Bronies and Autism

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

OP NOTE: This thread is not meant to say that all bronies have Autism or that having Autism is a bad thing. I have Autism too. I am just asking this question.

 

Something that's always perplexed me is the stereotype that all bronies have Autism. Now, I hear this one thrown out to every fandom and heck, the term has pretty much become the new gay, but from what I've noticed from being on sites like this is that it may hold some weight.

 

A good majority of the members I've seen here claim to have Autism or Asperger's (which is highly similar to Autism). I'll look on people's profiles or just various threads and whenever Autism is brought up, it's usually followed with a lot of, "Oh I have it too," kind of posts. 

 

Now this makes me wonder, "Why can one show attract that many people that have been diagnosed with it?" This could be due to the growing number of people being diagnosed with Autism and Asperger's in the 21st century or it could be due to the nature of the show.

 

 

What do you guys think?

[Stardust Balance 7,716]

I think that it really doesn't matter. Some people who like the show have autism, some don't. Happens with interest in other things too. 

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,289]

The whole 'bronies have autism' thing is just one of those edgy things that the haters came up with and it stuck, spreading like wildfire among those people. Basically, it is just one of those really heavy insults that they came up with and it is one of the most pathetic ones that I know of. 

 

I am autistic as well, it seems that there are quite a few bronies that are, but when those people say that we do, they aren't basing it in any kind of scientific way. It is purely an insult, with no basis whatsoever. 

[SUPERFOX5 385]

Actually, some autism can be a good thing, it can make you more intelligent for one.

 

So anyone who says anything bad about autism does not know what they are talking about.

[Guest]

Not saying this as a negative point, but a lot of bronies do in fact seem to have autism. It's very common in the brony fandom I am noticing, so it's not as if there isn't some truth to the statement.

[MAIKUN 262]

I am a Brony and I am autistic y'see!

[Alphys Hedge 671]

It seems that a lot of bronies in the fandom have autism. Is this true? Yes. Is it bad? No. I usually honestly see autistic bronies as acting the same as non-autistic bronies, so I see no problem with it. Using a disability as an insult? Yeah, there's a problem with that, though.

[Photon Jet 5,489]

Actually, some autism can be a good thing, it can make you more intelligent for one.

 

So anyone who says anything bad about autism does not know what they are talking about.

I couldn't agree better myself. I'm also an autistic brony and I find nothing bad about it at all. True it makes me and others wired differently and sometimes do not understand some subjects we learn in educational facilities like school and university but that's what makes us special. We can even think and believe things others cannot. I'm not bragging like Rainbow Dash or anything but think of it as a hidden power.

 

My theory suggests that anyone who says autism is a bad thing currently doesn't know what it really is. I think there are also those who are scared by it because they can't understand the concept of it.

[Johnny1226 14,674]

I have asperger syndrome it might make me a bit more interested in the show than normal but that's about it ,it's no different than all the other things I have become obsessed in like warhammer 40k, or creating an empire

[Luigi 7,868]

Actually, some autism can be a good thing, it can make you more intelligent for one.

 

So anyone who says anything bad about autism does not know what they are talking about.

I've actually met a guy who's like that at my college. Only he doesn't seem the type that would be interested in My Little Pony.

 

As for me, I'm not autistic, but I DO have ADHD. Not sure if that's a common thing in bronies, but it's something I deal with.

[Sporemane 545]

I'm not autistic I'm Aw-Ya-Tastic

[Shanks 10,811]

I am on the Autism spectrum myself and I have noticed a large portion of the members here and the fandom in general having it. It is entirely possible that it may simply be more noticeable due to all the haters using the "bronies are autistic manchildren" argument which stems from the stereotype of people with Autism having obsessive narrow interests. Fandoms tend to draw a lot of people that are socially awkward and introverted which is the case for many of the Autism spectrum but this drawing more attention in the brony fandom would make more sense due to how unsual much of the general public sees the existence of the brony fandom.

