autism is like skin color

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I was at a water park today, noticing tan lines. Noticing the environmental part of skin color. How one person can have very different skin color on different parts of their body, depending on how much sun they've gotten.

Yet, at the same time, there's a very strong genetic factor in skin color. (I'm thinking that doesn't require further comment. )

No matter how much I try, no matter how much sun I get, I'm not going to have the skin color of a black person. And if I try, I'll probably wind up with a sunburn.

Autism has genetic and environmental elements. The genetic component is significant. But, things we can control (like with skin color we can controll how much sun we get) can make a dramatic difference too. Harder to see, since we can't just look at two parts of one person, or two versions of the same person, at the same time and see the difference. Still, very real.

While considering your analogy, the many ways people consider themselves, others in general and each other specifically come to mind. Some folks seem truly "color blind" ... yet I would guess many are not, and especially in relation to themselves. Men and women alike often seem to sense some kind of need to tone their "color" before presenting themselves to others, and that can be quite challenging, if even possible.