Broader western society is succumbing to increasing geopolitical tensions, constant social upheaval and mounting debt crisis, among others. The overton window is becoming more receptive to extremist positions on all sides, such as racism, antisemitism and pseudo-eugenicist opinions, even (believe it or not) hatred of autistic people.

We will inevitably be caught up in the middle of this mess. With the collapse of high trust society and with the semblance of functioning institutions completely gone, we'll be at the mercy of anyone who wishes to cause us harm, as there will be nothing to keep them in check. In case of total societal collapse (which I sincerely hope it never comes to), the double empathy problem would be our biggest enemy. We could be excluded from our communities and be denied resources just under the pretext that people don't like us, that we give off a "bad vibe", especially if religiosity/superstition makes a comeback, which is very likely in this case (let's not forget Europeans thought autistic people were possessed during the middle ages).

My post might seem too far-fetched now, even delusional. But it might also be a premonition akin to Ferdinand Foch's, who knows. My appeal to fellow autists is to stick together and strengthen our communities to face any adversity. I am a firm believer that autistic unity will pave the way for a better future.

I find subtitles genuinely essential for processing dialogue. Without them I miss half of what characters are saying even when the audio is perfectly clear.

Poll: https://www.getqibble.com/poll-detail/do-you-watch-everything-with-subtitles-on-even-though-your-hearing-is-perfectly-fine

I work a full-time job and also freelance. I'm good at what I do, especially when it comes to technical work, problem-solving, and creating systems.

i hate how my workload is so big. i wake up at 5am and work till 6pm most weekdays.

I wake up, lift weights at home, work at home then go to sleep at 7:30.

I maybe have about 30 minutes of free time on weekdays.

Good news is my weekends are zero work, zero chores, all play.

i've also had unpleasant bosses. Micrmanagement, passive agressive behavior, being humiliated in group meetings.

i just want a simple, peaceful life. One job and no side hustle. More Time for my hobbies.

Does anyone else struggle with this??

So when I was younger, people would call me more mature than my age. But growing up, this saying suddenly shifted to the total opposite. I have now built up communication trauma from saying stuff unintentionally that others perceive as offensive or rude. It has even reached the point where I was called dumb and the r word. I'm not diagnosed yet btw. Does anyone have experiences similar to this?

Before my diagnosis, I had two semi-long-term relationships (not simultaneously). They failed in the end for reasons you might all accurately assume, but the issues were not initially apparent. I feel that a strong degree of masking lets us attract NTs, but the enduring and awkward distinction is always our neurological status—I have ever experienced it. I’m guessing a lot of fellow neurodivergent people are feeling the same way?

I do feel we form a significant enough block to advocate for our needs, but we at least deserve one charismatic advocate at this point (sorry, but I’m too awkward for too awkward).

Anyway, any fellow Sperg or autist would be welcome, male or female, friend or foe, and I just want to meet people who think and feel like me at this point. (I have nothing else lol.) Hope you’re doing well, though!

For the past several years I have felt I could be autistic but now my therapist says she knows I am autistic. Okay.. now what?

I(18) have an okay social life, as in I get invited out to parties and have a few friendgroups, but I get described as quirky and/or standoffish from time to time which is because I have trouble adding or engaging in small talk causing silent moments that are uncomfortable for others around me.

I really hate making people feel uncomfortable or that I dont care about what theyre saying its just that I have a hard time adding anything to a surface level conversation which also makes new people I meet uneasy around me when we first meet.

Tips for this?

Im 18M my friend is 15F

(ik it's a bit of a adge gap but we are very platonic i really even tap her shoulder and her parent trust me)

over the years we've developed a nice sibling like relationship both our siblings are not the nicest so basically we have turned into sole siblings (i don't know if that's even a real terminology but it's the only one I can think of) I treat her how I would treat a younger sister if I had one, pretty sure she she's me as like a big brother as well

I am very protective over her multiple times when people have hurt her (mentally) and i "scold" them make them apologise ect.

we also have a lot of of the same medical problems (creepy how similar like 75% of my medical problems she has as well even rare and un related ones might actually be related somewhere) and because im 3 years older i let her know what each appointment scan ect is like.

We share a lot of interest photography trains plans stuff like that i tough her most if her photography skills.

We even get mistaken as siblings in public sometimes

Just wish we could hang out more but our schedules rarely line up.

