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What would human society be like if the majority were Autistic?

Lotus

Recently  started this thread: A different view of "disability"  which got me thinking.

So, what if autism was actually the predominant neurotype? Would we still call it Autism, or would we be called neurotypical? What would the minority who have what we now call neurotypical traits be called? Atypical? Collectivism?

What would our society look like if it had been tailored to our needs? Here are some ideas:

Communication and socialising: Instead of shaking hands we might bow, like Japanese people. Small talk wouldn't be acceptable, only discussion of things needing to be done or special interests. Mobile phones might not have the facility to speak to someone, just the facility to text or email.

Socialising: might only be via special interest groups, such as chess or art clubs, or "silent" discos. No music would be allowed in pubs, only pub quizzes. I'm not sure if we would have restaurants? Maybe just takeaways? Cinemas would provide individual headsets to listen to the movie soundtrack, or you could take your own.

Travel & shopping: Noisy engines would not be allowed, and by now we would probably have only electric vehicles. On public transport, seats would be spaced out to prevent people sitting too near each other. Music not allowed to be played on public transport or in shops. People would be required to stand at least 3 feet apart in queues.

Homes: Would all be soundproofed, with tall fences around gardens for privacy. Barbeques, bonfires and indoor open fires would be banned to prevent the smell of smoke causing distress. Making noise in a garden would be an arrestable offence.

Emergency services: emergency vehicle sirens would be quieter. Police would use drones to patrol their areas. Hospitals might have all single rooms, not shared wards, with internet access available to all patients. 

What do you think a society shaped by autistic people would be like?

Parents

  • Broadly speaking I think the world would become more efficient.  "Special interests" would thrive so tech and science would evolve quicker for example.  Art for art sake would be more widely celebrated.  Emotional honesty would increase.  The world would be a calmer place over all.

    But spontaneity might go down and although crisis planning and prep would be better the potential for panic if things go wrong might go up.  Social flexibility would go down and ironically there might end up some really horribly rule based regimes.

    Nurotypicals would be brought in for specialised tasks - like lying, Or maybe more fairly in roles where being able to manage bits of the world where lots of people and stimulus was unavoidable.  I worry that neurotypical people would be siloed and put upon the same way neurodivergent people are now - the ethics of the majority regretfully seem to replicate in whatever society humanity comes up with.  It's a human tendency to use the majority experience as the definition of "normal".

    However if the world were flipped now I hope that the logic of enshrining "double empathy" in public understanding, legislation and how society was set up would be understood by the now "in charge" autistic community.  Emotional or social intuiton would be allowed of course but not biased towards - systematised and pattern based intuiton would perhaps dominate.  It would probably be the neurotypical people at highest risk of burning out - but hopefully the autistic people would be logical and empathetic enough to see the pattern and do something about it.

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  • Broadly speaking I think the world would become more efficient.  "Special interests" would thrive so tech and science would evolve quicker for example.  Art for art sake would be more widely celebrated.  Emotional honesty would increase.  The world would be a calmer place over all.

    But spontaneity might go down and although crisis planning and prep would be better the potential for panic if things go wrong might go up.  Social flexibility would go down and ironically there might end up some really horribly rule based regimes.

    Nurotypicals would be brought in for specialised tasks - like lying, Or maybe more fairly in roles where being able to manage bits of the world where lots of people and stimulus was unavoidable.  I worry that neurotypical people would be siloed and put upon the same way neurodivergent people are now - the ethics of the majority regretfully seem to replicate in whatever society humanity comes up with.  It's a human tendency to use the majority experience as the definition of "normal".

    However if the world were flipped now I hope that the logic of enshrining "double empathy" in public understanding, legislation and how society was set up would be understood by the now "in charge" autistic community.  Emotional or social intuiton would be allowed of course but not biased towards - systematised and pattern based intuiton would perhaps dominate.  It would probably be the neurotypical people at highest risk of burning out - but hopefully the autistic people would be logical and empathetic enough to see the pattern and do something about it.

Children
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