Is it a place for 'free speech' irrespective of the feelings of others (as I read recently)?
Is this a place to vent, support, discuss (about any subjects in life).
Should subjects be primarily about autism as I have read here recently?
Is it's purpose mainly social as I have also read here recently?
I would actually like to know if there is anything written by NAS about this.
I had a feeling given the climate of the other thread that this was going to come up soon lol
It makes me wonder what some of the older veterans of the site would answer, like Number or O&U. However, Number rarely gets on here and seems to be disenchanted with the direction this site took (I don’t know the details on that) and O&U hasn’t been online for maybe even a year by now for reasons I don’t think he outright disclosed. I’m curious if their reasons for leaving relate to what you are asking about. Maybe Lotus - who I believe has been here for about 8ish years? - would have some interesting things to say about this?
My personal take on the forum is that it is a buffet of topics to divulge in. Just like with even the best of buffets, there’s going to be items available that you are uninterested in or disgusted by, and thankfully there is enough good stuff for you to be satisfied with. At a buffet, no one is forcing you to grab food that you do not want. Same here. I - for one - have very little interest in what other Autistic people are watching on television. Sorry, but I really couldn’t care less, no matter how many times that thread pops up on this forum lol.
Overall, I’m of a same mind as TheCatWoman, where nearly any topic should be allowable on this forum due to everything being related to our experiences as Autistics (or families related to Autistics) engaging with the world. Obviously that includes our preferences and struggles, but also our views on politics, religion, culture, existence, media, and etc. For example: Infamous court cases currently in the news. Of course we cannot say for sure who is right or wrong, but as Autistics we may have intriguing viewpoints on those situations. Many of us have distinctly black/white thinking, but not all of us, so that is interesting to see at play.
On the other hand, does that mean disagreements should get heated or nasty barbs be lobbed at each other? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, Autistics tend to struggle with social niceties and norms, and speaking through text without facial/body expressions makes it practically impossible to interpret intentions. That is bound to create confusion, misinterpretation, and hurt feelings, particularly for a community like ours.
In conclusion (TLDR), I lean more towards patience and attempting to understand as opposed to outright censorship and limitations on what we can talk about.
I had a feeling given the climate of the other thread that this was going to come up soon lol
It makes me wonder what some of the older veterans of the site would answer, like Number or O&U. However, Number rarely gets on here and seems to be disenchanted with the direction this site took (I don’t know the details on that) and O&U hasn’t been online for maybe even a year by now for reasons I don’t think he outright disclosed. I’m curious if their reasons for leaving relate to what you are asking about. Maybe Lotus - who I believe has been here for about 8ish years? - would have some interesting things to say about this?
My personal take on the forum is that it is a buffet of topics to divulge in. Just like with even the best of buffets, there’s going to be items available that you are uninterested in or disgusted by, and thankfully there is enough good stuff for you to be satisfied with. At a buffet, no one is forcing you to grab food that you do not want. Same here. I - for one - have very little interest in what other Autistic people are watching on television. Sorry, but I really couldn’t care less, no matter how many times that thread pops up on this forum lol.
Overall, I’m of a same mind as TheCatWoman, where nearly any topic should be allowable on this forum due to everything being related to our experiences as Autistics (or families related to Autistics) engaging with the world. Obviously that includes our preferences and struggles, but also our views on politics, religion, culture, existence, media, and etc. For example: Infamous court cases currently in the news. Of course we cannot say for sure who is right or wrong, but as Autistics we may have intriguing viewpoints on those situations. Many of us have distinctly black/white thinking, but not all of us, so that is interesting to see at play.
On the other hand, does that mean disagreements should get heated or nasty barbs be lobbed at each other? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, Autistics tend to struggle with social niceties and norms, and speaking through text without facial/body expressions makes it practically impossible to interpret intentions. That is bound to create confusion, misinterpretation, and hurt feelings, particularly for a community like ours.
In conclusion (TLDR), I lean more towards patience and attempting to understand as opposed to outright censorship and limitations on what we can talk about.
Great post. I don't want to talk about peoples favourite films and tv either. Just like in the NT world some people don't like "heavy" topics and others get stuck in seeing them as an oportunity to expand thinking, ideas and how we view the world.
I think one of the problems might come from the use of the generic you, as in 'when you get on a bus', from the personal you, of 'I like you', let alone the accusative, 'you did that'. I think it might help if we all owned our statements, with an 'I feel' 'I think/believe' as it makes it clear that it's a personal opinion and not a fact.
It makes me wonder what some of the older veterans of the site would answer, like Number or O&U. However, Number rarely gets on here and seems to be disenchanted with the direction this site took (I don’t know the details on that)
