Autistic Hedgehog

darkbiosphere:

Okay, first things first. I am not a guy. And my name is Regan.

Now, I can deal with ignorant people as well as the next person, but when you begin patronizing someone when they are trying to inform you about the problematic actions of a group by saying “lol” and “this is nuts”, you’re going to aggravate me.  

Do not tell Autistic people how to educate neurotypical people. Do not tell me how best to stop oppression I feel on a daily basis because it will be easier on you. Do you think you’re the first person who has done this to me? Do you think you’re the first person who has tone policed me into being polite (when YOU were being awful and degrading) to please you as an individual? No. This is something I live with every day. Because people like you expect Autistic people to be submissive and polite even when someone crosses boundaries in way of practically laughing at you when you’re trying to educate them on why something in problematic. If you wanted it to stay a conversation, you shouldn’t have jumped in like a child by laughing at me and telling me “it’s just a bear” when I explained over and over again why it is more than that.

My actions do not give people a bad view on Autistic people. God forbid an Autistic person call out something that DAMAGES their lives! How dare they be so rude and condescending to an NT person with privilege! Forgive me. As a useless, mindless, subservient Autistic person; I forgot I must face cruelty and oppression with an empty smile and acceptance to horrid behaviour.

Your actions are what make NT people look all the same. If someone treads on me and the person I am, I am not going to be polite about it. Rose, who did nothing but link you to a post they made about WHY AS is bad, was not being rude or “crazy”. They were trying to give you the resources to educate yourself. Instead, you decide to call them pathetic. Then to call me crazy. Do you see the trend here?

And here is a protip for you; Apologies do not equate forgiveness. I do not need to become your best friend because you realized you did wrong and gave me a half arsed apology. I do not need to forgive you for your actions because you said we are “alike” when obviously, we could not be more different.

As an Autistic person; I am not going to message someone privately if they are engaging and encouraging problematic and harmful behaviours. That is another silencing tactic, and I will open my big, rude mouth if need be to get my point across.

In short; you had the options to educate yourself. Instead, you became defensive with Autistic people pointed out your problematic behaviour and you made it worse for yourself. 

Don’t you dare ever think I give a bad name to Autistic people because I stuck up for myself. And don’t you ever think that for others. 

If you don’t want people to post about your atrocious behaviour, here’s an idea, change your behaviour. Don’t tell me to be more compliant. 

Relevant, considering the nonsense I’ve been getting from that anon recently.

This, right here, is a big part of why I made Autistic Hedgehog. Not just because of the constant woe-is-me sibling/parent blogs, not just because of Autism $peaks, not just because society treats us like crap. 

No, because I saw so many autistics speaking up for themselves–politely, I might add–and being called rude, and worse. Because I saw people like Goldenheartedrose, who works so hard to be kind and tactful when she educates, getting hatred again and again. Because I saw how many of us do "take the highroad" and still get treated like shit. 

AH is a safe zone for us to be angry, not just at the ignorant siblings, not just at Autism $peaks, but at people like that anon, who come in to tone police us, who won’t be happy, in truth, no matter how “nice” we are. What they really want is our silence, our complacency, and when we don’t roll over and give it, we’re “giving people a bad view of autistic people.”

No one ever cares whether they’re giving us a bad view of them.