Gen Z, This Term for Autism is NOT OKAY.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Have you ever used it before? Do you think autistic people should? Do you think non-autistic people should? Excited to hear your thoughts! I posted midweek this week too… You're Not Autistic, You're just Privileged.: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6G2eXtuq9KmiaMsi=aDIuKik3p0Yp5CMd And if you want something light and fun, here’s some autistic memes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3uUq3lohpeWq8Usi=I_bkvNjOwVbXS1Qy I know I say it every week, but genuinely thank you so much for being here and leaving comments. I’m having the best time doing this 💛💛💛 P.S. And sorry to generalise about an entire generation! I know it’s not everyone! I’m 1996 so some people might say I’m one of you 😂😉

[@Weird.Silly_.Gay_]

I don’t know why people would use it and I don’t know how to feel about it, I mainly use it when someone is being stupid so that’s that-

[@palomathereptilian]

Thankfully it's so rare for me to see things like this (especially giving I'm not even from an English speaking country), but in the few times I've seen it I've called the person using out... This is basically an ableist dog whistle imo, it's no different from the plethora of cases I've seen that are apparently "innocent" in the outside, but they are antisemitic/racist/misogynistic/transphobe etc dog whistles If they use a common word to make you look as if you're "overreacting" when calling out, it's absolutely a dog whistle to me

[@philswift791]

I am 60 and autistic, I have used the term. One of the things I do is play with words. So I have said it as just thing to be funny like I am missing the term. People are going to be what they are it's not about you. I have found peace with who I am. When you do it no longer matters what people say.

[@yellowtomato854]

Im gen z and most likely autistic like 99% sure but haven't gotten diagnosed yet but i hate the acutiem-(idk how to spell it) thing it is so annoying i hate it (TT)

[@caseybirgitta-skoog5532]

This is the first I've heard it, but I haven't used Tik Tok in a long time.

[@pwetty4r4]

Acoustic was funny the first couple of times, but then it genuinely started to hurt because people started using it as an insult

[@ilovecorpseparty8930]

@pizzafication69it still is.

[@SunIsLost]

yep

[@alivia_folklorianfairy]

@pizzafication69fr, I’m scared to even say it about guitars now.

[@keenankersh7944]

Livis, please dw about that, I'm sure 99% of people will understand you're talking about the guitar. Sorry to hear the term's caused that discomfort though

[@itssquishy3364]

Yeah I didn’t see the problem when we (my group of friends) used acoustic, we just saw it like a joke But once I heard someone say acoustic to insult another person From that point i realised the difference

[@AlienLiyzard]

I am autistic myself and a lot of my humour is mispronouncing/misspelling words (like "burnger", or "chbinken nuggeds" or even "artistic" instead of autistic) so i loved the word "acoustic". It felt funny to laugh at it myself, like a personal relief from the way i stumble on pronouncing common words. It's so sad to see (mostly neurotypical) people twist it unto something derogatory.

[@DareMurdok]

yo same. why is pronouncing / spelling things in a silly way so fun? I like also switching up the vowel sounds but keeping all the consonants the same. like milk becomes mulk or cheese becomes chuz. also "newt" should become a synonym for "neat"

[@osheroth]

Same, I can see why some people wouldn't like it though.

[@fungustheclown666]

Literally. It was so funny before neurotypicals stole it as an insult. It literally started with autistic people. Ugh.

[@przyjaznekrzeso8188]

Same here!

[@evil_death_roll]

Chimken nuggit is the funniest shit ever - an autistic person

[@odiechan]

The fact that they use ‘it’ when using those words as well tells you just how dehumanizing the terms are meant to be.

[@flazzorb]

As with many terms before it, it began with well meaning levity, and was hoisted by obnoxious children of all sizes.

[@pembrokelove]

I didn’t even catch that, but you’re absolutely correct.

[@kookkookkookkook8863]

omg these people.... how could they be so immoral, they are not ready to have use phones

[@MIMI-tf9hv]

They use "acoustic", or even "restarted" and then say "would you prefer i used the r slur instead?" As if it made a difference at this point. The intention is all the same at the end.

[@Missingno_Miner]

Yeah, like... saying that is literally an admission that that's what they meant? What makes a slur a slur is the intent behind it, if you're using a word as synonymous for a slur, you are in fact using a slur. This is exactly how the euphemism treadmill works.

[@MIMI-tf9hv]

@@Missingno_Miner i completely agree!

[@Tree-House69]

Exactly If someone was yelling at me that I'm a transie when they mean the same as t slur, I'm not gonna suddenly feel more chill about it like tf? The meaning and history of the concepts is what makes them harmful, not them just being a specific jumble of letters or a word thar sounds bad or wtf ever.

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

I KNOW!!! It's so weird!!

[@chaseashley6775]

Like at this point just call me a slur and stop pretending you’re supportive.

[@drtaverner]

My psychiatrist no longer mentions "Autism" on referrals after I was rejected for a PTSD support group because they didn't want to include autistic people in their program. No explainations. Maybe they had research that showed it wasn't effective for an Autistic brain, or maybe they were just assholes. No idea, but she was quite mad about it.

[@petadewar4720]

I was on the waiting list for autism assessment and I attended an appointment to get some counselling while I was waiting. As soon as I mentioned I was awaiting assessment the counsellor slammed her book shut and stood up and said I can't deal with you until you've been assessed. I argued with her and she stormed out to ask her supervisor if she could discharge me immediately. The supervisor said no but the counsellor was extremely aggressive and dismissive until the appointment finished. Then she didn't refer me anywhere. I saw the autism assessor 6 months later and he invited me in to say immediately 'you're not autistic'. No attempt to test me, just no, I don't think so, you don't look autistic.

[@drtaverner]

​@@petadewar4720Such bullshit. You deserve better.

[@nottellinyou3942]

​@@petadewar4720 I'm so sorry they wasted your time, money & energy with their obtuseness like that, litreally fuck those guys fr

[@bellatronics]

This is fucking awful. I have Complex PTSD and am ND. This makes me not want to get an official autism diagnosis! Though I do want the ADHD one as the meds might really help.

[@jamesphillips2285]

I have heard (probably on Twitter) that most "autism" symptoms that people actually notice are in fact stress reactions. One would expect PTSD to be common for autistic people. There is very little research on "autistic inertia" because that only directly affects autistic people themselves: not anybody else.

[@comajuice]

The way they've also gone from saying "is he/she/are they acoustic" to "is IT acoustic"

[@MorningDusk7734]

As far as I was aware before this video, people were using Acoustic as a replacement word to avoid any algorithmic issues, same as saying things like "Un-alive" or "Yahtzee". I didn't realize it was used in a negative connotation.

[@undefinederror40404]

Honestly same, I'm glad I found out through this video though. I much rather learn from being told than learn from getting personally hurt.

[@mkgaca8721]

what is yahtzee a stand in for?

[@AnnieDHarpie]

@@mkgaca8721the big bad guys in world war 2

[@mkgaca8721]

@@AnnieDHarpie ohhhh ok ty

[@-Vixieeee]

Why would the word Autistic even need to be censored though?

[@drtaverner]

I mean... we have big empty spaces in our heads and chest and vibrating membranes in our throat that resonate through those empty spaces. We are _all_ "acoustic." Also, _technically,_ we're all electric.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

😂😂

[@soulofafox1857]

Th-thats AWSOME!!!

[@Kevlin0069]

When someone says out loud something about a person being "acoustic", I think I would immediately point out that the very act of saying those words out loud makes them, by definition, acoustic. Then I suppose it's personal preference as to whether or not you mock them for not knowing what a common word means. Of course, me being so literal and caring that words actually have definitions would just give them something to point at to reinforce their insult that I'm being autistic.

[@faeriesmak]

I love this. It is really poetic.

[@xXChaosChelleXx]

Love this.

[@RoseThePhoenix]

Vividly remembering my ex using "autistic" as a synonym for "irritating, boring person I don't want to spend any time with." (This was before the whole "acoustic" thing even started.) I hadn't told him I suspected I was autistic yet, I was in the midst of researching it. Since he had proclaimed that he was against all forms of discrimination, I tried to have a talk with him about maybe not using that word in that way especially since I thought I might be autistic myself. He apologized but pretty quickly started being really condescending and mean to me, picking fights and then blaming them on me because I had "this issue that never got addressed." So yeah, the true ableism behind the casual usage of a diagnosis as a slur became very apparent and the relationship was doomed.

[@tenshimoon]

Ugh what an ableistic asshole. Well that didn't take him long to show his true colours. On top of that he sounds abusive with his gaslighting and manipulation. But yeah agreed on the usage of casual diagnosis of something as an insult/slur. It's why I cringe and side-eye so hard at everyone who uses the new popular "delulu" term that's everywhere now. Calling someone delusional isn't cure or quirky and actually being delusional for real is a very distressing disorder. Gawd I hate how rampant ableism is.

[@yurigagarin9765]

I'm sorry you had to go through that bullshit. I hope you find someone who isn't an absolute moron.

[@RoseThePhoenix]

@@yurigagarin9765 Hey, I really appreciate that! I did eventually find a wonderful, understanding (also autistic) person who I recently married. :)

[@yurigagarin9765]

@@RoseThePhoenix That's great! :)

[@nudenoodl3]

​@@RoseThePhoenix thats so lovely! :)

[@pinkplight9992]

As a person on the schizophrenic spectrum, I am used to it. If you're acting any kind of crazy, people will call you schizophrenic. It's a lonely experience because you can't tell people what you're going through because it's not based in reality. No one can truly understand you, but try to get people to conceptualize what people are going through. I have friends who are autistic and they are amazing. I never used this term once because I knew it was wrong, and I get made fun of all the time. Despite me being well-educated, disciplined, and motivated. Kinda suck people hate me for no reason just because I hear shit. Great video 😊

[@gigahorse1475]

I’m autistic and schizophrenic. Stay strong and ignore the haters! 💪🏻❤️ Too many people don’t understand psychosis but that will change in time.

[@pinkplight9992]

@@gigahorse1475 Thank you man, I'm getting the right treatment now as I'm seeing a psychiatrist for my bipolar as I am schizoaffective disorder. Much love to you and your family 🩷

[@clarehidalgo]

@@gigahorse1475 There is a genetic overlap between the 2. My grandma was schizophrenic, luckily she had a good sense of humor because we grilled her and she'd laugh like "hoo hoo" and try to cute her way out of it

[@simoneholenstein6977]

I‘m on the autism spectrum and my husband‘s cousin is paranoid schizophrenic. he‘s well adjusted now but almost the whole family treats it like the elephant in the room. it drives me nuts cause he‘s a great guy! the way they treat him is why I did not disclose my diagnosis and full extent of my struggles to my in-laws - they have shown me repeatedly they can not be trusted to treat this with the care it deserves. (hubby is amazing though, so at home I‘m very safe 😊)

[@amandahealey2216]

There's a spectrum for schizophrenia? /gen

[@fishfinn2204]

whenever i've been around someone who uses autistic as an insult, i always say something along the lines of "dude i'm literally autistic." it calls them out on their bs and makes them realize the harm they're perpetuating (andalsoitskindafunnyseeingthemtrytobacktrackbutthatsnotthemainpoint)

[@HungryWarden]

itisveryhardtoreadthewordswhenyoudon’tputspacesinbetweenthem,Icanbarelyunderstandwhatyou’resaying.