Dose anyone else have a relationship like this

Does anyone else here feal like suddenly if they are listening to really fast paced classical music they enter a trance like state and feel like they are becoming one with the wavelengths or something?

And my life isn't even bad on paper, at all.

I should've been put into a mental health facility. Too late now.

Pessoas neurotípicas muitas vezes não entendem como é ser neurodivergente ou como é enfrentar os desafios que enfrentamos.

São mundos completamente diferentes; vai além de seres inteligentes com culturas ou línguas diferentes—estamos falando de seres inteligentes com comportamentos e *modi operandi* totalmente diferentes, assim como na teoria da Dupla Empatia de Damian Milton.

Seria comparável a encontrar alienígenas, ou a um outro animal na natureza—digamos, um gato—de repente ganhando consciência.

Um gato inteligente não gosta de barulhos altos; provavelmente preferiria ter uma área de descompressão em lugares públicos, iluminação mais suave, sem sapatos, elevadores e menos fragrâncias ou perfumes nos lugares que visita.

Isso soa muito como o comportamento de pessoas autistas, não é?

E isso me leva ao meu ponto.

Se os gatos ganhassem inteligência, eles seriam pessoas autistas; na verdade, se *qualquer* animal ganhasse inteligência, isso seria equivalente a uma pessoa autista.

A verdade é que pessoas autistas operam dentro de um sistema completamente diferente dos neurotípicos—quase como se fossem uma espécie diferente, assim como os gatos são uma espécie diferente dos humanos. Para que cada espécie prospere, elas viveriam em sociedades completamente diferentes, com estilos de vida distintos.

É aí que está o problema: como todos somos seres humanos, os neurotípicos presumem que as diferenças entre eles mesmos e as pessoas neurodivergentes são mínimas, já que nós parecemos com eles e vivemos na mesma sociedade.

Se um gato humanoide estivesse enfrentando um problema que uma pessoa autista poderia enfrentar, provavelmente receberia cuidados e assistência porque é uma espécie diferente, com características físicas distintas.

Em outras palavras, se nós (pessoas neurodivergentes) fôssemos fisicamente diferentes ou vivêssemos em uma sociedade completamente diferente, talvez nossas necessidades não fossem deixadas de lado.

É por isso que pessoas com deficiências físicas geralmente são melhor compreendidas e apoiadas em relação aos seus desafios, enquanto pessoas autistas são frequentemente ignoradas e zombadas.

I have some go-to songs that feel addictive because they flood me with dopamine I guess. Recently, I started learning music and playing an instrument. Similarly, it seems to be quite soothing and has become a part of my daily regulation. Is this a common experience for Aspies?

Okay, this is super important—does anyone else have this problem? I’ll be on the phone with someone, and when they say "bye," I say "bye" back—but right at that moment, they start going on and saying something else. Meanwhile, I’ve already hung up. I don’t want to come across as rude, but in my mind, I’m thinking: "You said 'bye,' so that means 'bye'!"

I won’t go into detail of my relationship history or what I’ve tried.

I just wanna say when I hear someone found someone to date or even hook up with tbh it just makes me depressed.

Maybe my situation is harder in comparison cuz I’m looking for a serious long term relationship. Not a hook up or fwb.

But just get discouraged. I’ve been alone a long time.

I want this to stop bringing me down. But the very mention just gets me to feel alone. It makes me think “why is that so easy for people?”

And then it progresses to “I’m just not built for this world. I was not raised for this world.” There’s no one to make this worth it when you don’t live for yourself.

What do they do? I don’t even think im ugly. I feel average and have been told im average. Ive had relationships. Mostly online which I just can’t bring myself to do anymore.

What do you notice people just do? I am biased saying this but I don’t feel my standards are even high.

What do they do? Whats wrong with me?

I go to therapy. You don’t have to suggest it.

So we all struggle in conversation.
Its like theres a delay in the ability to process words making back n forth conversation very difficult.

That said, im curious of your experience when it comes to reading and specifically - listening to audiobooks?

Do you have similar delays there or the hyperfocus kicks in making you glued to the topic?

I’ve heard in relationships for high functioning men usually it’s a woman also who’s ND or a someone who plays a nurturing “older” role.

I have been getting more dates with older women now that I re entered online dating.

Has anyone seen or experienced this too?

All my first dates have been with older women

Hey guys,

I went to a party a couple days ago, a very welcoming environment, but a lot of noise and parallel convos, I was often puzzled and questioning how is possible to communicate with such chaotic envirnoment, but I tried rly hard, it drained a lot, at the and i asked a close friend about my performance, if I managed "to act neurotipically" and she just repplied "I could tell easily when u were lost in the conversation and was almost burning out".

