I'm heartbroken by all the pessimism on here

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I feel really hurt by all the pessimism and anti-NT bias here. As if NT's as a whole despise us or something or is conspiring to get us. I'm also hurt with the supremacy attitude and people saying that I am an oppressed person. I guess some ASD people are oppressed, but I don't try to be so negative about it. I have been thinking of leaving WP a few times in the past because I get bothered with all the cynical people who day NT's want to eradicate us. I don't even believe NT's as whole want to do that. I don't think it really has to do with someone's neurological state of mind.

yup

So, are you going to actually do something about it, or just post pessimistic complaints?

I'm going to quote you some statistics taken from the NAS report in 2008. These are for autistic people in the U.K., but I'm sure this applies elsewhere in the world as well.

85% are not in full-time employment (50% of disabled people are in full-time employment and about 85% of non-disabled people are in full-time employment)
66% are not working at all (including in voluntary work)
Over 60% rely on their family for financial support
33% have not income at all
90% of autistic children suffer bullying at school
70% of autistic people experience stress related mental ill health in childhood
About 75% have no friends or find it very difficult to make friends whilst 72% would like to spend more time in the company of other people
Only 14% live independently
Over 70% of those who do live independently have experienced bulling or harassment



95% of foetuses with downs syndrome or spina bifida get aborted. Often the parents of these babies get pressured into doing this. I had a friend with a baby who might have had spina bifida (in fact it turned out she did not), and she was "encouraged " to abort the baby at 8 months (fortunately she refused) If the gene for autism is discovered, with the prevalent attitude today, autistic babies will be aborted at the same rate.

In the past few months in my country, an autistic person has been stabbed, another one paralysed after being thrown off a bridge, and another one set on fire, and a man given a 4 year jail sentence for killing an autistic person.

Few NT's know what autism is but they can sense that autistic people are different, and react negatively to that.

I'm sorry that the reality of the situation upsets you. It upsets me too. But you can't bury your head in the sand and deny what is going on. That attitude is probably the most counterproductive attitude of all.

im the first to say that autistic people get treated like s**t but there is a difference between healthy skepticism and paranoia

Ok, It's not the symptoms of the condition itself that's a problem, but I don't like the stigma the label gives.

I'm just upset about the negative perception of aspergers and autism out there. It's gotten scary, yet instead of challenging it, a lot of my life has consisted of distancing myself from the words "autism" or "aspergers" in a social context because all I wanted in life was to be a successful adult. Am I crazy?

What do you recommend?

No, you're not crazy. Distancing ourselves from it is how those of us who manage to make it accomplish that feat.

That, in and of itself, is most of the reason for the pessimism.

It's easier for me than for most of us. Trying to hide something day in and day out and knowing that the price of failing to keep it hidden is condemnation and failure is not exactly heartening.

I for one love all human diversity.

And I for one will never ever let someone's opinion control how I feel about me again, although before I learned a more effective practice of life, I did let it get to me before.

As soon as I accepted myself as is, it no longer mattered what anyone else thought or said, and yes not easy at all, and it took over 5 decades for me to TOTALLY ACCEPT MYSELF AS IS.

But that is just me, different strokes for different folks, and I'll take the dark with the light, as truly there is no other option for success IN life, as far as I for one, am concerned.

I rarely ever have problems getting along with so-called NT's in REAL life now, as I simply carry myself like I like me now.

I HAVE MORE PROBLEMS here than anywhere else in life online or off, as the majority of vocal ones seem to use this environment overall looking to barb someone else instead of just frigging getting along, in my experience that is almost exclusive to PPR, and I for one, at least, am just here to discuss and not do all the back biting personal attacks.

It's a completely different experience for me now in REAL LIFE and definitely like a huge light bulb going off that is was never 'them' that was truly the problem, but 'me' instead.

And with taking fullER responsibility FOR that, I NOW HAVE lots of acquaintances and friends in REAL life, in a huge variety of human diversity AND ACTIVITIES, as I go to them and those activities, and do not wait for them and those activities to come to me.

And yes, that can take a great change in confidence, and for me it was a radical improvement in physical intelligence that does drive both emotional regulation and sensory integration as science does now show through the cerebellum of the brain that makes real life, at least for me, amazing with all the cool human diversity that is out there if one can tolerate and accept differences among everyone else, including one's own self as is, always practicing and improving one's self in anyway one finds that works for them.

Negativity kills the human spirit in all ways it is expressed, as evidenced in science now as well.

While Positivity in changing what one can and accepting what one cannot change is also proven in science now too, in lifting the human spirit and experience in real life, and of course among almost all the great philosophers and religions of historical lore and fact, as yes, proven now by science, too.