[@emireri2387]

@@HungryWarden yesbutthatisprobablytheintention

[@seymoursham]

@HungryWarden okbutwithmyautocorrectthisisapainintheasstotype

[@HungryWarden]

@@emireri2387 Igetit,butitstillinconveniencesmewhenItrytoreadit.

[@HungryWarden]

@@seymoursham autocorrectisadouble-edgedsword.

[@TopOceanKitty_Gacha]

I have a somewhat funny story with the term "acoustic" I myself have AHDH (and most likely autism as well, I just have never been tested for that before, only for ADHD) and a lot of my friend have ADHD and/or Autism too (and all of us are traumatized and mentally ill which makes our humor soooooo random). I *also* have a guitar. we are all artsy people. We painted and drew on said 17 year old, beat-up and held together by duct-tape guitar and nicknamed it "The autistic artistic acousic guitar." and I love my guitar Dave very much.

[@AltaluneTheDeerwolf279]

I love it, sounds great! XD

[@nudenoodl3]

Thats actually hilarious lmao

[@char1101]

Because autistic guitars deserve acceptance too 👏😂🥰

[@arsVegas]

😂😂😂❤ 🔥 LOVE THIS!! There’s a sketch about this LITERAL thing!! A guy diagnosed as artistic!!

[@erikdaniels0n]

The “is it acoustic” trend is so fucking infuriating to me. Like A) just say autistic and B) it?! IT?! Way to dehumanize us, guys. Good job. I saw someone say “if you’re gonna say ‘is it acoustic’, just call me the R word at that point, we all know it’s what you wanna say” and.. I agree

[@cosmic-courtroom]

literally. i would rather be called a slur than ““““acoustic””””. it’s bullshit.

[@Joe-ut2hg]

Just so you know, "it" may be referring to the behavior, and not the person.

[@gengarfluid]

​@@Joe-ut2hg I've seen people use "it" to refer to the person explicitly, because they're using acoustic as a stand in for the r-slur. Almost never have I seen "it" used for behavior unless the phrasing is "It's giving acoustic," otherwise it's just to call the person in question an "it."

[@kiti_uwuowo1619]

TOTALLY, like just say the r word and leave, you don't need to play pretend. like it is so weird, BUT I HAVE NOTICED TOO everyone everyowhere is just meaner all of a sudden, IDK WHY, is it gen alpha that learned to write or what?????

[@Silvyya]

thats how ppl treat trans ppl sometimes to, like they treat it as if all of everyone thats different to the societal norm likes to be called by "it/it's" pronouns

[@Imjustkendall]

As a gen Z who’s autistic my friends have started going “IS IT RESTARTED” and it makes my brain hurt like- can we not

[@Tree-House69]

Oof, I hope your friends are open to hearing why that's honestly fcked up, I'm so sorry that's the norm with your friends.

[@wispisang]

I’ve never heard the term used but god that’s honestly even worse than acoustic. The context is still there, sure it’s not the same word but everyone and their mother can pick up on how it’s just a masked slur.

[@himenyx153]

Dude people have been using the r word more casually I've noticed and it makes me want to crawl into a hole.

[@oneproplanet]

Yeah man, I'm not sure those are your friends

[@MomLAU]

That is so rude.

[@yourconfusionmaster]

13:22 as someone who’s learning Latin; it’s never been just a medical term either, and people didn’t “start using it negatively” it’s inherently negative. Ret*rd is the Latin verb for “to hinder” or “to slow down”. I’d argue giving someone the medical diagnosis of “being a hinderance” isn’t very professional, and if someone diagnosed you that way you’d leave for medical malpractice

[@annominous826]

The diagnosis wasn't "being a hindrance," it was "being hindered." It was ret*arded, not ret*rd.

[@yourconfusionmaster]

@@annominous826 yeah because that’s sure as hell what they meant right. + even then, do you really think if it influences your whole existence it doesn’t “hinder” others?

[@annominous826]

@@yourconfusionmaster Yes, it is what they meant. Someone with a disability was "ret*rded", i.e. slowed down, developing at a slower speed than normal or stalled out there in adult years. Even if it hinders others, that's not why they used that word. It became offensive later. It was introduced as a non-offensive alternative the the words used before, such as idiot, moron, cretin, and imbecile.

[@kathryn924]

older gen Z here, "gay" and "the f slur" were very much insults i heard back in elementary school (not usually directed towards me iirc, but i don't remember a lot about that time) in the late 2000's/early 2010s. it actually took me a while to understand that when people called someone "acoustic" or as if they were "acoustic" they were actually asking if they were autistic. i don't go on tiktok, and when i did, my feed consisted of b dylan hollis, amaury guichon, and a few other tiktokkers that seemed inoffensive to me. i wasn't very active there, and i left well before this became more commonly seen. i didn't even know it was used as a sort of insult until i casually mentioned that i had family members who were autistic to a coworker and he thought i was insulting them. at the time, i had just realized that i myself was autistic, and was even struggling to say or type the word at all. i didn't continue with the conversation. i think it's quite offensive to ask if someone has a developmental disorder based on your own stereotypes, especially in a way that the person may be unable to understand. it really goes to show how autism isn't destigmatized at all. edit: changed a word.

[@GooFly-v3j]

older millenial here, we used to call stuff we didnt like " gay " like, sudden quiz " wow, thats GAY " they were different times.

[@pistachioracle]

Many people still use "gay" as a way to say something is uncool or cringe, and one person from Midwest USA said something I had on was "galee." I asked him what he meant, and he only said "it sounds like another word you're being rn lol." Well, he's HALF right, but that's beside the point! 😂

[@Maia-uu1sl]

Unfortunately, from what I can gather from the younger people in my family, Gen Alpha also still use the term "gay" in the same way we did, along with the "R" word.

[@adreaminxy]

Ye my gen alpha almost z niece was and probably still is all about calling things gay just like everyone in my older millennial sphere was. The more things change…

[@Bejeodiehrubridjehfoekdjriwknr]

@@GooFly-v3ji still find myself doing this a lot and I am gay (well more like half gay). I think the difference with gay vs f*gg*t is the later is 100% a derogatory term, whereas gay isn't, which does kind of mean the word can have multiple meanings. It's still not ideal though and I do try to avoid it a bit. It definitely was different times though. Coming out as gay in the 90s or early 00s was a pretty hard thing to have to do.

[@TransCommieFromOuterSpace]

I am now officially a hollow guitar lacking electromagnetic pickups.

[@dusk-amethyst]

Me too, lad. Me too.

[@TransCommieFromOuterSpace]

@@dusk-amethyst Lad?

[@dusk-amethyst]

@@TransCommieFromOuterSpace is just what popped into my head

[@adelinaarmstrong9423]

i personally think "acoustic" specifically is VERY funny (i am autistic myself) but only in appropriately autistic circles if that makes sense. i think it's silly and whimsical and that we should be allowed to say it especially because acoustic started within the younger autistic community. however, i do agree that it's gross when the neurotypicals use it 🤢 if you are neurotypical and call someone that within a derogatory context, screw you and all who support you in spreading that type of hate < 3

[@rottingpuppyteeth]

yes i also agree im also autistic and sometimes i call myself acoustic for fun but non autistic people shouldnt say it

[@malenkoicp]

@@rottingpuppyteeth I disagree in a way, they should be able to say it as long as they aren't being derogatory, if I know someone well enough to tell them that I have autism, and they say it as a way to share an inside joke, then I am ok with that because there isn't any intended nastyness, if they are saying it to put me down, then I have a problem with that. Either way, the word isn't the problem, its the intent. The main issue that I have is because I struggle with the social side of things either I see everything as a joke, or everything as super serious... if they say it when I am in serious mode, yeah I won't like it, but if I am in joking mode, then I am fine with it. I am trying to say, if we are in the workplace and a friend that I know is generally nice says it, I will laugh, if it is said in a corporate meeting, I wont find it funny. The main issue is that this example is pretty black and white, and the world is a strange mixture of grey.

[@dragonicbladex7574]

I also am a fan of saying "Yes I am a glue stick" always love oronyms

[@adelinaarmstrong9423]

@@dragonicbladex7574 A GLUE STICK THAT'S INCREDIBLE

[@dragonicbladex7574]

@@adelinaarmstrong9423 just sorta used that in reference to myself alongside acoustic since I was a kid

[@probsnooneyouknowtbh3712]

It's like people think it's okay to make fun of ND people just because they're not using the r-word. I've been seeing a huge increase in people using the term "learning disability" as the butt of jokes or as a substitute for "stupid." Like when someone does something ridiculous or doesn't know something obvious, people will say "learning disability" or "yeah that's called a learning disability" in a snarky way. It's always done in a mocking way that implies that learning disability = stupid. It's not okay. You don't get a cookie for not using the slur. The intention is still the same.

[@augustmericle6776]

I feel this. I was often in groups where ableist slurs were not acceptable, and I’m not as obviously autistic as people with higher needs, so I faced a ton exclusion and ableist bullying with just more abstract terms. To my face I got called an alien or a robot, and behind my back I was never invited places, and people called me a “freak” or “different.” It was so upsetting and confusing, and I don’t think using slurs or not really makes a difference, it’s about how it’s used and how people are treated. Which is why I don’t really care about the words themselves, getting rid of words without social changes isn’t really how language works, kids and cruel adults just find “acceptable” workarounds.

[@AliceBunny05]

yeah it's like.. how is it not occurring to them that the problem is not certain words, it's making fun of disabled people or making fun of other people by comparing them to disabled people.

[@JustAShockedGuyNORDICSFAN]

edgy 13 year olds find ableism rly cool@@augustmericle6776

[@augustmericle6776]

@@sv24m66 I’m not exactly sure what you’re saying. What I was describing is that no change in language used will stop people from otherizing. A nebulous “there’s something different about them” is enough to reinforce bigotry. Again it’s not about the language, we need ways to describe people, it’s about what underlies that language, which is exclusion and ableism. The slurs are just the strongest and most clear distillation of these feelings and attitudes.

[@petrichorbones]

i see a LOT of insulting remarks against people that have opposing political views that are extremely ableist. i may loathe the person's opinions too but that doesn't mean we need to bring innocent disabled people into the mix like what 😭

[@harulover]

I never could recognize when I was being bullied. I was 30 years old when I finally realized my school “friends” bullied me.

[@artemisameretsu6905]

Eeey, we should have a 30 somethings club bc dang yeah it was this year when I realized all the friends I had (usually one or two per year max) were also on the spectrum or downs or some other mental/physically disabled person 😂 anytime I made neurological friends I didn't have friends I had "friends" lol

[@jackpijjin4088]

Same. Not quite 30 yet but I was always blind to folks using or manipulating me. Now I'm the opposite, and am hypervigilant.

