Thoughts on folks using "Autisim" as an Insult?

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Thoughts on folks using "Autism" as an Insult? Also how do you handle it? I don't wanna set back & do or say nothing.

It's pretty ridiculous that people use "autism" an an insult, although it seems to be happening only recently. I personally shrug it off, even if I'm directly talking to that person online. I don't feel personally hurt that I want to tell them I disapprove or talk about it, that just isn't me.

I find it slightly annoying because it is used as a synonym for stupid, and I do not view stupidity as an inherent trait of autism. If they are going to use autism as an insult then at least make it a synonym to something related to autism, like social awkwardness.

P.S. here is a URL to a similar topic posted about half a year prior viewtopic.php?t=357549

This is a Neurotypical way if attempting to move other neurotypicals to impassioned reaction in my experience.
If you are AT and find it aimed at you I suggest you own it, since we're probably the next stage of evolution still working out the bugs. A lot of people think so, many of them are professionals who are specialists in Autism and I am not the first to say it, it's not mine.

it's for them. It's not as if we don't ever get angry and want to call people names... we just tend to point out actual flaws when we do. I am not sure if it's nicer to to opt for this approach and more cruel to point out nothing ...not clear to me. In general I avoid conflict, but when I must defend myself I just point out the self evident because it never asks for logical defense.

Hope it helps.

I think owning it instead of running away from these insults as is too often done today is a good thing.

I think the people saying we are the next stage in evolution or whatever are overcorrecting all the wrong done to us over the years. We should not react to supremism done to us by doing it back to them. It feels good, very good in the short term but that is all it is, it is not a solution.

I know it is wrong.
Thinking back at what a kid i was and constant experiences neurotypicals typical traits caused me, to be short makes me suicidal.
I can't cope with the fact that society will treat me like garbage for being not even that different, while expecting me to perfectly accept them, who are extremly complicated and irrational.
Engaging autism surpremism is so difficult to resist.

I’d say it is the next stage in human evolution. We have flaws, yeah. But - more of the people who progressed the world had aspergers.

We have a sharper eye for detail, we can focus really hard on one subject and become an expert in it, we have enhanced hearing and other senses (this one pains Superman and Daredevil as well).

That’s evolution.

With that said, we’re the prototypes that keep plopping over onto the ground still. In generations to come though, I think people will have more in common with us than general NTs. Although highly flawed, it’d be interesting to see how many boomers have aspergers compared to millennials.

How would you measure boomer autism rates vs millennial rates?. Not diagnosed rates but #ActuallyAutistic rates. In order to check for evolution you would have to measure not just rates find but people becoming “more autistic”.

Statistics. How many boomers have it vs how many millennials have it - do later generations have it more than earlier generations. Would show it’s becoming more prevalent. With that said, impossible to do now basically since many boomers are undiagnosed.

If it was evolution I’d expect later generations to have it more. However, since evolution takes a very very long time to occur any changes or advancements would be impossible to analyze since it would be very small.

Consider that autists aren't specifically doing well at reproducing.
Alot of evolution, also outside of humanoid species, happens by illogical instincts, social drives or sheer luck.
Good traits often get lost, bad for survival still have a chance to prevail.
Most of previous decisive human evolution happened before our modern world, now the world is completely different and evolution was left as it is, we have no statistical data to confirm anything.

An acquaintance of mine, a healthcare professional, who I work with regularly and have known for ten+ years, was having a moan last week about her boss.

She said the woman must be "on the spectrum" (as an insult).

I replied "What do you mean?" (as if I don't know) and she answered "You know... Mental... Autistic.. (and poked her head)".

To which I answered "I'm Autistic" (and you haven't noticed this? gosh I must be doing a good job)

And she then went on to explain to me that "Everyone's a bit autistic. I'm a bit OCD myself"

[Grrrrr]

How would you accuratly compile statistics on boomers when a substantial number of us will die undiagnosed or misdiagnosed?

As I stated in the text (bolded) it’d be impossible to do so. Thus, it’s a purely wishful scenario similar to how I’d like to see a cow fly - while I’d like to, it isn’t possible.

The most accurate statistics would come from the two generations after the millennial generation.

Oh, this...
I used to be upset about it and try to say back something along the lines of "most people on the spectrum are probably much more intelligent than you!" but nowadays I just kind of sit back and go "ah, what a moron!" inside my head when people use autistic as an insult. Honestly, I think it's much more common on the web though than verbally. I have only ever corrected and said something back to someone when it has been verbally because; a.)that's not right. b.)that's incredibly distasteful and c.)that's offensive! ;w; I just wish people would stop. I think someday this trend will die out, though. Someday soon, probably; considering aspies are more and more common with each new year and decade.

Super agree with this, I might be more offended if it wasn't usually so laughably off-base. Most of the times, It comes primarily from people just not having a clue what autism actually is. It's probably not worth your effort to try to argue with and correct every person who uses the term improperly, but we can keep gradually spreading information and hope that results in future acceptance.

P.S. In my online competitive gaming days, people would commonly throw the insult "autist", implying someone was bad at the game. I thought this especially ironic since I knew that a lot of the others who played the game at the highest level were neurodiverse like me, and if anything it should've been a compliment in that specific context.