Humour and Interpretation

I am aware that communication issues tend to be a common problem for autists. Having been a member of this online community since 2022, I have witnessed plenty of misunderstandings and spats.

Earlier, I read a post on the forums that had caused me some amusement. My interpretation was that it wasn't intended to be a serious post. I felt compelled to respond, but part-way through typing my response, I started to have doubts.

Whilst typing my response, I realised that in addition to the post being in the Health & Wellbeing section, the member had used several tags that suggested their post was actually intended to be taken seriously.

I was faced with the dilemma of whether to post my response, or to completely abort. I chose to continue, but now I'm thinking that maybe it would have been better to abort.

For me, I consider humour and laughter to be essential to health and wellbeing. However, I'm also aware that there's a time and a place.

I'm curious to know if other members have found themselves in similar situations?

On one hand, I feel like this is the one place where I should be able to ditch the mask and be myself. On the other hand, I'm well aware of the need to be careful, as the last thing I want is to say something in jest that causes offence and/or distress to another member.

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