Autistic brony insult?

[Thaliel 116]

I'm an aspie as well, but I never heard anyone calling me or another brony mentally just because of the things I like.

OH and just for the record, BBT's Sheldon is beleived to be an aspie, and that show is big, winning awards and the such...so show with or for mentally handicapped ppl can still be really succesfuk...eat that

[An Old Head 4,815]

Autism's a disorder, not a mental illness. And if anyone ever associates someone's interests with a disorder, like TF2 and MLP to autism, I don't listen to them because it's obvious they don't know what the f*ck they're on about.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Flipturn

[Unique Pinkie Pie 173]

why on earth is autism bad i know i have it

 

1. autism increases the effected persons intelligence

 

2. people with autism have better hobbies

 

3. aint nothing wrong with autism

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

This is something I want to bring up in the community. It's my last post today actually, don't want to post too much. I have aspergers syndrome and I noticed that I love what every other aspie loves. I love Team Fortress 2, Sonic and even MLP FIS. I am not meaning to offend anyone in this forum. But I need to bring it up because it fascinates me. Because I know many bronies that do have autism. But why are we labeled with our hobbies in a negative way? Here's some example

 

" Oh you like TF2 and MLP what do you have autism or something."

 

So I am just saying why are the bronies labeled as people with aspegers?

I wasn't aware of this, although I can't say I'm happy about it, because my older sister has Asperger's and I don't appreciate people making fun of it. But I guess it's the same as people casually using "retarted" as an insult. You can't really escape from people being ignorant, intolerant, and just plain mean.

[Jadefire 2,796]

Blame 4chan for all this bullshit. They've pretty much turned "autistic" into an insult on the internet, to the point that almost no one even knows what "autistic" even means anymore.

[Darth Fader 24]

This is something I want to bring up in the community. It's my last post today actually, don't want to post too much. I have aspergers syndrome and I noticed that I love what every other aspie loves. I love Team Fortress 2, Sonic and even MLP FIS. I am not meaning to offend anyone in this forum. But I need to bring it up because it fascinates me. Because I know many bronies that do have autism. But why are we labeled with our hobbies in a negative way? Here's some example

 

" Oh you like TF2 and MLP what do you have autism or something."

 

So I am just saying why are the bronies labeled as people with aspegers?

I'd say this is just ignorance of the subject than anything else. It's associated because they don't actually know what it is.

Edited January 24, 2013 by ajm

[MiStErUnMeRry 328]

You take insults too literally, an insult is an insult  the whole idea is that its meant to degrade, belittle and rankle you unless the insult is said in mock which doesn't translate so well over the internet.

 

Its like when the 4Chan users label everyone and everything with fag. The internet uses label constantly upon other people for a variation of reasons. However aspergers and autism is used is because it will offend people who take it too seriously as is it purpose and the other being that Autistic and aspergers tend to have social abnormally tied to them that are innately bad traits such as overly invasive attitudes, approaching people with a manner that can appear arrogant, cock sure, overly self important like that of a stars trek dork who rants on to anyone near him about the trivial details of some random episode cameo star ship, convinced that this information is something to be proud of and that hes enlightening peoples lives.

 

Another factoid of people with autism is that a lot of them end up taking things in a friendly social context too seriously....like right now and this is generally annoying and easy to exploit, it make them seem foolish and gullible even if the person does show signs of actually being very smart and clever in other fields.

 

The main reason being though that the insult is utilized  because most examples of aspergers and autism in the public eye are not that good, they tend to be obscure Savants or physically decayed or over encumbered man children. The normal guys, the people who just trot along and do their best, the talented writer/ physicist/ mathematician and so on who can actually engage in social events are fine don't get noticed because their autism is well hidden and managed, they are effectively to the crowds and out side observes just like normal people, so they don't get taken into account when you apply the autism label.

 

Aspergers is also a good bail out card for the lazy or the socially creepy or just out right rude. A lot of people who are given a disorder label of any sort enter this mind set of them being just "that way" because I got this affliction and I can't break down these barriers of my social issues.

 

 

Don't let it get to you. You got to look at these insults and arguments on the internet in a broad, analytical way. Just label it as a character assassination  ad-hominem attack designed to rankle you and forget its meaning, you shouldn't bother yourself with such lowly methods of conversation anyway or debating.

 

 

You can't hold the internet to any standard of talking, thats against its design and nature but you can set a standard for what you, yourself react and reply too and if such a thing appears lowly or even ignorant then don't waste your time and lower yourself by giving it the attention.

