Do you think that Elitism is a problem in the WP community?

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Garyww, why are people saying it's a support site? If no one ever said it was a support site I would never have guessed on my own...

Who's attacking other members in this thread? I don't think a single person who has posted in this thread has a problem with depression.

Well, TheDoctor82 for one. Look through the thread, you will see posts attacking other members.

I thought you meant somebody relevant was attacking other members. Most of us here judge other members opinions on a somewhat weighted curve as to the impact their posts may have on world in general. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

I don't know if he's relevant or not. But is that really an excuse? He seemed like a legitimate poster to me. But maybe you're right...Another thing, if he is, in fact, irrelevant, why does it seem like he's getting support on this thread? He practically attacks people and yet he gets supported? He is pretty much saying to us that our misfortunes are our own doing and it's our fault. A certain percentage of that might be true, but it's not entirely. Anyway, reading his post made me feel a bit degraded.

I challenged the person in question. I think most people don't support his well known opinion about these matters so they basically ignore his statements. Some people who are HFA or AS do excell in certain areas and are very successful financially but they generally don't brag about it. Anyway success is a relative thing and can be measured in dozens of different ways and most of us know that.

"Life is what you make of it." -- Fnord

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Maybe the OP should post more to contribute a voice, if he/she wants to shape out the board sounds, instead of just starting with criticizing others?

Adding an empathetic voice or defending against an elitist stand, would be interesting.

The OP should pipe up and post a comment when he thinks someone is being elitist, instead of just complaining about elitism indirectly.

Everyone comes onto a discussion with their own personal bias, and you have explained yours. Frankly, I'm sick of going through life being condescended to and walked all over by NTs who only have more social skills and executive function than I do, but who generalize their superiority to all kinds of imagined talents.

Maybe I'm sick of all the untalented, shallow and game-playing NTs who imagine they're so much better than me just because they have social skills. We live in a world where stupidity is less important than social skills. The white collar world is full of people who are better at getting power and getting ahead than they are at doing their jobs competently.

I'm sick of being told that social skills is the end-all and be-all of human existence, or that people who are so dominated by their difference that they see nothing but disability and illness in the way they are.

Maybe you are mentally ill, and perceive yourself as primarily impaired and damaged, but that is your bias and personal slant on the condition. You can view your AS however you want. You shouldn't project that onto others, by demanding they talk within your comfort zone.

There's "elitism" and then there's the self-defeating thing that some people do which is to make a monolithic edifice out of their "illness". It's one thing to come on here with an "I'm damaged" view of AS, but it's another thing to go after those who don't talk your talk.

late in posting on the thread but agree that elitism is a problem on WP.
the most common elitism am see is towards autistics who aren't aspie,pro curists/pro choicers,the self diagnosed and NTs.
sometimes it's so extreme-and when they say they're speaking for everyone else isnt true,it gives a bad view of the community to any new users or lurkers who don't know much about here.
don't want to be a part of a group where users campaign that they're better than everyone else because they're more able and less affected,because they aren't pro cure/pro choice,because they're diagnosed,because they're not NT...and enter another elitist favourite here.
but,luckily-the whole community is not an elitist one,that is only a minority.
Ignorance can also look like elitism,when really the user just doesn't have much understanding of what the subject is.

WP is a support site. The header says "The online resource and community for Autism and Asperger's". Communities are support sites. That's what they are. It's human nature to need support from other human beings, not flaming or trolling or just plain ignorance. Of course, none of us are perfect, so we all fall down on the support side of things from time to time even when we're trying. And it appears that some of us here are not even trying. But I suppose all communities are like that, with some of the people doing most of the community work.

I have a problem with the whole elitism thing, too, but usually I just shrug my shoulders and say "defense mechanism". I get more upset when people get told they're not trying hard enough or they'd be successful. Exactly how hard are people supposed to try? Until we drop from exhaustion? The hundredth time? Sheesh. If you need to rant, go ahead and rant. But use rant markers, please, or use first person ("I feel ** when ** " rather than "All ** are **"). It makes it easier for other people to understand where you're coming from that way.

[I suppose that was a mild rant, and now people know how to push my buttons. Check my website for my personal story if you want background on my relationship with "community". It's the Glass Hill essay.]

KoR, always glad to hear what you have to say. Newcomers, some days here are better than others. It depends on who's hanging around.

