Aspergian vs. Aspie?

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I'm uncertain as to what we should be calling ourselves: aspie or aspergian. I heard John Elder Robinson use it in his blog posts and books. I like and respect JER and I think that Aspergian sounds more dignified than aspie. What are people's thoughts?

It's not either or.

"Aspergian" on formal occasions.

And "aspie" among friends.

I am a real outlier. Aspergian sounds elitist to me.

I identify more as Aspie-Autistic or even Gillberg-Aspie these days. I say just plain Aspie or just plain Autistic also. It depends on the thread/situation. I view Aspergers as not separate condition but a subtype of Autism. I find the Gillberg diagnostic criteria for Asperger better describes me then the DSM criterias a f

I don't know how people get "Aspergian" from Asperger. The correct adjective should be "Aspergerian". Just like the adjective from "Wagner" is "Wagnerian", not "Wagnian".

I never use the term "Aspergian", it grates on me a bit.

I don't mind "Aspie". I don't mind autistic, except that most people I know (fellow Australians) are thinking of something more severe than Asperger's when they hear that word, so it might too melodramatic if I used that word.

I use both. Aspergerian is difficult for me to say.

They both suck, and you should feel bad for thinking anyone should be called either of those.

I don't really like either, to be honest. I'm a person who happens to have Asperger's Syndrome.

I prefer and use the term "Aspie."

Aspie is easier to spell.

Aspergian is honestly foreign sounding and doesn't sound right.

I use all of the following to refer to myself: Autie, aspie, Autism Classic (Trademark), sperglord, sperglet, sperg, autistic crusader, the hottie autie...

Yeah, I'm a bit sarcastic.

Aspergian sounds obnoxiously pretentious. I would never use it.

I use Autistic or Aspie in my conversations.

In other words: you're a "ret*d".

That's the label that you're telling us that you want.


Why is that ?

If you really are an aspie then the option to be "free of a label" is impossible.

The only options are: (1) labels like "aspie", or "aspergian", of "HFA" on one hand, and (2) being labeled something like "ret*d", "weirdo", or "sicko", on the other.

SInce you are denouncing the first group of options then you are embracing the latter group of options. Its as simple as that. One or the other. You know full well that there is no third option.

So why do like being called (and calling others) "ret*d" and "sicko"?

Last edited by naturalplastic on 14 Oct 2014, 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I like Aspie. It's easier to spell and remember for me than the other one. I'm not diagnosed with AS, but I have a friend who is, and I refer to him as an aspie to others. It makes more sense to me than the other because I've probably used it for so long.

I don't really have a preference, despite my screen name. I haven't really used either term outside of this board.

I believe in calling people what they want to be called (aspie, aspersion, autistic, autistic person, person with autism, etc.). I only when a problem when it's NT's telling autistic people what terms should and shouldn't offend them. In the same way, as a white man, I won't tell people of other ethnicities or genders what to call themselves.

Where did you get that implication? I'm not following you at all. Honestly, I and anyone else in this thread can refer to themselves to whatever they want. I call myself a sperglord all the time and that's a term that's usually deemed pretty offensive. Should I have to censor my own personal way that I view, joke and deal with my problems because you have a problem with it? If you don't want to be called something, that's fine, and we will not call you that, but don't butt into people's lives who really don't care. Clearly not everyone views things that way so it's unfair and frankly inappropriate to assume that others should all follow your dogma of naming.

I have no idea why you think that the term "aspie" or "aspergian" could even be linked to "ret*d" or "sicko", and that goes for both of you lot. But if that's how you feel, then fine, we won't call you an aspie or an aspergian. We will, however, continue using the term that we feel comfortable with, because we all have a different perspective on these things, and most people would agree that both terms are fairly mundane.

Please correct me if I am simply misunderstanding, but honestly I find it quite disruptive to suggest that those who don't mind being referred to by informal terms are somehow in the wrong, delusional or otherwise inferior.

In the real world you get labeled.

Everyone not just aspies.

If you are an aspie then the world labels you as a ret*d or something else derogetory. Because of your aspie traits thats what you get labeled.

But you now have the option of getting soft labels like "aspie" nowadays.

But the person i was responding to rejects the soft labels. So by default he is accepting the hard labels.

Simple.

Whats to understand?



So its either embrace "aspie" or submit to being called a ret*d.

And your label of "sperglord" is the kind of thing I embrace ( its just a variant of aspie) and the guy i was responding to dislikes because you're labeling yourself by your disabiity -god forbid). I am arguing FOR your pov that its cool to label yourself with some varient of the word aspergers. He is apparently opposes any kind of label. My point is labels are inescapable.