[@CCela1608]

Me too. Both in high school and in college! Took me a lot of therapy to look back and go, ohhhhh wow yeah they weren't my friends, they were bullying me in a really subtle way

[@princesspikachu3915]

I still struggle to recognize when people are being hateful towards me. I’m 35. 😓

[@Diss.Haskell]

This could be a generational thing... It seems like a lot of "elder millennials" struggle with similar issues, & I wonder if part of it may have to do with our respective ages around the transition into the digital age. Trying to figure out how to interact with peers during puberty was tough enough, but going through that towards the end of the dial-up internet "era" & having to learn how to interact with others safely on the Internet, all at the same time, effectively doubled the skills necessary to learn to succeed (which may be why we seem to finally be realizing these things when we're about twice as old as when they happened). I like the positivity in calling it "Artistic". My husband & I also like being silly with words. My favorite name for someone being a doofus or goofing something up is "Dumaflotchy". It's 100% a made up word (to my knowledge) that lets one point out others' mistakes without being mean. Keep passing your positivity on to your daughter!

[@SparkleStarFartz]

It is a filter and censorship thing but its so much more then that. It isn't ONLY to censor the word autistic if people come up to me and say "haha you are so acoustic" to my face. I have also been straight up called the r slur (and f slur) so many times to my face. It isn't a joke anymore, it really is basically the same as saying the slur. It has the exact same intentions. It isn't a joke if its constant and genuinelly being used to hurt someone

[@Green_Roc]

I remember a time within the past 10 years, I told someone I'm autistic... and they thought I was making a joke. No, not a joke. I'm not the one who twisted the word to be an insult/joke, awful abuse of an official Dx term. I been called the R word, I dont like being bullied.

[@JohnSmithSeesYou]

Bullies don't have parents who care about them

[@Riley.-sJoy]

@@JohnSmithSeesYounah, some do, their just too expecting of everyone else being the same as them, or just hate differently abled people, hence called, Ableism

[@tweedlebug123]

​@@JohnSmithSeesYou not every bully is a victim. Some people are just jerks.

[@lily-noise]

I'm an autistic gen z who didn't realise it was an insult...Most of my friends are autistic and so is my partner, and we use that word to joke with each other but not as a put down. It was used as a synonym to autistic, I really didn't realise others outside of the community used it as an insult and now I'm furious!

[@rosie678100]

IKR! And now I feel kinda silly for not realizing

[@Tree-House69]

Some people who are autistic have taken to using it the way some people of other marginalized groups will use an otherwise derogatory or slur term as almost to mock it, which if done between people who understand the term and who are themselves autistic in relation to this term, it seems ok, but if someone says they don't want to be referred to that way, or if the person using it means it as a genuine insult/isn't autistic, that changes up the situation greatly.

[@Tree-House69]

​@rosie678100 It's ok, I think every generation of people have dealt with not knowing certain things the whole time were mockery or derogatory, a shared experience across us all at this point, especially among generations of autistic people. Before "acoustic" it was "special" and R slur

[@LaTristologa]

First time I saw the term was in a meme with hatsune miku saying "I think I'm acoustic" and I found it quite funny and relatable cause like, words are hard and mixing words is something that usually happens to me. I also was in that exact stage of figuring myself out and suspecting I was autistic. Months later I found out about all of this... and it sucks. It could've been a fun thing but they decided to use it for bullying.

[@AMK3152]

I have to admit if I heard someone say acoustic rather than autistic I would assume that English was a foreign language to them….

[@S0RNG]

I’m gen Z AND autistic. I’ve also always DESPISED TikTok for how brain-dead and ignorant it was, and this just made it even worse. Just because someone processes life a little different compared to others DOES NOT mean that you have the right to mock them for who they are, or reduce them to being only their disability. (Important PSA, though- some people actually prefer “it/its” pronouns! If you’re in a LGBTQ+ friendly place, always ask first!)

[@JustSaralius]

I would definitely be that person to say "I'm autistic" if anyone was making fun of autists or using inappropriate language about us. Then just stare at them and watch them squirm. Normally, I'm pretty terrified of confrontations, but stuff like that I will not tolerate. I've always been pretty good at sticking up to bullies (attacks on me or others), which I'm thankful for. Doesn't mean it never got to me, but I would never let them see anything other than the absolute disdain and pity I felt for them.

[@justyana488]

sadly enough, in some spaces if you'd say that they'd make even more fun of you. saying things as 'of course you are' or 'lmaoo (slur)'

[@stephaniemerrill4515]

Yay for self advocating!!!

[@supersilvernova22-ut3db]

Amen to that! If people are annoying you with their ignorance, enlighten them. They may still be ignorant, but at least you've made them think.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

@@justyana488and I’d just stare them down at that point. Usually they’re looking for a reaction and trying to break you down in some way and not giving in to it is a good response. It’s sad but it’s true. People are annoying

[@nikitatavernitilitvynova]

​​@@justyana488I doubt they'll do that to someone like me. I can pass as neurotypical really well as I wasn't diagnosed until I was 16. I act a bit funny and weird but I bet that if I confronted a bully (very unlikely of me though) they'd look at me, laugh and tell me to quit lying. Which is an advantage. Because I can make them uncomfortable by proving not all autistic people look like dumb idiots.

[@clairejones624]

I got bullied constantly and had absolutely no idea. In fact, I thought they were my friends. It took me so long to realise that they were actually using me and bullying me. I’m a Gen Z and words such as the “r” word and “acoustic” as well as all the autistic “jokes” were always said. I didn’t know they were using it as insults and honestly, I didn’t even think that words such as “artistic” and “acoustic” were words used to insult autistic people until now. So many people used that slur in front of my face. I now feel really offended. Also, my meltdowns as a kid could be really really bad. I have destroyed phones before but I won’t say anything more than that as I feel very ashamed about it and my brother used to record my meltdowns and stuff. I wish he didn’t. I apologise if this comment it too long for some people.

[@undefinederror40404]

I'm so sorry all those things happened, you certainly deserved much better. I know breakdowns from both sides, they're hard to watch but so much harder to go through. To film that is horrible, as it can only cause harm. As for the bullying, it can be really hard to figure out sometimes. Especially in hind sight. I had some friends who liked to say things wrong, they made jokes like "acoustic" or "asparagus" like a decade ago. But it was back and forth banter, calling the other or themselves that. What I want to say with that, is that this single thing doesn't have to be a reason to completely change your views on all of those interactions. But if you're looking back now and noticing how mean or rude they were to you, that is perfectly valid and you can trust your feelings on that. By not recognizing it at the time you might have helped yourself because, as twisted as it is, if you had known and told them to stop it then real bullies would probably just start acting even worse :(

[@ladyalicent705]

Recording meltdowns would actually give you a very strong case to file a defamation lawsuit, particularly if it was posted on social media or shared in any capacity. I feel like it’s important for me to tell you this because autistic people like us will often get told ‘don’t bother reporting this, it’s not illegal and you’ll get in trouble’ even though it often is

[@S3nCh4n]

Same experience here, thought i was friends with this kid but she was just using me and insulted me, one day i lost it and got in a physical fight with her and also got my grandpa to threaten her to stop. End of the day I got a scar on my face and she was told by the teacher to apologise. Got the last laugh feels good man

[@MemeAnt]

I’m sorry. I hope you’ve been able to find a group who don’t bully you.

[@BeautyMarkRush]

Don't apologize for expressing yourself. There's nothing wrong in that. It doesn't matter how many words you need or how long your comments/posts gets. If people get offended specifically by its size, they don't deserve your attention at all. If they don't want to go through the trouble of reading and caring about your words, then why you should go through the trouble of reading and caring about theirs?

[@EvaExplains]

my teenage sons who are NT and I have come up with the term burgers or cheeseburgers before we knew that Aspergers wasn't a term used any longer. We use it as a way to let me know that I am going on too long, saying too much or otherwise letting my mask slip they can say burgers so only we know what they are talking about.Since I am late diagnosed I have done things my whole life I never knew no one else does and in those cases they will let me know it is a burger thing, or a cheeseburger or a big ol double cheese burger. Like I had a meltdown because they wanted to put on clothes we just purchased before I washed them, it was really freaking me out and it was a huge thing. In calming me down my oldest sat with me to explain that it is totally okay and that it doesn't HAVE to be done that this is a cheeseburger, but if it means that much to me they will wash them. I am a single mom and my boys are very protective so we came up with this way to let me know so other people won't make fun of me or hurt my feelings as NT people often do at least to me.

[@kyokoyumi]

That's so cute! You're lucky to have such a great support system at your back :)

[@EvaExplains]

@@kyokoyumi thanks i am very lucky they turned out to be such great guys

[@Kiahona]

Hey, legitimate question; I like you have what used to be called asperger's and fully agree that the name should change as to not give credit to a fascist/national socialist but how do we square that with the dsm-v referring to our disability as simply high functioning autism and removing some of the diagnostic criteria that the DSM-IV had specifically for asperger's?

[@Jinxsong-]

Thank you so much for addressing this whole "acoustic" thing!! It's been so upsetting to me hearing people use this word all over the internet and I have been hoping for a video just like this to send to people who use it (those without realizing or actually care to listen of course, some people are just trolls and want to watch people suffer). People use this to be overtly ableist without being as crucified by the internet as they would if they say used the r-slur and also to minimize autism. As well as to avoid saying "yeah, I'm autistic" and kind of separate themselves from the disorder as if it's this big bad thing and if you have it you're horrible and dumb.

[@Thatonemello]

Personally I’m autistic, and I don’t really see the trouble. Honestly it’s more nice than bad in my opinion, because I can pick out who is stupid.

[@Milkyway_tism]

What pisses me off more is that most autistic people used it as a joke within the community and nuerotypicals decided to run the joke into the dirt by using it

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

First time learning of this. It's clearly an attempt to get around filters -- you see the same thing with various slurs and other censored language. And given that it's generally used in an insulting/derogatory way, it's not okay. It is, essentially, a stand-in for r-slur and used typically in the same manner. A lot of slurs and profanity have come into being in the same way. There's a thing you're not allowed to say, and so you just substitute another word for it. Eventually everyone picks up on the substituted word being the exact same as the one it's substituting, and so the new word _becomes_ the slur or profanity. Granted, in our modern age these substitutions occur so quickly that there's often a whole chain of substituted words -- it changes as soon as the new word starts to become associated with the one it's filling in for. But the point is, the _purpose_ is the same. The sounds used to get there aren't _as_ important as the intent.

[@midnight4685]

I don't think it's an attempt to get around filters. I think it started as jokes among autistic people having fun with it and then people picked it up and used it in a derogatory manner. Like the whole bisexual/bicycle/bilingual joke, except that one was kept in its zone instead of being picked up and misused. It's the type of thing that starts as a joke, then becomes hurtful but isn't acknowledged as such because it was 'just a joke'.

[@reedy_9619]

So what’s the lesson?? Don’t police language, it doesn’t fucking work.

[@reedy_9619]

@@midnight4685i think it kinda started with bad english memes.

[@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874]

This is why I absolutely _DESPISE_ social media censorship filters. If you want to insult me to my face, you better be manly enough (or angry enough) to say the uncensored word to my face, in full view of the public. Censorship only encourages the cowardly usage of filter-bypass euphemisms.