Source for this, please? I and several other autistic people I know can be VERY sensitive to perceived insults, perhaps more so than is "typical." Not everyone who is autistic is like you. For me, sensitivity to insults can be especially true online, where I was repeatedly insulted and humiliated in forums when I was around 10-13, because I was younger than most other posters and didn't understand the social rules at all. I've always experienced autism as ultra-sensitivity, rather than the reverse. I, too, sometimes come across as harsh online, but that's because I'm strongly opinionated and don't always know how to express myself appropriately. I think the Internet can help with that problem, however, because you can look over your posts before clicking the "submit" button and even edit them later. I know I've offended people on this site, regardless, and I am sorry about that.

Just because this is a forum for autistic people does not mean that all rules of kindness and respect are void. These aren't NT rules, they're human rules.

We all have different needs. It seems to me that the OP and other complainers-about-elitists on this thread are just demanding that their world view be honored by everyone else as the valid one. Maybe some of us just need a place where we CAN speak freely without those kinds of "this is the right view" games, all the egotistical politics we find in NT world. Who wants constantly being reminded that we have "deficits" or "illness". I frankly don't think the existence of NTs is ideal for many people, just as I don't think that the existence of AS is a brain-damaged hell for some people. I don't agree with the OP and I don't like any threads that post complaints about "problem" people who have contrarian views.

I haven't seen a problem with high functioning or high I.Q. AS attacking other AS, but I sure have seen problems on this site with people attacking the pride, talents and high-falutin' ideas of high functioning or high I.Q. AS. It's also difficult to carry on a discussion of AS talents and achievements without getting attacked by the negative crowd.

There is room for many kinds of neurotypes in the AS community discussion. Picking on those who have "elitist" attitudes is just as bad as picking on low-functioning AS and pretending their words are less valuable than others.

In general, I am out off by any thread that has as its theme: "A complaint about some of those [fill in the blank] problem people around here". I think there's too much personal focus and ad hominem resentment going on here lately and it has chilled discussion.

Yes, I think there's a huge problem with elitism at WP.....however, not all feel this way and also, not all of us would describe it the same way. I've been emotionally beaten to a pulp by NTs and virtually left for dead....so when members here try to do the same thing to other members, it makes me sick...I mean headache, nausea, drained of energy---sick. Sometimes when I come to these boards, I leave feeling worse than when I arrived....Other times, it's a boost to come here...

Whether it actually is or not....I think WP should be both support as well as discussion site. If 60% of the members here have been so hurt by NTs that they need to vent, so be it. This is one of the few places we can go to discuss our hurt and torment...and the more critical members, you need to just deal with it, back off, and keep your mouths shut when you can't be supportive or give encouraging feedback..This holds true for The Haven even more so.

There's a phenomenon here which some have called socialized Aspies....what this means is Aspies who emulate NTs....Aspies who bully and degrade and play the pecking order games. It would probably be impossible to prevent this sort of thing happening from time to time....but when it happens on a regular basis like 5 or 6 times a week.....Then we need constant reminding to be a tad more gentle with each other. Not sure, but guess that's what the OP is doing... Aspie bullies seem to zero in on new members and this should be discouraged... When an Aspie bully sees a vulnerable new member, they swoop in and begin an intensive feeding frenzy...Those of you who do this should be ashamed of yourselves...I agree with OP on that. You know who you are, and my advice to you is to refrain from this kind of activity until the new member has at least gotten their feet wet...let's say 4 months or 400 posts, whichever comes first. Would you say that is fair? You need to reign yourselves in, be more reasonable and compassionate--particularly with new members. Deliberately provoking new members, I believe, should be against the rules.

On the other hand, seasoned members....those who've been here for more than 4 months or 400 posts....realize that people are people...which includes Aspies. ...There will be some members you think are jerks and others whose commentary you find valuable...This is human nature. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to abide by the rules--whatever that involves.

So, what is the proper balance?.....Remember to be careful judging a person before you have walked a mile in their moccasins..

And if you can possibly manage it---Do try to be nice to the new members.

I have no problem with people talking about their achievements. What bothers me is when they compare me to them and say "anyone can do what I did if they work really really hard and stop whining" as if we are cookie cutter people and exactly alike. Another thing I dislike is the AS typecast. I believe in variations. One person's AS could be another person's NT.