A counterpoint to Autistic Supremacy? Autistic Inferiority?

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ChiefEspatier
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26 Feb 2024, 12:55 pm

By inferiority I don't mean that autistic people should embrace being "inferior"

All people are equal on a individual level. The trouble is that we in society occupy a vulnerable position.

We take inferior positions in the social hierarchy that ends up making us vulnerable.

In short we end up where we don't belong and don't know where we should be headed as individuals.

One of the key issue is that the entire discussion of social hierarchies is poisoned by certain perspective.

When we think hierarchy we are trained to immediately think of terms of oppressor victim narratives. Some people are on top and they're forcing us to the bottom etc. Or there's subconcious bias systematic bias etc.

Problem is it tries to imagine social hierarchy as a pyramid, when social hierarchies are in fact like a giant fractal tree with endless branches/stems leaves. It's not that climbing to the very top or bottom of the tree is good. What you don't want is to be is in a free fall. You want to have a good place on that tree where you can build your life.

The inverse of victim oppressor narratives is the naturalistic fallacy something is natural therefore it is good. I.e. we should embrace traditional hierarchies because they are known to work. In practice ignore the hierarchy altogether.

To me the doctrine of Autistic inferiority is realizing we're not at optimal position on the social tree. In fact we don't have a position at all because by literal definition an autistic person has immense struggles in navigating the social hierarchy.

The foundational obstacle is understanding that we need to work together and build ecological niches within our society. With working together for a common goal, being an absolute requirement for success.



ASPartOfMe
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26 Feb 2024, 1:46 pm

“Inferior” is central to the word “inferiority” so you are going to have problems getting your point across. “Disadvantaged” IMHO is a better term.


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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity

“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman