The Community Mobilizes to Drown Out the Latest Hate Speech From Autism Speaks
Sometimes I wonder if they think we can't hear them. But I know the truth: they just don't care
It's been referred to as 'Wrong Planet Syndrome' because many of us feel like we must be an alien from another place.
Where we come from people aren't so eager to invade your personal space in the name of "being friendly." We don't have an incessant need to fill every silent pause with idle chit-chat.
We try really hard to learn the social customs and rules of this planet. But many of them don't make any sense. And no matter how many times you practice, "Hi, how are you?" It never feels natural.
Many of us don't understand why you don't just say 'hi' when you mean to say 'hi.' Why ask it in the form of a question that is not actually a question?
Our brains are wired differently. And many of us are hyper-sensitive to sound, light, touch and taste. This is why we tend to get anxious in noisy restaurants, crowded places and shopping centers.
They say we have low empathy. What that means is we have a hard time understanding another person's intentions and internal mindset. When someone approaches me I have no idea if they are going to smile and say 'hi' or if they are going to take a swing at me.
The public, and some doctors, think this means we are cold, aloof and uncaring. That's not true. Most of us feel extreme emotions. We rarely show it though. And we usually have a hard time verbalizing it.
Some of us have a hard time knowing when someone is being sarcastic or joking. That's because the people who claim to be joking aren't actually saying something funny.
Can you imagine how difficult it would be to interact with friends, neighbors, coworkers and strangers if everything they said was strange and confusing? If their words didn't match their intent? If they asked how you are doing when they really mean hello? If their insults were always followed up with, "Lighten up, it's just a joke."
It goes back to that alien thing. We have a different way of communicating. We're more literal and straightforward in our language. And we have a different way of showing love. We aren't always openly demostrative but when we show we care, you know it's for real.
They say we are broken because we don't understand the neurotypical world. I say the neurotypical world is broken because they don't understand us.
With us it's what you see is what you get.
The hard part for you is understanding what you are seeing.
