Sick of the euphemism treadmill.

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I don't like "special", but I DEFINITELY don't like the OP's phrase "social ret*d". That's a horrible thing to call yourself. I may as skilled as some, but I some pretty good friendships. I recently got over a close relationship dating/sexual relationship and almost did have sex - after years of intense anxiety & depression, and some pretty bad hygiene for a long time medications (pharmaceuticals) can help. I know that I have more anxiety, paranoia, and depression than is average for Asperger's, so meds really did help for me. But even those of you with lesser of those symptoms might find help in understanding so-called "NT" and having more of the empathy those with ASDs tend to lack. The meds along with therapy did for me.

If he finds comfort in social ret*d, more power to him.

i would like to empower "dork" the way gay people have empowered "queer" but i don't think it's going to happen.

Idiotsavant is my favorite,thats why Im Vermontsavant

In today's politically correct world I have watched perfectly valid terms (usually grammatically correct) for some idiotic term (often grammatically incorrect) latter an even stupider term that makes no sense at all. Take the term Handicapped which became Disabled which became Differently-abled! God what a mess.

One who is Handicapped must work harder to do something that others do more easily. An obvious example is of handicapping golfers and bowlers. This term perfectly describes a group of people in the country that are missing working body parts and others that find that they have extra difficulty in area of behavior.

When a computer program or part is Disabled - it does not function at all! therefore a Disabled Person is someone who does not function as a person. Maybe one can describe arms or legs as disabled - However, I do function socially = yes, I do have more difficulty in doing so in a smooth and pleasant manner with NTs. So I totally miss the Disabled label totally.

As for Different or other-abled I have no idea on how to apply this that does not make the whole discussion a meaningless tail chase. I mean isn't everyone in the world different from everyone else in at least some ways.

It drives me nuts when people tell me that I have the Asperger's Disability - No part of my live can be said to be Disabled! True you can make an argument for a handicap in the social area but no matter how poor my social function is I still function - to the point of getting along in society. Most of the "normal" people could be described as Math, science or computer handicapped. NO ONE would think of calling them Disabled.

My objection to Aspie is in the "ie" as the end -- in the NT world ending a name of a group with "ie" is the equal to saying that that group is of no importance and may be ignored at will. If one must shorten the word Asperger's -- Asper is a much better choice -- Think about it -- Baby, Puppy, Cuttie all are not worthy of being considered in depth -- on the other hand Banker, Builder, worker do demand in depth consideration.

The term Asperger's is being dropped from the DSM-5. I have and am advocating that we take that word to use on ourselves.

I don't like the cutesy labels either, but you're perhaps shooting yourself in the foot by using a negative label. Having a positive attitude may not be logical, but if you can bring yourself to do it, it helps. I practice being kind to myself everyday and not only does it make me feel better, anyone that gives me a hard time about it immediately becomes the one that looks like a jerk.

The only real label is that you are ialdabaoth (or whatever your name). Anything else is an incomplete idea invented by others. Another option is to use as many labels as possible. I'm akward, goofy, clever, longwinded, inquisitive, shy, etc, etc. Maybe if you fill a page up you'll come close to describing an accurate picture of yourself.

Aspie - well, noone's ever understood it. Autistic - everyone fears the worst.

What's important, past whether I can sit quiet for two hours in your meeting, is whether I can pinpoint the point at which we can move your plan forward. And I can - once you're desperate enough to accept what you'd normally reject.

I think the etymology of the word 'autism' is inappropriate now that we know more about it. Auto means 'self' and 'ism' means 'system.' I don't like the word because it implies self-centeredness, and a lot of people seem to confuse it as such. I don't think that most people think in roots in a conscious way, but in a subconscious way.

Although I said I like the idea of reclaiming the word "ret*d", I also gotta add that I don't see "Autistic" or "aspie" as euphemisms. Autistic is a clinical label and technically more accurate than "social ret*d", while "aspie" is, I believe, a term coined by people with AS and reminds me of fandom names like "Trekkie" or "Brony" - a way to identify ourselves as members of a subculture. I don't have a problem with it - it can be a very powerful thing when a group begins to create its own lingo.

Something like "special", on the other hand, is a euphemism. It's applied by other people who think the truth is so horrible it must be concealed. It implies the people it refers to don't understand and can't handle the truth about themselves. Those sorts of words annoy me, too.