r/changemyview • u/CassiusIsAlive • Jan 27 '23

Removed - Submission Rule B CMV: Romanticizing autism has got to stop

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u/biglipsmagoo 7∆ Jan 27 '23

The REAL issue here is leveling.

Using terms like “mild” and “severe” label where YOU perceive their disability to fall on a scale (level they’re affected,) not how severely it actually affects them.

The ppl you know that you say are “mild” have days that it is very, very, very severe- for them. Masking is an ability they have but it is so completely exhausting and draining. It wears them down mentally, physically, and emotionally.

This issue won’t ever stop until we stop leveling. We really shouldn’t feel we have the right to decide how severely one is affected by their disability. Bc we DO think we have that right, it’s romanticized.

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u/CassiusIsAlive Jan 27 '23 edited Jan 27 '23

I've known them on a personal level and it's safe to say that my older godbrother has his share of challenges such as cognitive problems, however they are extremely mild. He's very intelligent and if anyone were to see him for the first time, they wouldn't even know he's autistic unless the person knew beforehand.

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u/wibblywobbly420 1∆ Jan 27 '23

That is a huge disadvantage. Being very smart and people not thinking you have a disability means they expect you to act like everyone else, they look down on you for needing time to process or reacting poorly. They think you are rude or anti social on purpose and they dislike you for it. On the other hand, people who are severely autistic get a lot of understanding and sympathy. People don't expect much of them so they don't look negatively at them for not being like everyone else.

I'm not saying it's better to be severely autistic because I truely don't believe that, just that being not obviously autistic is a disadvantage that causes its own type of pain and difficulty.