4 ms·
"Autist" is a term (usually pejorative these days) for people on the autism spectrum, most of whom are not creepy weirdos.
by chc 5y ago
"Autist" is a term (usually pejorative these days) for people on the autism spectrum, most of whom are not creepy weirdos.
- jhgb 5y agoYes; objectively nobody is a creepy weirdo because it's a cheap, nebulous, meaningless term. Yet for some reason there seems to be no shortage of people using it to designate people who are just different in some way.
- mrtranscendence 5y agoI don’t think “creepy weirdo” is meaningless. It may not be precisely defined, but that applies to lots of things that are still meaningful. At the very least “creepy weirdo” connotes something entirely different from “genuinely pleasant dude”. It’s also not fair to say that I used it to designate someone who is “just different”. I suspect many folks would call me pretty different, but no one has ever to my knowledge called me a creepy weirdo-slash-asshole because I don’t do creepy assholish things. Finally … “autist”, really? Being on the autism spectrum does not excuse any and all behavior. There’s a social uphill battle for some folks with autism, yes, but uphill battles are a fact of life.
- jhgb 5y ago> I don’t think “creepy weirdo” is meaningless. It may not be precisely defined, but that applies to lots of things that are still meaningful. Compared to "legally blind" or "Type 1 diabetic", it's virtually meaningless, on the level on "a person I don't like" -- quite literally. No, seriously, I don't see how it means anything more than that.
- mhh__ 5y agoRMS also says he isn't autistic IIRC
- dragonwriter 5y agoThat doesn't stop supporters of his behavior who want autism to be an excuse for antisocial behavior that they support from attributing autism to him.