The term "Aspie" --is it offensive? What do you call yourself?

[the_tortoise]

I don't think people consciously look for reasons to be offended (unless they are trolls who are consciously and deliberately trying to pick fights and upset others for personal amusement), nor do I think most people make a conscious choice to feel offended by things.

Many of us have experienced more than an average share of discrimination and misunderstanding, being "othered" and looked down on, bullied, excluded.....some may become extra sensitive and extra defensive as a result of such experiences -- hypervigilant to any possible sign of recurrance.....add rigid/black and white thinking / an inability to see more than one perspective at a time....even when people are technically looking for reasons to be offended, it doesn't necessarily mean they are making a conscious choice to do so nor that their motivations for doing so are malicious, anti-social, or trivial.

 

[Alis1998]

The word Aspie on it's own, without much detail giving, I find it not such a nice word on it own.
However that perhaps comes to how "ie" on the end of the word in the dutch langauge is used. Like "je" is "ie" a way of making things sound smaller/cute, which I personally dislike.
But offensive? No, just wish there was a for my preffrence a more suitable name. No hate.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Here is the problem with that poll: There is no straight "no" answer, making people like me who use to identify ourselves and also use it to relate to other people on the spectrum not be able to vote at all.

Please fix.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

Here is the problem with that poll: There is no straight "no" answer, making people like me who use to identify ourselves and also use it to relate to other people on the spectrum not be able to vote at all.

Please fix.

Nevermind. Read the poll title.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

I find the term "Autist" to be much more offensive. Actually, it's the most offensive to call a person on the spectrum, IMO.

I actually kinda have a scale for the different terms for us and how much I find it offensive. Here it is from the least offensive to the most offensive:

•Aspie (Short, simple, and sounds smooth and rolls off the tongue better)
•Autistic (or an autistic)
•Retard (I actually find this less offensive than autist because it's starting to lose it's meaning as an insult, IMO)
•Autist (Find this more offensive because it seems like the person doesn't bother to use two more characters in order to describe us, therefore, doesn't really care about us. IDK why people use this to identify themselves, either.)

 

[Fino]

I find the term "Autist" to be much more offensive. Actually, it's the most offensive to call a person on the spectrum, IMO.

I actually kinda have a scale for the different terms for us and how much I find it offensive. Here it is from the least offensive to the most offensive:

•Aspie (Short, simple, and sounds smooth and rolls off the tongue better)
•Autistic (or an autistic)
•Retard (I actually find this less offensive than autist because it's starting to lose it's meaning as an insult, IMO)
•Autist (Find this more offensive because it seems like the person doesn't bother to use two more characters in order to describe us, therefore, doesn't really care about us. IDK why people use this to identify themselves, either.)

"Autist" just sounds like a profession to me. A Professional Autist.

That's probably why! I just triggered my own memory of a joke I made here months ago that "Autist" sounds like "Artist" in an English accent. I'm a hoot.

 

[Autistamatic]

I find the term "Autist" to be much more offensive. Actually, it's the most offensive to call a person on the spectrum, IMO.

I actually kinda have a scale for the different terms for us and how much I find it offensive. Here it is from the least offensive to the most offensive:

•Aspie (Short, simple, and sounds smooth and rolls off the tongue better)
•Autistic (or an autistic)
•Retard (I actually find this less offensive than autist because it's starting to lose it's meaning as an insult, IMO)
•Autist (Find this more offensive because it seems like the person doesn't bother to use two more characters in order to describe us, therefore, doesn't really care about us. IDK why people use this to identify themselves, either.)

"Autist" I don't personally mind, though it sounds a bit daft to my ears. I don't use it myself.
I've never been called the 'R' word and it's considered highly offensive in the UK. I've seen posts deleted and people suspended from communities for repeated use of it.
It's up there with the 'N' word as a taboo term you just do not use. Ever.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

"Autist" I don't personally mind, though it sounds a bit daft to my ears. I don't use it myself.
I've never been called the 'R' word and it's considered highly offensive in the UK. I've seen posts deleted and people suspended from communities for repeated use of it.
It's up there with the 'N' word as a taboo term you just do not use. Ever.

Actually, overall, unless you're talking about something that is a fire retard, then it doesn't have much meaning overall. I don't use the "r" word, myself, either.

 

[Judge]

Actually, overall, unless you're talking about something that is a fire retard, then it doesn't have much meaning overall. I don't use the "r" word, myself, either.

You mean fire retardant. Or flame/fire retarded. Though one can retard an automobile's ignition.

Sadly in most cases however what I hear the most is the term used in a derogatory manner. Not really intended to accurately describe one's mental or intellectual state. Just an insult.

 

[Joshua the Writer]

You mean fire retardant. Or flame/fire retarded. Though one can retard an automobile's ignition.

Sadly in most cases however what I hear the most is the term used in a derogatory manner. Not really intended to accurately describe one's mental or intellectual state. Just an insult.

Doesn't really mean much to me. It seems like it has no meaning now from overuse.

 

[Judge]

Doesn't really mean much to me. It seems like it has no meaning now from overuse.

Stands to reason given to most folks it's just an insult and little else.

 

[Autistamatic]

It's far from meaningless here and using it repeatedly could land you in court. The same goes for quite a few nasty words that are used against disabled people. I'm sure somebody will be along to say the Equality Act has no teeth but that's only part of it. Such terms fall under slander/libel law (when it's online it's always libel) and can be prosecuted as hate crimes.

 

[tree]

For discussion of national laws, use this area>
Politics Discussion

The topic of this thread is whether the term "Aspie" is offensive.
Please direct further replies toward that topic.

 

[TempeFan]

Anything honest and truthful is fine with me. It depends on the intention of the speaker. I find the term friendly sounding and descriptive and if it is being used for that purpose - Great! If the person using the term is attempting to offend then I would find it very offensive.

 

[Highway Cowboy]

Recently some aggro has erupted on social media because a well known ASD creator known as "The Aspie World" produced a video about the "differences between Asperger's and Autism". It's not terribly well informed as is often the case, but it's got people up in arms at the suggestion that being an Aspie is somehow superior to being an Autistic as opposed to being part of the same spectrum.
I understand those feelings, but this has suddenly turned into almost a crusade against the terms "Aspie" and "Asperger's" by some people (admittedly those who like to make a noise) suggesting it's not only outdated but highly offensive to use the term.
How do you guys feel?
Personally I don't mind being considered an Aspie, Autie, Autistic, or an Autistic person/man, but I'm not keen on Person with Autism.

I don't really mind being regarded as an "Aspie", I can think of alot worse things to be called.
It seems we're now living in Generation Snowflake, where all the millennials look for reasons to be offended

 

[55853]

It seems we're now living in Generation Snowflake, where all the millennials look for reasons to be offended

I have no idea what the figures are, but I would guess a significant number of members of this site are in their 20s and 30s. Despite this significant "millennial" number, only one person has said in the poll that they are offended by the term "aspie". Since the person offended has not replied to the topic as far as I can tell, we have no idea how old that person is. This means that the one person who is offended by the term may not even be a "millennial". So what exactly are you basing this statement on?

 

[Cinco]

I don't really find anything offensive, but I think "aspie" is a dumb word

 

[thickpeen]

i don't mind aspie but i think "sperg" is more offensive. aspie, in my experience, is used by people with asperger's to refer to themselves, and "sperg" is usually insulting.

 

[Fino]

You mean Sperg is a real term!? I thought that person here made it up and was joking LOL

 

[Crossbreed]

One of my cynical kids says, "The 'tism."