People saying things they don’t mean

I understand, by now, that people saying these things, with no sincerity whatsoever, is merely an NT social ritual.

But I still don't get it. What's the point? 

Pegg said:

I still don't get it. What's the point?

That's like asking why people say "good morning" to one another when they meet in the morning - it is a social convention.

Do you question why people use a greeting like this and not just ignore one another? The logic of social conventions is abstract most of the time.

We as autists are particularly poor at understanding these conventions so it pays to learn about them. That was the point I was making to stop it confusing or upsetting others like us.

Iain said:

We as autists are particularly poor at understanding these conventions so it pays to learn about them. That was the point I was making to stop it confusing or upsetting others like us.

We are not ‘poor’ at understanding these conventions, it’s just that we question these conventions because we value authenticity and don’t see the point in superficial interactions. I am not suggesting that non autistics don’t value authenticity, it’s just our need for honesty and direct communication makes us question why these things exist in the first place.

Another key point to consider is that many neurotypical people (not neurodivergent) value social hierarchy whereas our autistic community (particularly PDAers) see everyone as equal. This is not to say that I don’t understand why social hierarchy exists (I do) it’s just that I don’t think it’s helpful to view some people as superior just because of their position in society when actually we are all human.

Absolutely!

Absolutely!