Sh*t that Neurotypicals Say…
Neurotypicals – They don’t get us, refuse to accommodate us, show indifference when we suffer, and with brutal cruelty treat us Inhumanely.
Have you ever felt that Neurotypicals (or as I’d like to call them “NTs”) don’t really get you when they claim (keyword: claim) that they do?
Then Autistic siblings, this article is for you!
There are ways that Neurotypical people say things that they don’t mean, but can (and will) often be seen as
To any Autistic person when some Autistics mention the fact that they are dealing with the state of their mental health along with them “catting” (as Dreisward [main author of his website “The Art of Catting”] defines what “Therian” is… it is a shortening of “therianthrope”, which is someone who feels a connection with an animal they themself can relate to, but a specific animal doesn’t have to be an animal from real life because it can be a unicorn or other mythical beings that therians themselves can relate to).
Before I get into the list of sh*t that neurotypicals say, I first must need to subjectively define “catting” as something in which when an Autistic person isn’t feeling fully comfortable with NTs around or with any other person around when they are getting to know someone or when they are befriending someone (please correct me if I am wrong).
Now, onto the list!
- “You don’t look Autistic…”
This is a normal phrase that I’ve heard in my life (I don’t really know how much…) and this is a phrase that I would consider as a microaggression. For example, when an Autistic starts to feel comfortable around an NT and tells them that they are Autistic, the NT will respond back with “you don’t look Autistic” as if they think that it is a compliment, but of course, it isn’t a compliment since they’ve most likely internalised a lot of stereotypes (both negative and inaccurate) about Autistic folx (“folx” is more inclusive than “folks” [but pronounced the same] and it is more LGBTQIAP2S+/MOGAI-inclusive than “folks”) from the media…
Never trust the media, folx!
2. “Why can’t you ever be normal?!”
This is another one that can harm an autist a lot because there is no such thing as “normal”, and nothing in life is ever “normal” in the first place since we live in a society that refuses to understand us Autistics, yet force us to “understand” them and to strive for being “normal” like them (like no way on earth would that ever happen because it’s all just a ploy to get us to conform to the white supremacist, eugenicist, fascist, and capitalist status quo that neurotypicals worship)…
3. “Be more mature and professional!”
This is one that I’ve gotten from a teacher assistant who used to work with me in elementary school (she was nice and “meant well” as I attempted to rationalize myself with, but just because she brought some nice gifts doesn’t mean that she gets to say ableist nonsense such as “age-appropriate behavior!”, “do it maturely…”, “be the mature {insert in real life name} I know!” which not only screws with an Autistic’s self-esteem, but can and will make them hate themselves for being who they are), but I will not get into this too much since I would rather move forward with myself.
4. “Train yourself to calm your mind!”
Yeah… this one I have gotten from a family member of mine (who I would rather not mention for privacy reasons and personal reasons) for some of the times I vent out my anxiety to her along with how I feel or whenever I tell her something about my negative thoughts. This can also depend from person to person as some NT family members they have can also say stuff like that in real life or if they are on social media (think Facebook, Twitter, along with many other social media…)… Like when people give out advice such as “train your mind to think positive…”, “go work on loving yourself…”, along with many more advice that sounds to be well-meaning, but can actually be unhelpful for some Autistics like me.
5. “You are the owner of your brain!”
Yeah, this was what one of my family members told me one time in my life whenever I was venting about my negative thoughts. If I was the owner of my brain I would be able to do many things to not deeply care about what others think! (cue the sarcasm)
6. “When will you learn that talking while I am speaking with someone on the phone is inappropriate and disrespectful?!”
Yeah… that happened to me some times whenever I wanted to be affectionate towards one of my family members…
(I don’t have anything else to put in this list, so I’m going to end it here…)
And there y’all have it! the list of sh*t that neurotypicals say!
If any of you ever feel alone because neurotypicals say that you belong to {insert social group you’re in with them} while they don’t even show it with their actions… you are NEVER alone in this because you can always refer to this article each time you feel alone because of NTs.
