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We Need to have a Discussion

Blue

The Autism Community has massive problem on social media at the moment and it needs to stop now.

It needs to be said that some autistic influencers over youtube and other social media platforms who have turned autism into a business have gone too far this time and it feels like they are using their online presence to manipulate a huge minority of the autism community to actively comment and encourage some very nasty and vile comments all over these platforms. Its not supporting us on the equality front or representing using a positive way. It's actually encouraging employers to avoid us and encouraging ableism issues again. 

I am not saying don't comment on something you disagree with. Just be more sensible of what your posting online.

The issue that a made me start this discussion is amount of abuse the creators of a reality TV show are getting for not using a famous autistic youtube creator in their TV show and his explanation in his own video was completely misleading. They decided not to go with this gentleman because the company believed that he was a poor representation of someone on the autism spectrum and as an autistic individuals myself a completely agree.

  • I disagree. Those people are not me, do not represent me and I decline to be associated with them.

    Anybody treating them as representative of an entire population group are ignorant and/or bigoted. That's something that can if necessary be addressed, but the entire internet is overpopulated by such people.

    Fans of Youtube celebrities can be intolerant but that particular individual will have other fans that are reconsidering being part of his community. Don't use a broad brush, you'll paint the wrong people.

  • in reply to Blue

    I'm sorry you went through that during the interview. When people use the actions of others to characterise an entire group it is very frustrating. Internet trolls with ASD aren't representative of the entire autistic community anymore than NT internet trolls speak for the rest of the population.

    I can understand why you don't want to elaborate on the details of the TV show/youtuber situation, but it is hard to respond to generalisations. 

    In my experience, the three autism youtubers I have watched seem to have been very professional, positive and informative. Unfortunately, people's behaviour generally on the internet is far from kind and responsible, regardless as to whether they are commenting or creating content. I don't feel that this 'cancel culture' that is happening right now is very constructive or that it leaves any group who takes part in it in a positive light.  

  • in reply to calmerchameleon

    I can't talk about the youtubers name or the creator of the tv show without the fear that i am going redirect more people to their social media accounts for more people to join in the band wagon. I had an interview that didn't go well yesterday and the interviewer brought up the fact they didn't want people who act like that working for them and went into a huge speech about what he has saw over last few weeks of the internet from people claiming to be autistic.   

  • Without knowing facts here it's hard to comment much.

    With regard to this: "it feels like they are using their online presence to manipulate a huge minority of the autism community to actively comment and encourage some very nasty and vile comments all over these platforms."

    That doesn't sound good to me, if this is happening.