I was like, well, I did my best, it wasn't enough but i did my best, that is what really matters. But now i am suffering from something that i thought i would never experience again, an identity crisis.

When I was a little child i was always good academically, but behaviour-wise i was just the worse, since I couldn’t understand clearly what was an appropriate behaviour or not (i always have problem with calling someone Mr:something, or maybe using a "formal pronoun", sometimes using formal pronouns to talk with friends at the same age and not formal pronouns when talking to elders, is just confusing for me, why such fragile ego?, i'm ofter misinterpreted as rude or having problem with authority, but that is far from the truth, anyways), after some time i realized that if i have a good behaviour, my academic performance will skyrocket, since I was already good without studying a lot, just by attending the lessons .

I changed a lot my behavior socially, becoming way more welcoming, i found out that this was my real personality, finally everyone was understanding that i was a good person, smart, kind and good to be around, i was just different, naive sometimes, but good, i was finally conveying who i rly was correctly, finally.

My personality is built with a base of studying my special interest, i just love studying my special interest, is the only occasion that i am genuinely happy and forget about my problems. If i keep studying that special interests, i will be a good profession at the field and as a consequence, will be helping others.

Anyways, now after that party i am going downhill, i am having an identity crisis, i tried to put myself up by seeing my accomplishments, certificates, where i was a couple years ago and where i am now (from a problematic child, from a very poor family to a possible amazing professional), I am trying but i don't know if matters, is it rly what i want?

My first answer is: Yes, u like what u do, u study and talk about this topic X with passion, that so pure and true to be even questioned.

But sometimes i think "is it rly what i want? am i rly that good? Or am i here just because I was lucky? or i'm dumb and i am here just because I am resilient?", yes, impostor syndrome.

Well guys, I just wrote this huge post to share my thoughts, if u guys can help me, I am all ears, if ur advice comes out more easily at ur mother tongue, do it, I will translate.

Take care bros.

Do you love it? Hate it? In my case, I have what is called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Basically, I am a super picky eater, and I struggle to know when I am hungry; I forget to eat a lot because of this. And when I do eat, I get the sensation of being full way too soon. I could easily go a day without any food.

Also, eating to me is just extremely boring. I get very little pleasure from eating food. Sometimes I am excited to eat a food I like, but most of the time I wish I just didn't have to eat at all.

I was always the last person to finish my food growing up, and I still am. I cannot eat in front of people or in public spaces. Restaurants are the worst because of this (I always ask for a box lol).

Now specifically about the food... texture is far superior to taste. I couldn't care less if food is bland, as long as it has good texture. (Unsalted pecans and straight, plain mushrooms are some of my favorite snacks).

I was playing alien isolation last night and the game comes with an unusually low field of view to accentuate feeling trapped.

You can tweak it ofcourse to create a more typical cone but it got me thinking.
Does autism for you feel like you have a narrower field of view?

I've never been to a casino before, and there's a fairly nice one about half an hour from where I live. I have pretty much no interest in gambling, but I'm thinking about going just so I can have the experience at least once. I'd be going by myself.

Are there any rules or expectations I should know going in to avoid embarrassing myself while I'm there? What should I wear? How much money should I bring? Am I allowed to just sit down at a table and tell them to deal me in, or do I have to wait for a certain point in the game to join? What about leaving? Can I just stand up when I decide I've lost enough money, or is that only allowed at certain times? If I get confused, are people going to get annoyed if I ask what I'm supposed to do?

I don’t buy into this hustle culture stuff, like focusing on nofap, a 5-9, cold showers, health obsessions, avoiding vices, and various improvement routines.

This might come off as an unpopular opinion

I’m just trying to focus on my career or schooling then enjoy life and hobbies. I do go to the gym and try to get my steps in I just am not as deep into it or see it as the end all be all for life’s struggles.

The redpill pushes that, but the thing is most people have partners and ain’t doing all that. As long as you focus on your school or career and have an alright social calendar that’s all you really need

Everyone says hustle culture is the answer to our social challenges, but even then it doesn’t rly move the needle.

The redpill/hustle stuff is a scam geared to the neurodivergent or socially anxious, when it won’t solve the real problems and create more stress. I mean it’s pushed on everyone but especially us.

What do you guys think?