If you think this is Infantilising Autism, you're WRONG.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

We NEED to Discuss the Autism Speaks Rebrand Attempt.: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4W0iqiYmdGFaJY Here we go again, TikTok… If you need something wholesome to watch after this one, did you see last week’s autistic Instagram reels? I was almost crying, they’re so damn relatable: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l37Xo6Z_fNqDpLs Thank you so much for being here as always! 💛💛💛

[@ishaalimtiaz6715]

I like your earrings, I notice you seem to have an earring collection! As a girl who is obsessed with earrings and is walletless, would you mind telling me where you get them from!?!?!

[@teabee2894]

Where is your T-shirt from?

[@soundconjurer4380]

100%. What kind of monster criticizes someone for experiencing a unique moment of absolutely awesome joy in their lives?

[@blakeharvard5841]

I don't stim, but I'm still Stage 1 Autistim. Don't judge others.. is good advice in general.

[@theharshtruthoutthere]

@@blakeharvard5841 lets analyse the nonsense /lies many amongst you believe in: lie: schools are of use (fact. schools keep slavery alive and stands for dumbing down the population of mankind) lie: moon and mars landings, (fact: even masons know they cannot leave - earth is closed system, unless you want to drown, there is no other place created for us to live in.) lie: news channels share truth (fact: these are for politic propaganda) lie: money has a value of its own (fact: it is just a tool of this world, which value has been agreed upon world wide) lie: NASA lies (globe and all....) (fact: NASA stands for TO DECEIVE) - you havn´t searched - have you? lie: the lgbtq++++ propaganda (fact: it is a part of masonry depopulation agenda, 500 000 000 souls, thats their goal.) lie: Evolution and the dinosaurs. (fact: mankind is not hybrid kind) to keep stating that there was an evolution, then we ain´t humans, we aint then mankind, we are then hybrids. Are you a hybrid? Lie: holidays (xmas, Halloween, new year eve and so on) (fact: PAGAN HOLIDAYS, to praise BAAL, the god of this world) lie: U.F.Os (fact: they are demons/evil spirits in high places, against whom we fight daily = spiritual warfare) lie: rules and laws rule the world (fact: signs and symbols of masonry do) lie: believe in being educated (fact: found daily living with the lack of knowledge) lie: religions are ways to heaven (fact: JESUS CHRIST is only way to heaven. Religions, no matter its name = masonic garbage) lie: our dead loved ones stay around to “ghost” (fact: hunting and ghosting is job of demons, not of humans. We, humans, come from GOD and return back to HIM and all the stories of having been seen a ghost - terrifying, scary, dark, cold - again no job of analysing been done here by you- right?) Lie: Humans have no immune system and we need vaccines as these save lives (fact: humans HAVE IMMUNE SYSTEM and vaccines are created for one or two purpose: to kill or to cripple) lie: there is no GOD (fact: There is GOD, who redeems sinners and we are directly created by GOD, Psalms 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.) to keep claiming that there is no GOD and we aint created directly from the dust of the earth, we soon run out logic, regardless to we place “evolution” in our claims or not.) lie: 911 was terror attack (fact: 911 was an inside job, meaning the work of your loved government) 16 lies, should i go on?

[@simply_nebulous]

The idea that one must grow out of joy is one of the worst lies we've been taught growing up.

[@WynnK_]

I couldn’t agree more

[@theghosttm8245]

“Grow up and be depressed like that Donkey from Winnie the Pooh”

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@theghosttm8245 even Eeyore wouldn't agree with that sentiment

[@PixelaGames2000]

As Optimus Prime says “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings” And as I say “keep your inner childhood spirit alive, because without it…you’ll forget how to have fun…and be happy”

[@theghosttm8245]

@@S3lkie-Gutz omfg that’s his name. Ty bro.

[@Akanisen049]

"When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." - C.S. Lewis. One of my favorite quotes of all time and I really feel people need to embrace the idea that it's okay to express your happiness no matter how chikdish it may look. We have one life on this planet, we shouldn't fear being happy Edit: commented this before I got to the point you quoted that as well! Happy we thought of the same thing 😊

[@iiCounted-op5jx]

💯💯

[@MermaidMakes]

It’s such a beautiful quote. My special interest is animation. I always laughed when people said cartoons are for children, even before I knew I was autistic because I always thought “who do you think is making them?” I’m of the belief that we’re all kids cosplaying as adults. Some of us have been cosplaying for so long they have forgotten who they are. I just watched Hook again with my husband for the first time in probably over a decade and it was the entire theme of the movie!! Peter Pan forgot who he was, and when he found himself again, he could become a better father, husband, and person..and enjoy life again!!

[@NightcoreRavers]

It's sad that people think being happy and enjoying things is "childish", as if adults aren't allowed to feel positive emotions and that they're only reserved for kids

[@iiCounted-op5jx]

@@NightcoreRavers IKRRR

[@rebeccaholcombe9043]

Personally I think some of the worst offenders in terms of judging other people's joys is that they're miserable, traded joy for social acceptance and are therefor determined that nobody else is allowed to have adult status and joy​@@NightcoreRavers

[@strawbzzzombie]

I feel like even if you aren't autistic, you should be allowed to be really enthusiastic. Let people jump up and down with joy. Getting mad at someone autistic for a natural reaction is even worse. Normalize being joyful and full of whimsy.

[@IJustAnimateThatsTheJist]

It's because a lot of people hate autistic people. They don't want to say it out loud because they'll be societally reprimanded but deep inside disgusting people will have a hatred of others they perceive as "inferior" to themselves. I'm autistic and hate being around neurotypicals for this exact reason. They always love to play nice and act like "everythings fine" but deep down there's a lot of subconscious hatred for someone they don't understand. It's the exact same reasoning behind why a lot of people perceive us to be apathetic. It's not THEIR version of empathy, so it cannot TRULY be empathy. 🙄

[@darkacadpresenceinblood]

!!!! i am neurotypical and so many things make me literally bounce from joy. autistic people are of course more affected than others but i feel like the whole population could benefit from unmasking our happy stims

[@cassettetape7643]

Exactly! My take has always been that people in general need to learn to loosen up more💃

[@laurencewinch-furness9450]

My stimming is usually pretty low key and easy to pass off as "normal" but I'm pretty sure I'd be leaping in the air with joy if I saw a pod of whales. (My number one ambition in life is to freedive with them, but I'm not sure what underwater stimming would look like, or if I'd frighten the poor things!) When I did an eco volunteering week in Scotland once I was practically dancing for joy at a perfect sunrise one morning.

[@rosepuppy1984]

@@laurencewinch-furness9450my dad took me to this event at our local zoo which had all these cool lit up displays of animals including a giant octopus you could stand under and even a snake! My adult self was super happy and even started happy stimming with my hands! I’ll admit I was acting pretty childish but it was out of pure joy!!! This shouldn’t be looked down on!!! Childlike joy is an amazing experience especially considering the horrible world we live in! Everyone should be allowed to experience it without being judged (unless it’s joy from something absolutely horrible such as murder or something) whether they are neurodivergent or not!

[@Regimentblade]

“Not stimming is more dangerous than you think” yeah. You’d be surprised. It landed me in the hospital because my nervous system decided to just shut down my legs for a few days because it was so overloaded from me holding back my stimming( and some other stressors) so much in school. The nurse had to wheel me out of the school in a chair because my legs just wouldn’t hold my weight up. Stay stimming friends

[@Shortman5241]

That might be what happened to me this year! I would get stressed out and then I would shut down and not be able to move except for breathing through my nose and the first time this happened I hyperventilated through my nose in the muddle of class for the last 45 minutes of school until I was wheeled out. After that my legs kept giving out on me (which was very frustrating). I had to go to the ER twice and get put on new meds because of it (since they think it's seizures, which it might)

[@EKTE64]

No.

[@Ruby2P]

THAT CAN FUCKING HAPPEN!?!

[@Shortman5241]

@@EKTE64 wdym "no"?

[@Regimentblade]

kept me hospitalized for a few days. my mother thought i was faking it til the specialized teams came in to start questioning me and doing tests. "Conversion disorder, also known as functional neurological disorder (FND) or functional neurological symptom disorder, is a mental health condition that causes physical symptoms that are real but don't match up with known neurological diseases or other medical conditions. These symptoms can include: paralysis, numbness, blindness, deafness, seizures, weakness, tremors and jerks, blurry vision, unusual eye movements, and double vision. Conversion disorder symptoms can significantly impact a patient's ability to function, such as in academic performance, social relationships, and family life. They are thought to be caused by the brain "converting" the effects of a mental health issue into disruptions of the brain or nervous system, and are often triggered by stressful events, emotional issues, or mental health disorders like depression. The precipitating psychological conflict or stressor may not be apparent at first, but may become evident during a patient's history."

[@scepticalhyenas5750]

It all just feels very "♡♡ We love and support our autistic friends! But just remember, if you're autistic in a way we personally don't like, you're *CLEARLY* faking! ♡♡" imo

[@CensorshipIsOpression]

It's actually crazy. We had one young autistic man who was visiting my housemate, and he made the comment to my autistic boyfriend "You're neurotypical so you will never understand." Because he wasn't acting exactly like he was, even though autism has quite the spectrum and not one person experiences it the same. It was actually pretty rude and my bf was clearly hurt by it, the guy also talked about neurodiversity as if it's ONLY about autism. I feel like we as a community of the neurodiverse need to be more welcoming and accepting of one another and stop acting like it's a competition and a status symbol, or make it their whole identity and gatekeeping it from others.

[@Denidrakes69]

​@@CensorshipIsOpressionjust remember that there are awful people, ignorant people, racist people, selfish people, people who lack empathy and understanding etc etc in every group, amongst every type of person. I first understood that, when a particularly hostile group.of deaf people, were coming after the parents of disabled children on a Facebook support page that I was on for my daughter. It was shocking to me at the time, but I was SO naive. Having a diagnosis or being neuro atypical, or having cancer, aren't vaccines against being bad people.

[@wegotthechoccies]

Literally. It's not support if it's only certain people. It's still bigotry

[@SupHapCak]

I feel like the whole “it’s a spectrum” thing was meant to placate people who kept calling themselves autistic for that very reason. They want a reason or people (neurotypical) to blame that they don’t fit in, when autism could be thought of as degrees of social-norm blindness It isn’t the same thing to be a jerk because “nobody can tell me what to do” and excuse bad behavior or just not fitting in with people as a mental disorder.

