as small as a world and as large as alone, soilrockslove: tainopunk: Hi Tumblr! Today...

6:01pm March 16, 2013

soilrockslove:

tainopunk:

Hi Tumblr! Today we’re gonna talk about MENTAL DISORDERS, and the actions of NON-NEURO TYPICALS and their PERCEPTION by SOCIETY AT LARGE.
Today at group therapy I shoved myself in this tight spot for a couple minutes. It was nice and tight and comfortable to me, and I KNOW I looked weird as hell but I was comfortable so idgaf.
Some of the other group members, neurotypical folk, said things to newcomers like “she’s autistic” and “she doesn’t realize it looks weird to you, it’s her space so all we care is that she is comfortable”
While these statements were said with the best of intentions, they made me realize something that goes hand in hand with the gross generalization of all non-NTs; people think we all don’t know we look weird as fuck to them.
I’m here to set your NT asses straight: Some, in fact many autistic/non-NT persons KNOW that they are “different” and that their actions might be perceived as such -society has taught me that bobbing back in forth in my chair is strange looking to others -society has taught me that piling shit on your lap when you’re laying/sitting down is considered abnormal -society has told me a lot of shit, and basically I am well aware that I look goddamn strange to you and it doesn’t matter to me because I’m comfortable
Part of self care is making my self comfortable, and part of being an “ally” means not acting like you’re so much more aware of the “abnormal” nature of my own actions than I am
Because i am quite aware that society thinks I’m freaky I am just beyond caring Thank you.

There is this whole assumption that I hear TIME AND AGAIN that when people are acting weirdly (especially Developmentally Disabled people) that They must not know they’re acting weird or otherwise they would act Normally.
It all comes down to the idea that everyone is essentially the same inside an that Everyone Should act “Normal” at all times.
Which is not the way the world works! People are different. People act differently. And people have REASONS for the way they act.
And I know that society thinks I act weird.
And I am beyond caring.
And that is a Good Thing!
because it lets me get on with living my life and caring for my people.

tainopunk:

Hi Tumblr! Today we’re gonna talk about MENTAL DISORDERS, and the actions of NON-NEURO TYPICALS and their PERCEPTION by SOCIETY AT LARGE.

Today at group therapy I shoved myself in this tight spot for a couple minutes. It was nice and tight and comfortable to me, and I KNOW I looked weird as hell but I was comfortable so idgaf.

Some of the other group members, neurotypical folk, said things to newcomers like “she’s autistic” and “she doesn’t realize it looks weird to you, it’s her space so all we care is that she is comfortable”

While these statements were said with the best of intentions, they made me realize something that goes hand in hand with the gross generalization of all non-NTs; people think we all don’t know we look weird as fuck to them.

I’m here to set your NT asses straight:
Some, in fact many autistic/non-NT persons KNOW that they are “different” and that their actions might be perceived as such
-society has taught me that bobbing back in forth in my chair is strange looking to others
-society has taught me that piling shit on your lap when you’re laying/sitting down is considered abnormal
-society has told me a lot of shit, and basically I am well aware that I look goddamn strange to you and it doesn’t matter to me because I’m comfortable

Part of self care is making my self comfortable, and part of being an “ally” means not acting like you’re so much more aware of the “abnormal” nature of my own actions than I am

Because i am quite aware that society thinks I’m freaky
I am just beyond caring
Thank you.

There is this whole assumption that I hear TIME AND AGAIN that when people are acting weirdly (especially Developmentally Disabled people) that They must not know they’re acting weird or otherwise they would act Normally.

It all comes down to the idea that everyone is essentially the same inside an that Everyone Should act “Normal” at all times.

Which is not the way the world works! People are different. People act differently. And people have REASONS for the way they act.

And I know that society thinks I act weird.

And I am beyond caring.

And that is a Good Thing!

because it lets me get on with living my life and caring for my people.