[@Myne1001]

100% correct. It did start as a meme or something (if I recall it was about how a little kid confused 'autistic' and 'acoustic') but became a AI moderator bypass thing. Having naughty un-advertiser friendly words will get you reach shortened, eventually shadow banned and then just outright banned. Twitter was incredibly notorious for this pre-Musk.

[@Percy_PotterEdits21]

This whole school year i was called "acoustic" and "restarted" even by actually people diagnosed with autism. I am not autistic. They were calling me that because i am "weird" and they didnt like me ://

[@NitFlickwick]

Gen-Xer and old enough that the N word got regular use in my house. I can still remember the last time I said it when I was nine years old. I saw the effect it had when I said it near a black kid in my school (using the old term for doorbell ditching). I also used the term “gay” to mean “lame” for far too long. I’m sure I used the r-word a good chunk, too. But, guess what, I’ve learned. And I stopped using any out those kinds of terms because they do harm to other people. It doesn’t matter if “I don’t mean it”, it is still harmful. Maybe we should start the “that’s so HUMAN” campaign, where we use “human” to mean “stupid”. Seems very fitting. Also, thank you for your videos. As a late, self-diagnosed autistic person, you’ve videos have been incredibly helpful to me. I’m sorry you also have to deal with the human comments that come from KZbin.

[@aaausername]

Oh my gosh, I said the n word once because my frickling brother tricked me! Then laughed. I guess I'm too gullible. He did the trick where you say finish my sentence salt and vin-.

[@wolf2966]

@@aaausername I did once in my home when I was 9 without knowing what it meant let’s just say I know I hate the taste of soap…never spoke it since

[@youareherediversity7321]

You used gay to mean lame? You know lame is ableist right?

[@HYDROCARBON_XD]

Stop racism 💀🫱🏻‍🫲🏿🐵

[@blazingstar9638]

@@youareherediversity7321lol no way

[@congratulations-]

even though I know what they use this word for I am always like "wait acoustic??? LIKE A GUITAR????"

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Same! 😂

[@magnasgaming1061]

I wonder if making them explain the remark will force them to come to terms with how they're using it?

[@andreawisner7358]

"You mean I sound amazing? Thanks!"

[@AltaluneTheDeerwolf279]

Yea, when I saw it for the first time (on this video, I live in a country that doesn't use autism as an insult very often, although it's not excluded) I was like "Excuse me, what am I(on my journey to finding out if I'm autistic, dealing with a HUGE impostor syndrome, but for the sake of the joke I'll use myself because it sounds funny)? A guitar? XD"

[@leamia81]

I was actually introduced to this channel by the 9 signs you might not be autistic video. I was diagnosed with adhd in 8th grade and tend to be extremely introverted (as an infp) and was just diving into what autism really is at the time( due to hearing that you can have autism along with adhd). Although I do not have autism it breaks my heart to see with clearer eyes what had been mocked around me for years ... Most people do not understand the term autism at all.and mocking it the way they do is inexusable and has got to change . I was not taught what autism was and had just a general idea of what it entailed before coming to this channel. I hope that we may one day destigmatize neurodiversity and build a community, and eventually a society that respects ppl as ppl . 💖💖

[@alanguest1979]

I’m getting to an age when I’ve noticed some people misusing certain words (often based around mispronunciation or misinterpretation) to misjudge/belittle or insult people. If you try to challenge their malicious behaviour, you often get responses like “don’t take it personally” or “you take things too seriously”, as if that justifies their behaviour. But say similar things to them, then they it’s totally different!

[@carriefrazier1809]

What they're doing is gaslighting.

[@RichielaurensIII]

“You take things too seriously” yea that’s kinda what autistic people like me do…

[@Anggea]

I’ve pointed out to people that saying it’s a joke is abusive gaslighting - it makes people even more defensive, but I hope it sticks with som people I’ve said it to so they rethink their behaviour to understand the issue instead of just being what everyone else their age says.

[@KairiGreen-ri2gm]

I know right

[@RedMoonSolitary]

​@@AnggeaExactly. It's just an excuse to try to get away with doing something bad by making the other person feel guilty.

[@saltydinonuggies1841]

This feels kind of similar to when i tell people im struggling with my eating disorder and they tell me they’re jealous that I’ve lost weight. “Oh I didn’t mean it like that!” Is something I’ve heard a lot in relation to both my autism and my ED. It’s a sign that whatever you said is very much something you shouldn’t repeat. I’ve learnt to stop comforting people when they do that stuff. If they’re gonna make things awkward then things are gonna be awkward. If you’re gonna use autistic as an insult than I’m gonna make you confront that. I’m aware people find that annoying but honestly that’s the least annoying thing about me so

[@PerfectProtagonist]

I really don't see the point in comforting an asshole.

[@bubbarwnb7534]

As someone who naturally tries to avoid awkward situations, this made me smile. "If they’re gonna make things awkward then things are gonna be awkward." I appreciate you holding them accountable.

[@littleblueclovers]

It’s so sad because YEARS ago, I literally heard the word “acoustic” as a joke, but what was different was that the joke was that the person was misinformed and didn’t know the right word for “autistic”. It was similar to jokes like: “I’m a lesbian.” “I thought you were American!” (Not claiming that that’s the true origin though. It could be that I just came across a one-off joke) But it’s disgusting how people take genuinely harmless words (eg: acoustic guitar) and twist them into ways to mock and hurt people.

[@lydiadeetz1988]

I keep getting called acoustic at school but had no idea what it meant. Thank you for helping me understand, although now I do realise I am being made fun of much more than I realised. School is terrible, I wear ear defenders in order to block out loud noises but people think that it is hilarious to scream in my ears and get made fun of when I stim even though I am constantly trying to suppress my stims and mask. People in my classes don't seem to think that they are being mean though, just because I am autistic.

[@bushral.tasneem5464]

Please talk about this with a trusted adult if you’re being hurt by their actions. Hope things get better for you! No one deserves that.

[@JustAShockedGuyNORDICSFAN]

nah dawg people screaming in ur ear is legit harassment they're not trolls they're literally almost criminals u should just contact with ur trusted adult/person or just literally leave that school

[@TrumpetGuy26]

I've seen a similar thing happen to me and a friend of mine. I can't even describe how much it frustrates me when we're constantly being put down and treated like everyone else is so much better than us for things we cannot control. I'm 12 and on the waiting list for my diagnosis. I have 2 brothers that are autistic as well. Hope things get better soon, school can be full of immature assholes

[@sebastianra4213]

I've been called names at school as well. For a long time I did not realize what my classmates were trying to imply by this "nick name". Try not to take it too seriously, because ultimately them calling you names, tells a lot about them and nothing about you. You were better off, as long as you didn't know what acoustic meant. Unfortunately it is impossible to unlearn, what you just found out.

[@cynthiabrown5456]

I'm so sorry you are going through this. I would always have rather than punched than to be around people yelling, so it's hard to not see that as an act of violence. School is hard enough without all of that. I hope you can find some people that are cool and helpful and kind to help you get through your school years. I DO feel like it's much easier after school in a lot of ways, so please hang in there. @@bushral.tasneem5464

[@RandomOldPerson]

As a former English teacher who has made an autistic special interest out of real life Orwellian New Speak I understand what’s going on with them. It’s a far reaching problem at this point and includes basically every group that traditionally faces discrimination. They have similar words for every demographic they are bigoted against. It’s because they are the first generation that grew up communicating primarily through chat filters which arbitrarily chooses which words are banned. They’ve grown up thinking this is okay because it’s like substituting “fudge” instead of THAT F word, or any of the other filler words but they’ve also been taught anything that bypasses the filters is acceptable. Also when you can’t have 88 in a sentence but you don’t know why and can’t find out why without writing something like (80+8) because the word “NAZI” is also banned in an online area discussing 1940s history about WWII, or you can’t use the word “beaver” in a comment about a wetland then people lose all respect for why anything is censored. Just change a couple of letters and it’s fine so long as it’s not the exact same word-symbol. Schools often back this the way judges used to back mob talk. “We can’t give a warrant for saying he’s going to ‘rub them out.” He didn’t specifically say ‘I’m going to kill him.” Both then and now it’s just an excuse not to act. They knew what”rub them out” meant back then the same way schools and workplaces know what “acoustic” as an insult means but it’s not the meaning that matters today. Just the specific words. Many of them honestly don’t understand it’s what the word represents that matters to others because concepts like suicide, murder, sexual assault, racism weren’t outlawed. Only certain symbols for those concepts were outlawed when talking about them online. Usually the normal words that were fine when talking about these things for decades were banned, or actual body parts, and even some medical terms. So to them the concepts are fine and socially acceptable to keep no matter how hurtful to others so long as the symbols change because the older generations have formally taught them in school the appearance of the language is what matters more than the content. I believe one of the reasons all bigotries are experiencing a major resurgence is that bigotry as a concept wasn’t demonized. Instead we banned naughty words without teaching what made them naughty to begin with. That’s not a defense of these bigots. If you hear someone in the workplace or at school do this report them to the proper area. If you want results ask the person you report it to their full name and how long you should wait for a response from them in case it escalates to the point of you needing to contact a lawyer. In my experience that line works great for both corporate jobs and schools in stopping this kind of vulgar harassment, as well as stopping most other things that shouldn’t be happening. About the beaver thing specifically, I once saw a new hire with the last name Beaver get fired from a good paying corporate job because the email filter would not let anyone use his name, and nobody had the power to change any of the words the filter banned. We’ve allowed a technology no one respects or likes teach modern manners and language use to the newest batch of adults.

[@Romanticoutlaw]

agreed. I also think we can pinpoint an excuse (even if flimsy) for not actually demonizing hatred; it's the same excuse that's been used for generations to shelter kids. "If we teach them what it is, they'll do it." Just demonstrably untrue, but it's wielded like a cudgel for everything from discussions on gender and orientation to drugs to underage pregnancy.

[@edenwylie8917]

i would love to pick your brain about New Speak. i have noticed a strong correlation to digital communication too.

[@tcgrady2000]

I've noticed the term "acoustic" in the comment sections on social media, and I find it insulting. I myself am not autistic, but I have ADHD. BTW, I love your channel because you're intelligent, down to earth, and a cat lover! Your videos are always so informative. Keep up the great work!

[@stephiechefy]

There’s much to be said about intent. Saying “acoustic” gives bad actors plausible deniability. Because they are cowards and know they’ll be read for filth if they say what they mean flat out. Poor Rodger, I hope the sweet bean got warm and cozy quickly after his misadventure ❣️

[@AhsokaLightning]

Non-autistic person here. I have a few learning disabilities one of which is dyslexia. This video reminds me of when people say, "what are you, Dyslexic?!" as an insult when someone made a mistake and stuff. Phrasing diagnoses and stuff like that made it hard for me to make friends in school. I know my solidarity with fellow neurodivergent people doesn't count for much, but I'll be more aware now. Thanks for explaining this as I hadn't seen the word used in that context before.

