Regular reminder that being an asshole is not a symptom of any form of neurodivergence. (You can replace “neurodivergent” with depressed, anxious, bipolar, etc. and the diagram works equally well)
ETA: social faux pas, awkwardness, and genuine symptoms of neurodivergence don’t make you an asshole. I shouldn’t have to say this? An “asshole” is someone who enacts a pattern of abusive, controlling, harassing, and/or harmful behavior with no remorse or concern for how other people are affected.
This drives me bananas.
On the one hand as someone with ASD, yeah, I would have loved to have a little more understanding growing up but on the other you do not get a free pass just because you are some flavor of “special”. Everyone is special. Everyone is a weird combination of neurotypcial and neurodivergent it’s just a matter of degree and how it’s all put together. When you say someone is neurotypical… how do you even know?
When you say that something is not your fault because you are neurodivergent did you even try to find a work-around? Did you try to find away to make the other person more comfortable? Did you try to exercise the understanding you demand of others? Or did you just say you don’t have to?
I hate that some people call ASD a disability. Sure it might be disabling at time but you shouldn’t use that as an excuse not to work hard and be successful. There is no reason that I need to walk around telling people I’m disabled. I realize some have it much harder than others but I think we all should work hard to try to be better especially since unemployment is so high.
100%
Different people have different challenges. For me ASD is both very challenging at times but also a superpower.
It’s not though. Currently 4.2% which is on the low end of historical averages and what is considered “normal”. Not to discount your point but just to counter the ongoing narrative - largely false - about the current economy.
It is somewhere around 85% for autistic people