Neurotypical Privilege

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I don't think NT people are privileged, and I don't like to see as in an unfair situation.

I didn't know AS existed until I was well into my college education. When I saw the list of "symptoms" (I don't know If they should be called like that") I fitted in them. For the first time I understood that there was an explanation for all my quirks. I then started trying to get myself formally diagnosed. I started talking to an old friend who was majoring at psychology. She did some research and said I actually seemed like a case of Asperger's Syndrome and told me she could see if she knew someone who could get me tested. She was very busy at the time and had a hard time following up on that. At first I was eager to see if I had AS, since it would explain all my quirks as a formally defined disorder; then after I thought about it, I realized there was no point in getting a formal diagnosis from a professional.

At that time I was already 20 years old. I was trying to get a degree in physics and I realized that having a diagnosis would not be helpful at all. I spent two decades working hard, learning to function, learning to compensate for my weaknesses. I had developed systems to live my daily life and some of them were so deeply ingrained in my head that they became inconscious habits. And yeah, I'm still quirky, I'm still a weirdo, I have a very hard time socializing. But I managed to get that far all by myself. A diagnosis would make no difference.

I've never seen myself as disabled. I've never thought that I was at a disadvantage compared to NTs. And I am happy things were not easier for me.

my comments in bold

Can someone post a short summary of neurotypical privilege and its relation to autism?

I can't understand this topic through the stuff about black people and poor people in this thread.

I think they are just enjoying the sparring and not really trying to make sense!

That's good to hear!

Those positive stereotypes can be harmful; an Asian kid, for example, may have dyscalculia (learning disability in math), but because Asians are supposed to be good at math be just called lazy instead.

I discuss it specifically here:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp5916748.html#5916748

Basically, the contempt for autistic behaviors leads to discrimination, even when the person doesn't realize it, and failure to realize one's skills.

That's good to hear!

Those positive stereotypes can be harmful; an Asian kid, for example, may have dyscalculia (learning disability in math), but because Asians are supposed to be good at math be just called lazy instead.[/quote]

Yeah I can certainly see that...its never good to assume someone has a certain ability just because they have a similarity to someone else.

But I also have contempt for certain neurotypical behaviors and maybe I also implicitly discriminate against people with these behaviors or lacking traits or skills similar to mine.

Socially speaking, autistics are neither dominant nor mainstream, so it's not like if a bunch of autistic people had this attitude, it would have much impact on neurotypical people.

On the other hand, neurotypical people having the equivalent attitude impacts the lives of autistics greatly.

You have to watch for the power dynamic.

Is there more to the neurotypical privilege idear? I haven't found much useful about it so far.

It explains why autistic people, especially adults, don't receive much in the way of accommodations, why we're often passed over for other candidates because of our social skills, etc., all leading to reduced quality of life on average for the community.

My attitude towards it says that even if I have Asperger's, I'd rather earn my opportunities than be all communist/socialist and buy into this PC, radical egalitarian "we want to be better than you" BS. We strive for equality, yes, but why does it need to be forced by lawmakers? I see it as a potential to ensure we are always at a lower position in society. Look at what affirmative action has done.

beneficii wrote:

Imo that fallacy can't appropriately be applied here, as there is no real point of the conversation to be deflected from except perhaps that by virtue of being neurotypical neurotypicals have some kind of privileges that autistic people may not have, which point almost all of the people here agree with. I surely do, though the message of one person who wrote recently that he does not think neurotypicals have such a privilege is kind of intriguing.

WHAT tactics???:-) And what topic? Racism???

Yeah, ha ha...well keep watching...

mm-hmm...and and did it ever occur to you that you yourself may be deflecting from the conversation, or are you are thinking right now that I am deflecting from the conversation by asking this?

I think what happened here is that the op made this thread with a question about how to find more information on a certain subject and there was also an implication that she would like some kind of discussion, and people find this kind of interesting, so are trying to shape a topic of discussion out of it in the direction of how they individually can hook into it, and some cannot hook into it because it is too general, but get it clear---there is not too much of a point to deflect from, though a conversation is developing and can possibly be developed further depending on where people go with it. I see you as trying to deflect me from enquiring into this topic and even trying to censor my speech by implying I am keeping other people from speaking, which is a total fallacy., but I'm not wasting a lot of time writing about this---just mentioning it.

Next, I think it would be helpful to look at functional value. You seem to think the general public should be educated to accept people arm flapping in public and acting odd (what neurotypicals consider odd:-) in general...or something like this....is this what all this comes to for you? If so, then why not just come out and say that in the beginning and skip all the convoluted talking about racism or whatever? We're already on page 15 here.

For what community? The autistic community or the entire community? Plus I'm not even sure its necessary to explain why, aside form the fact that this doesn't really explain it anyway.

And to btbnnyr, yes, it is good to look at things in terms of functional value. That is what ultimately separates the wheat from the chaff. Personally I think it is of limited value to look at things from the perspective of neurotypical privilege. I do not think the approach is ultimately that helpful to autistics, though I am learning something from enquiring into the topic. It has in some way engaged me, but the main fascination is watching people worm around taking responsibity for their own situation and their own behavior.

And I think if people see a person flapping his hands around in public, (which I have never seen and am in a big urban area and working with the public for forty years, seeings hundreds of people a day), the average person does know that person is autistic and does have some kind of compassion, but basically does not care one way or the other. They are too busy paying attention in their own lives and to their own world and making things work.

Do you have anyone in mind?

No....Just observing a general tendency. I think it has been pointed out by some others and myself that talking about racism was a deflection from the topic.

Now for an actual important question which you did not answer.
littlebee wrote:

To me this is an important question as the meaning of what you are trying to communicate about something that is obviously very important to you hinges upon it. And I genuinely don't understand which community you are talking about. It is not at all clear. Actually the fact that you did not answer this question would be to me an example of the kind of deflection I am talking about, but personally I don't think it is important who is deflecting but rather to see it happening and if oneself is doing it.

Here's how I see it: There is an unstated but implied proposition with which I in general agree---that autistic people are suffering (even more) because society is geared to a certain dominant group of people. I think most people here probably would tend to agree with that. But also implied is that there is some functional value in talking about this. I think there may be, but to find out what it is may mean giving up a generalized framework that is putting everything other people are doing to autistic people into a big lump, as if that will solve anyone's problems, though addressing some of this stuff individually and enquiring into it may.

I left this conversation originally because it seems to be kind of a non topic with not that much potential for enquiry, but came back when I read the paper this person quoted, as that was alarming to me and I wanted to at least comment on what I saw to be very fallacious reasoning.

I think people are interested in the idea of how privilege and subjective bias affects brain function and how community forms around it and can be formed There is actually such a thing as good 'bias' in terms of how an attitude can affect intent, though bias is not quite the right word. To me that is a very interesting topic with a great potential for transformation, but unless one factors oneself and one own thinking into the equation and kind of works backwards from the middle undoing ones own bias as one is paying attention, then it is not really world changing conscious interdependence but just reactionary.

One point I need to keep making again and again is that people can have this impartial attitude and be factoring themselves and their own behavior into the equation and looking at themselves and sometimes even turning the other cheek while at the same time fighting injustice done by others to themselves. By doing the former you do not have to give up doing the latter but can actually do the latter much more effectively.