[@brooklinfowler5013]

Those earrings are perfect! Fit the context, but also, as a guitarist, I need them 😍

[@GrungeGalactica]

Yea it’s pretty sad that people will always find ways to ruin stuff. “Woke” springs to mind as another word that has been stripped of it’s original meaning- to be aware of and question injustice. Now it just means bad I guess, probably cause people want us to just passively float through life and not rock the boat by questioning anything suspicious. As you said, language is constantly evolving and as the r-slur dies and new term will unfortunately have to take its place, because people have to find sneakier ways of being mean. Keep doing what you’re doing you’ve helped educate so many, congrats on the 100k subs too 🎉! You’re keeping us all woke 😉

[@manlyadvice1789]

PLEASE look up the "euphemism treadmill."

[@amberr3662]

I find it so stupid that people will know that they can't say 'autistic' as an insult or the r word without getting called out, so they have to find another word to make fun of us, like "acoustic" or "restarted" like this happens all the time with language (E.g the r word was used in the ICD-10, used for diagnoses in the UK before the ICD-11) and honestly it's so tiring. What's the next word? Atlantic?

[@scottfw7169]

I don't know what that next word will be, but given human nature there will be a next word, it will happen.

[@Key-Knight87]

Skill issue tbh. Btw your restarted 😆

[@TeamGalactic-Cyrus]

@@Key-Knight87 Even coming from a Mother pfp...

[@jamesphillips2285]

She mentioned that near the end of the video 14:00 . The heart of the issue is that it is not the specific word that is insulting: it is the intent behind using that word. You can't just use another word to avoid offense: because the INTENT of the usage was to cause offense. So in the 'R' word example: it is not enough to just find another way to say "stupid". If you want to avoid offending broad groups of people you need to stop and think of what the underlying issue actually is. Is something novel/unusual? Is a problem the result of a systemic problem that the people on the ground can do little about? Is something a little too much/overstimulating? Are they just blaming an identifiable group for problems in society (fascism)?

[@Joe-ut2hg]

​@@jamesphillips2285 People don't use these alternate words to avoid offending people, they use them to avoid being censored and banned from sites. You are correct though, that you will never be able to stop people from conveying what they think by simply making single words taboo, you would instead need to police the intent behind their message. Though to me, policing thoughts and speech seems like a terrible idea.

[@nanimalgirlEssie]

Autistic used in Dutch as swear word as well. I've heard it used (against myself and others many many times growing up. I am convinced it has held people back from getting a diagnosis and the help they need and deserve. Side note to Meg: it is indeed an awesome community and have been loving your videos since approximately day 1. Am hoping to join the discord in richer times. ❤ Keep up the good work! It's an awesome job and so many appreciate it so much! 😊

[@Mondomeyer]

"Words don't mean anything. Why do simple words bother you so much? You're just too sensitive. "-- Neurotypicals when they say something that offends someone else. "You should be more careful with your wording! Words have power and can be hurtful! I'm owed an apology! No one understands empathy but me! I'm gonna go cry now! "-- Neurotypicals when someone says something that offends them.

[@laureng4710]

And they say it's us autistic folks who lack empathy. I don't get it.

[@iris1568]

Fr. If we just mess up a single slight bit of communication they act like we're a dangerous threat while all we try to do is to just communicate and fit in. Heard so many times my tone sounds angry or demanding. I tried working on it but if you're tired chronically it is pretty hard to talk with a tone that doesn't sound like being tired or bored or angry apparently

[@pemanilnoob]

I’ve been told so many times to just not care when people offend or trigger me, from well meaning people too, and it’s SO AGGRAVATING! I can’t just NOT care when people call me the R word

[@matthewatwood8641]

I was taught that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. No one has the right to dictate what people may or may not say to them.

[@nottelling7438]

​@pemanilnoob587 The issue with that advice is that sometimes aggressive words lead to aggressive actions. Sometimes, insults and gossip turn away people who might otherwise help you. There is something to be said for being difficult to rile up, but that doesn't mean that words never matter.

[@6lissdout]

i’m autistic and it always makes me irritated. i mean, i’m not even offended exactly, but it’s just so weird that people think it’s funny to make fun of autistic people and call us “acoustic”. if anyone actually says that in front of me irl i will literally cuss them out. it’s so weird i’d rather them just say “you’re so autistic” and insult me than to say “acoustic” as if i’m dumb and wouldn’t know what they’re thinking. it seems a bit like mockery. edit: i literally said i'm autistic so i obviously feel many different things at once. i know i said i'm both irritated and "not exactly offended"-- i'm not stupid. it's just hard to put my emotions and thoughts into the proper words sometimes. my emotions and opinions change quickly, and i literally catch this every day. stop trying to catch my contradictions as if this is a damn debate competition 💀 this topic is mostly emotional and personal, so obviously there will be conflicting emotions. and i can be irritated AND unoffended at the same time. my usage of "not offended" meant that i'm not constantly thinking or worrying about it-- but i do get irritated whenever i witness someone say/type it or wtv.

[@itsjustgege.__]

Most people are misinformed about autism. For example I just saw an Instagram post of a news coverage of a man destroying a store and some of the comments of the post said it had something to do with autism and many more went to call autistic people "slow" or the R word. So this is also a factor on how autistic people are generalized as slow (mostly because of the memes and people just believe the memes) Nice video on the subject tho!

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

I don't feel anger about that. I would just say something like "well my voice can resonate, I was a theater/choir kid in high school." and just look at them like they honestly meant a sound. let them awkwardly fumble and try to explain what they meant and congratulate them like a little kid when they finally say the real word. they're probably going through a cringe phase where they think they're being funny but they are not. it can easily be fixed by making them look silly. worked on me. and yes cats can be very acoustic especially when wet. they let out the most pitiful meyowl rival only by newborn humans.

[@6lissdout]

@@jacksparrowismydaddy that’s a good response!! i grew up around violence and arguing (at home and school) so i think my responses to conflict is a bit extreme to some people. ❤️❤️

[@6lissdout]

@@itsjustgege.__ exactly! autism is a broad spectrum, so not every autistic person is the same. i just find it weird that they love to say things like that but once someone tries to educate them on autism the replies are all “☝️🤓” as if being educated is a bad thing?

[@HIRAMECLARKEHOPS]

@@itsjustgege.__ that's why you educate them a little, and don't take their ignorance so personal. If a person is just genuinely hateful, move on, not worth your time.

[@frankscraprobot5209]

I'm 17, people still use "gay" and "autistic" as insults in my class. :( I hate being the thing people use as an insult, makes me feel like they look down on me as a defective freak.

[@hildaottosson8660]

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. It's so hecking messed up people can be so openly mean towards us autistics, especially so bluntly. A neurodivergent(I'm pretty sure he's got autism with high support needs) guy literally got LAUGHED AT for getting injured(Falling in the stairs, i'm not totally sure how much he got injured, but the scream he let out makes me pretty sure the fall was pretty bad) just because it was him. If that was anybody else people would have asked if they were okay. This wasn't even the only time people made fun of him. Whenever he has meltdowns or gets triggered by loud noises, certain imagery or smells, he gets laughed at. People, especially neurotypical people, never seem to understand how this shit can be so traumatizing. Just because someone's neurodivergent doesn't mean it's okay to literally TRAUMATIZE and OUTCAST people. People are disgusting asf.

[@PeriluneStar]

That's terrible! Poor kid :( I can't believe people would laugh at him getting badly hurt just because he's autistic, like that's literally so messed up

[@hildaottosson8660]

@@PeriluneStar yeah. He doesn't seem to understand why people laugh at him, im not sure if its better that he doesnt understand. People need to learn to treat others as human beings tbh, for now i'll just try to be better than all off the other kids and atleast treat him like a human being with feelings.

[@AmazingAutist]

​@@hildaottosson8660did you curse them out?

[@hildaottosson8660]

@@AmazingAutist No, unfortunately not, since the teacher was there, but I will make sure to next time, and that's a promise.

[@cristiancastro5853]

I know this is actually so fucking acoustic it’s so restarted I hate it!

[@erikdaniels0n]

Your acoustic guitar earings are such a perfect choice for this video 🤭

[@Dreykopff]

Not me reading this as "autistic guitar earrings"..................

[@gigahorse1475]

Genius!

[@urlocalbrunet]

The people at my school always use the phrase "you're autistic" as a negative insult instead of stupid, and i just roll my eyes because thats really all you can do

[@AmiriTempest]

I was just diagnosed in the past 6 months. I don't tell people because I'm soooooo used to hearing "autism isn't real" ugh... I call myself AND my daughter ARTISTIC as a way of saying Autistic but like, we like silly words. BUT!!! I don't do it around lots of people because they will PERCEIVE it as negative... even though I see my and my daughter's "Artism" is part of what makes us awesome!!!!

[@Robin-wb5nu]

As an Autistic with a special Interest in art I think I have to start using “artism” 😅

[@skewb48]

"artism" is an awesome word, love it!!

[@CrokusTheDerg]

being awesome makes you awesome, being autistic makes things hard for you that shouldn't be.

[@DogBat]

Sameeeee@@Robin-wb5nu

[@alwayshangry8313]

I used to always say I'm artistic as an automatic explanation before I knew i was autistic, so thanks for reminding me to use that again.. I've stopped telling people im autistic now that I've realised even the closest friends completely ignore me when I mention it yet in the past were happy to talk about my struggles with adulting.

[@PeachyCat13]

no because acoustic is a musical term + the people who use it act like autism is a slur?? its not. i ranted to my brother about this and he went "well people don't like when you call them autistic" then maybe don't call people autistic blindly?? SOME (not all) neurotypicals are so dumb.

[@marocat4749]

Why, accustic is literally a wildely used musical term for live not electric music and who would not be accustic, if we take music away? As lover of accustic music, its offensive, and stupid, it mskes no sense and , accustic music doesnt deserve that . And if people want to not be judged for using autistic as slur, dont use it, if, bear the consequences of being judged for it. Dont drag accustic music into it :( Ok the wtf accustic as the term for not electric music, goddam, just in question, dont, or make up your own creative slurs, i guess, thats just lazy. If you slur, at least dont be lazy and abelist.

[@PeachyCat13]

@@marocat4749 you are so right

[@poiwytlee]

Haha wow maybe don't "call people" Autistic then, kid 😒 Jee...

[@toast_stealer]

Acoustic now has two definitions. 1, a type of instrument; 2, an insult/mockery to autistic people. It’s not okay to say in this context. As an autistic person, I am livid that my identity is linked to stupidity.

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

duh right! Like don't use autistic or "autistic behavior" ie behavior you don't understand as a slur or put down!

[@kuroblakka]

I'm happy to see that you got into linguistics in this video because it's one of my special interests :D And the first special interest I tell about when I meet new people because I'm scared that they won't talk to me if I talk about Pokémon and the Binding of Isaac (the game, not the bible story)

[@CaptainDatsun]

This is the first time I’ve heard about these words and I almost started crying. My feelings were genuinely hurt. It’s really depressing that the younger generations are using derogatory terms for autistic and neurodivergent people. I thought we grew out of that by the mid 2010s. I was diagnosed as autistic when I was 12. I’m 31 now and I still don’t tell people about it. I’m still ashamed of it. I don’t like to think about it. I have a lot of internalized ableism and self hatred because of shit like this. I’m not brave enough to be open about myself when this kind of mean spirited behavior is the norm. When I’m going to be made fun of. I hope the kids realize how their language is harmful. I too used “gay” and “the r-word” when I was a teenager because I didn’t fully understand the gravity of using those words for bad or negative things. So I hope a lot of this is ignorance rather than mal-intent. 😢

[@reedy_9619]

Everyone has always done it and thats why the medical terms have changed. Policing language doesn’t work. You. Can’t prevent people from not using their braincells or disrespecting you. Im pretty sure there are kids movies about just that; People are gonna be mean to you no matter what you do and how popular you are and it doesn’t matter. They re just pricks and everything is going to go all right if you keep close to people who care about you and love you for who you are (which can be tough to find for a lot of people)

[@boopdoop2251]

People are always people. The generations we see as so separate really aren’t that different when it comes down to it. Every generation thinks they’re good, tries their best, and fails to be perfect. It’s just human.

