The Pitters' Place

https://aeon.co/essays/the-autistic-vie ... cal-cliche" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I really liked this article a lot and I wanted to share it. I think it speaks to a reason why it took me so long to figure out that I had autism, because I never really felt like any of the representations of it I've seen or the typical descriptions of it people gave fit me very well. Like how people think autistics don't have any emotional or social intelligence. That definitely doesn't fit me. It might fit some others, but often it's just the case that we don't react or respond to certain situations in ways neurotypicals typically do so they basically just make shit up about us out of thin air based on their own unbaked assumptions about how people "should" behave. I really really liked the part about mindblindness going both ways and how neurotypical modes of thinking and behaving shouldn't be seen as the neutral default just because they're the majority. I also liked how she gave her perspective on how neurotypicals behave. Maybe I should try to hang out with autistic people more. Because whenever I talk to normal people I end up fucking hating them.

Anyway I thought this article was well-written and it spoke to me, and I just wanted to share it with the three or four people who still check up on here.

Got this open in a tab; haven't had a chance to read it yet, but i will.

Long article, which in my opinion does not say what autism actually is.

The author's intent was not to write an article telling you what autism is. She was telling neurotypicals to stop being dicks and margianalizing people with autism. If anything, she was trying to tell you what autism isn't.

BruceSmith78 wrote:The author's intent was not to write an article telling you what autism is. She was telling neurotypicals to stop being dicks and margianalizing people with autism. If anything, she was trying to tell you what autism isn't.

Maybe, but she started her article with an anecdote about others being dickish towards autism, and her saying "I'm autistic". Meaning that she classifies herself with the label autistic; so in my opinion she must have an idea about what it means.

Maybe I was just expecting a different article after that opening.

You would think my title stating that the article is about how neurotypicals view autism, not explaining autism itself, would kind of give away that the article is about how neurotypicals view autism, not autism itself, but apparently not.