Autistic Hedgehog

[“Don’t touch me”

Means don’t fucking touch me!]

Recently I posted an anon Hedgehog that said “Don’t touch me” doesn’t mean I hate you. And this is very much the truth for autistic people.

But also, lately I’ve seen far too many autistics on tumblr talking about how when they tell people they don’t like to be touched, people do it anyway. Sometimes people even do it more. That is so fucked up, I made this Hedgehog.

Touching people without their permission is bad enough. Purposefully touching people even more when they’ve explicitly stated they don’t like it is positively despicable. Do not be that person. 

Also, a screencap of something I found in Google’s cache of the autism tag.

Mod note: For anyone who wasn’t here at the time and is wondering, Hatilda is the person who I referenced in a couple of my October 5th Hedgehogs.

Although this isn’t the rant in question, this is a good example of the way she talks. I’d rather not rehash her nonsense too deeply, because most of it was hurtful and triggering, but I will say this: Take this rant, turn it up to 12, and squeeze in as much ableism as you possibly can, and you have some idea of what she was on about. And yes, she did say autistics are incapable of recognizing others as sentient beings in said now deleted rant. I didn’t pull that particular Hedgehog out of thin air.

[“The stories of low-functioning autistic people who are burdens on their families are too often erased!”

Wow, have you even actually met reality?]

I can’t, you guys. I caaaaaaannn’t.

(And not just because my brain is tired from working so hard the last few days, either.)

[“Ohmigod my sibling has autism! Why, cruel world, why!? They are so beautiful and they have a beautiful soul and they’re like, so beautiful! How could life do this to me? Whatever will I do now!?”

Here’s a suggestion: Shut up, get over yourself, and stop making this about you]

I know I can’t be the only person who’s getting tired of these. Even when someone means well, it gives me such a headache. Look, allistic people: There are other things you can do than just flapping around like chickens with your heads cut off. Panicking and making assumptions about what this means for your autistic sibling/child/etc. is bad enough.

Panicking and making assumptions about what this means for you is just kind of insensitive. 

I can remember a few times when parents of autistic children contacted me on some website or another, wondering things about autism. Among other things, I would usually tell them that autistic children can learn, that all is not lost and their kids can probably live good lives. I never heard back from any of them, not even a thank you for my time taken responding. 

It’s like people don’t want to hear that all is not lost. Like they want to believe it’s all doom and gloom, so they can recline back on their drama couches, staple their hands to their foreheads, and whine about how cruel life is. Allistics, get your butts off the drama couch and educate yourselves. You can even start with the askanautistic tag right here on tumblr if you want some real insight into us. 

[Autism. Related tags: actuallyautistic, night of too many stars, katy perry

Please just GTFO]

Seriously, I’ve had enough of this. The tags listed as relating to autism should have something, somehow, to do with autism, even if its a different but similar diagnosis. Katy Perry doesn’t have jack all to do with autism and I do not give half a flying rat’s ass that she sang with that autistic girl. 

You know what’s happening here? A bunch of allistic people are flooding the autism tag with this video, and many of them are accompanying it with insulting remarks, talking about how if you don’t cry over it you don’t have a soul. I haven’t watched Night of Too Many Stars, but what I do know is this: It’s apparently not teaching anyone that just because autistic people don’t always express their emotions the way allistic people do, it doesn’t mean we don’t have them.

So these people are posting this video alongside remarks that are directly insulting and even triggering to actually autistic people. And then they’re patting themselves on the back like they’re so damn great for watching it. 

So yeah, NoTMS people, GTFO of the autism tag. This is not the kind of “awareness” autism needs. 

[“Katy Perry sang with an autistic girl? She has such a beautiful soul!”

Yes, how arduous, singing with an autistic girl who knows how to sing. She puts Jesus to shame. Quick, guys, let’s canonize her.]

Whoa, hey, look at that, allistic people, sarcasm! Real live, dripping-scorn-like-a-hot-cinnamon-roll-drips-icing sarcasm. Gosh, it’s almost like autistics are real people who deserve better than to be showcased on a TV show like those animals the ASPCA puts on display whenever they’re trying to find homes for them! It’s–it’s almost like we’re individuals or something! Like, you know, some of us are good at certain things and some of us aren’t, kind of like every other freakin’ person on the planet.

———

Okay, we’re now below the sarcasm line. Everything below this line is straight talk.

So I’m sure by now a number of you have seen this whole Night of Too Many Allistics Stars thing and I know from looking at the tags that some of you have watched it. So send me your NoTMS related hedgehogs! Please?

pretty please?

No, seriously, I am straight up getting a little desperate here, trying to think up all these hedgehogs on my own. And anyway, I’m on the wrong side of the planet to even be able to watch NoTMS, so I need some help on this one. So really, please, if you have a bit of time, send me a hedgehog or two.

[Cry harder, allistic asshole.

I don’t give a fuck.]

Courtesy of goldenheartedrose. I really felt this ought to be a hedgehog, because there are those days, you know? And I think we can find someone this applies to today, can’t we? 

[“Autistic people don’t see others as sentient beings.”

Oh no, I can tell you’re sentient, on account of how you won’t shut up.]

This is in reference to the same post mentioned in the previous hedgehog. 

Seriously, anyone who thinks such things needs to just fuck off now. We are the ones generally not seen as sentient.

[Congratulations on being the first allistic person

I find more disgusting than Jenny McCarthy]

TRIGGER WARNING: Ableism, eugenics, overall jaw-dropping D-colon fuckery.

In regards to this. Seriously guys, I am NOT kidding with that trigger warning, it is bad, bad, bad. 

I just can’t even right now with this shit.