do you find the jigsaw piece symbol offensive?

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That's the one.

I agree, I find the jigsaw piece slightly offensive. I'm all for getting rid of that logo.

That looks like something a superhero would have attached in his chest!

http://www.autism-society.org/about-us/ ... ibbon.html

"The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition."

This is what these folks (Are they the creators of it?) say it means, which doesn't sound too bad to me. Before I bothered to go read this I thought it indicated that there was a piece missing or that it didn't fit, which while not offensive to me is not exactly flattering either. The fact that most folks don't know what it stands for makes you wonder how effective it is as a symbol.

I've never been a fan of the jigsaw piece symbol, as puzzle suggests the idea that there might be some pieces missing, which implies negativity, and Autism Isn't always a negative thing.

Ditto. Right on the nose.

That's also the same way that I feel.

Though that's true, my issue with the jigsaw symbol, is that it implies the goal is to integrate or absorb autistics into society so that we blend in and act and seem like everyone else - though we do want acceptance and integration, we don't want the fact that we're autistic to be suppressed because there's nothing wrong with it except how society interacts with it/us. That's why the puzzle piece is offensive to me, because autistics and neurotypicals - in my opinion - are two sides of the same coin.

That... and infinity better describes the autistic sense of time, which is different from the 24/7 sense of time that neurotypicals perceive linear time with.
I like it! XD

Not in the slightest - in fact it's the opposite. When it comes to autism, every little bit matters in the quest to be understood - and social-media looks for things that may represent us in a different light... every social-media individual wants something new, a different angle, or opinion... so every detail matters if we want to be represented properly. Plus, we have the right to represent ourselves in a way that WE believe best does so.

I don't mind being misunderstood, or being a mystery for that matter - 'cause what really bothers me, is when people can't or won't acknowledge that they've misunderstood. It's one thing to not understand and move on ignorant 'cause ignorance is indeed bliss, but it's a much greater thing to not understand and understand - know - that you don't understand. It's the first step to discovery after all.

Doesn't matter what we're sure about. Symbolism is meant to get a point across without uttering a word - if people misinterpret it when the see it, they misinterpret autistics. So if we - the represented - misunderstand our own symbolic representation - then there's a problem with with.

The puzzle piece really doesn't bother me. We are, actually, all pieces of a great big puzzle known as existence.

The attitude it ends up representing does.

Others have commented on the "NT-centric" attitude-- and that is what offends me. They can look at everything that is not to their specifications as broken, in need of fixing or curing or whatever, and they are wonderful and altrusitic and all that great stuff. If someone else looks at the world that way, it is a trait of their pathology, and NTs (the good ones, anyway) will be happy to help make sure that perception gets corrected.

What, exactly, makes their perception and way of understanding so much more valid?? Just numbers?? Just the fact that NTs are the ones making the rules??

THAT offends me.

I don't care. It doesn't really mean anything to me.

I personally hate it, and I'm a NT.

At best it means the ASD person is the odd person out, and worse, if we could find that one "puzzle piece", you'd all be cured.

Groups that use the puzzle piece are parent centered, and adult Aspie needs are an after thought at best.

Just another piece of funding raising junk.

The problem with the jigsaw piece symbol is also a problem with many other symbols; an unclear definition of its meaning. Especially when the symbol is used often, a number of different interpretations start to sprout up from different sources, each one more detached from the original meaning than the last. An effective symbol, in my eyes, would be both descriptive of and specific to its own meaning and couldn't be easily misinterpreted. This is something that the jigsaw piece fails to do effectively.

However, what can replace it? I like the idea of representing the varied and individual nature of autism, but dislike the implication that there's something missing. I'll probably end up thinking about this for the rest of the day.