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Does anybody else absolutely hate the term "aspie(s)"

Hope is rising

Hope is rising

Active Member
I don't know how I feel about it, I find it to be a little too cutesy or even demeaning. How do you feel about it? ...or maybe give me some perspective on it so I can feel better and not be annoyed at the term? haha, thanks!
 
Hmm. I'm not too overly fond of it. It's a fun way of saying the term but it wouldn't be something I use around people who don't have Asperger's. But I don't think it's demeaning.
 
im classic autistic so i dont come under the term aspie, to me it just sounds like slang and its a good thing for the aspie community as they can feel connected and less alien by having a term to refer to themselves,its like the term 'autie' which is the equivilent of aspie for classic autism.

if you dont want to refer to yourself as aspie,dont-as theres no rule to it, call yourself whatever you want but youve also got autistic and autist as two of the possible terms.
aspie and autie are two terms that allows you to relate to a specific form of autism,but you dont have to do that- autistic is a term which joins the whole of the spectrum together and people outside of the autistic community will understand you if you were called autistic-they wouldnt if they heard the term aspie;its really an autistic community thing still although i use it and autie when im doing activist stuff around autism with the SS/learning [intellectual] disability team.
 
I'm mostly indifferent to it online, but it's not a word I would use when speaking. Partly this is because I know of people (personally) who use it within the comic con community who are not on the spectrum. They think it's 'cool'....

I can only hope they grow up.
 
Actually, I like the term; but I get why maybe you do not particularly like it; for me, if I did not like it, it would be because I hate deminishing words; so people's names, for example: I rather call them by their birth name, unless they specify they do not like that.

There was another one who has aspergers on here, who really detested the referrence and was quite bold in stating as such.

Anyway, I have no issues with the rendering.
 
Southern Discomfort said:
Hmm. I'm not too overly fond of it. It's a fun way of saying the term but it wouldn't be something I use around people who don't have Asperger's. But I don't think it's demeaning.
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That confirms that a friend of mine has aspergers, because I did use the term on her and explained what it meant, and she was fine with it. But then again, my NT husband uses the term as well but never in a cruel way.
 
Suzanne said:
Actually, I like the term; but I get why maybe you do not particularly like it; for me, if I did not like it, it would be because I hate deminishing words; so people's names, for example: I rather call them by their birth name, unless they specify they do not like that.
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Would you avoid this site if you didn't like the term?
 
Myrtonos said:
Would you avoid this site if you didn't like the term?
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Yes, I probably would. There is a term used in the sexual world that was used when I was a child and it took me a VERY long time to say it and see it without hypaventilating and so, if I did not like the term: aspie, I would REALLY not like it and have to go somewhere else.
 
Myrtonos said:
Note that the word Aspie is part of this site's name so anyone who doesn't like the term hopefully won't post here.
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I'm not fond of cutesy terms like "aspie" and avoid using them. So what, I can't post my opinion here? There's nothing pointless about this thread either.

If anyone else prefers to use it, fine. Great. Suit yourself.
 
Seriously, why use a site if you don't like a term that is part of its name? That's not to say whether those accessing the site should use the term, but my point is that those who, say, don't want to see the term ought to say off this site.
 
There are few terms in our language used that may actually annoy me. However it doesn't preclude me from using them myself if I know they are understood by a broad scope of many people for a common frame of reference.

Though admittedly complex medical and neurological distinctions themselves are probably not well known among a great number of people to begin with. Especially in this instance given the vast majority of society does not share our neurological traits and behaviors.

What appears most important to me is that the term apparently originates from someone who wrote about her experiences as a person on the spectrum of autism who first coined the term "Aspie" in 1999.

Author Liane Holliday Willey. Small wonder her domain name is the term itself.

www.aspie.com

Some interesting comments on this issue to be found elsewhere:

Is the term "aspie" derogatory?

https://schott.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/aspies-and-auties/?_r=0
 
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Myrtonos said:
Seriously, why use a site if you don't like a term that is part of its name?
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I think you're missing the point here.

First, I'm not the one who created this website and labeled it "Aspies Central" and second, this thread's simply asking whether anyone dislikes the term "aspie". Some don't mind using it, some prefer not to, so to each their own.
 
But I'm not actually saying that just anyone who prefers not to use the term should stay off this site, just those who also don't like the term.
 
I'm not fond of the term and don't generally use it outside of these forums, wouldn't describe myself with it to the outside world but don't mind others using it. I'm a lazy typer though so I freely use it here :D
 
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It is OK to discuss one's personal feelings and thoughts
regarding the word 'aspie.'

If you like it, fine.
If you don't like it, that's fine.
If you have mixed feelings.....that's possible, too.
 
To me, the term "Aspie" implies "powerful."
I think: Complex, powerful, capable, creative, logical, mysterious, rule-aware, able to hyperfocus, intelligent, sensitive(in a positive way), nature-loving, and solitary.
Surely, not all of these traits are true for each Aspie. But, my general feeling with the term is one of power.

I am classically autistic, and do not have Asperger's.
I have my own positives. :)
 
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