[@hello_again9149]

@SupHakCak Autism isn’t just social-blindness. That’s one singular symptom. Autism is literally changes in the way your brain is wired. There are many other things that come into play besides social-blindness, that’s why it’s a spectrum. Some people have very slight social blindness and others have a lot of it. Other things are having special interests, being more sensitive to specific stimuli (sound, taste), hypo-sensibility and hyper sensibility, not being able to make eye contact etc. It’s not just degrees of social blindness.

[@m.j.7703]

Literally two seconds in but I am SHOCKED that people made fun of that woman for reacting the way she did when she saw A POD OF WHALES?? That’s so cool and anyone that wouldn’t jump with joy over that is just.. beyond me. Let alone making fun of her? Her joy was so apparent I don’t understand how anyone can mock that

[@scratchteamsucks]

Right? I get so excited anytime I see whales in-person! It’s an amazing experience and it’s sad that people online know so little about neurodivergent people :(

[@galazy.]

whales are super cool but I'm kinda scared of them 🥲

[@AphroditeArisen]

Because some people miserable and want to drag others down with them instead of just sort out their own nonsense, it’s a classic case of “ I’m miserable, so everyone else should be, no fun allowed.”

[@reesewhittington6778]

I'd be moreso "Stand stock still in awe" but yeah anyone saying "nah its nothin' your dumb" sound like the kind of people that say vaccines cause autism.

[@SillyConure]

Fr like I’ve even seen neurotypicals react like this when seeing exotic animals in real life or other super rare sights.

[@earthaforester3141]

How can people say watching Bluey as an adult is childish, when we have literally an entire generation of Disney adults????

[@wimsylogic65]

I'd like to bring up the comparison of supposed a grown adult who gets so into watching sports. Which I find absolutely boring and I don't understand their reaction to watching people run around to field on a TV. Or racing they're just going around in circles. But I am the childish inappropriate for dancing to the music of bluey. We're getting excited over something wholesome. Expressing pure joy at finding a random treasure..

[@Username0467]

... they also call Disney adults childish and immature. People don't like Disney adults lol

[@SunnyStreak_]

i don’t always like it when people dunk on disney adults because some could be autistic too

[@bosstowndynamics5488]

Bluey in particular is a bad target for this kind of take because *even if* you decide that a kids show needs an age ceiling (which is ridiculous in its own right) Bluey is particularly famous for being popular among adults.

[@rootfish2671]

I have a Bluey shirt that was bought in the men's clothing section

[@zbcrazy]

I’m 31, no kids. I LOVE Bluey. I have stuffies, shirts, a coloring book, etc. Every time I wear one of my shirts out, I get at LEAST one person - of any age and gender - point at my shirt and go “ahh Bluey!” The cutest one was a boy maybe 10 years old who nonchalantly was like “oh Bluey. Who…who watches Bluey at your house?” And even though I live alone, I said “everyone”. And he suddenly lights up like he’s relieved and goes “oh me too! It’s great!” Poor kid was probably afraid of being seen as a baby, but then seeing the grown lady unashamedly loving Bluey, he let himself be excited too.

[@bl3343]

I got excited when I saw my coworker had a Muffin decal on their car. It was like I was finally getting "permission" from the outside world to like Bluey.

[@CUSTERM16A2]

Bluey is furry garbage.

[@HuhWHODIDTHIS]

lol! That’s so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤

[@CUSTERM16A2]

Bluey is garbage.

[@HuhWHODIDTHIS]

@@CUSTERM16A2 your reply is garbage

[@someone7454]

How do they even know they’re faking? Not every autistic person is gonna act the same I’ve never understood comments like those.

[@fintux]

Yeah it's funny that it takes an expert multiple sessions, interviews of family members, questionnaires and so on to diagnose if a person is autistic or not, but then regular people can do that based on one short video clip.

[@amberr3662]

They know they can't make fun of someone who is autistic and stimming, bc they'll get called out as ableist, so they need to bend over backwards to justify it to themselves and convince themselves that they're helping the autistic community Basically, people don't want to be seen as bad people, but they want to express their dislike for autistic people in a way that seems to help us (even though it really, really doesn't. It causes way more harm than good)

[@ChozoSR388]

If you don't act like Sheldon (shudder), you're faking autism...

[@wimsylogic65]

​@@fintux I hate that it takes interviewing family members. I think that's what prevented me from being diagnosed. My family members don't pay attention to me. They lie, And I couldn't be honest in front of them. So I appear a lot more fine than I actually am. I used to physically collapse and my mom thought I was faking it for attention. I say you still I still collapse I have cataplexy. I just meant my mom used to see it and not believe it. And she thinks I'm too Naive to be able to tell when a creep was stalking me. Said I just didn't realize he was pursuing me. But it wasn't stalking. I'm married, The man was an old friend of my dads, He followed me to work. He tried getting me home alone at his house. He threatened me with ending himself. He exposed himself to be multiple times. Made me terrify to leave my house. Couldn't even go on Facebook at 2 AM in the morning without him instantly trying to video chat me. I'm treated like I'm incompetent because I get overwhelmed. I freeze up. I'm not naive, I'm Not incompetent. I am not childish, Just because I'm still in touch with my inner child. I'm optimistic, Trusting and hopeful, not detached from reality. I hate I had trouble expressing what I mean and they didn't give me the time or space to do To be understood.

[@lulub517]

Lack of nuance. People like this prefer to see things as black and white because it’s easier to digest than complexity, they try to use any mental gymnastics to see things has “This” or “That” with no critical thinking because that kind of thinking takes a lot of energy and can be genuinely stressful for our primate brains, it’s why finding multiple perspectives is so so important.

[@lostinpencils4254]

As an autistic animator for Bluey, this show is for us too and I'll never let anyone say otherwise!!! 💙🧡

[@welm8412]

AWW YOU ANIMATE BLUEY??? SO COOL ❤

[@likke_otter]

hello!! you are awesome thats so cool!! i love animation and bluey so so much!! im applying for animation college so i can work on cool shows like you do!!

[@ForkingHippie1111]

That's so cool!

[@Selfdestructingwii]

NO WAY AN ANIMATOR FOR BLUEY?! HOLY HECK THAT'S SO COOL!!!

[@toast_69sus]

Yo that's soo cool. ❤

[@K31vakkums]

I'll never understand why some autistic people will bully and attack other autistic people as if there's some hierarchy for us and those who openly stim are somehow worth less than those that don't. Edit: Everyone here has made some really good points (except that one guy) on why someone might act like this. I appreciate the info and opinions.

[@orsolyafekete7485]

I think in a lot of cases it's a trauma response. They were forced to conform, so they lash out at those who don't, because if it's actually fine to not conform, then their suffering was pointless, and they can't deal with that.

[@chrisflanagan7564]

I guess it's something like "if I have to mask 100% of the time, even when I'm alone, then so do you"

[@enviritas9498]

Internalized oppression perhaps, or something similar

[@nio804]

Might be such people actually do think that there's a hierarchy like that. I'm pretty sure belief in social hierarchies is pretty common for humans in general.

[@minngael]

respectability politics, thinking that if members of your minority group behave in a more "respectable" way, then you will win the favor of the dominant group. (the term comes from the Black community in U.S. context) It doesn't work. They may grant you conditional tolerance but only if you keep within those norms.

[@dudeed1tz]

i hate that whenever someone stims or don’t mask their autism it means that they are ‘faking it’

[@mysterygirl1606]

What's worse is when you do mask it and they accuse you of NOT BEING AUTSTIC!!! I was told by another autstic person that "You can't be autistic your handwriting's too neat." Since when was that a sign of someone being autistic in the first place? And secondly it was only neat because I'd get screamed at when I was 8 and the teacher even threatened to take my pen license away if it looked even the slightest bit messy.

[@imaginechi7677]

Yeah we can’t win anymore

[@ScytheManiac]

​@@mysterygirl1606 damned if you do, damned if you don't

[@jannacoyote4246]

@@mysterygirl1606 ; I never heard of one’s handwriting having anything to do with it either - except in the sense that it’s just another thing that some of us might’ve obsessed over when we were young. I know I did. I used to be so obsessed over keeping my handwriting “perfect” that I would even stop to erase & “straighten up” my numbers, while taking a math time test! I still have very neat handwriting. But, I’m not quite such a perfectionist about it anymore, thankfully. 😉💜🦋🖖🏽📝🖖🏼🦋💜😅

[@FingerLickinEvilToTheBone]

I like how the “you can’t diagnose yourself with autism” people are completely willing to diagnose other people on the spot, with not only a lack of autism, but a beautiful array of things, all based on one video.

[@femmesammy8768]

Not to mention, diagnoses are just for the medical system. I have OCD, but I'll never get it diagnosed because I don't think mine is severe enough for help

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@femmesammy8768 I feel that, fortunately my psych evaluation is coming up pretty soon here but I'm currently stuck in chronic illness diagnosing purgatory and I've experienced so much medical gaslighting already. Economic class inequality is already a huge contributing factor to why people would rather self diagnose than see a professional first, but the diagnostic criteria isn't inclusive for afab folks, especially woc and afab poc. The whole diagnostic model is based off as I'm writing this, a cishet white boy in distress to this day in the dsm V. So women afabs queer folk and poc are way more likely to be misdiagnosed and face clinical abuse/medical gaslighting while seeking a professional diagnosis

[@WahRizz]

@@femmesammy8768 ok

[@actualgoblin]

i'm like 99% sure i have some form of connective tissue disorder, but i don't see the value in getting diagnosed 😐 what are the doctors gonna do about it?

[@Just-MACCHEESE]

@@femmesammy8768as someone WITH ocd you need help. I thought mine wasn’t severe enough for help myself but when I went to get testing done they said It was very severe and that I needed help immediately because it was effecting my quality of life. Please get help!

[@GloomyFish]

What gives anyone the right to accuse someone of faking autism (or any mental thing)? They're doing so much harm to so many people. It makes my blood boil

[@nobodyimportant1968]

it's an unfortunate modern way that ppl online have found a way to be ableist but have plausible deniability. it's wrong. ppl are still to this day uncomfortable seeing disabled folks in public, but since just mocking folks for being disabled would get you called out directly - bullies instead nowadays just claim someone's faking to justify their ableist nonsense. if you pay attention, you begin to notice how the ppl who mock disabled ppl for merely being so, and those who white knight "for disabled ppl" to "find fakers" are saying basically the same thing - it's not less ableist. ppl will literally accuse folks w/ cancer, physical disabilities, and/or developmental disabilities like autism of faking if they dislike them for some reason. you're so right. it is never okay. if you see someone being accused of faking transness, disability, etc - stay safe, but please stick up for them. this behaviour isn't acceptable, ever, even if the person doing it claims they do it bc they want to "protect [insert xyz group here]." it's a poor excuse.