[@uhoh3955]

Me and my friends call eachother the worst things imaginable lol

[@crazylatingirl94]

​@@uhoh3955that has nothing to do with going out of your way to justify slurs and using them against people just because you don't know the difference between being raunchy/dark humor and just being an asshole

[@louiscyphre2267]

@crazylatingirl94 you do realize you’re being a hypocrite right? Chastising someone for using a slur, but then you call them a rude word. Seems rather a¢0ustic of you.

[@Autistic_AF]

The last time I was on TikTok it took a week to scrub the comments off my skin! Thanks for the video, Meg! I shall enjoy this with a cup of tea later :)

[@Kaye09MNchick]

I feel this.

[@Warspite03]

Comment section of TikTok sounds like a hard drug. Be careful Meg.

[@himenyx153]

It's the same on instagram and facebook and youtube shorts. Like I really need to start practicing just not even looking at the comments. But it sucks because I really like to talk to people and see what they have to say, I just wish they were nicer...

[@naomiparsons462]

@Autistic_AF love the name!

[@KrisRN23935]

​@@himenyx153Has it gotten worse for you lately too? It's been bugging me more lately. I feel your pain.

[@mintythedemon1785]

It’s sad that autistic people aren’t taken seriously. I really don’t want autistic to become slur because some people like insulting others who are different. I’m autistic and I got bullied a lot when I was a kid. I’m still insecure and have a hard time making friends.

[@FunWithColeen]

to my understanding it originally started on the autistic side of tiktok as a lighthearted joking term and then it was overtaken by non autistic people and used in a very ableist and demeaning way. it wasn't surprising that it happened to me as people on tiktok are awful but it still really sucks

[@noeldoesstuff]

I do a lot of theatre. Yesterday I was doing a show (all went smoothly up until this point). I had to help another actor get around the stage (her being blind and autistic- I am also autistic, but she has higher support needs (but a lot of that is because she can’t see)). During the bows at the end of the show some random ass old guy in the front row yelled “sp45tic” at her. I was going to react but I don’t thing she heard it and I didn’t want to bring it to her attention. People are gross. Edit: (1. This blew up. Wow, 2. When I said “people are gross” I never meant for people to infer that all people are gross, just that people have the capacity to be gross. No offence to anyone (except the guy at the show, all offence to him))

[@aphotic_grae]

Forgive me, but I don't understand what "sp45tic" means. Are you censoring the word "spastic," or did he actually shout out a word with numbers in it?

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

@@aphotic_grae no they're censoring the word. its a cruel word so not everyone feels comfortable typing it.

[@Kaye09MNchick]

People are just so hateful toward anything that makes them uncomfortable or, anything or anyone remotely different than them. People should really start to realize that not everyone is the same and, everyone is going to look, sound, behave, and be different. If we were all the same, that would be boring and wouldn't be good for the human race's evolution. I hope you were able to decompress after this. I would have been raging mad and, probably would have said something later on to this person if I could find them again.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

That’s so unbelievably awful of him 😞

[@kaisoep]

My brothers called me spa$tic a lot as a kid and it really stuck. Hate that an adult used that word to insult your friend

[@courtneybermack]

Thank you for this! I'm not on tiktok or wherever, and my reaction to "acoustic" was "huh, that's a neat word?" I'm glad to hear your take on it and how it's used. I often substitute or switch words around for fun or because I have forgotten a word, so it's definitely something I might have used.

[@KitchenOnTheLeft]

I feel like my ick with “acoustic” is actually that it makes it seem like autism is a dirty word. I already find ~tiktokifying~ words, like changing “dead” to “unalive” to be pretty annoying; I feel it diminishes the impact and seriousness of the subject, but at least you can make the argument that it helps protect people that might not want to hear about death. However, “acoustic” is literally just censoring a word completely unnecessarily, because “autistic” isn’t insulting or offensive in any way, it’s just what autistic people *are*. It also feels somewhat infantilizing, in a way, like we can’t handle being called autistic and need some other dumbass word to replace it with. It also definitely makes the “I feel like this person is trying to insult me but I can’t tell if they are or not” alarm sound off in my brain.

[@ShaCaro]

It's not 'tiktokifying', it's trying to avoid not getting money for your content. Advertisers don't want to put their coca cola ad on a video about dead people, or suicide, or sex, etcetera. The only consideration in the process is for their wallets. Autistic though is not part of that group of words so idk why they do that. I guess because they see the word as a forbidden insult, ie very negatively. "Oh no my video got deleted because I called someone autistic as an insult! Better not learn from my mistakes and in essence do the same thing again!"

[@RAFMnBgaming]

I always assumed it was like a bondulance thing where someone put a meme with delberately butchered SPAG somewhere and a bunch of people just referenced that.

[@GloryofGore666]

How does it protect people who don't want to hear about death though? The sentences "he broke in and murdered them" and "he broke in and unalived them" convey the same exact meaning. Changing that one word doesn't make a difference besides seeming like a disrespectful way to talk about death

[@RAFMnBgaming]

@@GloryofGore666 it "protects" only on the technicality that the word itself is not used and that's good enough for the flagging bots to declare it safe.

[@BioMasker]

I'm so happy that I'm not on social media anymore. I can't deal with being bummed out and like.. second hand put down scrolling through crap everyday. Love your earrings!

[@KompridiCR]

technically, you still are on social media, youtube is also considered a social media app.

[@EmoJiraiBoyKuromi]

Oh I know acoustic is used as an insult usually but as a diagnosed autistic teen I use the nickname: “The Heart Acoustic” to describe myself as a lil reference joke (The Heart Acoustic is a song by the rewrite cover artist Chonny Jash, I love his music, I am literally his character of The Heart and I’m autistic so it seemed like a cute little nickname for me). My friends call me that sometimes but the thing is all my friends are also autistic. So I’m usually in my own little bubble where it isn’t an insult. Especially because I go to a school literally called ECE 4 Autism! I go to a school for autistic ppl so I’m never rlly around ableist ppl irl. The only place I ever experience ableism anymore is online. I love my privileged position a lot because I can have fun with my hyperfixation and go absolutely insane abt it without being judged most the time. So yea. That’s why I use the word acoustic (more specifically The Heart Acoustic) to refer to myself. Hope that made sense!

[@CM-jx4yf]

My mum came across your channel and I followed as my son is autistic and honestly after watching your videos I feel both my mum and I probably need to be tested. I love your videos. I hope the good and positive comments outweigh the bad ones ♥️

[@Heyreneesews]

My daughter is autistic, and I learn a lot from your channel. I would have never known about the use of acoustic if I didn’t watch your channel. So I subscribed. Also, she’s 21 and didn’t get an official diagnosis until she was 18. We are so happy to have a diagnosis. She is doing great❤ thank you for your videos.

[@AshTheWeird15]

My classmates have said stuff like "[their friend] is the reason why autism is contagious", and always calling the same friend autistic ans aucoustic. The kid is goofy but only has ADHD symptoms. Even worse, i was in gym class with the special ed kids (I have asd but wasnt diagnosed yet and am not special ed). Anyways it was hockey day and the most popular kid in the class hit the puck near a higher-needs autistic girl and she freaks out and starts falling off the gym mat she was on, and the boy says "Guys dont hit her, she doesn't need more brain damage" and then all the kids nearby started laughing. The R slur is also used a lot in my school. Another thing is everyone loves to mention that someone's autistic when they have a bad experience with someone. It really urks me. Usually i dont mind acoustic when its not used as an insult, unless a non-autistic person uses it on themselves or another non-autistic person. Idk tho

[@seanbradley2712]

Another great video. Congrats on 100K+. "Euphemism Treadmill." I call it the Insult Arms Race. A lot of psychological terms get coopted by society as insults/slurs to denigrate someone's intellect. Once the stigma grows significant enough, they have to replace it with something else to avoid patients feeling stigmatized when diagnosed. Just two days ago, I heard, "[Moron] used to be a medical term." Yes. It sprung out of eugenics. I try to avoid replacing a word with something more "polite" because it too will soon become a taboo? But I also try to read the room first. Side story: The word "she" always gets called out with the questions, "Who's 'she'? The cat's mother?" I don't know if that's a Northwest thing, an English thing, or the whole of the UK.

[@luceistired]

the way i knew exactly what this was about when i saw the title, i hate this trend. It started as a funny thing for autistic people to call themselves but then the neurotypical people stole it and now use it offensively >:(

[@heartroll8719]

NT people don’t care, they feel like they can use it freely. Unless they would experience being autistic, they will never understand how we feel.

[@jonathanprivitera9394]

I love that your earrings are acoustic guitars, if it was intentional it shows how good your sense of humor is, otherwise it's just funny nonetheless. Thanks for the video. I personally think that using it in comments online is mostly a no-no, context playing a huge role, but generally bad, maybe among people who know each other it can be a nice way to make fun of things, but openly mocking people is wrong of course. In short: jokes are fun, mocking and bullying is not ok and it should be called out and stopped. Edit: 3:21 it was intentional, cool! 😂

[@Elodie-xi3pp]

I’m 15 autistic low support needs have ADHD I live in a Rural area in a republican state and have an IEP to help me with studies, time management, sensory issues and social skills. I got to normal classes during the day, but my first hour I go to My school’s IEP resource teacher‘s room for a reset hour to help me get ready to go to normal classes. (That’s what I call it) I always hear people asking someone if they are Rslured or autistic . My best friend often says that she is autistic whenever she does something stupid . “oh I’m probably autistic I have an extra chromosome.” That is Down syndrome!!!! But the first time she said that she didn’t know that I was autistic and I said “ wait, you are too?” And she turned red . I also hear a lot of people say this is R Slurd and things like that. Or be like oh Johnny is autistic. Also our school has one more kid that I know of that’s autistic. He is higher support needs and has a hard time reading and writing and all that but he’s doing really good. I hate saying that but he’s doing good he’s in band but he doesn’t play an instrument,because he has a short attention span and so when the band plays for a concert, they just sit him up without an instrument and he just sits there while they play and I don’t like that it’s just like they’re trying to say that they’re inclusive by highlighting the token autistic kid at least when he’s in the choir, it’s less obvious that he isn’t singing and I don’t know if this is just me or if this is actually bad. And we have this one boy at my school with down syndrome and he is older than everyone in our school now this is not a problem at all. I’m not making fun of that. He just has a tendency to kinda be creepy to girls in my class, He will find one girl and obsess over her all week although this time one girl lasted two weeks I don’t know we’ll see next week but it kind of makes me crazy because they don’t do anything about it, maybe the occasional talk but I don’t even know if they do that, although makes me feel ablest to say that he should should understand by now but it’s just just not OK even if he doesn’t understand you would think we should try to make him understand. I’ve only seen him get corrected on it once. I don’t understand any of it. It’s insane, insane insane insane insane insane I know we live in a rural area but

[@lexalot8337]

please, please, please use punctuation

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

Kids have always been pretty mean spirited and cruel, urban or rural. No excuse for them, just the sad reality. I think you have to use soft power on them to change their behavior. They started calling people names because they thought it was neat or cool to do it, just have to take the wind out of that sail. Straight up telling kids not to do something makes it more tempting because it's forbidden and a lot of them want to be edgy so they will lean on it. I think pretending they didn't even say the edgy (actually cringy) thing will make it less appealing. Fight bad behavior with a cool and collected mindset. Make them feel bad about what they say without being combatant. When they call someone the r word you just say something nice about the person in question. Don't be their safe place to gossip and be cruel/ otherize. I'm autistic and this technique worked for me pretty well.

