Labels

[Servelan]

Why do people without autism define people with autism as 'Aspies' or 'autistic'? If it's a kid, seems like people are slapping a label on a kid's forehead like a warning. They wouldn't refer to a child without autism as a 'normie'...I'm a person with ASD and I must be missing something in the discussion of having vs. being.

 

[Isadoorian]

I mean, what else would you call someone with autism or aspergers other than Special Needs? I know many would find being called retarded/mentally retarded incredibly offending as this isn't the mid 20th century anymore.

If you think about it, it'd be like trying to define someone who's lesbian or gay without using those exact terms and using more derogatory terms, which I won't say as I know its against the forum rules, but I know everyone else here will know what those are.

 

[Gritches]

If I'm understanding what you're getting at, it's because labels allow you to put someone in a box. Labels allow that person to be seen as "other than human", and once you've stripped someone of their humanity it's pretty easy to do whatever you want to them without any sort of moral hangups.

 

[Ezra]

I say I'm autistic like someone would say "I'm gay". And I'm openly autistic, there's no hiding for me. Sometimes I say I have autism. I don't have any preference.

 

[Autistamatic]

Labels are not harmful unless they are accompanied by prejudice and/or misconception.
If I come across the label "autistic" I know what it means, I have known it from the inside. I see someone who may perceive and process the world differently but may have myriad positive qualities alongside. Those with misconceptions may see lack of intelligence, arrogance, emotional dysfunction or worse because that is their limited and fearful understanding of the term.
I see someone identified as "gay" and I see them as no different to me other than they are attracted to their own gender. It makes no difference to how I perceive them at all. To people with prejudice it may suggest deviancy, a sin or a number of stereotypes that will cause them to treat that person unfairly.
It is not the label that is harmful, it's the perception of what that label means in the receiver. We are better served by changing those perceptions than abandoning the labels imo.

 

[TheFreeCat]

People have terrible labels for others in the heads, privately. You see it clearly once they get riled up or get into hate groups. You can see someone you thought was not like that, fuming labels.

Drs and scientists also have labels for us, which can be much scarier and carry greater ramifications.

So secret labels turn into the kinder and more socially acceptable ones till society falls apart again.

I am glad to be called Aspie or whatever right now. I fear the time when it's just "useless eater" again. Then services will be withheld followed by outright prosecution.

It may be 20 years from now, it may be 50. But already they are ferreting out genes for autism. It may be before we are even born that we are killed in like manner to many of our unborn dead Downs Syndrome friends.

So yeah, call me what you will. Just don't kill me off, thank you.

 

[MrSpock]

People assume 'normal' unless otherwise specified. If you had just bought a car you wouldn't likely tell your friends that you'd just bought a car, and it has four wheels, or it has seats, or for steering it has... a steering wheel! You might mention if it's a three-wheeler, or has no seats, or is steered by a joystick.

Why are you here, at this website? I'm guessing it has something to do with the site being labelled, for sure this is so in my case. I am different in a way that is significant, it's useful to have a word for that.

 

[Nervous Rex]

Why do people without autism define people with autism as 'Aspies' or 'autistic'? If it's a kid, seems like people are slapping a label on a kid's forehead like a warning.

Because labels are shortcuts to understanding. We also label people Black, White, Christian, Muslim, American, French, Hispanic, Gay, Hetero, Trans, Rich, Poor, Lawyer, Laborer, Democrat, Republican, and a million other things.

When we say those words, we think it tells us something about them. And it's true - it does tell us something about them. But it doesn't tell us everything about them. Labels fail us when we begin to think that knowing a label is the same as knowing a whole person.

Autism is a part of me and it's an appropriate label. But it's just one facet on my diamond. I have a lot of other facets, too. If anyone cares to see the others, they can begin to get an idea of who I really am.

 

[Fino]

If I'm reading it correctly, my understanding is that the OP's problem is not with the existence of the label but with the difference between "having autism" and "being autistic," which I see Ezra addressed.

I'm Bipolar, I have Bipolar? I've never thought about the difference.
I'm Autistic...actually I've never said "I have autism." I don't know why.
I'm ADHD... is that even a thing? That one is always "I have ADHD," but that's probably because it's an acronym.
I'm gay... I have gay...

The last one is a joke!

 

[tducey]

I usually say I have Autism or I'm Autistic. I don't mind being labelled. Being Autistic and having this condition is a part of who I am.