Western countries to avoid as an aspie/autistic

Post Reply New Topic

Valid question. As far as I know at least current members of the European Union could be considered as part of the "West" as we know it, culturally and politically. It would include countries traditionally regarded as Center-European or East-Center-European, and exclude most of Balkan Peninsula (except for Slovenia) and anything east to Baltic countries / Poland / Hungary / Romania.

Remember, not long ago countries like Island, Ireland, Portugal, even Spain were much like these "new" countries in terms of cultural and economic development.

Greece. If you can't get a job: no welfare or support whatsoever! If you need therapy, that isn't a country to look for it. I think you need certain personality traits to survive there now, because that's what they seem to do there currently. 40% of people younger than 30 are unemployed and I think such a country is particularly harsh for autistics.

I'd avoid France (obvious one) as well as Romania. I don't know about many other countries, but these seem the worst ones now.

Aspires will be the first people to colonize Mars then we can have our own planet... heh.

Why is that obvious?

There's an article about the fact how psychiatric institutions in France systematically mistreat autistics and often takes them away from their parents for life because they assume the parents' "lack of raising" is the cause of their autism.

Someone that posted in this thread earlier had that happen to her kid as she lives in France.

I mentioned France before you did.

That sounds awesome! But let us not stoop to their level... We must provide special services for all those unfortunate NTs who have difficulty acclimating to our Martian society.

Thanks! Sounds pretty mean .

why canada? I recognize a couple of posters from there, haven't noticed them saying much about how it is bad

Countries like Ireland, Portugal and Spain have almost 5000 years of continuous cultural exchange with western Europe. Their languages are Celtic and Italic, they are catholic and culturally been strongly influenced by western Europe.

Much of Eastern Europe has been isolated culturally, religiously and linguistically for a thousand years from western Europe, much of the region was ruled by Mongols or Turks for periods.

This region (east) has evolved a much harsher and less democratic tradition that bears little resemblance to those of western Europe. This difference is of course much greater in Russia compared to say East Germany.

I'm not sure if it would be a bad place to visit or move to as an aspie, but an aspie would be quite unlucky to grow up in the mainstream culture of New Zealand. There is an encouragement of stoic independence here which can result in a person refusing to admit, and other people refusing to accept, that the person has a mental disorder.

New Zealand has an unusually high suicide rate and rate of mental illness given its wealth, and I think that this aspect of its culture is at least one of the reasons. (I think another big reason is that we temporarily got hijacked by a gang of libertarians, resulting in an unusually high level of economic stratification, but that's another story.)

It's the same in France: nor good for autistics nor good for aspergers and their families nor good for any mental illness or other handicaps. Not even for old people if they don't have much money left.

But to visit, it's great. You "just" have to watch out for pick-pockets, not matter where they work. They are trained.

I didn't list Canada because it's "bad". In fact, along with the other countries listed, quite the opposite. They are countries that seem to be about the most progressive.

But in that super-progressive state, with the healthy, hale and hearty masses that have evolved in their population I distinctly notice a very high level of feist towards people like me. I have a theory that their tip top health condition (as far as countries go) jeopardises their tolerance for what's not considered biologically "normal".

In contrast, within the western world take the midwest and south of the US, which I seriously believe have a better society and more tolerance of quirks than Canada or Western Europe, for some reason. I'm aware of certain cultural problems these regions are alleged to have, but societies considered highly progressive develop their problems too.

Without a doubt their (Canada etc.) autism services must be about the best in the world. But still even in the most developed countries, if people think your personality is "off" enough, you end up traumatised. Therefore, due to the aggression side of things, I wouldn't want to live outside the developed world (mainly but not totally western) as violence rates are thought to be lower. When they are developed enough, however, I guess this aggressive attitude towards non-conformists transmutes more often into feist and passive exclusion towards them.

The same goes for most of "Eastern Europe" (except the language part). As I have alluded before, this is not a homogeneous region. Even the term"Eastern Europe" is a bit controversial.

"5000 years of continuous cultural exchange..." - please... gmab.


Turks (Ottoman Empire) for the Balkan Peninsula: 500 years. For a significant part of Hungary: 150 years. Other parts: n/a. Note: The Transylvanian Principality (historically a part of Hungary) had more than semi-independence, it had a political and cultural autonomy.

The Ottoman Turk Empire at its height:
http://www.unlv.edu/faculty/pwerth/otto ... e-1580.gif

Mongols were much less effective to impose setbacks on the region.

Most of the Iberian Peninsula had been under the rule of the Moors for centuries: http://www.answers.com/topic/moors


Democratic tradition had been (and in a lot of ways still is) 'behind' in many countries in Europe that are not as developed as the more democratic and usually economically more well-endowed ones. These countries include the ones I previously mentioned, plus Greece, if you wish, not only those eastern ones.

Somehow I have the feeling that in your eyes if a country is an ex-communist country, it must be well underdeveloped in comparison to any other part of Europe, including countries that are indeed not much different in any way in terms of both cultural and economical development.

No I think this topic is about "western countries", I don't believe ex-USSR states are in the western sphere because if you look at the internal movement of people everyone is trying to leave the ex-communist states and move to the "west".

Have you heard of English, French or Germans wanting a better life in Hungary or Poland?

Of course not, or rather not often, but that's not the point. In fact, there are people who have found their places in those countries, for example some managers, our company is headed by one of them. People tend to move to countries with better life possibilities for obvious reasons, even within the "western sphere". Without that the USA wouldn't exist as we know it... Some do move due to political or rather, cultural reasons, though. I'd do the same if I hadn't had some fears about such thorough changes in my life.

I think "western countries" for the purpose of this topic would include all those countries which declare they want to belong to them, regardless of former political status, so the whole EU should be considered as one. It has nothing to do with migration tendencies, imo.