Do you feel fragile/vulnerable?

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I'm a bit tender on the inside, but I don't show it much.

It's a bit complicated, because I'm vulnerable to some things that others find innocuous, while on the other hand I'm not vulnerable at all to things that other people take very personally.

For example, I remain unfazed when people criticize my beliefs or opinions, no matter how harshly (so long as it's honest). In fact I encourage it, because I like discuss such things. Other people tend to get visibly upset or even hostile when you put their ideas under the most basic scrutiny. I don't understand this reaction. I suppose intellectual honesty and rigor make most people feel vulnerable?

On the other hand, a lot of people these days like to make "playful" jokes about people that just come across as mean and rude and hurtful to me, but are apparently socially acceptable to a lot of people. Any attempt whatsoever to discuss these matters on an intellectual level are scoffed at. I've learned to just keep my mouth shut in these situations, but it perplexes me nonetheless and makes me feel quite vulnerable.

I think there may be some confusion here about the meaning of the word "vulnerable" as used in terms of disability and mental health. In health terms, a "vulnerable adult" is one who is potentially at risk if targeted by people with negative intentions or who has some difficulties managing life independently. By definition, people with AS have social difficulties, and are therefore vulnerable in this sense because they are more easily manipulated, bullied, misunderstood, etc., as well as being less independent than others. This kind of vulnerability is "almost mandatory" because it would be rare (though not impossible, depending on the coping strategies developed) to come across someone with severe enough symptoms to be diagnosed who is savvy enough at navigating social situations that they are not socially vulnerable.

Most people seem to have responded to the thread in terms of the more general use of the word "vulnerable" which is usually used to describe emotional vulnerability. I don't think that is the sense intended in the excerpt the OP quoted. Though it's hard to say for sure with just that quote, it makes more sense that it is using the meaning above.

Having said that, I think emotional vulnerability is also common among autistic people, as we tend to lack the emotion regulation system that NTs have. This means that, much like sensory sensitivity, an autistic person is likely to be either emotionally hypersensitive (easily overwhelmed my emotions, hence meltdowns, shutdowns etc) or emotionally hyposensitive, feeling little emotion at all. I am in the former category and have always struggled enormously with overwhelm, anxiety, guilt, etc.

On an off-note, qawer -- I've seen many of your polls around on the forums by now, and while they are usually interesting, I often find myself unable to answer most of them because you frequently present far too many options at once. Many times -- and this is one of them -- the degree of actual difference between the options is negligible and only serves to confuse. I can't think of any particular advantage to having such extreme granularity, and would suggest making simpler polls in the future.

</unsolicited advice>