Is it OK to be autistic and not embrace autistic culture?

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The term 'autistic culture' makes me cringe beyond belief.

There IS no 'autistic culture', or if there is, it's not something I would want to be part of anyway.

I think most groups have a culture. It is just the accumulated perceptions of the group both in and outside the group. It occurs whether you want it or not.

As far as embracing it or not, I see that as a personal choice. But, even if you don't identify with it yourself, others may still identify you with it. If you don't want that to happen it may, will probably, require hiding the fact you are autistic.

i agree,i think autism is a culture but this doesnt mandate hostility toward n.t's or radical politics

Thank you for bringing up something I'd been thinking but just didn't quite have the words for. I'm 40 and was just recently diagnosed, and have been going on a lot of sites and blogs to learn more about autism, especially about autistic women.

But more and more, I'd been noticing that it seemed almost like you'd have to sign up for an entirely new lifestyle and mindset to be accepted. I was beginning to feel like if I didn't immediately sign on and start bashing NTs, agree with everyone's autistic headcanons, and call ABA therapists slavemasters, I would never find a place in the autistic community.

I really appreciate this site because there are so many different people and views here, and people can talk about differing opinions without it degenerating into poo-flinging in .5 seconds.

Autistic Culture is real but is in its toddler stage and therefore apperantly unreconizable by most.
http://www.autism-help.org/autism-politics-culture-community.htm
Autistic Art

From what I see at the the very moment the culture is starting to get positive mainstream media coverage a strong backlash against what is believed to be the elitism of proponents of the fledgling 'culture" specifically the nuerodiversity movement that has dominated the culture have developed amoung autistics. Thus the future of Autistic culture is in doubt. Either the culture finds a way to listen to and include its critics or it dies right here, right now and wounderful opportunity goes to waste and we go back to square one.

But to answer your question, it's fine. Most Aspies aren't big on hugs anyway.

Short answer: yes, it is OK. The aspie police won't be knocking on your door. You have the freedom to embrace whatever the hell you want.

Long answer: You remind me of myself, actually. I have very mild aspergers (that used to be a lot worse) and, while I'm awkward and social rules doesn't come naturally, I can get myself out of bad social situations and don't have social anxiety. I also don't have any sensory issues. So yes, I am living proof that "mild" asperger's exists, and so are you. So anyway, I share some of the same views as you: I hardly ever talk about aspergers, don't see it as a big deal, and am not that offended at the notion of a cure (although I disagree with it.) I think that autistic culture can be a little irrational sometimes, even if I generally agree with what they say. For example, there is nothing offensive about ABA, and the idea of a Ritalin-style pill but for aspergers or a cure for intellectual disabilities (both of which I support and are not "curing autism") should not be seen as controversial. There is nothing good about stimming I personally think that we live in a neurotypical world where people have their irrational ticks and don't like to be embarrassed (just like we do sometimes) and thus we should work on not stimming in public.

The point that I'm trying to make is that autism doesn't define who you are and it's okay for your point of view to diverge from what other aspies think.

You can do whatever you feel is appropriate, it's your own choice how you approach and interpret and live with the condition, I've been processing and exploring the strange structure of what being diagnosed means to me for a good few months now and revisiting and dissecting the shapes and hues of the path that led me here so have yet to ponder how I feel about the whole forest and how I will move into it all.

sorry if i came accross as rude.i just wasnt sure who was being talked about.initialy the post made me uncomfortable

I've never been able to get into the idea of "autistic culture", personally. Having autism has been primarily a negative for me, something that I've had to work around. If I have to overcome deficits caused by something to have a relatively normal life, then no, I'm not going to make that a significant part of my identity. I can only speak for myself, of course, and some people go too far in the opposite direction (hyperbolic language describing autism as an "epidemic" helps no one), but it's just not something that's at all positive for me.