 

I have aspergers. No. I am not projecting myself onto others before any butthurt people try to bring that up.

 

 

I also don't like Team Fortress, at all.

Edited January 24, 2013 by MiStErUnMeRry

[Kamarat 103]

Why do you even care about those people? You shouldn't. There are always going to be people like that and the only change will be the words they are using. If someone says something about you something like that even though he or she doesn't know anything about you don't care about them. It is even needless to talk to them.

About where did this autism thing started, yes 4chan is the responsible one but you know how 4chan is like.

[Shanks 10,811]

why on earth is autism bad i know i have it

 

1. autism increases the effected persons intelligence

 

2. people with autism have better hobbies

 

3. aint nothing wrong with autism

 

1. It can in some cases of mild and higher functioning Autism and in some cases can create savants who are exceptionally skilled in one or two areas but lacking several others it all depends. I have no idea how much my talent with music and my IQ have to do with my Autism but either way I am glad to have those gifts. But there are also some forms of Autism that are more severe and some Autistic individuals that do have mental retardation though usually because they have another disorder in addition to Autism.

 

2. Alot of people with Autism have very intense personal interests and I think that is where the whole insult this thread is responding to came from. It is hard to say who has the better interests since every person with Autism just like every person without Autism is different.

[Viscra Maelstrom 3,718]

why on earth is autism bad i know i have it

 

1. autism increases the effected persons intelligence

 

2. people with autism have better hobbies

 

3. aint nothing wrong with autism

i wouldn't say it's a bad thing to have, per se, but that doesn't make autistic spectrum disorders anymore necessarily good, though.

 

for one, it hampers on your ability to socialize with people, a disadvantage that can be pretty bad if you're in contact with the wrong type of people. it does give you better awareness about relationships with people though, i've found. that is, the people you do bond with you often form very strong bonds with. but in return, you block out contacts you deem less important. that can be anybody, from your parents to classmates to teachers and co-workers. so it's kind of a double-edged sword, which autism in general feels like, to me.

 

secondly, autism doesn't necessarily give you better intelligence. it, however, gives you the ability to focus better on personal interests, and this can result in high knowledge about those subjects, yes. but, it also makes you have a significant decrease in things that don't interest you, and that can be a pain. my thing with that is math. i've always had a hard time with it, and i was almost gonna fail the class for last period. i figured however that i HAD to do it, so i got done with it... on the very day that the class ended. so i fell and landed right at the goal. this i feel is a good analogy to describe how autistic people feel about things that don't interest them.

 

there's sure to be more stuff surrounding it, but that's what i can think of ATM.

 

------

 

now as for people discriminating bronies for being autistic, it's because in their mind, having autism or related disorders makes you behave in a certain... way.

 

most humans brains are hardwired in a specific way, but autistic peoples' brains are hardwired in a way that DIFFER from the general population, which makes them stand out more.

and since it's in human nature to take a mocking and degrading stance against theories that differ from what the general population believes in (see: scientific discoveries during the middle age and renaissance, for example), they use what's different as a form of insult towards what they find to be weird.

 

and well, the brony fandom is rather special kind of fandom when you compare it to others, and since it's so widespread, you're BOUND to have more than a few haters against it.

 

best option is just to ignore them. not worth it to pay attention to legit morons who think they're above others, when in fact they're lower on the food-chain of human intelligence.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,833]

This is something I want to bring up in the community. It's my last post today actually, don't want to post too much. I have aspergers syndrome and I noticed that I love what every other aspie loves. I love Team Fortress 2, Sonic and even MLP FIS. I am not meaning to offend anyone in this forum. But I need to bring it up because it fascinates me. Because I know many bronies that do have autism. But why are we labeled with our hobbies in a negative way? Here's some example

 

" Oh you like TF2 and MLP what do you have autism or something."

 

So I am just saying why are the bronies labeled as people with aspegers?

I don't know, my brother has aspergers and I never understood people assuming others have aspergers based on their hobbies. It's annoying that they act that way.

 

Autism only marks DELAYS in communication and social skill development, and Aspergers doesn't have delays in learning, only the social problems.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Aeternae Salutis

[Floris 287]

That is because there is more attention to it these days (which is good) and weither we like it or not.. it is often called a

Disability.

.. and people instantly think it is something purely negative (which it ain't, I mean most succesfull people in the world are autistic.. but that put aside.)

 

This is for people who are not-brony.