[@rosepuppy1984]

Exactly. I have been called a hypochondriac who was never taught manners for saying I have adhd and that it affects my ability to regulate my volume (something I constantly struggle with and I have actually researched and it is common in those with adhd)🙄 what they said was bad enough but what was worse is that someone claiming to also have adhd AGREED WITH THEM and said I just wasn’t taught manners!!! That is so much worse because they should’ve known better!!!

[@LaylaTow]

Well some people do fake. And I don’t understand why. Well there are many things that neurotypical people do and I can’t find the reason or logic in it even if my boyfriend try to explain it to me. That much I learned. But there is another thing. I don’t think we autistic people will ever be really completely accepted in society. If we don’t mask and say we autistic we are shamed for it or accused of faking. If we mask and try behave like neurotypical but say we autistic they will say we have “low support needs” or that we faking it. If we again try to act like neurotypical people but don’t say that we are autistic we will be perceived ass “off”, weird, suspicious. It’s like they say we not autistic but will sense difference and “offnes”

[@anastasia.noelle]

as someone with the SEVERE ADHD, my biggest problem is my volume. It’s so hard when people don’t understand and just think i’m annoying. I’d rather them be like “hey would you mind speaking a little quieter please”

[@Sad_Bumper_Sticker]

Oh my gosh. Blue’y is so cozy and she opened up showed her auti-expression’essness just to slammed with an disability hate stampede.

[@prageruwu69]

accusing someone of "infantalising autism" when they are literally just being themselves is so odd

[@joshraid1550]

It’s like telling a black person that they’re dehumanizing black people or something. Like… no. Obviously no.

[@Lil_Noot]

The people who say this are the baby’s here to be honest lmao. If you don’t accept others that are different than you, you can go sit in the misery corner and cry about it. I have little tolerance for people who disrespect others, ESPECIALLY neurodivergence.

[@elokin300]

Especially when the person doesn’t have autism. People really like to speak over others for some reason

[@PunkyMonkeyBrewAndXiaoBingYu]

At that rate, who's really infantilizing autism? Seems to me anyone who sees it that way is themselves infantililizing the spectrum.

[@jack-a-lopium]

Lots of fakers out there. ASD is the most overly diagnosed condition on the planet, I don't know why this KZbinr would tell you it's the exact opposite, but there you go.

[@buttermotth]

I go by the motto "it's only embarrassing if you make it embarrassing" I'm always shocked about the amount of people that care so much about other people in such a negative way.

[@eglol]

Oh wow, I find that to be a very good motto, for many things in general too. Nice!

[@geninji6117]

I did ten years army infantry. I still watch cartoons like adventure time and gumball. I was picked on throughout my career for this and i dont care. Some soldiers like bars and strip clubs but me sitting at home watching cartoons after spending months in a desert is how i unwind and stayed out of criminal trouble. Dont let people decide who you get to be.❤🎉

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

Exactly, it's basically the same thing as neurotypicals revisiting things that bring childhood nostalgia for them so I don't really see why it's such a huge problem when autistic and neurodivergent people do it

[@markwright3161]

You're much less likely to end up being arrested and wrecking your career for overindulging in cartoons/animated entertainment compared to bars, etc. :)

[@geninji6117]

@@markwright3161 yup

[@MinomeEslinde]

Besides a great way to unwind, it's also very good lifestyle advice. Even if not intended as such. How to avoid most v10lence: don't go to places at times when and locations where young people alter their brains and where real or imaginary territories are in dispute, paraphrasing author Rory Miller, an author known for great insights on conflict resolution. Also in interviews with bouncers who work in such dive bars and strip clubs, many a horror story from there when you work there long enough. Working there in that function makes people jaded. The most experienced call it a "human zoo". So to stay at home, watch some great animations, with good and healthy food and drinks, sounds awesome. Plus very in line with Musashi and Sun Tzu, avoidance of unnecessary brawls is a skill and requires a mind set.

[@kpegc]

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” ― C.S. Lewis Don't be ashamed of who you are or what you like, especially if you know it's actually helped you.

[@MattieAMiller]

I’m reminded of a quote from CS Lewis “when I became a man I put away childish things including the fear of looking childish and the desire to be very grown up” Some people need to grow up and it ain’t the lady watching Bluey.

[@forg6256]

she mentioned this quote in the video haha

[@silvanalucas6403]

Isn't it massively infantilizing to tell people what they can and can't choose to like. It's literally telling other people they're not emotionally or mentally mature enough to make their own decisions and what they like or dislike

[@Zectifin]

yes. You can't infantalize yourself. You just do what you want.

[@rainbowkittycat627]

@@ZectifinThat actually makes me really happy to hear. I’m autistic and I stereotypically like a lot of cute and childish things, like I wear bunny hoodies and bear hoodies, and I sometimes think I’m doing a disservice to the autistic community by infantilizing myself. So this makes me really happy to hear

[@SingingSealRiana]

IT IS, very much so, but ITS OK If they do IT, they know better after all or whatever BS they think IS their justification

[@SingingSealRiana]

​@@rainbowkittycat627inhave the weird experience of having been a pretty adult child, and growing into a very childish adult die my interests have Not really changed all that much. i was hyperlexic and Had a massiv vocabulary and pretty adult in the Sense of practical interests, Like cooking for example, or health and medicine and probably learned into those to get taken serious especially since i did better with adults than Kids my age. Others Kids noticed I was different and adults are more endulgend and find it charming instead of unsettling . . . Now ad an adult inleanna Bit more into my Love for cozy childrens books I already Loved before, but now ITS noticable and other Things, cause I Lack the confort I got ad a child, but mostly I stayed pretty much the Same. ITS Not doing the Community andisservice If you do and Like what makes you feel good or better. ITS pretty freeing to See you are Not alone and everyone would benifit from doing that instead of policing themselfs and Others about some made Up Line of what IS apropriate or Not!

[@vexayen1675]

​@@rainbowkittycat627very similar here though I am not diagnosed and I haven't really questioned it until recently. I love to collect sensory toys and stuffed animals, I still sleep with one that smells faintly of lavender and is weighted at night. I can't sleep without microplush blankets because I like the way they feel on my lips and other lil things. Again no clue really but I think it's ridiculous that people want to place judgement on others like that. I don't believe in the idea that there are "childish likes". Keep doing you my luv 💞

[@SlightlyDisturbed123]

I remember, once, in high school I slipped up. I was usually so good at masking it. There was some sort of activity thing where you rotated through areas, and we had gotten to the gym area- and it turned out we were playing my absolute FAVORITE game. Pinball dodgeball!! I was so, so, SO excited, because we hadn't played it for MONTHS in gym (Everyone was on a bellybutton baseball kick, which I HATED so much, and always voted for it on the free day in gym). So when I realized we were going to get to play it, a little of that excitement slipped out and I did a teeny little happy dance with a lil bitty fist shake. And then I looked over, and this guy who I'd had a crush on because he'd been so nice to me when I found his bookmark in the book I'd been reading and gave it back was looking at me. And he made this.. face, then looked over to his friends, and mockingly copied what I had just done. They all BURST out laughing.. and all the joy I had felt in that moment over getting to play my favorite game? Gone. All that was left was shame. I never let them see me express joy again.

[@bec1.618]

I’m so sorry you experienced that- it’s absolutely horrible. I do not understand people mocking someone for their joy. I grew up with similar experiences, except it came from my family; I constantly got made fun of for talking too fast, bouncing on my toes, getting “overexcited” about things, doing things “too much” (reading was my hyperfocus), and enjoying “childish” things like stuffed toys. I was around them usually when I was so exhausted from school that my mask slipped, and I got made fun of for it. I still struggle with expressing my joy around other people, especially my family. They don’t deserve to see it. I’m still learning to unmask around safe people. Sending you hugs ❤

[@SlightlyDisturbed123]

@@bec1.618It's gotten better as I've gotten older. I have a partner who thinks my stims are cute as heck and will fight anyone who says otherwise, and my family's made leaps and bounds in learning to accept me. It's just.. so funny. These same guys who made me feel shame for those little expressions of joy were often the same guys who got upset when I was completely stone-faced and emotionless when interacting going forward. Wondered why I never wanted to be around or talk to any of them. What a mystery.

[@sol_mental]

Oh no. You just made me remember one of my stimming stories from childhood. Long story short, I was supposed to be goalkeeper on gym class, but the game was so back and forth the ball would never even reach me. I got a bit gone with the wind and I was going round and round on one of the poles of thee goal, really just had no idea what I was doing... well the next week or so was all about me in class @__@ But hey bad memories aside, I'm happy to know now that stimming is not only good, it's necessary.

[@sharktenko267]

thankfully for me i loved drama in school, so allot of my stimming came out through that i also stim by pacing

[@nothingreallymatterstome]

That is so sad :(

[@kellymurphy1098]

Bluey isn't just entertaining for adults, it's literally aimed at teaching parents how to parent better. There are just as many lessons for parents in it as there are for kids. But beyond that it's a really good calm and gentle show. My friends and I will watch it together as a cool-down before bed sometimes when we're stressed or when we watched something emotionally rough right before it. It's a good show for getting into a better mental space before bed.

[@SingingSealRiana]

All good Kids content IS Just as valuable for adulty. Momo IS an increadably book that gains new layers each time you reread IT a Bit older then before. If Something does Not Hook the Patents to, ITS Not good content for Kids either!

[@kellymurphy1098]

@@SingingSealRiana Generally. Though I mean, it depends to some degree. But what I was pointing out is that it's not just entertaining for adults, but actually educational for adults.

