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How to you feel about using autism as a joking synonym for "dumb" or "awkward"? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/autism@lemmy.world
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I have been struggling with this because a lot of people around me use it in this manner when they do something dumb or they act in an awkward way and they'll be like "oh, that was autistic of me" or "I've got the tism" and I always feel so uncomfortable but I also don't know how to raise it or what to say. I am myself not diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I am on the spectrum. I was just wondering what you think of it and how you handle it.

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[–] 0 points 5 months ago* (6 children)

You're right, it's not about Greek mythology for most people. I accepted that you were an exception, because earlier in this conversation you claimed it comes straight from Narcissus. But I'm glad I changed your mind, and persuaded you that people aren't thinking about Greek mythology when they use the word. They're thinking about ableist portrayals of people with NPD.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (5 children)

    They're thinking about neither, dude. No one gives a shit where the word comes from

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (4 children)

    The etymology informs the meaning. And the etymology is that a bunch of self-help books trained most people, including you, to be deathly afraid of a neurodivergent minority named after a queer child. Your entire understanding of NPD comes from pop culture ghost stories that you believed with all the gullibility of an easy mark.

    If this were the 1980s you'd have just as easily been swindled into fear of the terrifying Satanists, and if this were the 1930s, you'd be falling for Hitler's rhetoric about "the Jews". "Oh, it's okay to call them heebs. It's punching up, since they control all the banks." You've been tricked into thinking a vulnerable minority controls society.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    No one gives a shit about the sexual orientation of a character from Greek mythology except you. Sounds like you based your entire opinion on a tumblr post titled "uhm actually, Narcissus was queer"

    You're trying so hard to be the victim here and it's just not working. Because nobody is even thinking about the sexuality of, again, the FAKE PERSON whose sexuality is NEVER DEFINED from GREEK MYTHOLOGY.

    You want him to be asexual so you can feel oppressed. Absolutely insane behavior. To quote the Germans: hobbyless behavior.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (2 children)

    Lots of people gave a shit about his sexuality. Because according to the myths, everyone wanted to get in his pants, and Ameinias committed suicide after being rejected by him. Nemesis decided to make him fall in love with his reflection and die because he wouldn't date. And even Lord Byron, 2000 years ago, was talking about his sexual preferences. His asexuality is the central part of the myth. Nemesis cursed him to go from asexual to autosexual.

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  • [–] 0 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    Wow well if Lord Byron thought something...

    Just because you're obsessed with this doesn't mean everyone is.

    Doesn't matter who he was before or why he was cursed. Narcissism refers to what happened to Narcisuss. End of story.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    Okay, I'm going to believe you, for the sake of argument. I'm going to believe Narcissism is what happened to Narcissus.

    When Narcissus was cursed, he died. He was too overcome by his emotions to survive. He couldn't function at any level. He couldn't drink water that was right in front of him. And it happened because of an intolerant and abusive society.

    Narcissistic Personality Disorder is the same. It's emotionally disturbing, it's disabling. It can cause executive dysfunction and even suicide. And studies have shown it's heavily associated with "adverse childhood experiences" - having been abused as a child. Like what happened to Narcissus.

    In a slightly allegorical but largely literal sense, I agree with you; Narcissism refers to what happened to Narcisuss. And you should treat people with NPD the same way you'd treat that abused child from the old story: With compassion, any sensible person would hope.

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