Neurotypical, eh?
I think, by definition, most people are neurotypical. Haha.
There ARE typical people out there. I mean. If there weren’t, we couldn’t have
the word.
As a substitute for “normal”? Look, dude. I don’t believe in
word taboos. Period. It’s a personal thing, I totally respect the opinions of
others, but this is my thing. I’m very anti-word taboo. I don’t have the
problem with the word “normal.” I get that people can both use it and interpret
it with pretty negative connotations, but, yeah, as others have said, I don’t
think you get rid of the connotation by changing the word.
I feel the same way about the “r” word, which I call the “r”
word out of a sense of not starting a conflict. It has been classified as a
slur, and using slurs in public conversation just comes off as… well, you know,
distasteful, and a little disrespectful. I say a little disrespectful because
on SOME level, I don’t really think I should curb my language for the SOLE
purpose of sparing anyone feelings. It’s nice to spare people’s feelings
sometimes, but that can’t be a primary goal, ever. Yeah. I’m also big on, like,
discussion, and powerful debate. Words over feelings most of the time! Not
always, though.
Yeah. I don’t get into the “r” word thing. I listen to half
the people who detest the word argue about how they only hate it because
they/their child is “DEFINITELY NOT RETARDED” meaning, you know, don’t think
they are mentally impaired! Except. Some people are, and they are people, too,
jerks. The other half genuinely dislike pejorative language often used to put
people down, and often at other innocent parties’ expense. I totally agree that
that’s jacked up. 50 Cent comparing a fan to an autistic person in order to
insult them? Yeah, what a dick. That being said, it’s a word. Don’t like it,
don’t like how it’s used, let’s TALK about it. And we do. We do. I’m not saying
people are all talk and no action. I just think in the grand scheme of things,
giving words that much power doesn’t do anyone any good. Furthermore, it aint
gonna work, dude. It’s just not. Listen to some of these people. “OMG he
dropped the r-bomb! What an idiot!” Cute, let’s bust out the slur that the “r”
word replaced back in the 19th century. Jeez. And the cycle goes on
and on…
Um. Back to “neurotypical.” In order to segregate people?
Cast people as “the other”? Well, yeah, I’m against that. Totally cliché, you
know, to say “Aw, it doesn’t matter if you’re autistic or neurotypical, we’re
all PEOPLE.” But that’s pretty much how I feel.
No, no, no, I do TRULY understand that there are things I
just do not understand about being autistic. There are SOME things that I
wouldn’t even understand about being autistic even if I really WERE! Just by
not identifying as autistic, I miss out on a lot of stigma and really lame
assumptions people make that could affect one negatively. That being said, I
don’t believe in special classes of people, and I don’t believe one opinion
should be ALWAYS valued less than another, all other things equal. I don’t buy
that any random autist out there is more equipped to understand my child than I
am- and not because of any romantic notions I hold about parenthood, either. I
KNOW that parents often don’t even KINDA “get” their kids- I’m a daughter,
after all. But I understand my son’s aversion to eye contact. John Elder
Robison had nothing to tell me about the subject that I didn’t already know. I
TOTALLY get my son’s apprehension with new people, yet overwhelming and almost
too personal relatability once he gets to know someone. I really REALLY get
that a sound that is completely innocuous to others can be fucking unbearable
to me—although I DON’T think I understand what constant sensory disruption or
sensitivity can be like. You know? We’re all individuals.
I don’t necessarily hate labels and I don’t dismiss the
importance of group identity, I just think these things can lead to
oversimplification very quickly.