[@ComeToMyCupcakeParty]

100%

[@allie54774]

Me & my partner & our kids all love bluey & my partner & me have said we love how it has lots of valuable lessons in it both for our kids & for us as parents. I've noticed he's made so much more of an effort with his interactions with the kids since we've been watching alot of bluey with them 💙

[@aguavivae]

so true i love watching hannibal or a horror movie then watching a few episodes of bluey before i go to sleep 😌

[@Tjnovakart]

I’m glad that you mentioned autistic people with interests that seem “too old” for them. My primary special interests are the US Civil War, US immigration history, historical fashion, and Shakespeare; and some of my favorite hobbies are art, puzzles, and wine tasting. Because of this, I’m oftentimes assumed to be much more capable of doing certain things than I actually am, and have had high expectations placed on me in school and work. I have crazy impostor syndrome, and people assume I’m snobby/intimidating just because I have a flat affect and like academic things. I have a hard time interacting with other autistic people because most people I meet are interested in anime and video games, and get annoyed when I try to discuss my interests because they’re “too boring.” It’s interesting to me just how differently autistic people are treated solely because our interests are different. It really sucks. (Edited for grammar)

[@Elwyn_the_Weird]

I can deeply relate to this comment ❤

[@PochamaRex]

I understand both sides of that. I also really love video games and that sort of stuff, but I’m also into more niche interests like history, ornithology, and linguistics. I don’t worry too much about it now. Everybody is passionate about something, so you just have to find the right people to vibe with what you’re into :)

[@CelticSongbird9642]

Join the club. I am a REALLY big fan of Irish culture, especially Celtic Woman. I'll be 28 in April. But I'm also very age appropriate in my creativity inspired by them. I turned them into superheroes protecting an autistic mixed-race teenager named Mollie, who is not so loosely based on myself, an autistic half Chinese, half white girl.

[@A2ZOMG]

Autistic here and interacting with other autistic people is half the time unbearably difficult for me if the interests don't line up. Conversation is borderline impossible in these cases because respectfully, we typically are better at exposition over topics we like. And even if the interests are reasonably compatible, it's not always easy to have a real conversation anyway. Knowing how I work, I feel we're often some of the most difficult people to get along with that still can be reasoned with.

[@Tjnovakart]

@@A2ZOMG Yeah, I lucked out in that regard. I really enjoy hearing about other people’s special interests, but I do get sad when I listen to people talk about what they like and they just ignore me when I try to talk about myself 😅. So most of my friends are autistic/ADHD people who are similar in that regard. I do get along best with neurodivergent people overall because I don’t understand the point of small talk or indirect communication. However, I’m very “neurotypical passing” in work settings because I’m able to discuss things outside my interests (which I understand my privilege in). EDIT: I do understand why other autistic people find it hard to talk about other’s interests, so I still try to be a listening ear to them because I know it can be frustrating when people just make fun of what you like.

[@simonj3413]

Internalized ableism within the autistic community is a very real thing. I’ve met several individuals with relatively low support needs who are judgemental of those with higher support needs, calling them “weird” or “disturbed”… I even used to be friends with one guy who bragged about being the “most high-functioning” person with ASD at his high school. We especially see this a lot from people who have been forced to mask from an early age, and they often look down upon on those who don’t - or can’t mask like them.

[@Catlily5]

The people who are really angry at Asperger's being removed often say they shouldn't be lumped in with the other autistics.

[@simonj3413]

@@Catlily5 true

[@draalttom844]

Heard that, he wasnt, in fact, high functioning

[@simonj3413]

@@draalttom844 the guy I knew seemed relatively low support needs, but nonetheless his autism is obvious to anyone who knows what to look for

[@Denidrakes69]

There will be a time, at some stage in their lives, when things become so overwhelming that they can't mask. I think they both know and fear it...

[@digi_gabrielic]

I got in an argument with Rosie (3:17) on tiktok because I replied saying "Thank YOU for making autistic people feel ashamed to express ourselves in the ways we need to x" and they got really angry. They said that they don't exist to please anyone and I said "just like how other autistic people don't exist to please you" and they told me to piss off. Lovely people on the internet (sarcasm).

[@Akatsuki69387]

"What do you mean my argument applies to me too!" D:

[@inthewoods5494]

Rosie if you see this you’re stupid

[@sailorstar3148]

Wow they can dish it at but can’t take it.

[@valenshyy]

so mad because they knew you're right lol

[@RED-my9hl]

Thank u for this ❤

[@staceyhunt6769]

Societal infantisation has a huge impact on me. Been told before that people are baffled by me because I was "Both the most mature person in the room. And also the most childish.". It stuck with me. Still. Even 10 years later. I constantly feel that in every fiber of my being. It's awful.

[@theplumscrub1627]

Nurturing your inner child is extremely healthy and important, in my opinion you’re super awesome for having both the ability to be mature and “childish” at the same time.

[@neep5929]

It really does suck. I've had similar experiences where people have said I'm very intelligent and thoughtful, but my interests are childish and infantile. Really messes with a person.

[@mintymilka9400]

should've told them they could learn a thing or two from you about balancing traits, cause it isn't that hard to be responsible but relaxed

[@Catlily5]

There is nothing wrong with being childish. As long as you aren't hurting anyone.

[@aquiamorgan2416]

I've incorporated it into my personality. I basically exist within the eccentric wizard trope.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

There's a kid I see at my workplace (I work retail) somewhat regularly. He's probably somewhere around 10-12 years old and he is always carrying this grey cat stuffie (usually clutched to his chest with both hands). I just think it's so awesome that not only does he carry it around openly, but his dad seems super supportive. Mind, I have no idea if he's neuro-divergent or neuro-typical. I don't think it really matters. What matters is that he wants to carry his kitty with him and does so without shame and without being scolded for it by the adults in his life. And I think that's amazing!

[@sarahvanburen7819]

As someone who carried stuffed animals around until I was like fourteen (I am autistic, but you're right, it doesn't matter), thank you for this. I hope this young man and his kitty are doing well! 💕

[@corvidKinq]

​@@sarahvanburen7819 I still carry stuffies around on occasion, and I'm 21 😅

[@enderclasscraft6411]

I'm a 19-year-old boy, I should be at university, I have a job and it doesn't stop me from sleeping with my favorite stuffed animals. I also keep them and to be fair, there are grandmothers and mothers who still have their porcelain dolls somewhere because I can't have my stuffed animal with me?

[@SadisticSenpai61]

@@sarahvanburen7819 When I was in high school, I started getting chronic migraines. Between 15-17, I started carrying a beanie baby cat with me in my pocket whenever I went to doctor's appointments. I just wanted that extra bit of comfort in that stressful time. But I was highly aware that at my age it wasn't "appropriate" for me to carry Prance openly, so I kept him either tucked into my coat pocket or the pocket of my hoodie.

[@romyjane17]

@@SadisticSenpai61for me, I’ve experienced that it is “socially acceptable” if the plushie is a keychain on a backpack or purse (at least as someone who is female presenting). I’m 26 and have had people (retail workers, random adults at a bus stop, ect) compliment my bt21 keychain plushies, or the plush keychains my friend bought as holiday gifts

[@twideslauriers7875]

notice how this almost always happens to autistic women. the intersection of ableism and misogyny is brutal.

[@AliceBunny05]

I find this absolutely insidious considering the overlap in trauma, especially childhood trauma and autism as well. A significant chunk of people with autism will experience or engage in age regression, often as a result of that trauma. It makes it all the more depressing to see harmless, pure childlike qualities or behaviors so brutally rejected and mocked.

[@laurenbrawner1814]

When you are masking: you're not autistic, you don't act like a stereotypical 5 year old autistic boy... When you don't mask: OMFG just grow up, you can't really be that upset/overstimulated/happy...

[@pwn3ronetwothree]

Yes because we all know the internet is one group of people with one opinion and mindset! It couldn't be that those types of messages come from two different people

[@laurenbrawner1814]

@@pwn3ronetwothree I've heard both of those from the same person before...

[@reganregan2760]

Sheesh fr

[@ivorydabean1479]

I think our society has completely misunderstood the concept of growing up/becoming an adult. I feel the whole thing of shunning people for liking "childish things" is a cover up for the lack of emotional maturity most people display. It's a fat load of tosh honestly

[@BlackSeranna]

It’s been pushed on us by our elder peers and also our politicians (who criticize coloring books, which are a form of art). Meanwhile, said politicians get caught with sex workers, etcetera, and they make fools of themselves. I know who I’d rather choose as a friend - it would not be the politician.

[@genericcatgirl]

I see what you're getting at there, since it's usually just a gut-instinct reaction and not any sort of deep thinking. It's acting like you're superior because you make knee jerk reactions based off of what society hammers into our heads as normal. Perfect example: if an autistic person gets enthusiastic about some animated show and people make sure to act up their disgust and "cringe" at somebody liking "childish things". However, much fewer people see people who are crazy about football as "cringe" because just because it's more socially acceptable (this is obviously America-centric but it's a good example so bear with me). If you think about it in a vacuum, sports are not really any different in terms of "maturity". In fact, you could reverse the situation and say it's childish that people spend tons of money on merch, tickets, and infrastructure related to a sport where grown men ram into each other, "playing a high school boy's game" or some shit. But this is not seen as "immature" because people grow up with football being big in American culture. In short, a LOT of people lack emotional intelligence enough to really think deep about themselves and others, and instead just make fun of people with different interests in an attempt to feel better about themselves. In the end, it's all just gut reactions and conformance.

[@Mynnia]

Yeah. Watching soaps and other exaggerated acting is the same...There's a reason I love a bad show like Downton Abbey - it has routines lauch😂

[@dust.runner]

For sure. And ableism (and other discrimination) often seems to intersect with that whole monkey brain response. If people stopped to consider whether something that makes them uncomfortable was actually harmful (or any of their business) the world would be a lot more accepting. But yeah it's pretty somber that the whole cringe/childish thing is so common. It reminds me of the men enjoying feminine things is weird/bad mindset. They both have the same root, that one aspect is better than the other and associating with the 'lesser' one is demeaning. It's sad that adults often don't feel safe enough to choose anything that could be perceived as childish, never mind being able to connect with their inner child and joy

[@Respectable_Username]

@@BlackSerannaSorry, I know it's a very small part of your overall point, but given social stigma I think it's worth emphasising this point. The whole mainstream idea of somebody important being "caught" with a sex worker is so often framed by default as being bad because "eww sex workers icky and bad". In reality, sex work is work, and sex workers are providing a service that others are willing to pay for, just like any other service industry, and just like those other industries deserve dignity, respect, and the protection of the law from bad/unsafe working conditions and from violent/abusive clients. The _real_ issue when politicians and the like get "caught" with a sex worker is the hypocrisy of the politician, as so often these people will then act like it's shameful to seek out sexual services despite doing so themselves, often are the same people who try to push against the decriminalisation of sex work in places where it's not already legal like it is where I live, and also more often than not are cheating on their partner who did not consent to a non-monogamous relationship. Am not saying you in any way are in the former anti-sex worker category, just to be clear! Just wanted to make sure anyone else reading had the clear understanding of _why_ getting "caught" with a sex worker is a bad thing, and it has _nothing_ to do with the sex worker themselves! People are allowed to seek out pleasure, whether that's watching Bluey or paying for sexual services, and as long as everything's done consensually, nobody should feel ashamed for doing the thing that makes them happy! It's those who then act as if these behaviours are shameful, especially when done hypocritically, who are in the wrong!

