Going to be lots of driving around today. But at least Maive is making me biscuits for breakfast.

This post is for casual conversation if you don’t feel like making a post of your own.

  • paultimate14
    3·
    2 days ago

    I was already in a bad mood this morning. Then my bf sent me an article about some study in mice that claims a new drug can “reverse autism-like symptoms”.

    I’ve looked into the article and corresponding video segment, and everything about it is shady. The news company itself, the anchor (formerly of Fox news) interviewing current the current HHS National Autism Coordinator, who directly reports to a guy who spreads a TON of disinformation about autism in the US. The drug itself, which over the past few years has been touted by influencers as a miracle cure for aging and Alzheimer’s and long covid and more. The study itself, which was partially funded by the absolute worst autism-related org (see Rule 8).

    I know he means well and is trying to be helpful. He loves going out to chaotic and social things and wants me to be able to join him and the rest of the polycule. But that’s also just… Not me.

    • pedantichedgehog@sh.itjust.works
      2·
      2 days ago

      What the fuck

      Do “autism-like symptoms” include being introverted?? Is that a symptom to be cured now?? Even assuming the study is real, what the hell do mice with “autism-like symptoms” look like? Are these mice not making eye contact? Are these mice adverse to specific textures?

      • paultimate14
        2·
        2 days ago

        The study seems to be convinced that inducing inflamation in a pregnant mother can less to brain inflamation in the offspring. The offspring also, supposedly, have “mid brain overgrowth… Reduced reciprocal social interactions… Increased repetitive behaviors”.

        The whole concept of animal autism is a bit sus. Heck, even diagnosing humans seems like more of a vibe than actual medical science at this point.

      • paultimate14
        1·
        2 days ago

        Well, there’s the saying that “if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person”.

        I looked around on the internet this morning to see other perspectives. On BlueSky I saw one guy reacting to the article with positivity, saying he would love to be able to take a pill to “turn off” his autism for a few hours. There is a strong argument to be made that I have personally used alcohol and marijuana in similar ways in the past. Since I got diagnosed, I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of using weed for social situations purposefully.

        I like who I am. I think a lot of people, both autistic and allistic, are too obsessed with cramming every moment of their lives with social activity. I have known people who openly admit that they seek the company of others because they actively fear being alone with their own thoughts. We are surrounded by billions, maybe trillions of dollars of advertising budgets and hostile algorithms that are trying to push people towards social interaction for profit. Bars, restaurants, events, social media, etc. I wonder how many people ACTUALLY like these things versus how many people are being convinced that they should like these things. Or how many people just have a bad relationship with themselves and are looking for an escape.

        I am worried that the existence of such a medication could make it harder to establish boundaries. Choosing not to take it could be seen by others as a choice to be antisocial.

        • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
          2·
          2 days ago

          Addiction takes many forms, and socializing is certainly one way to do it.

          I think most people do like a little socializing, a little company, a little connection, a little belonging. I find what I want more than anything is true friendship, and the shallow socializing that precedes the possibility of friendship is untolerable to me. If I could smoke pot for a few years to tolerate that until I found a few real friends, maybe? But likely the marijuana would be part of the relationship, and it not being high would change the dynamic, probably for the worse.

          What I’ve managed to do most of my life is just this: be online. With the ability to choose what I want to talk about without boring other people (they don´t have to read the way they´d have to listen in a friend group), without competing with others for space, without tolerating conversations I find boring, without burning my bridges with people who will remember and judge me forever (more of a problem on Lemmy, actually).