[@raacoonone]

FYI an extra chromosome is not necessarily Down Syndrome. Anyone who has an extra chromosome has trisomy. Down Syndrome is a form of trisomy.

[@chrismaxwell1624]

@@lexalot8337 I see punctuation. Might be few missing periods or misplaced ones. So saying please use punctuation sounds very odd seeing there is lots of punctuation.

[@Elodie-xi3pp]

@@ZhovtoBlakytniy Okay, I will have to try that.

[@nonyobisniss7928]

I love that you care so much about autistic people and that you consider things so deeply. I also love listening to you talk about things while I solve sudokus in a different window. I feel like the two stimuli very happily share my ADHD brain's focus.

[@Averi-Rogue-Bennett]

I was at camp and a girl was saying that she was so acoustic and the r word. She didn’t know I’m autistic. It was awful. It made me cry. She was making fun of me even though it wasn’t directly at me. I told my friend who heard her but she didn’t seem to care. I don’t get why people do things like that. I would never make fun of anyone for anything.

[@KristofskiKabuki]

I was just talking to someone on Twitter today who claimed it was fine for them to call people the R word as an insult cos they autistic so they're "reclaiming" it - I had to point out that reclaiming a word is when you use it in a positive way as part of your identity, like people have with things like queer and dyke, not when you just use it in the same way as the oppressors do

[@ascung]

I'm autistic myself and call myself artistic and acoustic cause I find it funny. My autistic friends also do this and find it funny as well. Personally I don't mind especially since I'm using it in reference to my autism, like when I say "oh I didn't understand what you meant, I'm a little acoustic". Very clearly, if I'm outside of my friends, and around people I don't know, I'll use the word autistic to describe myself

[@lindaoow]

i think its okay as long as its not used to comment on anyone else :) I do the same thing at home, i also have an autism diagnose. Jokingly at home, i say that i went "grand autismo" when i have a meltdown or when i hyperfocus to make things funny and light :) But i would never say it about anyone else.

[@sylve2474]

Yeah, i agree,, if youre using it on yourself as an autistic person and with other autistic people, i think its okay, since given the circumstances, its clearly not being used as a thinly veiled slur,, its like saying im "too ace" to understand smth sexual attraction related, or saying smth is "probably the adhd",,, but if someone allo or neurotypical said that about me, or themselves, or whatever else as someone who does not fit the identity being talked about, it feels wrong,, like its appropriating the experience as a joke at the expense of the people who experience it or simply using in this case the terms artistic or acoustic as thinly veiled slurs to spee hateful bigotry or ablism under the guise and defense that it was simply a joke

[@limesodagod]

as a person who is autistic,if i can send an image i will send an image of lord faarquad pointing with the text "awww little baby can't say (r slur), if you are going to use a slur say it properly at least"

[@bunnycakez0326]

It disappoints me to hear how often people I come across used the R-slur around me, even when I’m very open and clear that I’m autistic! It’s sad to see people think that the R-slur isn’t a slur but don’t realize why it’s considered a slur and hurts disabled people in the first place! They also seem to think it’s ok to used as long as it’s not towards a disabled person, no matter who’s it’s aimed at, it’s not ok! In fact, it’s even less than not ok! I so commonly hear it to the point where I have to put “no R-slurs or I’m blocking you!” on my bios! Thank you so much for making a video about this topic! I often feel like I'm overreacting and being too sensitive when I feel very uncomfortable hearing the R-slur!💚✨

[@Key-Knight87]

If you feel as if you're overreacting then you probably are ngl. Most of the time people who say the word, myself included aren't trying to be abelist...

[@jacksparrowismydaddy]

is the r-word even used by health professionals anymore? seems there are a million conditions that cause those symptoms... I'm asking because I literally don't know, not trying to be immature or anything.

[@ankaplanka]

​@@Key-Knight87 The intention doesn't matter in cases like these. And, I have heard there is no thing as an overreaction. Just because you think someone went overboard with their feelings, that doesn't make their experience less legit. You have to remember, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." I had other definitions for words like "idiot" and whatnot when I was younger. Then I stopped using them because it wasn't right. There are so many other words we can use, or make up new ones with no eugenic and ableist history attached to it. But people seem to enjoy repeating history until someone beats them up for real. Because saying the R-word is kinda like saying the N-word. Kinda hard to compare the two because of history, but I hope it makes enough sense.

[@cats9994]

I'm autistic and I've had people tell me not to refer to MYSELF with the word. People who are neurotypical. Like ugh it's so annoying both of these are a problem imo

[@kiingblue]

​@@jacksparrowismydaddy It's really only used by docs who are much older or in "alternative medicine" as the term was phased out over the last 10-20 years. Ik that's a huge timespan but it's been slow progress. Modern medicine is way more detailed with diagnostic criteria though, so where people with any intellectual or neurodevelopmemtal disability in the past would have been placed under the umbrella term r-word-ed, now diagnoses are a lot more specific. Ie. if you have autism you're going to be told you have autism, and sometimes a level from 1-3.

[@HP-io2qu]

The “a lot of people like picking on people who don’t realize they’re being picked on,” line, really hit me hard because advice I got a lot of the time when it came to people picking on me was to just ignore it because all they want is a reaction out of you, but like, clearly that isn’t true!

[@reedy_9619]

People can want sevral things, they are not automatons.

[@HP-io2qu]

@@reedy_9619 exactly! Thank you!

[@undefinederror40404]

Yeah, it can be true but it can also not be true. And when it is true, ignoring them isn't always the solution- let alone even possible!

[@HP-io2qu]

@@undefinederror40404 Right?! It’s way easier said than done! It can be really stressful 🥺

[@HP-io2qu]

@@reedy_9619 exactly, thank you!!!

[@K4sp14n]

As an autistic person, I am fully aware that it’s a very neglectful term, but, I say that I’m an ‘Acoustic artistic autistic’ because I enjoy rhyming/similar words, it’s makes me happy, but, I would never use it in a mean way. -Wencer/Wen(ce) , the acoustic artistic autistic :3

[@ForgetfulHatter]

recently late diagnosed adult autistic here. first off. thank you so much for your insightful videos. they really...helped ease my mind while getting tested in ireland for adult autism, how i'd get teary eyed and sometimes realize im nearly trying to convince myself maybe i am not. when i always knew something was different amount my mind. getting back on track..😅 using that word "acoustic" reminds me of when i used facebook. how people would call someone a "bundle of sticks" as a means of avoiding being muted from facebooks auto-moderating bots. "bundle of sticks" is a certain F word also often used as a british slang term for cigarettes. thats the vibe i am getting from people saying words that way. a hurtful way of insulting someone in a way they might not be aware of or a way to avoid getting into trouble with websites that don't realize or care about it being an insult yet. you get rude people using it as a means to bring someone down. which is never okay given the world we live in. at the same time you'd get friends, saying it in a cheerful manner after you do something very impressive that only the hyperfocused mind of one could do. heh I don't see this diagnosis as some sort of curse or mark. I see it as a light shining in darkness. finally I can see. finally things make sense. I see it as a benefit. *"So thats why i can hyperfocus my way through 200 repetitive tasks at work, the kind most people would consider boring and soul destroying."*

[@LeoDBW]

Hello fellow late-diagnosed! :D

[@silverwasp]

It's the "Euphemism Treadmill" of traditionally used vocabulary becoming offensive because people bully each other, then get in trouble for it and they adopt a new word for the same thing to continue to bully people without getting in trouble.

[@InsomniacMoonbat]

I think the part that autistic people might not get it, that it's used in a derogatory way can also happen to other people, maybe even neurotypical people? I see it through a lense of: English isn't my first language, so I sometimes come across a word that I never encountered before. At some point when you speak a foreign language, you stop looking up every single word you don't know and just try to read the context. Which works fine most of the time, but sometimes it can lead someone to misinterpret a word. If I had come across that cat video and saw the acoustic comment I would have guessed that it had something to do with hearing problems? If I had read it under someone just being silly, I would have guessed it may be a new youth/internet slang from a meme I don't know. So only if get across this word more often and in different scenarios, I go look it up to not further confused. Or I look it up/ask about it in a direct conversation. If I have encountered these comments under a video of someone who is obviously in a mental distress state or indicating anything in the direction of neurodivergence or disabilities, then I would have immediately looked it up, if this is a slur. Same as with non-English speakers can be the case for internet slang or words used mostly by a certain age group (teenagers for example) or by a certain ethnic group, ect I certainly have used the r-word in the past without knowing how much of an insult it is, until I asked someone what it means when they write "r-word" and then got the explanation. It's really sad that people see someone different than themselves, be it skin color, be it gender or how their brain works and have that urge to insult them, look down on them, harm them, ect And also that people often think they don't want to harm someone, but then are insulted when getting told they use a slur and if they please could stop using it. I get that impulse of feeling attacked for a thing you think you are not. But if you press a button and someone comes in and tells you, you just electrocuted someone and immediately should stop pressing the button more, you normally don't insist that you meant no harm and don't press the button to harm someone and then continue to press the button!!

[@janneriemis5529]

I remember rather shortly after my diagnosis there was a discussion in the government about what was most correct: to say you are autistic or to say you are a person with autism. All I could think was 'wow, we must be doing pretty well if they have time to discuss such frivolities.' But after seeing this video I do have a better understanding of where they are coming from. They also landed on person with autism... which I myself still don't use.

[@AliceBunny05]

I've always found it such an interesting distinction because personally, I go back and forth using them for myself solely based on what sounds the best in the sentence. The only reason I'd have a problem with the phrase "person with autism" is if someone is making a conscious effort to try and separate someone from their autism. Otherwise, it's inconsequential to me.

[@Arwen_xx]

I was trying to think of this in the context of queerness (to see if the language sounds off or offensive in different but similar contexts) - it would be really weird to say “a person with homosexuality"

[@cathleenc6943]

When I was diagnosed, I sent a friend a text saying "so it turns out I'm autistic" abd he replied "well you always have been creative, and a little bit later he came back and said "I originally read that as artistic." and I finally understood why he had replied that way, lol. The initial use of acoustic for artistic might have been an autocorrect, but after that, it just comes across as weird.

