To ask people not to use autistic as an insult

[moanieleminx]

Just that really. It is really not acceptable. I can't believe that people think it is, and then go on to try and justify their comments by claiming to have learnt things.

It is so harmful.

A quick read

www.google.ch/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/opinion/jonathan-victory-i-am-tired-of-people-using-autism-as-an-insult-1.4155089%3fmode=amp

I am autistic and I have never heard anyone use the term as an insult before.

Good, I am pleased to hear that you have no experience of that!

Sadly, not the case for everyone

There was a well-publicised example in 2006.

I'm awaiting assessment for autism and it makes me really uncomfortable to hear this now, but I have to admit I've used it in the past in a jokey way. I still hear it a lot from all sorts of people. I think the problem is that people think it's quite a mild, funny thing to say rather than anything insulting, so often people are surprised if you say it's upsetting. But I do think people are becoming more autism aware.

The more worrying thing to me is that it sounds like this woman really doesn't know much about autism (she calls it an illness too), so needs educating about the whole condition, not just that it's upsetting to use it as an insult. It's not acceptable for a politician to ignore neurodivergence, any more than it's acceptable to ignore other types of diversity.

@oddworld exactly!
Awareness is key! I think that by gently and politely asking people not to use the term, will encourage them to think about the power of their words, and what they are saying.

In an ideal world anyway.

I hope that the assessment goes ok for you.

Agreed. I've never heard it, but the number of times I've heard people describe other people or policies as "schizophrenic" is ridiculous. My Grandad suffered from schizophrenia from his mid-20s till his death aged 92. To hear people reducing his awful, tragic illness to a catch-phrase really upsets me

Totally. I have adhd and would be hurt if people used it as an insult. I have heard it used as an insult against me when someone knew I didn't have it.
I explained and they apologised.

There was a very unpleasant thread yesterday where this was a problem. My son is autistic and was horribly bullied by his 'friends' for it and struggles with ptsd and depression as a result. I have no time for people who use the term negatively.

Autistic
Schizo
Retard
Spastic

All excellent ways of advertising that you're an absolute shit (and as thick as mince).

I'd also like it if people stopped using autistic as a synonym for git (as in, the second someone is described as being generally unpleasant, 'oooh, maybe they're autistic?' )

All excellent ways of advertising that you're an absolute shit (and as thick as mince)

Sorry, I disagree about this. Like I said, I've called people autistic before for being e.g. a bit awkward or misunderstanding a joke. And when I was a child in the 60s and 70s, schizo was a common word for a two-faced person. It horrifies me now, but I don't think I was ever an absolute shit, just a product of the era I grew up in. I will freely admit I was completely ignorant at the time about both autism and schizophrenia, and unaware that this was offensive. So I learned and changed and was upset that I'd caused offense in the past.

Describing people as absolute shits, thick as mince, etc, is just antagonistic. These things come from lack of knowledge, and most of us have been there in some way. I'd be surprised Gliblet if you've never upset or offended someone through your own lack of knowledge. I know there are people who don't want to know, but like moanieleminx says, if you explain politely people are more likely to listen. It's the same whether they're politicians, neighbours, kids in the playground or anyone - surely the goal is to make them think and understand rather than antagonise them?

Btw thanks moanieleminx - I'm a bit nervous about the assessment. Hope it will go ok.

I never said i hadn't, but when it has been amply, regularly and reasonably explained that using a particular name, condition or label in a particular way causes offense and distress to others then I simply don't think its good enough to continue doing it purely on the basis that there are other things out there that offend people.

And yes, I am well aware of the psychology of giving feedback but on a forum like this I don'tfeel the need to make a case for changing the language someone uses if I'm primarily posting to agree with someone.

And sometimes the goal needs to simply be to tell someone in no uncertain terms that their behaviour is unacceptable, because no amount of persuasion, logic or reasoned debate touches the sides.

"Uh don't talk to me I'm feeling 'auty' today". I have heard and it gave me some angst.

You're not able to have a one of autistic day. You're just feeling something you're choosing not to own AND assuming something you know little about to use that phrase.

I've not heard it as an insult. But I have heard it used in this jokey fashion.

I suspect that autistic as an insult is more a US thing than it is in the UK. That's where I have seen it used as an insult.

It's very common (unfortunately) in online communities as well. I hate it, so trivialising - and, a lot of the time, focuses on one or two supposed 'symptoms' that don't encompass 99% of the experience of being autistic, so it's reductive as well as horrible.

Gliblet, I took this it a bit personally having said earlier that it's something I'd been guilty of in the past, so I felt like I'm one of the 'thick as mince' people you were talking about. But, yes, if someone has been told politely and not taken it on board, I'd definitely lose patience with the soft approach. I certainly don't think that 'its good enough to continue doing it purely on the basis that there are other things out there that offend people.' I'm sorry if my post offended you.

@oddworld absolutely not And likewise, but of a sore subject for me too - DH and DS are both autistic (hence the 'please stop using it as a synonym for arsehole) so I fully recognise how difficult it can be to work out if someone actually meant to be quite so rude/blunt. Professionally I also spend an inordinate amount of time mediating unnecessary disputes between people where there has been what to one person was a throwaway comment, that to the other person landed like a ton of rotting fish. So I'm definitely guilty of having less patience at times than I might

I don't tell everyone that I meet that I'm autistic (on good days I used to be quite 'good' at masking). I've had a couple of people who don't know I'm autistic say to me when discussing the unreasonable behaviour of family members 'I think they're got Aspergers', which I don't think they would have said to me had they known of my autism.

They are nice people though and are neither "shits" nor "thick".

I think because I've so often elicited a bad response from people because of my autism (being accused of being weird or stand-offish for example) I hate to see others written off as bad people.

Sometimes people won't understand the implications of what they're saying, or will say the wrong thing and I don't think that automatically labelling them ableist is helpful.

The difficulties I have because of my autism and my exhaustion from being judged for them means that I rarely leave my house these days. There is so little print space given to understanding autism and educating people as to how it can manifest, so to me criticising a few individuals for careless words feels like the wrong focus.

At the end of all that, I'll sum up by saying that no, autism shouldn't be used as an insult, but it is something that I have rarely come across, whereas horrible behaviour towards people who are autistic or seen as 'different' is relentless.