josh susser on Nostr: There's a particular thing that worries me about the coming hard times and us ...
There's a particular thing that worries me about the coming hard times and us #autistic folk in particular. It's about community-based resistance. Resisting oppression isn't something you can successfully do on your own. It has to be a community effort. People can come together for mutual defense and support, share information and resources, and organize for political action.
But autistic folk have a much harder time finding community and being included. Usually we get left out – ignored, forgotten, or intentionally excluded because people think we have nothing to contribute that makes it worth putting up with us.
We auts have to deal with this all the time. It's like that every day for us, so we learn various ways to cope. But in dark times, those coping strategies may not work as well. Everyone has to adapt to a new world, and I worry that autistic folk might get shoved to the side in the scramble to create resilient communities in unfamiliar territory.
To allistics: Whenever you see someone advising you to seek community and come together for mutual support, you should think about those of us who can't play the social networking game the way you expect everyone should be able to. Don't forget about us or leave us out because we didn't use the right kind of emotional affect or asked annoying questions. And don't wait for us to figure out how to fit in. Reach out to us, include us, and stand by us. Our lives are on the line here too, more than most people realize. We don't deserve to be left to the predators just because we're socially awkward.
There's a whole other conversation to have about what autistic people know and understand that is uniquely valuable for resisting oppression, but I'm not going to tackle that today. Maybe another time, though others have written about this before so you don't have to wait on me if you're curious.
#ActuallyAutistic
But autistic folk have a much harder time finding community and being included. Usually we get left out – ignored, forgotten, or intentionally excluded because people think we have nothing to contribute that makes it worth putting up with us.
We auts have to deal with this all the time. It's like that every day for us, so we learn various ways to cope. But in dark times, those coping strategies may not work as well. Everyone has to adapt to a new world, and I worry that autistic folk might get shoved to the side in the scramble to create resilient communities in unfamiliar territory.
To allistics: Whenever you see someone advising you to seek community and come together for mutual support, you should think about those of us who can't play the social networking game the way you expect everyone should be able to. Don't forget about us or leave us out because we didn't use the right kind of emotional affect or asked annoying questions. And don't wait for us to figure out how to fit in. Reach out to us, include us, and stand by us. Our lives are on the line here too, more than most people realize. We don't deserve to be left to the predators just because we're socially awkward.
There's a whole other conversation to have about what autistic people know and understand that is uniquely valuable for resisting oppression, but I'm not going to tackle that today. Maybe another time, though others have written about this before so you don't have to wait on me if you're curious.
#ActuallyAutistic