Published on 12, July, 2020
I can't stand stereotypes and do not wish to be defined by my condition. I would rather people saw me as an individual with strengths and weaknesses, some of which can be explained by me having Asperger's syndrome, rather than defining me by a label. This is why I can't stand the word 'aspie'. While having Aspergers is an important part of my identity, it is no more important than me being female, no more important than my sexuality or my age. I would hate it if someone did not see past me being a woman or past my age, why is having aspergers any different? The disability movement campaigned for disability to be seen not as an individual affliction or difference, to move beyond individualising disability and to see it as a societal problem: people with disabilities should campaign collectively to change society, making it imperative to see the person before the disability. I am a person with asperger's syndrome, not an aspie. I share traits that other people with AS may have, but I don't share all the traits, just enough to have aspergers. We are all different, to say I am an aspie suggests conformity with other 'aspies' and obliterates the part of me that defies easy categorization.
Most people in society are pretty conformist - just believe what they are told by others, see things as neutral, society as static, take on the prejudices of their society etc. I confront this ignorance every day - people spouting out the same tired scientific formulas that they read in the Mail or some 'scientific' journal. You know, I am not against science at all. We would not be where we are without it. I am against religion, mysticism and all superstitions, and understand that science can be a force for good. It all depends who is in control of the machinary, what questions are asked, and how the results of science are put into practice. Science is not just about fact collection - it is the conclusions you draw from the facts and these vary depending on your position and the prevailing attitude of society, which is not always correct. I am not an expert Scientist but I am imaginative enough to step back and ask questions.