People here on WP are making me feel horrible about myself

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When I first found Wrong Planet, I must have formed an impression that posting here would be a safe place in general, as we all shared in common the condition that sets us apart from other people (neurotypical), we've all suffered from NT treatment of us and from our difficulties getting by in the world in general, and that for these kinds of reasons, probably everyone here treated each other a little bit better than that.

I was surprised to find it dawning upon me that people here can be every bit as rough on you, as snide, as attacking, as mean spirited and as unrelentingly cold or taking a dislike to another member as anyone anywhere on any internet message boards.

I guess that's only the way of things, as we're still human just like any other human. We're not above all the same petty crap that happens on message boards all over the internet.

I just thought that since we shared one unifying difficulty in life, things might be a bit gentler around here. But nope. People still take against each other and give each other a hard time, disagree with attacks attached, goad and needle each other.

I've come to realize I'm no more "among friends" here than on general message boards online. Not to say there are NOT some really good people here -- there are. I do have some friends here now who are really good hearted people, but it's only them that keep me from just wanting to leave this place and never look back, because the rest of my experiences here are pretty harsh ones.

I keep coming back for the few people I do like who seem to like me, and for the information and help one can glean from reading threads with exchanges of advice or comparing notes. It's all I've got in terms of autism knowledge because I don't know anyone openly on the spectrum in my real life, and I feel very alone in my real life. I have nobody to say "Do you find you do this, or this happens to you, and how do you cope?" and get any answers from people who have what I have.

So I stick around but yeah, it's as harsh a place as any online, which I had hoped it wouldn't be.

I'll always be here to stroke your dainty feathers

Aw kraftie, simmer down now, hahah!

But yes, you are one of those around here whom I'm so glad to have around, my friend.

I'll just leave you two alone

It's okay, we're (cough cough) moving along now, nothing to see , hahaha!

All right: I'll be good

But as the Bob Dylan song goes, "It ain't easy....no, no, no, it ain't easy..."

Yeah - she's "Bird in Flight" not "Bird in Flirt"...

Good one, enviro!

Hey..that rhymes (sort of!)

You need to have a pretty thick skin to engage in political, religious, and philosophical discussion. Yes, it gets nasty at times in PPR. But I've been in such forums on other websites that make make WP's snake den look like a tea party. Suffice to say, I've developed a pretty thick skin. All in all, I'd say even the most heated discussions I've read, here, are pretty civil by my standards.

Try to avoid topics that effect you negatively, and stick around. I'd hate to see you miss out on the true value this community offers.

I agree with Vegetable Man.

And I'd rather be Diverting, rather than merely Flirting!

I liken it to the coffeehouses of the 18th and 19th centuries when people rented the table for a day and the coffee or tea was complimentary. Certain service-economy professions would do business in this manner greeting customers and clients. In the evenings, the business dealings would wane while the political discussions would wax. Arguments ensued among the U.S. Founders about "what should be done about Britain." The rest is history. But, I suspect that their arguments were a lot more civilized if only because they had to sit next to and work among those with whom they disagreed.

Thanks, everyone. And sorry about my absence from WP the past few days. I was feeling horrible about myself on Thursday, so I decided to stay off of social media altogether, including this website. Then, yesterday, I decided to spend the day in Boston, just trying to focus on having a good time, though that ended up backfiring after I saw "Inside Out." I bawled during that movie, and I've been feeling like s**t ever since.

So, yeah. I'm going to keep posting on WP, though probably not as much as I was before. I feel the same way as BirdinFlight does, in terms of thinking that this board would be a safe haven from the meanness of the real world, and then realizing it's anything but that. I hate that there are so many genuinely cruel Aspies in the world. I mean, all of the nice Aspies (especially all of you who took the time to reply to this post and offer me kindness and compassion) kind of make up for the cruel ones, but it still hurts to know that there are Aspies who know just how difficult it is to have this disorder, yet who still think it's okay to make others feel like s**t.

Oh, and I'm sorry to hear that others have been hurt by OOM. It makes me wonder why she hasn't been banned yet. Why is she allowed to hurt people as much as she wants, without having to face any sort of repercussions for that?

I blame the government trolls, tools and useful idiots, not necessarily other Aspies.


Beyond your personal example, I have doubted the reasoning of the WrongPlanet.net moderators since I joined. They appear to me to play favorites and, more than occasionally, join in the very forum-rules violations that they are employed to prevent.

People on WP sometimes make me feel horrible about myself as well. Like when they say that the Disney Company and anything else Disney-related is evil. I grew up with Disney, and when I watched the movies and cartoons it was with the childlike innocence that other adults just want to suck right out of people like me. I didn't see anything racist, sexist or violent, all I saw was good characters, good animation, good music and good stories. But now I almost feel like I have to burn my Mickey Mouse plushies.

Of course you shouldn't burn your Mickey Mouse stuff! The way to watch Disney movies and cartoons is exactly the way you watch them, if other people see sinister elements then that's their problem. Don't take any notice of them, and preserve your innocence - it's a precious gift.

Walt Disney himself has long been rumoured to have been a dubious character - people sometimes call him 'Hollywood's Dark Prince' - but the man is separate from the entertainment his company creates.