Most of what you read online, including here is BS. For public consumption etc. So I wouldn't make too much of it, like it was real or anything.

But I am confused by your post. I really am not sure what you are upset about. Is it how autism is perceived by the NT public in general (and how autistics are treated) or is it how autistics here bash NTs?

I think NT bashers or delusional autistic supremacists are in the minority here, maybe a very small minority. And such type posts usually get short shrift from the majority. In other words we police ourselves as do all functional forums or groups.

And yes, how autism is perceived is a definite problem and evolving, perhaps worse, as we speak.

Problems are never solved by fleeing from them however. Unless you are talking about Godzilla or The Cloverfield Monster. Then the thing is just to be faster then the others fleeing.

Sometimes I am now paranoid that I'm being watched or plotted against because of my Aspergers/autism label.

Paranoia is the ultimate form of pessimism.

That's the negative aspect of spending time in this particular forum area as people can come to believe that all this Autism Speaks Conspiracy theory stuff and other THEM VS US per label STUFF is real per other folks, in GENERAL SOCIETY.

It is not.

People in the real WAY OF LIFE IN FLESH AND BLOOD OFFLINE, just don't have time to worry about Autism unless one of their close relatives or friends are impacted.

And in that case, per HEALTHY SO-CALLED normal human empathy, BOTH COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE, it is to help not to harm that is human nature when NEED OF ANY KIND IS among family and friends.

There is an overall misanthropic atmosphere that raises its ugly head in this particular forum, WHICH CAN BE extremely dangerous to basic mental health.

There is NO escaping reality but death, if even then, and that is never a solution for living.

When I didn't like myself, this colored my whole view of the world as negative but now that I totally accept and like myself I find myself doing the same thing with the rest of the world no matter how flawed it can be in imperfection.

Truly the lenses we wear in the experience of this world CAN BE what makes it what it is.

I know this as my lenses have been both coated with REAL LIFE HELL AND REAL LIFE HEAVEN IN just one lifetime, and truly ULTIMATELY the way I perceive the world IS UP TO ME, I KNOW NOW.

THE REST OF THE world neither controls my thoughts or emotions that NOW, IS UP TO ME.

BUT TRULY TO ME AT LEAST, to live like this takes practice in positivity through positive physical intelligence of regulating both emotions and sensory integration.

That common sense light bulb of life truly liberated me from human hell.

But again, not easy, and the fact that I no longer have to work, allows me almost total focus on this practice of relative free will, almost all the time, when my wife is not nagging me, ha-ha..:)

I've not seen any of this on WP, perhaps you can post some examples.




Except it's not paranoia when there's a genuine threat, and it's something that has happened before.
There are many that, consider the spectrum, in a similar fashion to how they consider down syndrome.
What happened after you could suddenly detect down syndrome in the womb?
What do you thinks going to happen, should they find a way to detect Autism in the womb?

We can already see the outcome -- What happens when AS people and their parents get a diagnosis?
They don't walk in and say "Congratulations! It's Autism!" They mourn it, like the death of men, the death of hopes and dreams, and bemoan that it's not "curable". There are many that, when they think about Autism, an image forms in their mind, of a screaming child, unable to communicate, unable to understand anything, unable to function, drooling and wearing diapers. That is in fact a common description of Autism, doesn't matter what you tell them. Then they imagine that same child growing into an adult, yet remaining mentally as a child, and view it as a life sentence, where they're locked into taking care of a child. This is how most people view Autism, as a disorder.

Writing this off as paranoia, or being so quick to judge pessimism, is incredibly counter productive. Perhaps it's a type of coping mechanism, I don't know. Being fearful and worried about this, is a completely normal and reasonable response. I would urge anyone in denial, to look at all the facts, and rethink their position.




Sensible precautions should always be taken. You do need to keep in mind, however, that there are many NTs that empathise with us, and our situation, that do support us, and will hopefully continue supporting and help us protect the spectrum.

I used to be like that too, trying to fake being normal. To an extent I succeeded, but It's not a fulfilling way to live your life. Essentially, you are trying to fool NT's that you are one of them. They will always see through this eventually.

I don't think there is a big conspiracy against Autistic people by NT's, I think most NT prejudice against Autistic people is unconscious and seems intuitive to them. Most NT's seem to have an innate sense of disgust when confronted by an autistic person which they have to consciously repress. This sort of prejudice is much harder to eradicate than a prejudice you reason yourself into.

I agree with Moromillas, it's not paranoia, being negative or being supremacist when you face a genuine threat.

NT's not 'discriminating' against us, they see our symptoms, and depending on the NT will feel either supremacy, pity, uncomfortable, superiority, righteousness, awkward or any one of a score of other feelings.