3/x

Das autistische #Masking ist übrigens (für mich) so anstrengend (gewesen*), weil es extrem kleinteilig ist. Es bedeutet/e*, dass ich jede winzige Handlung kontrollieren musste, damit mein Anders-Sein bestmöglich verschleiert wurde. Beispiel: Nicht nur über einen nicht verstandenen Witz höflich mitlächeln, sondern auch noch etwas halbwegs Sinnvolles als Reaktion raushauen. Mir nicht anmerken lassen, dass ich keine Ahnung habe, worüber gerade gesmalltalked wird.

(*ich demaskiere)

Of course, it's also #conservatives who are far more concerned about this, as, from what I can tell, most of people's issues with #autism aren't actually behaviors that are far outside what seems to be natural for human beings, but the fact that autistic people are more likely to behave in ways that are outside the conservative cultural norm.

We saw this with #masking during the first year of the ongoing #COVID epidemic, when people who supposedly didn't have autism went through autism like meltdowns over being asked to wear masks and make some minor lifestyle and schedule changes. Suddenly, it didn't seem like autism was a behavioral issue, just a typical response to sensory overload in a society that isn't geared to sensitive people: when everything is uncomfortable, you're going to act like someone who is being put through extreme discomfort... Like these non-autistic people jumping on tables while screaming and ripping off their clothes because they were asked to wear a mask.

(Continued)