[@gonnabeadoctorsoon2]

Keep doing your work. People like me need this. I was born in 1969 so few knew what was going on with me. I was beaten by my mother and step father when I stimmed. They had a exorcism performed on me. At 7, they committed me to a mental hospital, so I changed my mask to do what the doctors wanted so I could leave. I ended up learning how to bite and pinch my fingertips for the stimulation so I could hide it. To this day, it is still my stim because I have had to hide it until the late 2010s. It's taken over nervous stim and excited stim. If anyone thinks Autism is new or fake, how can you be so heartless. You don't accuse people of faking heart attacks or cancer, why do it for something just as debilitating? So much hate from the Autism community on this makes me sick to my stomach.

[@Machinte]

I'm sorry about the abuse you had to face at a child. I hope that life is better for you now and that you are surrounded by good people in your life. You definitely deserve it :)

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

I wish my deceased aunt had people like I'm autistic, now what? When she was still alive. Me and my mom suspect she was autistic and chronically ill and unfortunately just like you she was abused for it, it was kinda like a Rosemarie Kennedy situation back then expect fortunately she wasn't put in an institution or lobotimized. My mom says I inherited a lot of her mannerisms and some looks it's kinda uncanny

[@bibsp3556]

Oh lord I'm so sorry you had to deal with all that. An exorcism? Those days truely were wild. I'm not a religious person really, but to attach it to such actions is so not okay. I hope you're finding your peace friend

[@himbo754]

My most common stim is sticking my thumbnail into my index finger. Most people can't see it, and it is for me a really noticeable sensory experience. It allows me to be inconspicuous....

[@elenanojkovic2554]

@@bibsp3556 I know people my age (I'm 26) whose parents wanted to put them trough the same thing. So it's not "those days". This still happens in places.

[@drtaverner]

I felt this way about _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic._ I realized immediately that it was a story about an Autistic girl learning how to make friends! I finally felt seen in a show. I was like 40 when I discovered that show.

[@DreamLionViolet]

I adore FiM! It’s one of my special interests! I also so Twilight as autistic! It’s such a shame that people are very ‘iffy’ with adult fans of the show because of a few bad apples

[@drtaverner]

@@DreamLionViolet If you play _Pathfinder_ there is a _Ponyfinder_ rulebook so you can create MLP characters and settings in your TTRPG. That alone makes Pathfinder better than D&D 5e.

[@pinksharkz521]

my little pony is one of my special interests too !! (the whole franchise, not just friendship is magic, but i do also love fim). its been my biggest special interest ever since i was little and twilight is definitely autistic, shes my favourite.

[@terryh.9238]

I felt the same watching it as a teen ;-;

[@skootergirl22]

I loved that show it started in my 20s. Now I'm 36 and still watch MLP FIM content and draw my ponsonas. It inspired my art style, I also liked G3 and grew up with G2/1

[@Raidersmama2489]

Honestly as a mother my absolute favorite episode of Bluey is called "Baby race" because it addresses an issue that many mothers face of feeling like they aren't doing good enough to help there children and it's so comforting to be reminded that babys reach milestones at their own pace in their own way

[@agoodwasteoftime]

Thank you so much for talking about this! I was fighting so hard in siennas comment section, and it was a tough fight, but i can't sit back and let these people say stuff like this. It's so frustrating. Autistic people cannot infantilise autism!

[@imautisticnowwhat]

That's so kind of you 💛 Thank you for bringing it to my attention. It must be so awful to be hit by so much negativity like that. Has TikTok always been like this, in your experience? Am I right in thinking the hate and 'you're faking' comments are becoming more frequent? 😩

[@agoodwasteoftime]

@@imautisticnowwhat it feels more frequent to me, but i don't know if i just didn't see it before, or if it really is becoming more frequent. Maybe a bit of both?

[@rustung1638]

​@@imautisticnowwhat I can't help but feel like it's just popular to laugh at other people so the person laughing can feel better aboutt hemselves. Many of them claim to be protecting autistics from thos who would "make autistic people look bad" or "steal resources" from them, but just end up shaming us and pushing us back in the closet. Thank you for your content. I'm almost 40, and self identified as a PDA/ASD a few months ago thanks to you helping me understand what it really is. And now half my famly has suddenly caught on too, and I got my official diagnosis just recently. Thank you for helping so many people.

[@Smedium]

​@@agoodwasteoftimeI think it's a situation similar to transphobia. As people become more accepting of autistic/trans people, we become more visible, which in turn encourages the bigots to be louder in their hate. It's the last gasp of negative opinions as they die out.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@agoodwasteoftime I'm not on tiktok but I've been seeing as an outsider looking in on the platform that it has gotten worse, not just online especially concerning tiktok and instagram but in real life among the younger generation too. Like saying "acoustic" to replace autistic and insidiously the r word. It's especially concerning considering that young kids are parroting this online from adult content creators and far-right grifters, especially for young boys. The world has gotten a little more scary unfortunately

[@punks0ft552]

I'm an autistic adult and I have a background in child care. I watch bluey with my nephew, and its one of the easiest shows to enage in with him. For example "uh oh, it looks like bluey isnt sharing toys! Do you think thats going to make bingo sad?" The show does a very good job at modeling healthy conflict resolution and unfortunately that can be hard to find.

[@kk5dire]

I do this with my parents after I see any movie/tv show I think they would be remotely interested in. I used to help my family babysit their kids. Being quite frank, I think I also do it with myself.

[@punks0ft552]

@@kk5dire It is an excellent communication tool. Especially if you (like me) struggle with being able to read other people's emotions accurately. Taking a step back from the emotional component, and making it an if/then question can make it easier.

[@Dancestar1981]

I watch it with my nephews and I have dual diagnosis of ASD and Combined ADHD

[@hel117]

that "You're the reason they infantilize us" thing reminds me a lot of something that happens in the LGBT community, where certain parts will point at, say, genderqueer folks, feminine gay men, trans women, young people with colorful hair and neopronouns, etc. and say "People like you are the reason homophobia exists. If we all just acted 'normal' they would accept us" and people who think like that DO get positive feedback from homophobes- for a time, just like the autistic people who mask and demand the same from others do from ableists. But that tolerance is temporary, it only exists while there is someone more conspicuous to attack. The only way to protect yourself from bigots long-term is to change the norms, not conform to them.

[@earthaforester3141]

Precisely! Seeking approval from the dominant culture by ostracizing more conspicuous members of your community is definitely a thing among marginalized groups.

[@Sh12pen]

Exactly! This unnecessary infighting within communities-formed-due-to-stigmatisation is what causes The Whole to be continuously seen as crazy because those few troubled individuals that seek approval from the "normal" people who shunned them for their differences are now judging others for the same reasons they were judged for- when they should instead be celebrating their proudness and ability to be themselves in front of others, even if they seem "childish" or "cringe"!

[@megzasaurusrex]

Yup every minority group has a group within it that lick the boots of the oppressor and try so hard to gain favor with them. And part of that is them mocking and putting down the rest of the group. It will never be the solution. But in their eyes it is and being yourself is causing the rift. Nope the people butthurt we are different in the first place are the ones causing the rift. It isn't our job to change for them to make them feel more comfortable. They either have to accept they will always feel uncomfortable about us or get the fuck over it.

[@Walicia]

Ugh, my bf recently told me he didn't want to watch drag race with me because it makes him uncomfortable. I asked y and stuff and in explaining, mentioning lgbtq who look "weird", said I'm not like them because I look normal. I've never been so insulted in my life. I nearly shaved half my hair off on the spot. My dad always said being called normal is the worst insult anyone could call him. Go dad. The bf will learn cuz he loves me and is clearly raised with some questionable beliefs about what is "normal". TEAR DOWN THE SYSTEM!!! XO NORMS R ICK

[@adrianghandtchi1562]

It’s that constant shuffling to be as “palatable“ as possible just to even be treated with a shredded decency where it just completely sucks. And in the end, we know That should be ourselves required us to be unfiltered, our personal rights. If we don’t fight, we’ll just continuously be pushed into another box and put into the back of the closet somewhere where we are no longer visible to people. I also remember a lot of the older laws in the United States where up until maybe the 1960s if you had any kind of visible ailment, something that kind of attracted from the status quo that you were not allowed to exist in public, not without consequence. It was nicknamed the ugly laws, it’s just so intersectional with everything around us and it sucks. My summary is that some people are only happy if you don’t exist if you are even a mm out of the imaginary line.

[@Inksanity]

People need to start calling Bluey a family show, not a baby show. That's what it is.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Yes! You're so right!

[@BrickfistYT]

yesssssssssss

[@alexgout5167]

My kid is all grown up but I love Bluey 😊

[@nikitatavernitilitvynova]

I'm autistic and I once had a meltdown whilst hiking with my mom over my baby voice/thoughts. I sometimes have a kiddy reaction to things. And I sometimes straight up act and have the energy of a kid. By that I mean pointing out things I see or hear like a child would. Say thing like: "Look butterfly!" whilst pointing at the dang thing. Or I speak with a childish tone. And that's exactly why I started to cry. I heard the train go and I pointed it out. And I began to cry. I told my mom I feel like an idiot. That people wouldn't take me seriously over this. And that I sometimes can't help it. She reminded me (around 19 years old at the time) that I don't act childish or do things like a child would. But that I see the world with the eyes of a child. And peiple will learn to accept this of me. Still I don't want to be infantilized. I want to be taken seriously even if I'm not acting that way. I'm capable to understand what others are saying to me. They don't have to get low to "my level" because I'm the level of a 22 year old. And I like to be treated as such. But most people fail to understand that autistic people can be like that and have other acocmodations in place but still be as indepenadant as their age allowes them to be. Just because I act childish it doesn't make me a child. And you can quit yelling at me and talk softly. I'm going to listen to you. I'm not a kid.

