Anyone not proud of having AS but accepts it as identity

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I'm not a person who's proud of having AS, but I feel like it part of my identity. I guess it's because I found people that were like me and have something in common here on WP. There are people who base their identity on their nationality, career, gender, status in society, anything really. Anyone here like that?

I don't get the whole "pride" movement in general.

Certainly, if something is 100% natural and normal (like being African, Asian, etc.) there is no reason to be ashamed of it, but "pride" generally goes up people's noses. If you're so proud to be African, move back to Africa.

It'd be the same if an American expatrioted to another nation and went on about how proud he was to be American. It's one thing to not be ashamed about where you came from, but people get uppity if you shove it in their face (which is how a lot of people interpret pride movements.

AS is a neurological difference that is classified as a disability. If you want to see it as a gift to brag about, fine, but a lot of people won't see it that way, and I find pride movements create more division than unity. Nobody with AS should be ashamed of their lot in life, but a pride movement over it seems dubious at best.

sometimes i wish i were NT but than I would not be special

I'm not proud of having Aspergers. I don't get why I should be. I do see AS as a big part of myself however, and accept that. What I am proud of is not my AS, but my achievements.

AS is the reason I think a lot of things the way I do, it helps one see certain things that NTs don't just like NTs see things we don't. I wouldn't give it up at all.

Aspergers is a part of me. I do not know where it ends and the rest of me starts, or if there is even such a divide. I am an aspie, I'm not proud of it, it's just a fact.

Yep the whole "proud to be aspie" really irks me, especially when it gets toward aspie elitism. I find it incredulous that some folks on WP joyfully congratulate those who have just received a positive Dx as if it is something to aspire to,

The day I received the Aspergers Dx years and years of constant (at least every 5 minutes) suicidal ideation stopped. The discovery of AS helps to explain why I have screwed up so many wonderful opportunities by alienating people.

I fervently wish that I did not have aspergers, but that being said if the psychologist was to ring up and say 'sorry mate I got it wrong, you are not on the autism spectrum' that would be devastating.

Having the Dx of aspergers gives my life understanding. The journey over the last 2.5 years has been quite confronting at times, as I have had to re-evaluate the pre Dx perceptions of what 'people had done to me'. So no I do not rejoice about having aspergers but I am very, very, relieved to have the Dx and therefore an answer.

I echo the same opinion as zer0netgain. I just really don't understand the whole "identity" concept, to me it only makes matters worse...

I am not proud of having AS, nor am I ashamed. It's just part of who I am, and as such is part of my identity. It's just a fact. Discovering I had it was, as Dent said, a major relief and a source of understanding of what has been wrong with my life forever. Yes, I'd change it if I could, but I can't so there's no point in banging my head against the wall about that. I don't get the "pride" thing either...I wish I didn't have it.

~Kate

I am not really proud of it.....that would make about as much sense as being proud that my hair is brown, the way I see it the only things one should be proud of is their accomplishments.

I'm not proud of it, and I'm not ashamed of it either.

I doubt I would be the same person without it, and I happen to like my personality well enough. I don't see why I would be proud of it though. I'm just me.

AS is 100% natural and normal. Autistic pride isn't necessarily about calling it a gift to brag about.

Your example is bad. If African-Americans have black pride, they're... still Americans. Having an emotional attachment to your heritage doesn't mean you lose your citizenship. It's not a - pardon the expression - black and white, either/or consideration.

Also, I am not sure your example makes sense. I have heard many many expatriates talk about where they come from with pride and affection. Emigrating doesn't mean you have to hate your first home.

To explain what "pride" in this context is, since people seem to take it rather literally:





Autistic pride is intended to be in a similar context: It's about countering and negating shame, not presenting autistic people as superior to neurotypicals. Some apparently do use it that way, but that's not the intention. A blanket condemnation because of specific misuses makes no sense.

And I have to disagree with the accomplishment thing: Pride in being autistic, or black, or gay, or whatever isn't just about how you were born, but what you've done because of or despite your personal challenges and the crap society tends to dump on you just for being who you are.

I am not specifically interested in autistic pride, but it seems appropriate to criticize what something is rather than criticize incorrect definitions and assumptions.

Last edited by Verdandi on 26 May 2011, 11:59 am, edited 2 times in total.

I find the idea of taking pride in something which I was born with and have not accomplished myself, weird.

I can't take pride in being white. I can't take pride in being female. I can't take pride in being Aspie. All those things were accidents of birth.

I do enjoy how I am able to single-mindedly concentrate on a single task for up to 18 hours at a stretch without any breaks.
I do not enjoy how people perceive me as shy or quiet, just because I can't manage to figure out how to jump into a conversation in a group without it being awkward.
I do enjoy how I am able to remain always rational in any argument without resorting to other types of tactics (bullying, cussing, throwing a fit, threats, ultimatums, etc.).
I do not enjoy that I have always, from early childhood, been a bully magnet and as of yet have found no way to stop it.

So it's really been a mixed bag of blessings and curses for me. I always get along great with other Aspies, which means in general I like Aspieness in others and even seek it out. It's not something I'm ashamed of or hate about myself. But to take "pride" in it would mean, to me, that I had deliberately cultivated these traits through my own efforts. I (mostly) like being me but I reserve pride for personal accomplishments that took some effort on my part.

I'm not proud of having AS one little bit. I read up on Autism all the time, and I still don't understand it. I know about the symptoms and everything, but it's about the symptoms is what I don't understand. Yeh, difficulty with social cues is understandable, since that is basically what ASDs are about. But things what are totally unrelated to social interaction, like sensory problems with noise - I mean, why all this extra problems? And AS seems to make it look like you've got every single mental condition in the world: OCD, ADHD, ADD, Dyspraxia, high anxiety disorders, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, and even Dementia (with the forgetting - not the actual disease). It's horrible!

So no, I'm not proud of that, but I suppose I've got to accept it as identity, otherwise I will never keep a job. If the boss doesn't know about my mental state, they will consider me stupid or useless or weird, then sack me. But at least if they are aware, they will expect a few social mistakes, and if they do sack me they can get into a lot of trouble, since I can't help having a disability. That is what the job centre told me anyway.

Verdandi already explained what I was going to. I used to take it literally as well and didn't get it. Then someone here explained it.

It's synonymous with self-respect, and as such (as stated above) an antonym for shame. This is a completely different definition from the one which is pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself.