Social experiment

[SeanF]

I tried a social experiment - muah ha ha ha!

Some background:
1. I'm an old retired fart, and as long as I'm not causing distress, I don't really care what people think about me. It's not like I can get fired or go to jail for being a WEIRD old retired fart.
2. Since I finally accepted my diagnosis, I have made the decision to "own it".
3. I found several autism related T-shirts on Amazon, and purchased several including -
"This is what autism looks like"
"Autism: Not a flaw in the code - different operating system"
"Don't touch me. I'm autistic."
and my favorite "I'm autistic. I'm allowed to be weird."

So I have been wearing these shirts in public and watching people's reactions. As expected, most people ignore them (or at least pretend to ignore them). But I have been surprised at the positive effects I have seen. People have gone out of their way to tell me how much they love the shirt (especially the operating system and allowed to be weird). Several of them have told me they have autistic family members or friends.
I have seen more smiles and people holding doors for me than I have seen in decades.

I had expected most people to ignore the shirts, so no surprise there. I had expected people to tell me they knew someone autistic. Again, no surprise. I was concerned some might be offended by the shirts. So far that hasn't happened at all. The increase in courtesy has been very surprising. I have always tried to treat everyone courteosly, but I had given up on expecting courtesy in return decades ago. So seeing a noticeable increase in niceness is refreshing.

I do not have a lanyard, but I do have a wallet card in case of emergencies. I may get a lanyard and see if wearing that around with the card gives comparable results to wearing the T shirts.

That is good to know. I honestly have considered doing something similar. The thing that has always stopped me is the thought of being pulled into conversation with strangers. It always seemed too overwhelming. Nevertheless, it warms my heart that you have been met with such positive responses. Perhaps our society is letting go of at least part of the stigma surrounding ASD.

 

[Jumpinbare]

That is good to know. I honestly have considered doing something similar. The thing that has always stopped me is the thought of being pulled into conversation with strangers. It always seemed too overwhelming. Nevertheless, it warms my heart that you have been met with such positive responses. Perhaps our society is letting go of at least part of the stigma surrounding ASD.

I had that concern as well. But I have found I can reply to someone much easier than I can initiate a verbal exchange. Since it's a stranger, I can usually refrain from infodumping.

 

[Misty Avich]

I wouldn't be seen dead in a shirt with autism on it. If I did wear one probably nobody would care, as people where I come from don't really take shirts seriously and wouldn't really strike up a conversation to a stranger about what's written on their shirt. But even so, I am extremely closeted about my ASD, except on this forum of course.
ASD isn't something I think about except when I'm here. I'm not that affected by it, especially since I moved out my hometown and nobody at work knows about it nor anyone else, including my husband. Now that I'm free from being surrounded by people who were told I have ASD, I feel less affected by it. Just like I felt before I got the diagnosis, in the good old 90s (until 1999).

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I tried a social experiment - muah ha ha ha!

Some background:
1. I'm an old retired fart, and as long as I'm not causing distress, I don't really care what people think about me. It's not like I can get fired or go to jail for being a WEIRD old retired fart.
2. Since I finally accepted my diagnosis, I have made the decision to "own it".
3. I found several autism related T-shirts on Amazon, and purchased several including -
"This is what autism looks like"
"Autism: Not a flaw in the code - different operating system"
"Don't touch me. I'm autistic."
and my favorite "I'm autistic. I'm allowed to be weird."

So I have been wearing these shirts in public and watching people's reactions. As expected, most people ignore them (or at least pretend to ignore them). But I have been surprised at the positive effects I have seen. People have gone out of their way to tell me how much they love the shirt (especially the operating system and allowed to be weird). Several of them have told me they have autistic family members or friends.
I have seen more smiles and people holding doors for me than I have seen in decades.

I had expected most people to ignore the shirts, so no surprise there. I had expected people to tell me they knew someone autistic. Again, no surprise. I was concerned some might be offended by the shirts. So far that hasn't happened at all. The increase in courtesy has been very surprising. I have always tried to treat everyone courteosly, but I had given up on expecting courtesy in return decades ago. So seeing a noticeable increase in niceness is refreshing.

I do not have a lanyard, but I do have a wallet card in case of emergencies. I may get a lanyard and see if wearing that around with the card gives comparable results to wearing the T shirts.

I too, am openly autistic at work and school, and most of my family knows. You're correct in that most people don't really know what autism "looks like", nor do they actually care. My experience with other people has been more the "Don't care, do your job." sort of mentality.

I think where some younger, socially insecure, more emotionally sensitive autistics can get into trouble with being "open" is that there are "the wolves" out there, the toxic people who see what they perceive as some sort of weakness, then want to poke at it and take advantage of it. Bad things happen then.

So, I am not sure if people really understand or care if any one of us is autistic, per se, as it is more the interaction between the two different types of personalities. If you are older, more secure in your own skin, and have the mental tools to deal with toxic personalities, then "the wolves" never bother you, and you can be openly autistic.

 

[Dagan]

I don't usually mention it to anyone unless it's a sudden attempt at being a way to laugh about whatever I had just done so very awkward or whatever. I mean, like, I might say, "autism, for the win!" and then walk off.

If I'm engaged seriously about it, I will detail things in full and explain anything I can or will struggle with, things I do to cope or process, etc. I try to never make it sound like excuse or for pity, of course. Certainly always feeling wary of anyone thinking that I want attention. In which case, truly wearing a shirt would backfire probably.

 

[The Pandector]

T-shirts are hazardous. During Clinton years, Hillary postulated a vast right-wing conspiracy. I designed a t-shirt that said largely, VRWC, and over the pocket, ‘Un-Indicted Co-Conspirator’. Maiden voyage, to a picnic where we all met a couple who had just been released after over a year in jail for taking a hard stance on a Christian issue. Turns out, they Had been indicted, and the wife in particular took public umbrage at me stealing false valor. As if I knew who they were or that they were in attendance. Sheesh.

 

[Jumpinbare]

In considering whether to buy the shirts, I knew offending someone was a possibility. A friend pointed out no matter what you do, good, bad, or neutral, if you're around enough people you're going to offend someone. I always try to act respectful around everyone. Clearly I am not always successful, because even now at 65 I still seem to get some people upset, and me clueless why.

 

[Lightswitch411]

I don't generally wear novelty T-shirts unless it's from a community activity I participated in (ie. community clean up or walk-a-thon) or a place I visited (ie. Cape May, NJ Fish Market)
But I don't think I'd mind wearing one that states:

"If you've meet one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.
- Dr. Stephen Shore"

[Dr. Shore confirmed he made the statement in an interview, here: Dr. Shore Interview ]