The term "Aspie" is a deragatory slur in my book.

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Yeah, it can be treated in my view. I know I've gotten better over the years. You just have to develop new ways of thinking about socializing with others. Asperger's Syndrome is nothing to be proud of because it hinders your ability to function in society, whether it be with work, school, relationship, etc

That just means you've overcome it, good for you, it's still there though.

If you climb a mountain, it doesn't cause the mountain to disappear, it just means you can conquer it if you set your mind to it.

I like being in the Aspie Club

But unlike an illness or a physical disability, the former, not the latter, is appropriate, as several people have pointed out above. AS defines who a person is in such a global way that we are aspies, not just people with aspergers syndrome. I am a person with brown hair, high blood pressure, a little glaucoma, etc., but I am an aspie.

Dyspraxic, myrotopic (short-sighted) aspie with green eyes and dark brown hair.

You must be ashamed of Aspergers, don't be! It will be the best thing you could ever have!

If someone asks I'm going to start saying I'm autistic, just for the shock value.
I don't have much of an opinion either way on this, but It's short, and I like how it sounds. I don't use it though, so it doesn't matter.

The National (British) Autistic Society isn't keen on it: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=243&a=4293

Personally, I don't mind it, although maybe that's because a) I've never heard or read it in a less than sympathetic context and b) I've been called a lot worse. It is true that it's a term for something someone is rather than has.

The column sounds like it was written by some well-meaning people who are not on the spectrum.

Does anyone still believe that autistic children are so because of "refrigerator" parents?

I am not my condition.

I don't generally use the term outside of the aspergers community, but aspie was something that we chose to use. That is not the case with n****r, which was used by people who weren't black, and it was used in a negative manner. There's a difference there, because the emphasis of words infers a lot about what we say. n****r is strongly negative; aspie is likely positive.

- Ray M -

I agree. The term was made up by "us", so it's not really derogatory. I think it came into being because 'person with Asperger's Syndrome' is long to say, and could be seen as holding negative connotations. That it sounds 'cute' is probably by design. It takes the edge off.

Just like autie - certain words lend themselves more easily to the "ie".

I don't know why people feel they have to change the names of things all the time. There is nothing derogatory about it. If people don't' like the word they can use a different one themselves it all means the same thing.

I have seen black people greet other black people using the n word as an FYI.

Last edited by Iammeandnooneelse on 06 Jul 2006, 9:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

I completely agree 100%.

I always prefer to say that I have AS rather than call myself an Aspie. Yeah, it does tend to seem too cute and immature, and I already have come in contact with cruel NTs who don't understand and think I'm a ret*d or a freak. I'm absolutely NOT, I'm not nearly as dibilitated with it as some people, and what cruel people think is only their stupid ignorant mistake anyway. Yet at the same time, I don't want to make people's opinions like that more profound by giving myself a lable like "Aspie". It definitely seems to be something you would call yourself if you are proud to have AS and if you truely accept it - which I do not.

Most of the time I wish I didnt have AS because my life has been so hard for me.But... I also don't hate myself, in fact, I quite like who I am, and I have some really great friends who think I am a diamond in the rough as far as friends go. That I am unique in a truely good way. But they don't know how much it sucks with what I struggle with.

I guess I'm at a loss sort of, because AS is probably the reason for both my good and bad qualities. Still, I prefer to just think of it as I am who I am, and difficulties due to having AS. But not be one in the same thing as the disability by saying that I am AM Aspie.

Finally, according to that test I took, I am more Aspie than NT, but I am not like a 'full fledged Aspie'. Ofcourse, AS on the whole IS a spectrum, and not everyone has the same amount or has it in the same way. Yet I think that even as far as AS people go, I am probably a rarer type.




But I tell ya, political correctness is really a headacke and hard to keep track of! For instance, I used to always refer to people with Dwarfism as 'midgets', but I didn't realise they find that offensive. Apparantely they WANT to be called Dwarves. What? You mean like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves", who all have their little Knome-like hats and shoes? This is a LESS offensive word? Alright.... I thought midget literally meant a 'small sized person', but they prefer to be called a name thats right up there with Elf and Knome. So it beats me! I'll just call them 'vertically challenged'.

And the n***a' word is quite confusing to me. Apparantely its offensive but not if you ARE a black individual, than you call each other that. Huh? So it being offensive all depends on who says it? Well, I'm not really up on my history so this confuses me.

But yes, I'm not exactly proud of having Aspergers syndrome, and I sure don't want to be called an Aspie.

Oh and as for this link:

"Don't say: suffers from OR is a victim of autism"

What's wrong with that? I find that exactly accurate in my case. What? Is it just some COINCIDENCE that people with Aspergers syndrome are more prone to depression and despair? No? That is just a completely SEPERATE thing, and everyone with AS or Austim is absolutely PROUD to have it and don't mind at all that they SUFFER because of it? Hah! As if. Saying that we suffer from it may ATLEAST give people the right idea that this is a real condition, and not some made up excuse, and it is by no means easy to have it and we suffer from a lifetime of confusion and isolation in some cases.

I think, as far as saying whether an AS person suffers from it or not, it should not be used as a GENERAL explanation. I guess it all depends on the person in question that the article would be about. They could for instance use the example that so many individuals suffer from it, while so many others have learned how to take full advantage of their situation and turn it into a POSITIVE thing. It depends on the person. I personally though do suffer. I think that is accurate to say at this point.

But Austim might be a pretty different thing, I'm not sure. I'm not sure if people with Austim as apposed to AS are often sad.