Here comes a long one: A lot of people think that when we autistics are not looking at someone in the eyes or when we are stimming with our hands as they're talking to us, it must mean that we're uninterested or aren't paying attention to what they're saying. But how exactly are NTs threatened by our not looking at them in the eye as they speak to us? Isn't that saying that our autistic neurology is threatening to NTs? I don't want to come across as lying, uninterested, or disrespectful either, which is why I think it's so important to tell other people ahead of time why we autistics do things the way we do. Understanding others is also something NTs love to say is a socially necessity, yet many refuse to understand or be comfortable with us autistics, and the fact that there are plenty of NTs who find it difficult for them to turn off the part of their brain that automatically translates their body language shows how backward humanity is and that we have a long way to go before it really progresses. So basically, society is teaching autistic people to work with and be taught by really backwards people. People die because of masking since it creates a conflict between who one really is and who they're pretending to be. Being able to be who we are without fear of the judgement of others isn't a matter of convenience, it's a matter of life and death. I am not advocating we give autistics special privileges, I am advocating we give autistic people the accommodations they need, and by expecting us to act as though we were NT, they are refusing to accommodate us for the way we were built. Contrary to what many outsiders seem to think, we autistics actually DON'T have a problem with the way NTs communicate, I believe it's just as valid as mine. It's the NT supremacists who believe their way of communicating is superior, and it's really just one of many ways of communicating. I am sticking by what I believe at all costs because I don't just think that it's wrong that people expect me to live my life pretending to be somebody I'm not, I KNOW it's wrong. If you have "friends" who can't tolerate the fact that you find it excruciating to have to act NT in front of them, then they're not your friends, and you need to find some new ones. And yes, I know the experiences of autistic adults aren't going to be uniform in every way, but just as Democrats and Republicans will mostly agree with their parties on some of the core issues their parties' espouse, there are things that many autistic adults will usually come to agree on, and one of those things is the fact that it's totally wrong that autistics are expected to pretend to be NT in order to make it in life. Someday, and it's already happening to a degree, things will change, everyone will become more conscious of the autistic mind and be more accommodating for those who are autistic, and those who tried to stand in the way of progress in this area will have to answer to future generations as to why they chose to stand against progress. History will not be their friend any longer. Long one over.

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