this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
2 points (100.0% liked)

Just thinking about...

47 readers
1 users here now

A place to share that odd ruminating thought, memory, observation, or social experience that never really comes up for discussion but you want to share because you find it interesting or humorous.

Instance description for federated visitors

Suggestions

  1. Peculiar authentic posts
  2. Unique thoughts and observations
  3. Interesting perspectives
  4. Experiences that changed how you thought about something

Rules

  1. Start post titles with [JTA]
  2. Follow instance rules
  3. Nothing extremely troubling. This is not a clinical mental health community.
  4. Let users be weird. Don't criticize them.
  5. Do not advocate harm or hate towards people.

founded 5 months ago
MODERATORS
 

I'm sure this is due at least in part to some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, as I can identify with and relate to others like me and vice versa, while neuotypicals tend to not tolerate my idiosyncrasies etc. Either way, it sucks being all "I had a social obligation early in the day and it was exhausting but it's done, I had some time to recharge and I don't feel like isolating for once" but all I get back is crickets. I don't blame anyone in the least - everyone's got their own shit they're dealing with. It's just disheartening.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place 1 points 5 months ago

while neuotypicals tend to not tolerate my idiosyncrasies

This line made me reflect on my experiences. I think that maybe NTs do not tolerate idiosyncrasies well for two reasons. One is their well-established cultural value for conformity based on their position in their social hierarchy. So someone that isn't in a powerful position is not supposed to break with conformity. Two, however, is that maybe they assume that we should know better. Breaking social norms can be offensive. If we are seen as mentally incapacitated, then we get a pass with breaking social norms until it becomes annoying. Nonetheless, if we are seen as being capable of understanding social norms, then we are purposely violating them, which they find offensive. The implication of breaking social norms is that we are either (a) placing ourselves on the top of the hierarchy or (b) damaging the socially agreed upon collective truth.

A possible third reason is everyone's need for predictability. People that do not follow the standard model of social behavior are unpredictable, and that is uncomfortable to them. Meanwhile, at least for me but possibly common among neurodivergents, I do not have a good working standard model that applies to everyone. I seriously have to build a profile on every individual I meet, which is why I am a bit reserved at first. Once I have a good profile and know what to expect with an individual, I feel comfortable with them. Interestingly, someone that is unique upfront comes off as authentic to me, so I will likely find them more appealing. Conversely, if they are entirely normal at first, they seem to be following the standard model, which may hint at inauthenticity to me. Really, what I might be doing in this situation is projection. I think that if I'm behaving in accordance to normal standards, then I am masking, so someone doing the same is also masking. What may actually be happening is that they are actually authentically normal and not masking at all. 🤯