it will be possible for autistic people to follow suit, so that words like "aspie" or "autist" belong to us and not to the neurotypicals who (kindly or otherwise) label us with them. Or we could create/adopt new words to describe ourselves, as gradually happened with "gay" in the middle of the twentieth-century.

Edited by Oblomov

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An expression I find appropriate here is "strength in numbers" meaning the more of us that work together to reclaim the term aspie the better.

 

The term aspie is actually one used by people who consider themselves to be working with their aspergers syndrome instead of against it. So the person in question used "aspie" totally out of context.

 

Hopefully the world will become more accepting in the future where you telk someone you are autistic and they're understanding and supportive towards you.

 

Does this make sense?

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Was just on another forum where someone said something and someones response to another person was "that comment is autistic" I reported the comment only for the mods to message me back saying its not offensive.

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If this is the same forum you've had problems on before that you're talking about why are you on there?

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No this is spread out over various forums, one of them similar to what has been mentioned before is very strict on most things but things like autism are given a a free ride to be ridiculed.

 

I have been modded on that site in past for calling someone a troll (but saying their argument sounds like trolling isn't modded insults have to be direct) or calling someone a idiot who was calling people on benefits lazy, uneducated etc yet he was allowed to say that.

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I don't understand why you are continuing to engage in an environment which is clearly upsetting you? Why not find another forum or activity which is a more pleasant use of your time?

 

There are forums out there where autism is understood respected and accepted. Some are general mental health forums others are autism only.

 

Part of autism can be what's known as blunt behaviour. This can appear cruel unkind or uncaring at times. Those who are using terms like autist in the wrong sense have very little understanding of what the term means. I used to object to the term AC (in autism terms rather than alternating current), one day someone asked me what I thought AC meant. I thought it meant Autistic Condition which at the time I felt was being brushed off. Now I understand it means Autistics and Cousins another term for neurodiversity which has been adopted into my current piece of coursework.

 

My sister used to say to me "stop being asperger" I turned round to her one day and replied "stop being teenager" and she got the message.

 

Spend your time in forums that appreciate your talents and abilities instead of ones which are abusive and upsetting. I've had to leave environments on and offline which were dangerous to my mental health.

 

There's also the antibullying network.

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Interestingly enough I was on one of my regular forums over last few days asking for advice on my occupational therapist as I thought she was being quite agressive/intimidating as despite knowing I have MH problems and a family member murdered 12 years ago, people kept turning round to me and saying I was whinging and lazy etc just because I said I wanted to improve my life in steps as it was almost impossible overnight.

 

They kept claiming I was using my autism as a excuse to say what I wanted but that wasn't true, I kept trying to explain that the reason I mentioned it was because it was part of the problem, and that I have already attempted to change my life for over a decade and kept failing so the advice (if you can call it that) I have heard so many times before and was trying to find a compromise.

 

I.e I said I was shocked my OT wanted me to get up 8am every day, only home cook and it must be healthy foods, not touch a computer and even not use a tv unless I have to, oh and things like I must shower and make bed as soon as I wake, make sure hair is brushed etc.

 

They replied why didn't I listen to the OT as she was giving me good advice and therefore I didn't want to change.

 

Except what kept on saying was that I was trying to reach a compromise, get up at 11am and after a month or so cut it down by 30-60 minutes

 

It ended up people calling me lazy as they get up around 7am every morning for work and how easy it is even if they are tired, even saying if I can't sleep all night and finally fall asleep at 7.30, get up at 8 so I keep a routine despite me saying even with about 6 hours sleep I am a danger to myself and others tripping over my own feet and walking into traffic as my coordination is off if I dont get a full nights sleep, and often when cooking I cut myself or burn myself because of same reasons.

 

It has ended up people calling me a slob, and just wanting attention!

 

I can't seem to find many forums around that have active responses hence I post there, the maddening thing was it was a disability subforum of a large website so I thought people there would understand.

Edited by dekaspace

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Do you have any support workers that can help motivate you to do the tasks you're OT has suggested you do?

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Saw someone say something very offensive last week online and it was a normal friendly board but after I mentioned it everyone backed me up as it was a board about Japanese tv.

 

Someone went "you can never be as autistic as to commit genocide because you are jealous"

 

On another board though it is trolls someone put a matchstick man and respose of "autistic yelling" for winding someone up they thought was whinging.

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