3:13am July 14, 2013

➸ Trying to find the right words: Benefits of Being Friends with Aspies

bendingthewillow:

aspieanonymously:

1. You will never see the world the same again. Ever.

2. We are diligent and good at seeing details that others would not see.

3. We are on average, really smart.

4. We will always tell you the truth. Whether you ask for it or not. So that way…

I’ve been badly manipulated and abused by other autistic people. Including two who hid behind the stereotype of being oh so innocent and incapable of true manipulation or abuse or lying. And who then abused others while claiming all the while that they were the victims.

And I’m definitely capable of lying. (Worse, I think lying is the only ethical behavior in certain circumstances. Not that it’s always ethical, and I’ve done it in unethical or questionable circumstances. As well as others where it was ethically neutral or right. I don’t lie a lot if I can help it, because I find it too exhausting to keep my lies straight. But I’ve certainly done it.)

And…yeah, none if these things are universally true of us. Many are actually quite rarely true of us. And some of them are really dangerous. Like if you believe autistic people can’t manipulate, you’re setting yourself up to be abused by manipulative autistic people. All the while believing they can’t be manipulating because they’re autistic, or that they can’t be autistic because they’re manipulating. And hoo boy are both ideas false as hell.

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