Originally a comment by Cluecat on An unwelcome queering of disability.
This has been a serious problem in many of the âAutistic Communitiesâ for some time.
Previously, the primary division was between the âAutism Warrior Parentsâ wanting everything set up to serve them, and the âActually Autisticâ groupings pointing out that autistic children will grow up to be autistic adults, who need a certain amount of representation and support that is focused on adult support needs rather than only young children â not âone or the otherâ, but both.
These groups did not get on. It was disturbingly common for a certain type of parent to behave as though everyone else was a naughty five-year-old and should just do what the parents told them to do, and stop kicking off about adults making decisions, because weâre too defective, the Normies know best. This included the various quack cures, and attempts to discredit the experience of the adults, since the Warrior Parents always knew best. As a result, a number of groupings split off to focus on various things.
Then there was the whole âShiny Aspieâ thing, where the association was with the brilliant âgeniusâ type (always male) who was just so brilliant he didnât have time for all that boring, trivial âsocial stuffâ. He was just so special, and didnât have any major support needs, so all that could be ignored. This is the variant that lots of people wanted to âidentifyâ with â the Outcast Genius, with the few âcool pointsâ that geeks could ever get.
This always ignored those who needed more support, who were never going to be Shiny Genius-types, who still have value but itâs never recognised. The ones who are always left behind by trendy Identitays, because âeww! Who wants to be like that?â
So many of us resent being held up as the Shiny Aspie type, because even when we can just-about function in the Normie world (at a considerable cost), itâs still a disability. Yes, itâs part of why Iâm good at what I do, for example, but it still affects everything. Thereâs a price, and it can be quite high. Some of us donât really see a big difference between ourselves, and our siblings elsewhere on the Spectrum. We know that it could have been us needing that additional support â itâs more about luck than anything weâve done, and we try to fight for the recognition of those support needs, because itâs not acceptable to leave our siblings behind. They matter.
The take-over by the Gendurr Brigade is perhaps unsurprising. If thereâs any group totally ill-equipped to fight off a coup by a bunch of Cluster-B nightmares and their supporting nitwits, itâs Autistics. We just canât deal with them. Combine that with the literal, black-and-white thinking that many are prone to, and the idea of someone promising that we no longer have to be stuck on the outside looking in. That we, too, could be heroes, even if just for one day. That we could be the in-group this time, the special ones, the Chosen Ones. Not everyone will be seduced by this â some of us understand that weâre really different and canât be magically âfixedâ, so we accept reality â but many will. Some will do anything to no longer feel broken and defective. To be cool, just once.
The sheer cruelty of promising that everything will be fixed if we just do what these people are saying is beyond belief. All these interlopers wanted the âcool pointsâ of the Shiny Aspie Genius, or the social lassitude to make âmistakesâ in conversations, to have people leaping to their defence if theyâre rude or cruel to others â âHe canât help it, heâs Autistic!â in those horribly righteous tones, and to re-establish âNo Debateâ as apparent attacks on Autistic people.
(Note that nobody will ever say âShe canât help it, sheâs Autisticâ about actual females. That leeway is only ever reserved for males. The one time it might be said is when the dude is wearing a dress.)
The takeover is complete. Those of us who understand reality are systematically hounded out of what were once âourâ communities, those who are looking for help and support for their loved ones (such as the example above) are ignored at best, attacked at worst. There is no community left for us.
The Gendurr Monster has swallowed everything.