 

 

 

For bronies it is the following;

 

They label you with that because in their point of view autistic people "tend" to have exotic hobbies. Thus they label you with the rest of them, this is something that just happens and will most likely die out with time or lotsa action.. then again, too much attention (protests on forums and such) usually makes people think you are denying yourself and thus it takes only longer. 

 

 

Do mind I'm not talking about every non-autistic brony here, thanks.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Floris

[Jadefire 2,796]

My personal theory on why this occurs (I have autism myself, and i don't intend this to be a condemnation): Real-life autism often involves the person with autism having passions (and sometimes obsessions) that are much stronger or otherwise remarkable than the average  person. However, autism also comes with handicapped social and/or behavioral skills, so it's more difficult to control their passions and to otherwise act appropriately about it. (I.E: they talk endlessly about their respective interests and absolutely refuse to talk about anything else, giving off the impression that their life revolves around said interest; or throwing a fit whenever their interest is criticized or they otherwise don't get their way). This comes into stark contrast with a neurotypical person who is just as passionate: they've had an easier time learning social skills and behaviors, so they can behave themselves much more appropriately.

 

However, when the passion in question is belonging to a certain fandom (Say Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Wars, Pokemon, the Furry Fandom, or the Bronies), the lines for some reason become blurred. Take this article on Fan Dumb for example. When people get passionate about whatever franchise, they sometimes tend to exhibit behaviors that are just like people with autism who never learned how to appropriately handle their neuroses. My theory is that, to the average person, they end-up appearing to be the same kind of thing.

 

People with autism have a very negative reputation on the internet as being incredibly spoiled and childish, since the ones who are the most visible are the ones who never learned how to act appropriately in public. And when you see a 20 year old man throwing a temper tantrum at a McDonalds because his Happy Meal had Berry Punch instead of Pinkie Pie, it's kind of hard to be sympathetic towards that person.

 

So, "autistic" ends up being used as an insult to be laid at these people, whether they actually do have autism or not. And more often then not, the people insulting them don't even know what "autistic" actually means (someone with a disorder that typically includes a handicapped ability to pick up non-verbal communication), since they're only familiar with the stereotype and are big enough idiots to believe that those stereotypes are true.

 

If any of that made any sense.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,809]

I too have Aspergers and I love pokemon, sonic, MLP and other similar things. I don't know why people are so ignorant these days, that they call us things like "stupid". We are just as smart as them. 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

— Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride, after one "Inconceivable!" too many from Vizzini.

This is what I always want to say to those ignorami who insist on using the word "autistic" as an insult. Basically, they're the same people who used to use "retard" a few years back and in my own school days a couple of decades ago, "spastic". They don't know what the fuck they're talking about and you should just ignore them and move on. They're not worth even a split second of your time.

[Shanks 10,811]

However, when the passion in question is belonging to a certain fandom (Say Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Wars, Pokemon, the Furry Fandom, or the Bronies), the lines for some reason become blurred. Take this article on Fan Dumb for example. When people get passionate about whatever franchise, they sometimes tend to exhibit behaviors that are just like people with autism who never learned how to appropriately handle their neuroses. My theory is that, to the average person, they end-up appearing to be the same kind of thing.

That sounds pretty spot on, one of the biggest challenges I faced was to get control over my obsessions when I was a little kid it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers in middle school and high school it was DBZ and Star Wars and now it is cartoon ponies which I have to admit I never saw coming in a million years.

[Scootalove 10,684]

I think what people do is love to belittle anybody with a disability or illness. Makes me sick to my stomach.

Discrimination is just awful.

[Pony Of The Month 534]

A common insult you'll hear from a brony hater is "autistic." But what exactly about autism causes so much irrational rage? Is it the fact that it's a handicap? (which would be really stupid) Are people afraid of autistics? Are they jealous? Or is it for another reason? 

 

Here's a list of all the ways autism affects me:

• I can't start conversations (outside of forums). If I'm ever in a conversation, it's because the other person started talking first.
• I don't understand the motives of other people. 
• I don't understand non-literal language. I understand sarcasm, but if you were to ask me what "America is a melting pot" means, I'd have no clue.
• I can't project my voice.
• My theory of mind isn't very good.
• I fidget and stim.
• I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words

​

Now tell me, and be honest. Are any of these things a reason to hate someone? Do you find any of these traits threatening in any way? Are you threatened by someone not being "normal?" 

 

I do realize that a lot of the autism hate comes from places like 4chan, but it is still a common insult for bronies even outside of 4chan.