 

It has become commonplace and even hip in many cases to be into certain fandoms with a new comic book based movie being released constantly and nearly everyone going to see the new Star Wars movie just to name a couple of examples. There is also the fact that interests can in some cases be more intensely felt for people on the Autism spectrum making them draw a bit more attention to themselves. It is also possible that there may be certain aspects of the show that attract many on the Autism spectrum though with how diverse it is it can be very difficult to say for certain as some of these may also be things that have drawn others in who are not on the Autism spectrum making it difficult to determine how much of it has to do with neurology. 

[Minepro 107]

Honestly, I don't believe having autism makes one that much different from the crowd. Sure autistics are more socially awkward than everyone else but that isn't really a bad thing. We can be far superior in other subjects. Two of my closest friends are autistic along with myself. Does that make us any less intelligent? No. This stuff the haters pull is insulting but I don't let it get to me. Nobody else should either. If we ignore the haters and bullies then they'll stop. They just want to stifle a reaction from us.

[SomeRetroGeek 110]

As someone without autism, I'd say we're all human beings and should respect our differences and each other, whilst also having a good laugh about it all. Anyone, black, white, Asian, Indian, Middle-Eastern, thin, fat, old, young, small, tall, autistic or not, can get along as long as we respect one another, laugh with one another and get along with one another.

[Rawzy 1,302]

Well aspergus actually makes it harder for you to socialize and can sometimes make you feel quite lonely :/ Trust me I know, I have been diagnosed with aspergus.

 

I think by watching the show, and because most of the ponies in the show are quite friendly and positive, it makes you feel like they are your friends. So for people with aspergus, this will make them feel much better about themselves, etc. This is all off personal experience btw.

 

Personally I like the feeling of not being the same as the majority of people, I'm not sure if that is related to aspergus though, so I guess that is another reason why I watch the show... 

[ManaMinori 4,143]

It's not just the Brony fandom that consists of people with autism. Studies prove that more people have some form of autism now, more than ever before (i think it was 1 in 3 people?)

So every fandom will have a chunky portion of autistic fans

[EverEverOn 346]

To add onto this, I've noticed some bronies say that because someone is autistic, they're not a true brony.

Any form of disability or illness does not make you any less of a fan.

 

I personally do not care if a brony is autistic or not. I've never noticed anyone in this fandom act differently for any reason. We're all the same, and we're all supportive of each other.

I might possibly have scoliosis. Does that make me any different? No. My sister has selective mutism. Is she not a real brony? Of course not. We all have different struggles, so saying someone who has autism isn't a true fan is wrong.

[Nari 17]

The definition of autism has been broadened to include a larger number of people, which includes a lot of people who aren't actually autistic. Once upon a time children were diagnosed with a wide range of learning disabilities. Now they lump it all in one catchall term... The autism spectrum...

 

Most people who are actually autistic would not be able to be here communicating at the level most users here do. If you've been diagnosed with autism then more than likely you would have been diagnosed with dyslexia in the 80's and 90's. Back then it was dislexia and attention deficit disorder (ADD). In the early 2000's it was ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and now it's autism.

 

I was diagnosed with dyslexia and attention deficit disorder back in the late 80's. I was in alternative education courses and was exposed to hundreds of people with various forms of learning disabilities, retardation and TRUE autism. I can assure you that none of the autistic people would have the capacity to interact on a forum at all let alone interact at the level most here do.

 

If you are able to sit at a computer and type paragraph after paragraph of intellectually coherent scentences you are not autistic. Sorry, someone lied to your mom and dad for money.

 

I'm not trying to sound negative or mean I'm just trying to be honest and realistic.

[Quill Waver 1,408]

What do you guys think?

Well, firstly, this is an insult thrown around to intimidate. It holds very little weight in terms of anything.

 

Secondly, the number of cases of autism has grown exponentially. Back in the '80s, the number was approximately 1 in every 2,000 children. Today, it is estimated that said number is 1 in 90 children. This is due to the term being used as a "blanket statement" for almost every single disorder that has to do with the mind, even disorders that are not a hindrance to the afflicted's cognitive function. I personally have a friend who "has autism", yet he's in college to become an engineer. And he's acing his courses.