[@joelle4226]

I do this too

[@lisa_wistfulone7957]

I’m 55 (late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD, 3 years ago), and I’m still a lot like what you describe- a complex mix of intelligent adult with childlike qualities ☺️💖 I excitedly point out squirrels and cows and pretty sunsets, I still love soft stuffed animals, and my favorite comfort shows are gentle and sweet, some seen as kids’ programming. I’m very intelligent and communicative, but I’m still naive. I’ve graduated college and worked professionally as a therapist, I’ve met challenges that many neurotypical people run from. Now that I know I’m autistic, and present myself more authentically (I was VERY high-masking), I’ve emotionally struggled with how differently I’m generally treated in the world. Like I’m dismissed or disrespected much more often than when I tried to mask. It’s hard. But I love my childlike joy, my sincerity, my excitement, even my open honesty, and I won’t trade that for Anyone!! And, I gradually found a few genuine and good people who love me for exactly who I am! Sending much Joy and positivity to you!!💖✨💖✨💖✨

[@bramvanduijn8086]

Maybe a weird reaction on my side, but the way I read this we're apparently supposed to yell at kids?

[@iclynnx]

I do this. When out in nature, my eyes are full of wonder. My heart is full of wonder, and I express it. I kind of feel like Kiri from Avatar 2 (the James Cameron movie). I get lost in the beauty. Sometimes I remember that I'm not "supposed to" act like that. I've too pointed at butterflies, crouched down to watch it, gotten distracted, that kinda stuff. I try to think like this: at least I can find joy in little things. A lot of people are unhappy because they lose sight of what's in front of them. People may seek grand achievements, thinking that alone will make them feel fulfilled in life. Forgetting to enjoy the journey. Don't rush through life, is what I'm saying.

[@silvercandra4275]

I keep having conversations about this type of thing with my partner... I'm a 20 year old man, but will still randomly just go "Cat!" in the middle of a conversation because I saw a cat further down the road, or sometimes talk in a higher pitch when I feel particularly comfy around bf. It makes me feel childish and like an idiot, and the fact that people keep forgetting they're talking to an adult so much (I'm only 1,57m or 5'2ft) , in conversations with me doesn't exactly help either. Even my partner reassuring me doesn't help that much... I just want people to take me seriously, but so often people just don't...

[@Man-wolf-]

Also i just have to say “fake disorder tik tok” have ironically just made it harder for disabled people to navigate though the internet You cant do anything without an able bodied/NT person commenting “wow i cant believe you are a self diagnosed faker how dare you mock this monstersity of a curse people have to go though” like do people even know that hand flapping is a very common stim 😭 same with liking family friendly programs, im autistic myself i love to collect dolls like monster high & stim with doll hair yet im 22

[@kerisaltchannel3817]

I do that with dolls too

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I love Monster High too! I love watching videos of artists doing face-ups with MH dolls. I'm in my 30s, and so are many of the artists that do the face-ups.

[@merrymermaid]

i’m 21 and love ever after high, i feel like we could be opposite besties :)

[@locrianphantom3547]

Yeah, my autistic half-sister hand flapped a lot when younger

[@Eosinophyllis]

YOOOOOOOO I LOVE MONSTER HIGH TOO!!! I just bought my first g3 doll recently and oughhhhhh I love them so much i love messing with their hair and im debating if I should do a repeat of when I dressed up as Frankie in like second grade

[@Flufferpup]

I (a 25 year old, relatively manly male) have been watching bear in the big blue house at night, before bed. As part of my autism, I like predictability, and the show has a lot of routines it goes through each episode and always follows a basic structure. So it's comforting and helps me relax. Plus, the show is such a nice and wholesome vibe too.

[@melbapeach162]

Omg I forgot about bear in the big blue house, I used to love it especially Tutter! 🐭 💕

[@mimimosa259]

I love that show!!!

[@rainbo777]

This was my favorite show as a wee one , had a tape w a few episodes on it I would watch on repeat. You pointing out the routine aspect of the show is a lightbulb !! Treelo is autistic coded I think, and they were always my favorite 😅💚 I still get a lot of comfort from returning to Bear in the Big Blue House from time to time. It’s just so nice 🌝

[@ghoulnamedsarah7714]

That's one of my favorite shows!! I repeat what the characters say almost the whole way through bc i love their voices

[@Spamhard]

Omg I was OBSESSED with bear in the big blue house when I was in my 20s. It's so damn cosy and it's just great to see content where people are just nice to each other.

[@Kat-kh6gt]

18:38 "it does not mean that you are a child and it does not mean that you should be denied any sort of rights or respect" the fact that our society views children as not deserving of rights or respect to the point that adults are so insulted to be compared to them is another issue that needs to be talked about more

[@FinntasticMrFox]

I'm a 34 year old autistic man with no kids, and Bluey is one of my favourite shows. I caught myself reading the news before going to bed and was losing sleep, waking up stressed with a clenched jaw, etc. I'd heard Bluey was really cute and comforting, so I started watching it to see what all the fuss was about and oh my goodness, it's been such a boost to my mental health, it even helped me have a good cry I was long overdue for. It's a wonderful show for all ages.

[@SingingSealRiana]

I was a very precocious child, hyperlexic, verbose with a vocabulary that Put my native language teachers to shame and many very practical, serious interest . . . . .and AS an adult I Love little more then rereading or listening to my childhoods favorite Stories. Yeah i read adult books at age 12 but still read kidbooks, even more freely at almost age 30. There IS Just such a comfort and Joy in now and again having Something predictable with a Happy end thats Not stupid . . . .Kidsmedia that does Not Talk down to them Just has.a Special Magic many adults would really Profit from! I have No experience with bluey or Shows in generell, but I adore movies Like encanto, the Last unicorn, several from the the ghibli line up . . .and honestly, my Thing IS books and audio books. Cornelia funkes Dragonrider and Lord of the thiefs Just never lose their Magic. Or Momo, IT Just has layers upon layers and the older you get the more Changes what you find in IT and IT IS magical. Kids Media that does Not Hook adults was never good for Kids in the First place! There IS Zero shame in craving comfort!

[@cassandracrawley5168]

I’m 25 turning 26 and I’m also autistic with all the diagnoses and I love bluey I love to crochet I also like Southpark I love ducks and I love avocado, not only the food but the plushys too my mum, thank you weird that I watch children’s cartoon but that’s just the way I’ve always been. I’m not going to change with somebody else because they think I should only be watching a certain thing. I’m not going to change myself because other people think I have to they can take me as I am or they can fuck off out of my life I don’t really care and I’ve had to learn not to care about what other people think and I’m still learning that every single day

[@RedKnight231]

A concern that autistic men might especially have is that , if the public were to find out that we enjoy media geared towards children , we might be perceived to be pedophiles who are looking for areas of shared interest to bond with children over. , rather than simply liking the content of such shows for their own sake , without any ulterior motives . At any rate , it's something that we have to be mindful of , lest we strike up a conversation with a child over our common fandom , and then get concerned parents calling us out .

[@isthataspider7410]

Yeah that sucks.

[@mcgc93]

This is so sad..

[@Fogblitz]

Honestly yeah :(

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

Yeah I've noticed that, especially if you're amab autistic and like mlp people will lump them in with bronies(in the negative sense) which is kinda unfair, I see why but still really unfair since the awful creepy part is a loud minority

[@flameepidemic4839]

Me and my boyfriend dont have autism but love kid shows. Its so wild to me that thats considered pedophilia or not normal same with the joy thing. I dont hide my happiness ir energy at all most people think its sweet and i also love stuffed animals which once had a gurl talking to me as if i was a child which i guess i look younger but not as young as she seemed to think. We sgould normalize things that we enjoy as long as they’re harmless and enjoying them openly.

[@juleslund1515]

I get it...people are tired of hearing about everyone's diagnoses and how everyone *has* to have something wrong with them, but we grew up without voices and we were supposed to "be seen and not heard" so good play, quietly. I may not be autistic but I do have panic attacks every day, my nervous system is dysregulated to such a degree that the tremors and muscle spasms make it hard to work and hard to live. Learning more about autism has given me an entirely new vocabulary to use to describe the Akathesia, the intense panic, the anxiety that tries its hardest to rip me apart every day and it gives me a community where I can go that feels so cozy and warm and hopeful. Thank you for letting me say how hard life is and also how beautiful. It's too big to just give up.

[@jimwilliams3816]

My sympathies. My nervous system is also a wreck, and while I do get imposter’s syndrome about my autism diagnosis, it’s because I know that many of my biggest struggles can occur in contexts other than autism. No way I am “normal.” I think a lot of how we’ve gotten to where we are in this world is from thinking that we can declare most people “normal,” meaning uniform. When I was growing up, Behaviorism (the idea that all behavior is learned) was a prevalent theory, and it is still an influence. But people vary physically, and cognition is in many ways a physical function. The nervous systems that make us both struggle interact widely with the other parts of our brain, and also our entire body. People don’t learn how to tell their heart to beat or their lungs to breath, and they can’t unlearn it either. What I’ve learned, mostly from lectures on human behavior, is that everything about humans is physiological, and there are so many ways in which that physiology can vary. Neurodiverse is the reality of the human experience; there can be some identifiably distinct categories, like allistic and autistic, but there are also a lot of areas of behavioral overlap. The upshot, for me, is that it is long past time for humanity to stop thinking that most people are the exactly the same, but for the choices they make. I’ve said this is other forums: I’m from the US, and I often wish people here would recognize that the statement in the Declaration of Independence that “all [people] are created equal” is a statement of values - we all count equally. It is NOT intended to imply we are all biologically uniform.

[@zevrxn]

the way the person watching bluey was acting is very similar to the way i act when i'm watching something i really like. i'm like that a lot at home, but i also do that in movie theaters. i'm not gonna mask my joy because it makes neurotypical people uncomfortable.

[@break_the_galaxy]

I do the same thing! Five Nights at Freddy's is one of my biggest special interests, so when the movie adaptation came out and I got to see it I could barely even contain myself. It was truly such an amazing feeling to watch something I was so pumped for that I physically couldn't stop myself from stimming at that point even if I wanted to. In the moment nobody else's opinion mattered except mine, it was awesome :)

[@franchescooneto1932]

@@break_the_galaxy, as fan, did you like it?

