Autistamatic

[Autistamatic]

Hi all.

I'm Quinn, 40 something and in the UK. I was diagnosed (hate that word!) with AS back in my school days so I've spent my whole adult life knowing why I don't always make sense of people, or they of me.

I've managed to fly under the radar most of my life with most people just thinking I am an odd guy who doesn't like socialising, but also a useful guy that NTs sometimes like to have around when they need a "walking encyclopedia". That's not to say it's been a smooth ride. Putting in so much intellectual effort to keep up appearances can be exhausting. My reactions from people who I have explained my difference to have varied from extremely positive and supportive, to abrupt shifts in attitude, aggression and attempts to undermine me.

I used to be quite active online in autism/Asperger's circles about 20 years back but I stopped participating after witnessing just one angry "them vs us" anti-NT rant too many. This time around it looks like there's less bad feeling around though.

I'm very positive about seeing the world through AS eyes. So many of us share abilities that can be highly valuable to those around is if only we are given a chance. I passionately wish to live in a world where neural diversity is an accepted aspect of life, not remarked upon nor needing discussion. We don't live there yet, but maybe one day...

 

[FreeDiver]

Well, There are still things like racism, different religions, etc. as well as other forms of discrimination in the world. Even with the Blacks rights movement of the 60's and the Gay rights movement of the 90's. There's still discrimination in those areas. As long as we are the minority. We will always be discriminated against.

 

[Nervous Rex]

Welcome! I find this forum to be generally positive and supportive. I hope you enjoy it here.

 

[Autistamatic]

Well, There are still things like racism, different religions, etc. as well as other forms of discrimination in the world. Even with the Blacks rights movement of the 60's and the Gay rights movement of the 90's. There's still discrimination in those areas. As long as we are the minority. We will always be discriminated against.

Hey, don't I just know it! There's discrimination and hate everywhere, and justified with all sorts of scurrilous excuses. Fear of the different is all too human, but it's a fear that needs to be challenged if we hope to truly evolve beyond the animal in us. Racism still exists on an unacceptable scale, but it is less widespread and is legislated against, the same applies to homophobia and misogyny because people challenged dogma and proved their worth.
At the moment few people see beyond AS/ASD being a disability. The onus is on us to change that perception and inch us slightly closer to that tolerant world.

 

[tree]

 

[Nitro]

Hi Quinn

 

[clg114]

Welcome to AutismForums!

 

[tducey]

Welcome. It's a fun forum. Great resource for people with Autism. Hope you enjoy it here.

 

[George Newman]

Hey, don't I just know it! There's discrimination and hate everywhere, and justified with all sorts of scurrilous excuses. Fear of the different is all too human, but it's a fear that needs to be challenged if we hope to truly evolve beyond the animal in us. Racism still exists on an unacceptable scale, but it is less widespread and is legislated against, the same applies to homophobia and misogyny because people challenged dogma and proved their worth.
At the moment few people see beyond AS/ASD being a disability. The onus is on us to change that perception and inch us slightly closer to that tolerant world.

I had to look up scurrilous. LOL. BTW welcome.

 

[Pats]

I had to look up scurrilous. LOL. BTW welcome.

So you gonna share the meaning with us?

 

[Autistamatic]

I had to look up scurrilous. LOL. BTW welcome.

So you gonna share the meaning with us?

Sorry guys. Speaking or writing in informal, colloquial language is something I always need to work on, as is reducing the amount of detail I go into

"Scurrilous" describes something indefensible and/or untrue used to harm the reputation or perception of another person or group.

 

[Major Tom]

I Quinn, welcome. You have an interesting story. Hope you like it here.

 

[OkRad]

Anyone who uses the word "scurrilous" in everyday conversation is a friend of mine. Welcome!

 

[LearnedCoward]

Hi Quinn! Welcome to AutismForums. I am fairly new here myself, and this has been a fairly supportive forum for me thus far.

I used to be quite active online in autism/Asperger's circles about 20 years back but I stopped participating after witnessing just one angry "them vs us" anti-NT rant too many. This time around it looks like there's less bad feeling around though.

Same here. I have heard too much stuff from the autistic community that has been flat-out wrong for different reasons. Everything from shiny-aspie Aspie supremacists to deliberately offensive SJWs with an axe to grind, to people who were just plain angry. There are a lot of us out there who are justifiably angry, and who are hurting, but it doesn't have to be this way. There is strength in numbers, and there's so much to be said for community building.

Well, There are still things like racism, different religions, etc. as well as other forms of discrimination in the world. Even with the Blacks rights movement of the 60's and the Gay rights movement of the 90's. There's still discrimination in those areas. As long as we are the minority. We will always be discriminated against.

Sure. I mean, it's kinda depressing, but sure, as long as we're in the minority we will be discriminated by someone who's not. But look around. Things are so much better than they used to be a few decades ago. This isn't only true for members of minority groups, but also for people who just don't want to conform to the mainstream. I can remember as far back as the Reagan administration, and we have build a far more tolerant society for ourselves than we had back then.

 

[Autistamatic]

Things are so much better than they used to be a few decades ago

Well said my learned friend
When I was told about my AS 35 years ago (during the Thatcher/Reagan years) AS was still over a decade away from being incorporated into the Autistic Spectrum, and no-one had even heard of it. Those early years were also the height of the AIDS campaigns, so if you admitted to ANYONE you had a "syndrome" they reached straight for the rubber gloves and bleach!
Whilst things are far from perfect now, we have (in some countries) moved on a very long way in terms of awareness of our existence which is huge progress. We still have much further to go before we achieve acceptance and NT society learns how to interact with us without stigma or marginalisation. Nobody is going to get us to that point but ourselves IMO.

 

[AO1501]

...Nobody is going to get us to that point but ourselves IMO.

I have said much the same thing here, and met no small amount of resistance from fellow Aspies who have suffered rather more harsh treatment at the hands of NTs than I have, and who typically seem highly resistant to acknowledge to others that they are on the spectrum. Sadly, without revealing it, it is hard to advocate for fairer treatment and deeper understanding of the largely invisible 'disabilities' of high functioning autism.

Personally, I have not experienced all that much unreasonable treatment or discrimination at the hands of NTs. I was certainly bullied as a child, been called names, been left to struggle and it was hard to learn the trick of job interviews in order not to remain out of work or significantly under-employed as a lot of other Aspies are, but having always believed my deficits were the result of personal failings rather than a distinct cause, I always thought that by trying harder, I ought to be able to overcome my social incapacities, processing issues, inability to filter sounds, sensory overloads, stress and anxiety problems and inexplicable communication problems with others.

Believing myself to be at fault in my difficulties with others, I really didn't expect anything back other than poor treatment. Nor, in truth, can I blame NTs for being ignorant of my condition when I was as ignorant of it as they until my diagnosis, rather late in life in 2010.

What I can do, however, is take the knowledge I now have, and spread it as best I can around the rest of society, because to my mind, if I do not explain to others what being an Aspie means, what it's like, how it makes me different - in some ways worse, in other ways better, those others will never know, and will continue to judge me from a position of ignorance.

In my experience, the worst, and harshest, forms of discrimination come from ignorance, and by remaining quiet, we continue to foster it.

 

[Myway]

Hello and welcome to AutismForums. I hope you enjoy it here and make new friends.