Autistic or person with autism? SURVEY

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I also like to be polite and try to have manners and I have been called "Old-fashioned" on a number of occasions! Double edged sword that compliment, but it was meant in the nicest possible way so I'll take it. I agree with KK, the internet isn't a good place to find 'normal people'..... Thankfully, real life is a little bit better sometimes.

ZKYDZ I am happy that our 'miscommunication' was exactly that, I have done that myself sooooooo many times! I'm ever worse when I'm talking as I tend to wander off topic, "OOOh look a shiny thing!" Thankfully my colleagues now know what is happening and can guide me back.

Hahahaha.....I get that completely....

I want that shirt that says:
I don't have a short attent....
Oh! A squirrel!!

Not only was your response so appropriate, it now goes into my kitbag of 'looping references'. I just hope I can remember it. A good example is everything to me.

Oh, and I'm one of those guys that actually laughs when I find I am wrong....well, if I'm not too busy feeling sheepish about it.

Yeah, for you.

I don't care if I'm called ret*d (which can apply to me), crippled, spastic, or whatever. If it's used as an insult, I just insult them back.

I think for some people who are older it's more of an issue because they went through the whole Politically Correct movement. Native Americans call themselves Indians and aren't offended if you call them Indians too. It was probably some non-Indian person's idea to say Native American and probably some older non-autistic person came up with this protest as well. I'd really much rather be on the it doesn't really matter in the 21st century bandwagon. A lot of problems don't fade away because some people want to keep them active. Morgan Freeman said the best way to let racism fade away is to stop talking about it all the time.

I made a Twitter and have tweeted it. If you have Twitter I'd be grateful if you could retweet it, Http://Twitter.com/asdbyautistics. And if you have tumblr I'd be grateful if you could reblog one of the posts on the tumblr I made Http://Autismbyautistics.tumblr.com there are only two posts on the tumblr so it doesn't really matter which one you reblog but maybe the first post. Thanks

And the last time I looked there were 130 something respondents. Thanks to everyone who has answered so far.

Last edited by tetris on 19 Jan 2016, 7:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

I went with autistic person because I can't untangle the autism from the rest of me. It's an integral part. Also, the writer part of me thinks it sounds better, unlike the clunky 'person with autism', which also sounds like I have some kind of exotic disease.

As for the argument about semantics, I do get why people are big on inclusive and inoffensive language. Thoughts come out as language, but language can also shape our thoughts, about minority groups, gender and the like. But something has gone awry when the rules stop people from communicating because they're too damned scared of getting it wrong.

Good for you.

That's an excellent outlook.
I would beg to differ on a couple of points.

My FAther is southern to the core. Ain't a mean bone in his body and I've never seen him be disrespectful to any race or religion. He just goes at like a good litle Aspie and wants things done right without worry about who is doing it.

But, crap....the language that comes out of his mouth sometimes. It's never directed at someone, but it just comes out.

Yesterday he told me he was going to mail something until he realized it was Martin Luther King day. He said he would have to do it because of the holiday. And, then, just like a naughty little boy said, "Aren't you proud I didn't say 'Top n****r' day?"

Ugggghhhh......

I can't see shaping the way I say things because of how Americans from the 1950's generation talk/talked. The last thing I want is some aspie telling me I can't call myself autistic.

???????

What does the '50s generation have to do with it? And, you don't think people from that generation are alive and well and Autistic as well?

And, who said an aspie was telling you what to call yourself?

I could not have said it better. Unfortunately, so many people get pi$$ed off about the PC part that they ignore the rest...which just leads to more anger, misunderstanding, and so on. Calling someone "PC" has become an insult now--and not the unintended kind.

It's become an insult because the PC crowd has gone to far in forcing simplistic ideas and are many times insulting themselves.

While the intent is good, the execution of the idea has been totally bastardized and really doesn't take into account actual differences.

Here's how language can change just over distance:
Cooter (Noun) -- North American river turtle

Cooter (Slang) -- female sexual anatomy

Cooter (Nickname) -- Popularized by TV as a funny redneck nickname

Cooter (Name) -- Town in Missouri

Cooter (Name) -- Proper surname

So, if that one word can mean so many different things (and most places have no reference other than their local variation) how can there be any sort of agreement on terminology that will please everybody?

Don't be offended on how I refer to myself and don't tell me how to refer to myself. And, quite frankly, it don't come up in general conversations.

The OP was talking about old fashioned terms like cripple, spastic etc. You gave your dad as an example. So I was thinking somewhere around the 1950's give or take. I know people from that generation are a live and well. It's just that I'm not too keen on how I say things being shaped based how people said things way back when or still stuck in that mindset. No one said an aspie was telling me what to call myself, I'm just saying I would not care for it if one did.

Gotcha...thanks for clearing that up. Here's what's funny to me since I seem to be in the middle between yourself and my father's generation:

I see both sides wanting to be taken on their own terms and not by the way the other may communicate. Arrrrgggghhhh....that's bollixed up...can you make heads or tails of it? I'll percolate it and maybe come back with a better phrasing....
But, thanks...I got lost there.......and then lost again.......

This is an interesting website:

http://www.identityfirstautistic.org/

Going through the website. But I like this quote from the landing page:
"I don't have autism. I am Autistic." (Italics is theirs, no editorializing on that)