[@JordanMillsTracks]

I remember the first time I came across it was that whatsapp screenshot and I thought it was pretty funny, but only just started hearing it lately and I agree, it definitely feels like a very negative thing. I think one of the main reasons I haven't gone to get officially diagnosed is because I'm just worried it will somehow become more of a public thing and I'm definitely still at the stage where I only tell people when I really know how they're gonna react

[@kierstenburtz8442]

I've seen this term around. I'm older Gen z and I was called autistic as an insult by bullies growing up. I'm not autistic. I do have ADHD but I wasn't diagnosed until I was 20. Those kids were literally just using it as a synonym for stupid. And I felt even dumber when I realized it because I have audio processing issues (thanks ADHD) and thought they were calling me "artistic" for weeks. I was so confused as to why they said it like it was a mean thing lol

[@Kairi98503]

I like saying 'I'm going acoustic!' When switching from something that people usually use a machine to do to doing it the old fashioned way. Like mixing dough by hand, handwriting something, or hand sewing something. Now I fear that awkward conversation if 'dale, I'm autistic and I was using the word in its literal sense, thanks for trying though.' Had those convos when gay was an insult & they were not great.

[@SirRias]

If you're worried about it making things awkward, you could always use "analogue" instead. It's got a similar meaning.

[@Faesharlyn]

I also use :analog: when I'm doing something manually

[@WeirdSage-ym2cf]

I often like saying artism about myself because my special interest has been art for a long time. Almost all my friends are neodivergent and don’t seem to mind it. It’s never in a bad way, just to be silly.

[@gabrielledatascience]

Someone who had been a friend for years (who I considered my best friend even) said during a stressful situation that "of course they weren't r-word" when recounting what they did. I was giving the side eye but hoped maybe they would grow out of it or realize how wrong that was. Then the other day they saw my dog (male, 3 yrs old) with bandana on because I was sharing some pics. He then said my dog "looked so gay" like an insult. I literally wanted this person to be the maid(male) of honor at my wedding but to know this is how he operates with language and world views, I've started to cut ties with him. I might have an actual conversation with him one day but I'm terrible with conflict and keep avoiding it. I'm getting married and me and my fiance have started family planning. Now that I know how I want to raise my child, I will not tolerate hate in any form. P.s. I'm bisexual and I also suspect I may be autistic. :)

[@simoneholenstein6977]

Hi, just wanted to jump in and give you permission to just fade out of that persons life. no one is owed the kind of effort it takes to confront people, especially since the critique often doesn‘t land with that kind of person anyway. if you feel like explaining yourself to them, that‘s cool, but you absolutely do not have to! they already showed you who they are with the language they use. I wish you all the best and hope you have an amazing wedding when the time comes 🎉

[@gabrielledatascience]

@@simoneholenstein6977 thank you so much for the kind words

[@xdani_thethinkingneko]

3:55 That type of rhetoric is exactly why at 28 years old, I am just starting to go through the steps to see if that’s what I am. Since a lot of my symptomatic behavior lines up with lower (but still high?) support needs.I always assumed I could it be, because people always when I was growing up especially in the early 2000s, we were told that if you weren’t rocking back-and-forth and not able to take care of yourself, you were not autistic. I literally just saw a woman who was even diagnosed with ASD, say that people who are autistic and have lower Support needs or can make their point clear, or not autistic. Which was interesting, because she was making her hateful point clear. She was saying that, because she was experiencing caregiver burnout, most likely autistic burn out, because her son is a high supports autistic person. It’s just sad how it even comes from our own community sometimes.

[@CriminalDoenjangJjigae]

One time I came to school dressed as Hatsune Miku. Kids kept calling me acoustic and I didn't realize they were trying to make fun of me, I thought they were finally trying to understand Vocaloid. I was so excited and kept talking about Miku without realizing they were trying to bully me. Follows the pattern of me not realizing I'm being made fun of.

[@trippingandbrowsing1269]

You are genuinely so warm and sweet, I watch your content because you just seem like a really kind and genuine person to be around. Your aura just makes me feel good. The idea that anyone could be nasty to you like that is heartbreaking. Some people are just...nasty and unlikeable and feel the need to take that out on others.

[@MetaGiga]

... A definition of acoustic means it’s an instrument without electrical amplification. In other words, no plugs. There’s a good handful of us that plug ourselves into things every single day to not be overwhelmed (noise canceling headphones, having things on devices to calm down with, etc). That term literally makes no sense and the only thing it has in common are the syllables and letters that make up the word. For the love of *god* don’t let this catch on.

[@marocat4749]

Yeah, have bloody people no respect for accustic music anymore? As funny wordplay no problems, but as slur, really? you call chill music a slur?! The abelism aside, ok i am fond of the term accustic thats a regular important music term :(

[@LouderThanLife7]

This comment x100000000% Right?! Acoustic doesn't even make any damn sense - not that derogatory slurs do, but damn, people really are not as smart and creative as they think? Thank you for writing it out why is so ridiculous ❤

[@Tree-House69]

I hate to say it already has caught on

[@courtneylust]

@@marocat4749it’s ‘acoustic’ not ‘accustic’

[@MetaGiga]

@Tree-House69 First I see Cocomelon has its own musical, then I hear Gen Alpha’s obsessed with a head in a toilet, and now people are unironically calling us “acoustic” I’m trying to think of worse, but I’m drawing a blank right now

[@sillymetalenjoyer]

yeah as a high schooler, people still use gay and autistic as insults. as someone who is gay and autistic, it hurts and I just wish people would be kinder towards others :(

[@DaughterofDiogenes]

My husband is a teacher and told me about this a week or so ago and my heart just dropped. Mind you this was several months after he informed me that the kids would say I was wrong for using the term lame. I immediately told him he should bring that juxtaposition up to his class.

[@lodddishwoo6270]

thank you so much for bringing attention to this, and speaking up! sometimes i worry, when being around the ”carefree, easygoing” and ”whatever thinkers” that they words of choice arent for me to be bothered by, but fighting back is rather a strength, so thank you autism community

[@kohlfrog]

The picking on people or making fun of people because you know it will go over their heads was something that happened to me a lot in school. Im reasonably good at masking, though I've realized recently maybe not as good as I thought I was. I distinctly remember a situation in school where my favorite teacher unintentionally lead to me being made fun of by the entire class. A classmate had to explain to me why everyone was laughing because I didn't understand what was so funny. My teacher apologized after class because they hadn't realized that I wouldn't understand the joke, and they didn't intend for the result that happened. So the teacher told me in front of the class that gullible wasn't in the dictionary. So of course the first thing I did was grab a dictionary and find gullible. Not because I believed them(or was gullible), but so I could prove that it was in fact there. Of course it would be there. Why wouldn't it? Of course the more I insisted on proving it, and making sure everyone understood it was indeed in the dictionary like it should be, the more everyone laughed at me. When I asked why it was funny, my classmate explained that I was being gullible by believing it wasn't there and checking. Except I wasn't being gullible, because I knew that of course it was there. That was why I was looking it up, so that they would know! Which just made everyone laugh harder. I understand the joke, and I understood the intent of the joke. But it was humiliating and embarrassing for me. They weren't laughing at the joke, not really. They were laughing at the fact that I was so literal about it that the intent went over my head until it was explained. As well as laughing at me because I couldn't see the humour in it myself because I saw it as inaccurate. They were laughing AT me. My mother still jokes about it because she finds it funny(I told her when it happened). Mostly she finds it funny that it bothers me because I still find it inaccurate and unfunny. I can see the intent, I just don't find it funny. The classmate who explained it to me went on to become a teacher(special needs I believe!). I spent a fair amount if time in school asking her to explain things to me. I think the most impactful thing she told me was that even though I incredibly was "book smart" , I was not "street smart" or socially intelligent, when I asked her why people bullied me. Up until then i had never considered different kinds of intelligence. Everyone had always just said i was very smart, gifted, etc, and I couldn't understand why so many people bullied me, when id always been told it was jealousy. Because super smart people picked on me too, and they had no reason to be jealous. So I didnt understand. Its wierd thinking back now and realizing just how autistic I sound lol.

[@Kaye09MNchick]

I agree with a lot of what you were saying. I was a little hesitant to get an official diagnosis because of the stigma and how others would perceive me. And then, I realized that getting a formal diagnosis was really for me and me only. It not only helped me to realize my traits were because I am Autistic, but also allowed me to utilize the supports that were available to me. I started attending a support group for adult Autistic Women which has helped sooo much! It also helped me to realize my privilege and, how fortunate I am to not only get a diagnosis (which in MN MA insurance can pay for in full. This is how I got my diagnosis and what I tell people who are on MA who are searching for answers or, a diagnosis). But, it also helped me realize that I am NOT the problem and that I am ok to be myself even if it means I look weird or, seem odd. At a certain point, I just had to say "f*ck it" and, "this is for me". I had to acknowledge that it is ok for me to say that I am Autistic. By doing this, it helped my sister realize that she wants to get diagnosed with ADHD (which I also have). Realizing that no one else matters in your journey for an official diagnosis or, better yet, self discovery, is really freeing and, allowed me to live my life the way I feel most comfortable. Even if it made others less comfortable. I just had to say that I am the priority right now and, no one else matters in this moment for me. That was hard because of all of the names I had been called, the bullying, and other aspects of growing up without a diagnosis. Especially as an AFAB appearing person. I personally don't see the interest in using acoustic instead of Autistic. I feel like I already am attached to the word Autistic and, I don't need another word to identify with. Also, it feels like people are trying to be cute or "in the know" when they use it, but to me, they are really showing that they are NOT "in the know" and, don't understand how it could be damaging to the Autistic community. I do think it could be different if it was an actually Autistic person using the word acoustic, but I still feel like it's a "cute" or cutesy way of using the word Autism/Autistic without actually saying the word which I feel is causing more stigma anyway. Just say the word Autistic. Why is that so difficult? Just say the f**king word. I am AUTISTIC!

[@asteria5382]

I honestly thought it was an inside joke of the autism community because I've seen my friends who have autism use it. I'm going to share this video with them because I think it covers a lot of things that maybe they didn't realize or consider. Thank you for spreading awareness!

[@basilhidmari]

Yeah it's really not some people who are autistic use it but not the majority

[@Demonsta]

Im genuinely surprised this term is making a comeback. Millenial here, and to my knowledge this term predates the urban dictionary entries you pulled up by at least 10 years. If it was used before that idk, but in my time it came into use literally as a slur. People in gaming communitues would call others autistic (as well as gay, queer, r word, etc) as an insult, same way the urban dictionary mentioned it. Game servers and websites started cracking down on the misuse of words like autistic, so people would use acoustic instead to avoid getting their messages flagged. I don't think autistic youth had the same community and representation back then due to lower awareness and rates of diagnosis, as in a lot of autistic gen z community who are loving this term currently would most likely have gone undiagnosed back then, so i sincerely doubt the term would have previously been used by and for autistic people... But i suppose i cant say for sure since autism visibility was lower back then as well.