Published on 12, July, 2020
There is something I noticed both on RL ASD and on the online ASD I met: total naivety. Almost all ASD act and think like they never interacted with the grit of the real world. Some of them can be quite smart and learned, but their way of thinking is 95% theory and propaganda and maybe 5% observable reality. I always ended throwing my hands up and going away, there is no point in trying to relate to somebody living in a different planet. I really wonder how they managed to reach adult age, they were so incredibly vulnerable that they could not survive in a real job environment. No wonder why the vast majority of ASD are either unemployed or underemployed, and why 80% of ASD live with their parents or in a council housing.
Sometimes I had to talk with an ASD with passable intelligence, but I had to talk with them like I was talking with a five years old. I had to say things like: "Mate, they have scammed you, the planned that from the start" or "Mate, they are not laughing with you, they are laughing AT you". It was like talking to a wall, they did not listen.
On the contrary, I think that naivety is the only thing that keeps many ASD alive. Probably they are just too naive and isolated from the real world to understand how bad the world really is. I pride myself of not being naive, but that puts me apart from the vast majority of the ASD. Maybe it was because I was not aware of my diagnosis and I had to live like an NT for all my life? By the way, I wonder how many of the locals here have a real house and a real job. I bet less than 10%.
I would really like to have an idea about that. How many of the people I interacted with here are unemployed, living on benefits or SAHM?
I wonder whether it is better to be considered naive or to be evidently bitter, arrogant and aggressive
I'm not quite sure what you are trying to achieve with this post. If you are noticing that someone is being taken advantage of you could try and help them rather than post on an online forum and making generalisations about all autistic people. Rather than saying the autistic individual is a 'muppet' I would say it is really sad that other people think it is ok to take advantage of someone else and you seem to be part of that.
Because I can, and because I just love it. I was bullied to complete insanity and now I cannot find any human empathy. I have seen about a dozen of people die, and I felt nothing but contempt. In some places life is cheap.
If you know how horrible it is to be treated badly while vulnerable, why on earth would you perpetuate that?
Ann :) said:I have a Bachelor and a Master's degree and I am currently studying for a PhD.
The most naive person I met in my life had plenty of academic qualifications, but they were complete muppets. One of the engineers in my workplace is as ASD as he could be. He is incredibly gifted, but everyone takes advantage of him or walks over him without him noticing. Hell, I earn almost as much as him, and I have half of his qualifications! What's the point of being so academically smart if you cannot even stand up for yourself or ask for a proper wage?
I was just wondering if I ended up with especially dysfunctional people, or if they were a faithful rendition of the ND universe. I am not interested in dealing with pathologically naïve welfare recipients, but they were the majority of the people attending ASD meetups and events. I think that I wasted my time in there.
battybats said:They're still human beings who deserve kindness and respect.
I treat fellow humans with the same kindness and respect I was given when I was vulnerable, and that amount is zero.
Totally agree. I have a degree, working full time. I don’t see how being naive is related to relying on benefits or living at home still! There is a massive spectrum in this community and I find the original post totally judgemental. I know plenty of people without autism who are naive. I can be naive at times but that’s because I can take a bit longer to process things or don’t realise when someone is joking.
I’d much prefer to be naive than judgemental anyways.
Judge Dredd said:they were so incredibly vulnerable that they could not survive in a real job environment
I have just seen your job description:
Ann :) said:I feel that this post is somewhat demeaning
Well said Ann, I echo the sentiment.
Ben
I feel that this post is somewhat demeaning. I may be naive in some ways, but not in the way that you are describing. I have a Bachelor and a Master's degree and I am currently studying for a PhD. Plenty of autistic people I know work full time and went to university. There is a lot of diversity in the autistic community and it is not fair to make such assumptions.
Is it naivety? Or rather, is it selective interest?
They're not the same thing.
Judge Dredd said:Sometimes I had to talk with an ASD with passable intelligence, but I had to talk with them like I was talking with a five years old. I had to say things like: "Mate, they have scammed you, the planned that from the start" or "Mate, they are not laughing with you, they are laughing AT you". It was like talking to a wall, they did not listen.
I don't know if this is much to do with intelligence or our struggles with reading things. I've been in that situation many times, and there's so many unwritten rules it's hard to keep up.
I'm a homeowner (joint mortgage with a long-term partner) and I work full-time.
I'm not particularly naive either. My own mostly-ND social circle outside of this forum tends towards the cynical and suspicious- we can't tell what other people are going to do, so we assume the worst based on past experience. To be honest though, I don't think that's necessarily any better than being naive, because it can be a bit miserable to always wonder what people want from you.
Regardless... does it really matter if other autistic people are unable to work? Does it matter, outside of the important stuff like finances, if they're a bit naive or don't know the things you know? I don't think it does- at least, it shouldn't. They're still human beings who deserve kindness and respect.