 

You know what else bothers me? Whenever a brony is called "autistic" they actually take it as an insult, rather than telling the insulter to be more original and less ignorant. Some bronies become way too defensive when a brony hater calls them autistic. 

 

What I want you to do is to stop treating the word "autistic" as an insult and realize that the person who is "insulting" you is just being insecure.

[Righteous Fury 344]

I try not to let the language of the uneducated bother me. I'm guessing half of them are self-hating autistics anyway. The ignorant will always find reasons to ignore and hate people, be it skin colour or mental issues.

 

and yes lots of people become defensive when insulted, don't do that please. It's the internet. Nobody cares. Getting offended is just a waste of time.

 

also "America is a melting pot" means that all the cultures that come here sort of mush into one unified thing. Which I don't think is very good. Up here we say Canada's a quilt or mosaic, all the cultures and customs are preserved in beautiful diversity. /superior

[Freewave 1,145]

I don't take a lot of troll talk seriously or try to over-analize it to be honest. I think autistic comments and those who might critiicize the brony community are thinking that we have social handicaps or difficulties making friends (thus why we are drawn to this show). While that may be true for some I don't think you can label a whole community in a single way. I think it's just a fancy way for outsiders to call us "NERDS" and point fingers.  

 

Don't take it personally.

[Nayruthepegasister 118]

I feel like people both fear and are jealous of the autistic... Just remember that it makes you unique and more mature than everyone else... Think of it as a gift, no matter what people say. 

[MiStErUnMeRry 328]

We discussed this before. I and a few other explained in our own way why Autism is an insult: http://mlpforums.com/topic/46891-whats-with-autistic-discrimination-within-the-brony-community/

 

that thread will have a good few answers to your above question for you.

 

No. I will not stop using a word. I like using words for whatever means I desire to use them for, my freedom of speech doesn't end where your feelings begin and people both online and offline need to start getting this. Be offended all you like but no matter how anally destroyed you may be about my choice of words they will still be said and they will disappear from existence. Next week, no one will probably even remember my words but you will still be butthurt(offended) if you allow yourself to be.  I'd get if I made an actual opinion/ statement that then there actual substance to tackle and be offended about but words and insults are just trivial things to concern one self about. 

 

 

I'm not really in the mood to write up my whole explanation as to why autism is used as an insult. I wrote it already pretty in depthly in that linked thread. But in short, the vast majority of people who are consider autistic and in the public eye are normally man children douche bags or gullible and annoying savants. Autistic that are neither are not really thought off by the general person making such insults or relations. 

 

Jealous of autistic people, that pretty arrogant. No one is jealous of autistic people, maybe the benefits you may get from being autistic like those parking stickers that allow you to park in disabled zones but beyond that...not really. Autism generally comes with more negatives than positive and those that do possess natural skills in one or another are normally so crippled by the side affects that they can't make active use of them like lower class autism or normal people can. Even when you do get an autistic that is remarkable..they are consider savant-that being a type of person that is technically retarded(or badly undeveloped and hindered if you prefer- in all spheres except the one or two specific subjects that he shows genius levels in-

Edited April 18, 2013 by MiStErUnMeRry

[AppleJared 87]

I had a best friend who had an autistic brother, so if you're being honest, I kinda know that feel. Since I am not autistic, I do not personally know what it is like but I have read scientific papers on it due to being in school. From what I understand you see things differently than 'normal' people do, and I use that term sparingly.

 

I'm told that most of the people who have autism basically have a brain that traded social power for mental capability and if that is the case, I am very jealous. I have heard of autistic people who could write symphonies in a matter of 5 minutes, or propose scientific theories with little 'formal' education. I am very jealous of things like that, though I know it comes at a high price.

 

I personally have no negative feelings towards autistic people, and while I have yet to see any of this autistic hate, I'm sure it exists. I'm sorry you were offended by these trolls, but remember, they really aren't worth your time and effort.

[errant 14]

I think when someone calls someone else "autistic" or "retard" or something like that as an insult, they aren't actively trying to pass judgement on people with autism or mental disabilities. Rather, they're trying to imply that your brain/mind doesn't function correctly and that your bronyness is a sign of an underlying disorder. 

 

After all, there must be something wrong with a grown man who likes ponies. *eyeroll*

[Twilight Dash 28]

Autism is not even a disorder. If everybody was autistic then nobody would care about autism. Autism is just a label that people give to other people who do not act the way they want them to act. The reason why people hate autism is similar to the reason that people hate gay and lesbian people. They hate autism because autistic people are different and society labels them as bad people.