Have you heard the claim that autistic people don't understand jokes and what do you think about it?
Anonymous
Considering that humor is a very subjective thing in the first place, I think the claim is hogwash.
Some autistics don’t understand some jokes, just like some allistics don’t understand some jokes. Because to those people, those jokes might not even be funny in the first place, and it’s hard to understand the point of something one doesn’t find funny. But like with so many other things, for us, it’s a stereotype and it’s been pathologized all to hell.
It’s true that in some ways we have slight disadvantages. Some of us struggle to understand sarcasm or other tones of voice, and if the person telling the joke doesn’t have very good delivery in the first place, it might make it even harder to get the joke (I have this problem with every single joke my brother-in-law tries to tell). But it’s important to keep in mind that allistics can and do have the exact same preferences and problems. If it’s not a stereotype for them, it certainly shouldn’t be for us.