[@dstrctd]

Anyone who thinks Bluey is childish hasn’t watched it. Episodes like Army, Baby Race, Onesies, Rain, Pass the Parcel, Dance Mode, Mini Bluey, Chest and many others have very adult focused themes. None of which matters because you shouldn’t judge what other people enjoy anyway.

[@zaararich5583]

The episode Bin Night is an important and relatable episode as Bingo deals with a kid bullying her, Badit and Chilli talk to her about what to do when she is being bullied.

[@dust.runner]

Good point! Animation isn't a genre, so it isn't 'for kids' or 'for adults' inherently. But even shows like Bluey which are targeted at families and accessible/safe for children are still for everyone. To me it's the mark of a good artwork that it is enjoyed by many age demographics. Plus kids deserve to have good stories just as much as teens and adults, right?

[@ExplosionMare]

Bluey is a show meant for everyone, which is a rare thing to see these days I feel like. It's different to watch it as an adult versus watching it as a kid but that doesn't make it any less entertaining.

[@skootergirl22]

Most children show are basically jinging keys and shiny colours

[@jimktrains0]

Don't forget the episode Copycat where bluey and bandit try to save a bird they find, the bird dies, and bluey figures out how to deal with that while playing with her mom and sister.

[@snorlaxgender]

I had a REALLY hard time as a dude - especially being transmasc and trying to compensate and be "manly" - realizing that I needed chew stims, that I feel most comfortable rocking like a human metronome, that stuffed animals help me sleep, and that it's fine to like stereotypically childish things. I unironically love MLP, Scooby-Doo, and other kids' shows. Just let people live...

[@DayanaThe8th]

Dawg I love scooby doo! Also isn't a metronome the ball mechanism? In science that's called "Newton's pendulum" 😄

[@snorlaxgender]

@@DayanaThe8th sort of like one of those, it's a thing that has a clock hand that just ticks back and forth. It's used for things like white noise and hypnotism. They're kind of the same concept as the Newton's Pendulum :)

[@DemiSuaton]

I rock back and forth while listening to music, that’s just how I work but people think I’m weird. And hello fellow transmasc that loves MLP!

[@DayanaThe8th]

@@snorlaxgender Ohhh dope

[@TricksterModeEngaged]

If it makes you feel better, my husband also keeps a bunch of childhood stuffed animals around him when he sleeps. I think it's very sweet tbh, especially since I didn't get to keep mine when I got older.

[@silvanalucas6403]

Dude I don't understand how they can make fun of people who are involuntarily stemming while football fans go out of their way to be destructive to personal property.

[@c4shguy224]

as a member of the LGBTQ community, i can say that the whole notion of "you have to present yourself in a way that is acceptable for 'normal' people, otherwise we'll never be taken seriously!" has done SO much harm for advocacy. If we make ourselves conform to what society wants from us, there'll be nothing left to advocate for at all. this kind of thinking leads to stuff like the "LGB", a sect of queer people who denounce trans people because they "make the community look bad", while not acknowledging the work that trans folks have put in to fighting for queer rights. don't let the bastards grind you down, keep fighting y'all

[@ForgetfulHatter]

society : bullying is pretty bad. we should make sure it doens't happen in work places and schools over all its pretty bad. autisic person : *takes their mask off and Stims happily for a bit* society : goes full warhammer 40k like they've just seen a Psyker do something sus....

[@ExplosionMare]

I personally like when people stim around me, it makes me happy knowing they feel safe to do that around me. I also do plenty of things now and then to regulate my anxiety like shaking my leg up and down or gently rocking back and forth so it would be hypocritical if I told someone they couldn't try to calm down their own nervous system.

[@ForgetfulHatter]

@@ExplosionMare I will never forget being in a discord call. A friend said something and I held off saying the first thought that came to my head I felt it wasn't something to say in a social setting. Only for another friend to say exactly what I was. Heh Seems like we both Think alike.

[@NekoChanSenpai]

Society being like the one teacher saying "have you tried not being so bullyable?"

[@ExplosionMare]

@@NekoChanSenpai Reminds me of the news story where the kid being bullied for a Rainbow Dash backpack was told to get a new backpack instead of the bullies getting told to stop being jerks over a backpack

[@RaspBerryPies]

To be fair I think society doesn’t think bullying is bad. The amount of bullying that I went through and my parents showed it was very alive and well years ago. So we look at people online saying we should bring back bullying when honestly it didn’t really go anywhere. It’s just that online spaces tend to have more rules against it and can more easily enforce those rules by just deleting a rude comment. While in school or a work place you have to deal with parents and people’s actions with are harder to fight so some people in power don’t even try. Which sucks However bullying is still a thing and always has been.

[@Frisco1355]

I have masked pretty much my entire life. Everyone: teachers, friends, and even my parents. It didn’t help that I then (and still do) live in the Deep South, a very conservative region where it is a common belief that autism looks only a certain way and should be kept away. I suffered through middle and high school because I was that “weird train nerd”. This channel is what I needed. Thank you. And Bluey is my favorite show. Soooo wholesome, and healing. -Frisco, owner of a closet’s worth of vintage model trains

[@DEATHCHICKEN1337]

What years were your oldest made?

[@SupHapCak]

This isn’t exclusive to the region you grew up in, but the time you grew up in My therapist (I don’t go anymore because it was a waste of money and I had no idea what I was doing there in the first place) said I failed out of school because of my undiagnosed autism. I don’t think that’s true… my issues were mostly that I didn’t want to do the work.

[@allietheotaku]

That’s so cool about the model trains!!! How many do you have (if you keep count)???

[@Frisco1355]

@@DEATHCHICKEN1337 Mostly 1950’s

[@Frisco1355]

@@allietheotaku I have only a few locomotives and rolling stock, the rest is spare track, tools, unused operating accessories, etc

[@dustycoal183]

I'm neurotypical, but I do notice how social standards for age can be unfair. Like it's not enough to be able to clean up after ourselves and keep a job, but we also need to conform to an "aesthetic" of adulthood just to please strangers.

[@ExplosionMare]

And in most cases, we're expected to have life partners and children even if that's not what we want or something we can't obtain. There's definitely a lot more to the adult expectations than that (sadly) but that one is one of the most frustrating. I would rather people do their own thing than force themselves to be unhappy just because someone told them it was the socially acceptable thing to do

[@properantagonist]

I'm autistic and I'm better at "functionally being an adult" than most of my neurotypical peers, but for people this is not enough, because they are better at keeping an aesthetic. It can get really ridiculous really quickly.

[@ChaseLindberg]

I am a 41 year old man. Bluey has brought me to tears on several occasions. It is a fantastic show.

[@vazzaroth]

As a male veteran of the My Little Pony wars... **Pulls out keyboard from holster** Here we go again! here's a secret about life that Autistic people tend to know (since they aren't suppressing this via social coercion): Whimsy, joy, happiness, relational closeness and emotions are not strictly for children. I'm very glad you used the CS Lewis quote. Exactly that. The idea of 'play' being for kids is literally anti-evolutionary. Why do you even THINK kids play in the first place? They are figuring out LIFE, you dolts! By saying you should stop playing, stop imagining, stop doing all the point of life... all you are showing is that you have zero faith in humanity to change for the positive and you believe in suppressing evolution, change, and progress. The fundamental conservative mindset of stagnation and death, not life and growth.

[@knutnut-e3k]

the most chad nerd response ever, i love it (no offense)

[@Stephie2007]

👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Faunadude]

Based 👍

[@leobiggs8653]

"Pulls keyboard out from holster" best quote ever!

[@MineCrapSteve]

As someone who was diagnosed with "asperger's" as a child, I made friends with a bunch of allistic people in secondary school who accepted me, but were very judgemental of anyone who was visibly "[r-word]ed". In order to fit in with them, I had to join in with this kind of talk, which made me believe it myself eventually. This newfound internalised ableism, in combination with YT reccommending me a bunch of "anti-woke" videos, made me not want to be associated with "lower-functioning" autistic people for a while, and I even started questioning my diagnosis because I was "obviously completely normal". Luckily, I've since outgrown these harmful beliefs, but it's ironic that I went down that rabbit hole simply because that friend group was the only place I could openly talk about liking Nintendo games without being told to get a life (which is something I still worry about now, tbh).

[@dukeskunk]

I'm 45 (allistic AFAIK) and a friend of mine recently got me into watching Bluey. Just you showing the titlecard for Sleepytime brought a tear to my eye as I remember the two of us sobbing on eachother's shoulders me processing the death of my mother nearly 5 years ago and her processing her teenage child's ongoing terminal illness (both of which are neverending tasks to process) The encouragement of adults to have fun with stuff is part of why I love that Lego has specific sets that are recommended 18+ not because of any sort of indecent content but on a sheer complexity rating. Also one of the best TV shows of the last five years IMO is She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. I watched it at first because I had watched He-Man and She-ra as a kid but this new show is spectacular.

[@jasperhollow664]

YES! She-ra is the best! It does have darker sides, bu often it's so happy and adventurous! I also recommend The Owl house and Gravity falls to you.

[@dukeskunk]

@@jasperhollow664 Thanks for the recommendations I have started both series and have just not gotten around to finishing them.

[@NiGHTSaturn]

People who are accusing ONE example of something as a threat of generalization are part of the problem. And this is on so many cases, not just Autism. We’re all so freaking different, regardless of the things that we can relate towards each other. The audacity of some people with so much hate in their hearts is incredibly dangerous, and why we’re not moving forward in a positive manner fast enough.

[@Eglantinetje]

Bluey's "Sleepy Time" episode is the best episode of TV ever made imo! I was watching it with my 2 year old and bawled my eyes out. I've rewatched it with him and on my own multiple times and I refuse to ever feel ashamed about that!

[@moss_moonstone]

Anyone who says Bluey is only for kids can fight me behind the chuck-e-cheese. The episodes about Chili made me feel SO SEEN and understood as a mom. I felt so much less alone

[@iclynnx]

I appreciate those episodes too. I really love that in one episode, Chilli just needs some time alone. No long explanation needed. My own mother would appreciate the normalization of taking a break. She has a big need for alone time, and it's very hard to find it. Now that I, the youngest and last child of hers, is an adult, she might be able to find it. She's neurodivergent too, so that might be the reason for her need.

