Prejucises by autistic people about autism

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Sometimes when I read this forum there are interesting topics and interesting posters, but sometimes I get annoyed of autistic people on this forum with prejudices.

For instance, I read a topic about Ted Kaczinsky and if he might have had Aspergers, one of the posters said that was impossible because he didn't like technology. I was like: wtf. Why is there a correlation between Aspergers/autism and technology? Sure, there are quite some autistic people with an interest in technology, but there are also enough autistic people with interests in culture, languages or music. I feel kind of insulted when someone is lumping autistic people together. (Not sure if I wrote this saying good in English.) Another thing which I noticed is that some people claim that autistic people/Aspergers people can't kill because they aren't evil. This is a myth too, since there is the case of William Freund who was a member on this forum who was diagnosed with Aspergers and kill some people, also there are certain cases of people who killed who might possible have been autistic people whom faced so much rejection, insults and bullying that they thought this was the only way to deal with it, although they didn't receive a diagnosis I think that it's quite absurd to claim that they can't be autistic.

One question I want to ask is, why are those people doing this? Because, sure, we don't need negative media attention and that's the reason why these autistic people say these things, but I also don't like it if autistic people are claiming this kind of nonsense about autistic people.

Can somebody correct the title? I wrote prejucises instead of prejudices.

you can correct it, click edit and do it whilst in edit mode.

It's a natural thing - people use stereotypes because they make thinking about groups easier. In the process, they start to forget that each member of the group has their own unique traits.

Many people think that all autists have eidetic (photographic) memory, but we know that this isn't true. Many people think that all autists have a fear of germs and wash their hands compulsively, but we also know that this isn't true. And so on...

Besides, the media seem to support stereotypes. Again, because they make their work easier. Movies can make people believe that autists can crack super-secret government codes by just looking at them (as in Mercury Rising), but I've never actually heard of this happening.

Also - Dr. Sheldon Cooper has become a very popular stereotype for Aspies, and NT's are actually surprised when an Aspie doesn't behave exactly like him.

The conclusion is - stereotypes are inevitable. They are a part of the human way of thinking, regardless of whether one is NT or not.

i believe that the majority of people on wrong planet do not have autism.
i think that very many people are attracted to their idea about what autism is.

they think that asperger syndrome means that the "sufferers" look younger than average for their age, and are naive to the point of "cuteness", yet intelligent to the degree that they are oblivious to their genius. asperger syndrome is an attractive "identity" for many disenfranchised people to adopt.

the people who claim that they have autism who speak in terms of "us", and who make statements that claim to be on behalf of all asperger people are, in my opinion, the least likely to be truly autistic.


statements that start with words like "us aspies tend to.." etc make me annoyed because even though i have confirmed asperger syndrome, i would never talk on behalf of anyone else who has asperger syndrome.

the angst against NT's displayed by some posters makes me think they have "adopted" the identity of autism as a rebellion to what they are not impressed with in the wide world.

i have always presumed that what goes through my mind is peculiar to me, and i would never make a statement that presumes i am a spokesperson for anyone else.

i hate sentences that start with "well us aspies are....". how arrogant. i am not like them and if they are trying to describe asperger syndrome on behalf of other asperger people, i immediately suspect they are wrong in their self diagnosis.


a defining characteristic of my mind is that i presume that no one thinks like me, and i would never speak on behalf of anyone else without consulting them.


i very much dislike the superiority complexes that many people are deluded with concerning their suspicion of their AS.

many people on this site feel superior to the rest of the world because they feel like they are in the same league as einstein or newton (or anyone of note who they hastily diagnose with AS), and in their minds, i am an unintelligent buffoon because i do not measure up to their ideals of AS. but i am the one with medically diagnosed AS and they do not have it , but they say i am too stupid to have AS, but i think they are living in a delusion of grandeur.

i know many people on this site truly do have AS, but there are more people who are just riding on a bandwagon that they wish to belong on for incorrect reasons.

Same for me. I have diagnosed AS (diagnosed several times, so I think it's the right diagnosis, duh), and I've never done a statement like that, because it would look like all people with AS are the same in everything. No, I do not tend to do something just because someone else with Asperger's does, and just because I tend to do something not everyone with Asperger's tends to do it. Is like saying people with AS don't have a personality, but just a disorder, and this is wrong, very wrong. I have my own personality, and I'm sure I'm very different from most aspies, because it's my own personality that makes me different from them.

whatever. pride is not understandable by me.

According to their pathetic rubbish I would not have aspergers because I study into Norse History more than technology.

Not heard that one before. I do wash my hands a lot; but it's a sensory thing (they don't feel "right" if dirty) rather than a fear of germs.

+1.

Very few things annoy me half as much as the "we Aspies" thing.

Co-signed. While I would not go as far as saying that the majority of the poster body of WrongPlanet is not on the spectrum, I have read posts that are disparaging toward those on the spectrum who are struggling or have struggled in more substantial ways than 'merely' being 'misunderstood' by non-autistics. Aside from that, the concern among some diagnosed Aspergers that the merging of 'Asperger syndrome' into 'autistic spectrum disorder' would give them a label they do not desire (namely autism proper), made me wonder if that so-called 'neurodiversity movement' that is so often championed (in writing) here on WP, is anything more than a chimera.

It gives me comfort that there are still plenty of members who are busy with volunteering work or raising awareness with regard to the entire autistic spectrum, and not just their little corner of it. I don't do it, myself, because PEOPLE ARE SCARY!!!111!one but kudos to you guys who do, it's work that's invaluable to the younger generations, who hopefully grow up in a world that's a little bit wiser on the subject of autism.

I must admit this is also a crime I myself am guilty of, having used the turn of phrase 'we autistics' before in threads. You can use the 'we autistics' phrasing in a neutral context, but I have used it to generalise in the past, speaking for myself and my own experiences, and then assuming that this was universal for everyone on the autistic spectrum.

- 1.

Ego 1. Observing ego 0.

"i would never make a statement that presumes i am a spokesperson for anyone else".
vs
"but i am the one with medically diagnosed AS and they do not have it!"

I could write loads more but its not my intent to wind you up and I fear that probably would happen.

I'm not proud of having AS. I see no point in taking pride in something that: 1)You didn't choose;2)Will affect your life mostly in a negative way.

Well lots of people generalize, and many times generalizations do not prove to be accurate.

I'm Aspie and I don't have any particular interest in technology, nor science or maths or anything for that matter. I only get interests in certain people, and I have general interests in other things but that's not to do with having AS.

And I think I've been reading on here lately that Aspies are more likely to kill people than NTs, all because people are stupid enough to believe all this media saying that every case of shootings that come up are by an Aspie. I find that very offensive and off-putting, now I find I'm not even going to trust myself any more.

We Aspies hate that.

I think this is the first time I have ever referred to myself as an "aspie." Hopefully it is the last as I prefer "autistic." Seriously, though. Something else I hate that is similar is that people will say "This opinion that I have great antipathy for is obviously an NT thing." Often stated with strong statements that people with AS would not say or agree with such a thing, despite the fact that several already had stated and/or agreed with such a thing.

The idea that there is an "Aspie" way to think that leads to holding a particular set of opinions is very strange to me. It seems that autistic people anywhere on the spectrum are a fairly diverse group of people, and saying something like "We Aspies..." and meaning it denies that diversity.