 

Thirdly, I assure you... Having worked to aid children who actually have autism, that the show does have a bigger impact on autistic personalities, but not nearly to the degree everyone thinks. About... 6% fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. That's a little more than 3x the likelihood of the standard U.S. populus, but still only 6%.

 

Even if you are a Brony, you are three times more likely to have medically recognized arachnophobia (an overwhelming fear of spiders) at age 18 than you are to be autistic.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Starfall_Quillwaver

[Vulcan 3,254]

A strange thing for me is that in my college I'm the only brony in class, and also the only one with autism....is that a coincidence?....maybe....though given that quite a great deal of Bronies on this site also share in my condition, there may actually be something in the nature of the show.

[Nari 17]

Here are two different types of autism. One is verbal and the other is nonverbal.

 

Child/Teen Autism

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=w_23z9yJAq0

 

I saw outbursts like this every day. One time it took five people to get the one girl out of the class room. She didn't have the ability to understand that her parents were simply taking her home early. She was 18 when she was in the 4th grade.

 

Adult Autism

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=49lWMUr2EOk

 

After watching these two videos here are two simple questions to ask.

 

1. How many Bronies have you seen act like this?

 

2. Do you believe the autistic people in the videos could create music, pony art, attend conventions, run YouTube channels or get on this forum and communicate?

 

When people say that "Bronies are autistic" this is what outsiders imagine because this is autism. You could argue that these are examples of more severe cases, but people who have so called "mild autism" or are "part of the autism spectrum" aren't really autistic.

 

You could ask me; well, what about autistic savants who can play music and achieve other amazing things? They are even rarer than people with regular autism. They may be able to play the piano like a professional, but away from a piano they may not be able to do much else. That is exactly why autism is so unique and unusual.

 

If you're able to attend Brony conventions, go to college, work, drive, vote, create music, pony art, run a YouTube channel or be an active member of a forum you don't have autism. You may have learning disabilities, aspergers, down syndrome or various forms of social anxiety and depression. Not autism...

[Vulcan 3,254]

@@Nari,

 

 

Asperger's isn't autism?! o_O

[Stardust Balance 7,716]

You could argue that these are examples of more severe cases, but people who have so called "mild autism" or are "part of the autism spectrum" aren't really autistic.

Untrue, there are middle grounds to autism, not all of them have violent random outbursts and are capable of decent communication. You're looking at one of them. 

 

 

If you're able to attend Brony conventions, go to college, work, drive, vote, create music, pony art, run a YouTube channel or be an active member of a forum you don't have autism. You may have learning disabilities, aspergers, down syndrome or various forms of social anxiety and depression. Not autism...

Again, untrue; there are many autistics out there who are capable of doing those exact things. It's a matter of exactly how much of the condition one has, and how they can control it. 

[Quill Waver 1,408]

Again, untrue; there are many autistics out there who are capable of doing those exact things. It's a matter of exactly how much of the condition one has, and how they can control it. 

That said, autism has been expanded to blanket over a variety of mental disorders and/or learning capabilities. I was diagnosed with autism at age six because I had an artistic flair and a powerful imagination.

 

That said, I no longer have autism (because I no longer fit the blanketed spectrum), have an IQ of 139, went to college at sixteen, and was never medicated for it.

[CandyStrike 603]

I think it could be true that the fandom has a higher percentage of people on the autistic spectrum.  Maybe. In my experience a lot of autistic people(myself included) love things intended for a younger age group. It also might be that autistic bronies are more noticeable. A common feature with autism is intense focus and obsession with your interests. So maybe autistic bronies are more noticeable because they're so into it.

 

Of course that is all being generous about why there might be a stereotype about bronies and autism. I think a lot of it is just people who think autism is bad and bronies are bad so therefore brony=autism. It looks like an intersection of gender policing and rank disablism.