Autistic as an insult

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I've been coming accords this one a lot lately. I'm not sure if they're literally saying "You have autism and that's bad" or if they're just using autistic as a synonym for foolish but either way it's bad.

I know that using "ret*d" as an insult is becoming taboo but in a way autistic seems worse, partly because a more specific condition and partly because it's still used as a medical term. Yes I realise that "ret*d" and even "moron" used to be medical terms.

I wonder what kind of experiences people have had with ASD folks that inspired them to use "autistic" and even "aspergers" as insults.

Perhaps one day doing this will be taboo but it isn't now.

I heard someone on the phone at work doing this - he was referencing a subcontractor they didn't want on their team because he was incapable. I heard him saying "yeah he's very ... high functioning, if you know what I mean."
Meaning he was "autistic" and that's why he was crap at his job.

I've obsessed over the fact that so many SJWs say they're accepting of all minorities and then go on to use autism as an insult. Somebody on Reddit phrased it well when they said people don't yet feel secondhand oppression toward us.

When they say "all minorities" they mean some. I don't think we're on their list of approved minorities.

"ret*d" was a medical term; "ret*d" has always been an insult.

We're invisible and our very disability precludes the likelihood of our fighting back.

Ironically, simple logic dictates: Any sexual orientation which A) Does not contribute to the natural propagation of the species, and B) consists of only a tiny fraction of the overall population is: ABNORMAL.

Abnormality is an ANOMALY, a random accident, therefore any condition of the brain that causes this psychological condition is a NEUROLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION, meaning LGBTs and Autistics are all in the same mental health boat.

Yet, are we treated as their spiritual brothers and sisters? Nope. Because they live under the Leftist delusion that their condition cannot be anything but "normal." That claim of "normality" feeds the illusion that they are a much larger "minority" than they actually are, thus gives them a bigger voice in the media, while those with Autism, as a "diagnosable neurological dysfunction" are conveniently treated as sporadic freaks and given no voice at all.

Unless you count Autism Speaks, which actually only speaks for disappointed parents who think of their autistic children as burdens to be purged from society by a "cure." The real voices of autism are few and far between and not getting much attention.

LBGT has a large presence in the creative world and society has always been more tolerant and even expect creative types to be "weird". Even in the puritan '50's "flaming" Liberace was popular. The conservative "Reagan era" '80's of was the also the era of the "gender bending" "Second British Invasion". Even though I think there are many autistics in the creative fields we are not stereotyped that way, instead we are stereotyped as the weird nerd you love to beat up. Many of the autistics in the creative fields were probably never diagnosed and since they are successful and most around them are also "weird" the thought of autism never occurred to them or those around them.

With their presence in the creative fields the gays get their LBGQT positive messages out.

That shows my ignorance then , I didn't know Transgender was a "neurological dysfunction" , I just saw it as being born in the wrong body , I've never really thought about it though.

I never saw transgender as a neurological dysfunction before I read about it either. I think will@rd's main point here is to prove most disorders we deem "psychological" actually have a neurological basis. So, transgender people have a inherently different brain structure that causes the "psychological" symptoms.

Thanks StampySquiddyFan

No problem (if that's what will@rd is actually trying to say lol).

Transgender is not a neurological dysfunction. It can be caused by gender dysphoria

Isn't gender dysphoria transgender? Sorry kraftie, but I might actually disagree with you for once on something (not meaning to be rude or offensive, of course). I think many disorders we deem "psychological" actually have a clear neurological basis. Take OCD, for instance. It is thought to be a psychological condition; an anxiety disorder. However, there are parts of the brain that are "wired" differently, such as the caudate nucleus and the basal ganglia. There is a distinct difference in how these parts of the brain "communicate". The line between psychology and neurology isn't very clear, I agree, but I think that as researchers continue to understand the brain and how it functions more, they will be able to see how some things we see as "mental illness" or "psychological disorders" will become part of the "neurological" category. Otherwise, autism, ADHD, and everything else we deem neurological would be "psychological" if we think of psychology as something relating to the mind. If we can see visible differences between an NT and an ASD brain, then it shouldn't be deemed psychological, in my opinion.

I hope you don't take this personally; it's just something I feel like needs better understanding and dedicated research before we go saying that disorders like OCD and autism (and even transgender) are "all in your head". Because they are not.

Transgenderism is usually, but not always, caused by gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is disenchantment with one's birth gender. Or is a feeling that one is a gender other than one's birth gender.

I believe psychological disorders could have a neurological basis; but I don't believe this is always the case. Just because psychological disorders are not purely neurological doesn't mean that these disorders are "all in the head." People almost always don't feel the desire to have a disorder, or are merely "making excuses."

I believe psychological disorders could either be purely neurological, partially neurological, or purely non-neurological. I would take it on a case-by-case basis.

As far as "nature vs nurture" is concerned, psychological disorders could emanate from either,

Thank you for explaining the difference between being transgender and gender dysphoria. I understand it better now .

I agree with you mostly on taking it case-by-case; but do you think that there is always at least a very slight neurological basis? It would explain why when two people go through the same traumatic event, one ends up with PTSD and the other does not. In my case, I feel OCD came from having an obsessive mind prone to anxiety, which emanated from my ASD.

Again, please don't let some dumb thing I write change what you think. I am not meaning to annoy or offend you .

I do agree that a psychological disorder usually has at least a slight neurological basis.

You're not offending me at all We're just discussing things. We are two separate people; it would be absurd if we always agreed.