Published on 12, July, 2020
A lot of bad things happen because of the belief that some people are more important than others. So, that’s one reason to question hierarchies. Asking questions is often the beginning to challenging or stopping bad behaviour by people who apparently ‘know best’ – which is precisely why it’s yet another reason to ignore, exclude, or hurt autistic people.
I've shared further thoughts in a YouTube video. Channel is same name as my pseudonym. Happy to hear your thoughts.
I was always getting into various troubles by not taking into account 'authority' in my thinking. Mostly church, sometimes work. I think we are right on this!
For the most part I avoid authority figures and organisations, when I do have to deeal with them I either go in straight and treat them as equals which rather throws a spanner in thier works or I go straight into stroppy teenager mode and believe me if being stroppy was an olympic sport I'd be a gold medalist. I've had quite a few would be dictators give up on me, often when they find I can't be beaten into submission, shouting at me is just noise, punishments don't work either because I ignore them or just endure them.
No one has told me I'm stroppy or stubborn because I'm autistic - I'm saying that, reflecting on my past when I was undiagnosed, I realise now that my 'stubbornness' and 'moodiness' can be largely explained by being autistic and misunderstood.
I'm autistic and mardy, so there! Seriously though it is an issue when you don't understand whats being asked of you, let alone why its being asked of you. Life can seem like a series of hidden rules and obstacles that you fall over inwittingly and yet no one believes you didn't know they were there.
I think there's a lesson for all of us about being stroppy and stubborn though, don't let people tell you it's all because of your autism because a lot of the time it's not, it's about you standing in your own power and not allowing yourself to be bullied and undermined. Unfortunately these things are just as likely to come from people who are allegedly there to help us. I was told by a worker at an autistic group that something never happened, I challeneged her quite strongly, it was the first time I'd met her, she didn't know me or my history and certainly not what random insenstitive people may or may not have said to me.
I think everyone should be given a basic level of respect that they can build on or lose. Respect has to earned, its not automatic and certainly some wannabe dictator dosen't get it because of thier percieved position in society.
I would have been British champion at 'throwing a strop' back in the late 90s/early 00s. However, turns out I wasn't just being mardy - I was undiagnosed autistic, asserting my right to be considered too.