Opinion on the puzzle piece?

[SakuraRoseMilkTea]

I was curious about what everyone thought about the puzzle piece representing autism? Sometimes I still see it being used but now I mostly see the infinity sign and the rainbow. I can understand why people don't like it (we don't need to be solved, we are whole as we are, etc.) but some people like to reclaim it.

Let me know your thoughts! I personally think it's okay for autistic people to use but I'm uncomfortable with allistic people using it.

(PS: Please don't turn this into a discourse thread because that's not what it's meant to be!)

 

[tree]

Threads related to the topic:

Is It Time To Ditch The Autism Puzzle Piece?
Tree with Puzzle Pieces
Can we replace the puzzle piece 'logo'?
The puzzle piece problem. An apology.

 

[SakuraRoseMilkTea]

Threads related to the topic:

Is It Time To Ditch The Autism Puzzle Piece?
Tree with Puzzle Pieces
Can we replace the puzzle piece 'logo'?
The puzzle piece problem. An apology.

Thank you for these! Should I remove my thread or can I keep it up?

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Well, from my experiences here, I find the puzzle piece very apt for this community. We are all so very different in our strength's and weaknesses, in our challenges and those we have overcome, so, as a community and the give and take in the forums, we all complement each other to all fit in. It is cathartic, therapeutic, and valuable to me.

 

[Suzette]

Just as a personal "secret" symbol, I like the puzzle piece. Before I figured it out the whys of me were a mystery indeed. But once I figured out I was on the spectrum I felt an internal "click", not unlike fitting the last piece of a puzzle.

 

[Tom]

 

[GrownupGirl]

I hate the puzzle piece with a fiery hot passion and if I see it on anything that's autism-friendly I will almost immediately hate it. I wish I could be as apathetic as a lot of you people are, but I'm not. It's just who I am. I'm a fairly passionate person who cares too much about the mistreatment of autistic people and people who are different in general (an SJW? I really hope not), and that's why I hate it. Puzzle piece, first person language, Autism $peaks, ABA, lighting it up blue, the functioning labels, showing great pity for someone for being autistic, showing pity for parents and family members of autistic people, and assuming all autistic people are exactly the same. All those injustices really press my berserk buttons.

 

[Aspychata]

If we absolutely had to go the puzzle route (with GrownupGirl on this), why couldn't we be a Rubic cube? Way less degrading then a puzzle piece.

Plus we could pass out rubic cubes at events. We could even employ our type to come up with more game types of things suddenly improving our standing in society in general and donate earnings to causes. A puzzle piece just doesn't cover it for me.

Jellyfish, l like to be represented by that. I am not hugable, but l am sensitive, l like floating in water, my tentacles are always stimming, sometimes you can see right thru me. I am always moving too. I need a jellyfish teeshirt. Lol

 

[Suzette]

If we absolutely had to go the puzzle route (with GrownupGirl on this), why couldn't we be a Rubic cube? Way less degrading then a puzzle piece.

Plus we could pass out rubic cubes at events. We could even employ our type to come up with more game types of things suddenly improving our standing in society in general and donate earnings to causes. A puzzle piece just doesn't cover it for me.

I like that idea very much! I might get a mini cube to put on my backpack.

 

[SusanLR]

It never bothered me.
I don't tell people I'm autistic except on a need to basis anyway.
It's rather representative of everyone and everything in my mind anyway.
The whole universe is one big puzzle.

 

[SDRSpark]

I hate the puzzle piece with a fiery hot passion and if I see it on anything that's autism-friendly I will almost immediately hate it. I wish I could be as apathetic as a lot of you people are, but I'm not. It's just who I am. I'm a fairly passionate person who cares too much about the mistreatment of autistic people and people who are different in general (an SJW? I really hope not), and that's why I hate it. Puzzle piece, first person language, Autism $peaks, ABA, lighting it up blue, the functioning labels, showing great pity for someone for being autistic, showing pity for parents and family members of autistic people, and assuming all autistic people are exactly the same. All those injustices really press my berserk buttons.

This is kind of how I feel. (Although I'm not that passionate about it. I see the puzzle piece and I'm like [eyeroll] REALLY? Sigh.)

To me the puzzle piece doesn't represent the needs and experience of autistic people. It represents the needs, experience, opinions, and actions of neurotypical people who interact with (or want to profit off of) autistic people. It represents the "autism moms", Autism $peaks (and similar groups), the idea that we're a burden to society that can only have value if we're successfully coerced into being like everyone else. It represents discussions about how difficult autistic people are to live with, as if we're all incapable of understanding what's being said about us. "Oh, woe is me, I have to raise an autistic child! Pity me!!!"

I prefer the infinity symbol. It was chosen BY the autistic community to REPRESENT the autistic community.

I also love @Aspychata's Rubix Cube idea! That's great. I've yet to figure myself out and I've yet to solve a Rubix Cube either (not that I've spent a lot of time attempting the latter).

 

[Isadoorian]

So long as it's not Blue, I say go for it?

I'm much more partial to the Neurodiversity Symbol however:

 

[Kit]

I like it and I feel this fits me. I feel like I was a puzzle for my mother and for all the doctors.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I'm neutral on it, because I thought the puzzle piece was representative of how autistic people view the world. At least, that's how I see the world: a big puzzle that I'm trying to solve.