[@TopAnimeLoverEver]

I was so overstimulated and feeling bodily uncomfortable, like I just needed to crawl out of my own skin, and it was frustrating, but I was at WORK, at the gas station, cashiering, and we were BUSY, so I couldn't step away, I just needed to calm dowm though somehow, so before I knew it I was pulling hard on my sweater, stretching it way out, and then I wrapped it around myself really tightly. It felt so comforting, but I looked stupid as hell. But I NEEDED it right then. And this customer says "are you that cold?" And I said "no" and they said "oh. Then you just like to look silly?" And I just knew this person wasn't going to understand the sensation of "I want to claw my own skin and muscles off my bones and I don't even know why and this is like getting a big hug to calm me down" so I just shrugged. They said "you don't care that it looks weird?" And I said "Not really, no" with the most unbothered face and I could tell he had looked like he wanted to say something more, but seeing that I just saw nothing wrong with what I was doing and wasn't apologetic for my behavior, he went "ok then. Have a nice day" and left politely. I kept the jacket wrapped around me for like another 5 minutes after that and then felt better. Basically, feeling ashamed of how they view us gives them a feeling of a right to be cruel about it. Just own it and tell them to suck a fat one. The only way to normalize our autism for the world, is to simply normalize it. They need to work through their own bullshit biases on their own time. Live it loud and live it proud baby. Whether they see you as a kid or not is on them, not you. Edit: I also want to refer to something I once heard, that states people get mad about others being different and living their truth fearlessly and confidently because they themselves are upset that they don't have the confidence to also do the same thing. They care too much what others think, so when they see someone not caring what others think, they get mad.

[@SupHapCak]

Most people can’t tell you have autism just from looking at you.

[@arsonzartz]

where can i get a hoodie that is liek that

[@doctorelijah]

i think that some people just feel second hand embarrassment instead of being upset theyre happy

[@dia5131]

@@SupHapCak It doesn't matter if someone is autistic or not, we shouldn't judge a complete stranger because of what they're doing...you don't know how their day has been, how their life has been etc. Wether someone is autistic or not, we need to put our own biases of how a person should act like aside, and accept that there are people different to us in the world and not shame them like the person was in the OP's story. Better education on signs that someone is overstimulated would help as well.

[@ursidae97]

​@@doctorelijahwell they can go feel embarrassed

[@BabyBat14]

This conversation is so so important. The aspect about childishness really speaks to my heart. No one knows how much I suffered in high school having interests such as my little pony and Alice in wonderland. Even in college, sometimes I was still mocked for it, and also because I love kawaii fashion and cute things in general. Why can't we just let anyone, autistic or not, enjoy life? We've internalized these stupid social rules to such a degree that it's ridiculous, it comes off as teenagers trying to appear super adult when we can all see through their bullshit. Also, a man wouldn't be judged for watching oldschool superhero cartoons, but when it's a more cutesy show people think it's borderline sinful or something. Tiktok's fucking insane

[@SingingSealRiana]

Honestly, when people say childish , Most often what they mean IS authentic! Being an adult IS basically Code for hiding enthusiasm, No longer endulge in Things that Bring you Joy, Always being professionell . . . .and over that compleatly Missing that there IS a time and place for both!

[@BabyBat14]

@@SingingSealRiana couldn't agree more!

[@KiAownage]

No you have to follow the popular trends and destroy your body with drugs and smoking and drinking like mentally stable and totally not repressed people. Don't you see if you set out into your own interests with no regard for how popular they are then people start to get jealous and realise they're wasting their life chasing what's popular rather than what's fun!

[@ShoppingatAM]

A bit off topic, but I love your Draculaura pfp! I never really understood why people hated on the G3 look of her? (personally I was just a bit disappointed with Lagoona and Ghoulia being so different and Toralei being given long hair? idk?)

[@-originalLemon-]

Because the former is nostalgia.

[@airshipswashbuckler6420]

I’m almost thirty and absolutely love Phineas and Ferb. I watch Jonny Test or The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy to go to sleep at night. I watch mostly cartoons and I get weird looks all the time. I’ve found that people don’t care if you get joy out of it, they don’t care to dig deeper, they just can’t let people be happy because they aren’t happy. Maybe they should watch more cartoons.

[@steeviebops]

Phineas and Ferb is brilliant, and another example of a show which has references that would go over a kid's head but would appeal to the adults who are watching it.

[@alexgout5167]

Love the Grim adventures of billy and Mandy ❤

[@philswift791]

At 60, the art of life is being child like without be childish. I was a combat arms soldier, I have 18 year in martial arts. With those skills at 5'11" 200lbs 13% body fat. No one seems to say anything when I color, and play with toys or watch Scooby-Doo. 🙂

[@amazinggrapes3045]

I imagine going to combat puts certain things in perspective And stops people from messing with you 😂

[@HSunday40]

I’m a 41 yr old mom with severe ADHD. My son is 8 & also has severe ADHD, as well as a preliminary diagnosis of ODD. My daughter is 14 & has ADHD. We love to watch Bluey together. Not gonna lie, I’ve watched Bluey when my kids weren’t even home. I swear, Bluey is a parenting show that reminds us to enjoy the tiny moments in the normal day to day activities with our children. I even got my husband, who doesn’t watch any tv, to watch Bluey with us. He laughed, which again, is rare. He now watches it with us when he’s home in the evenings. We just watched Bluey last night after dinner. Thank you to whoever created Bluey! Best bonding show to watch with your children!

[@aynDRAWS]

ODD... Oppositional defiant disorder? I've never seen that acronym before so I'm curious what it is

[@amazinggrapes3045]

​@@aynDRAWSyou know that disorder that made slaves want to run away? It's basically that for children who want to be treated like actual people and not part of the subhuman class children are usually treated as

[@aynDRAWS]

@@amazinggrapes3045 oh no, I know what oppositional defiant disorder is, I just had never seen it as an acronym before :)

[@_xone]

I just want to say to all these people being angered, or outraged at someone else's happiness and/or freedom to be themselves: this is definitely a you problem!

[@user-roget]

In a lot of situations like this I always remember what my parents told me about ratings "It's have a "4+" as 4 and up. And this "up" have no limit". So, anyone can do what they want.

[@latifx3944]

Glad you're addressing this and the community on its harsh judgement of other autistics. I recently watched a video of a presumably autistic (the mother said he had behavioral issues) The child was clearly having an autistic meltdown on a plane. The amount of comments saying they would beat said 5ish year old was disgusting. If your first thought is to beat a neurologically disabled child you need to re-evaluate your childhood and invest in a psychiatrist. What shocked me even more was the amount of autistic identifying individuals saying "they would never act like that in public" and shaming this child for not having the skills to cope.

[@Nu_Wen]

this makes me so sad... i hate it when minority group members team up on each other and to see it done so... violently. makes me *sigh* and *shake my head* ha. if only people, stopped? and *tried* to respect each other...

[@yurisei6732]

@@Nu_Wen Except it's not a minority group, it's a bunch of different types of people who have been forced under the same banner by the cold hand of scientific consensus. It shouldn't be surprising that people don't like being treated as if they have completely different brains to what they actually have. Like, imagine if "common knowledge" was to think China and Saudi Arabia are basically the same place with the same culture and language just because they're on the same landmass as identified by the ancient Greeks.

[@shinyagumon7015]

"I am better behaved then a literal 5 year old" is not the kind of accomplishment these people think it is.

[@yourshoulderdevil5229]

People who say they'd never act like that are absolutely ridiculous. 1) IT'S A CHILD. CHILDREN ARE CRAZY. 2) The mother simply brushed it off as "behavioral issues" which sounds like the kid is getting zero help and is probably struggling a lot at home, which makes him more likely to act out on public 3) not everyone is the same and autism manifests itself in different people. Autism can make one child very quiet and "mature" and make another loud and energetic. 4) Planes can be absolutely terrifying, especially children. It's an enclosed space zooming through the sky that full of people and it's very loud. 5) Even if he's not scared or autistic, planes are just not great for young children. They smell funny, everything is dirty, there are strangers everywhere, it can hurt a child's head or ears, they have to sit still for hours at a time with nowhere to go, and it's reeeaaaalllly boring. Adults can usually ignore these, but to a child it's probably really overwhelming and an overall bad experience.

[@lolno6465]

I agree with what you are saying but the video you are referencing to is most likely the video of a child screaming through a 8 hour flight. Like the whole time. If your child has autism to this degree you need to either wait to fly until they are able to regulate themselves a little better for this amount of time or with stops in between or make sure you have everything ready like an ipad, noise cancelling headphones etc. Because it isn't reasonable zo expect people to sit 8 hours with constant screaming. Doesn't justify the calls for violence on a literal child, i am not trying to defend that. But i have adhd and autism and hearing a child scream for even 5 minutes causes me to have immense anxiety even with noise cancelling headphones. I wouldn't be able to endure a flight like this without having a meltdown myself

[@ryn2844]

I've been through this exact thing before, except within a different community, when trans youtuber Kalvin Garrah very publicly picked on nonbinary people like Brennen Beckwith. The end result is lots of trauma, especially in the nonbinary people (portrayed as the cringe ones, the fakers, the transtrenders), but ALSO in the bullies who ostensibly fit within the parameters of respectability. The people who are compulsively doing the bullying are having a strong emotional reaction to seeing others freely express themselves in a non-normative way because of their own internalized shame, because they see a part of themselves in the 'cringe' person, a part which they hide (even from themselves) and do not want to be reminded of. If this wasn't the case, they'd easily just let people live their lives and realize that it had nothing to do with them. A seismic shift happened in the trans community years later, when Brennen posted his takedown videos on Kalvin Garrah (which I recommend), and more and more other 'cringe' nonbinary people started speaking up too, and more and more of the bullies started apologizing and explaining how this era hurt them too. It made them accept themselves less, and made them continuously worry about straying into cringe territory themselves, which just isn't a way to live. Can we just skip to the part where we're healing and becoming better people and letting go of the normativity that doesn't serve any of us? Do we really have to go through the collective trauma before getting to that part, again? Can we not just see that it was a dumb and toxic thing to do last time around, so it is a dumb and toxic thing to do this time as well? I'm tired of this sh!te. I think Contrapoints made a video called cringe in which she explores how it is ultimately an emotion directed at the parts of ourselves we like least, projected outwards onto other people.

[@trailofdebris]

a couple years back, there was a marathon of mr rogers neighborhood on twitch. i'm from germany, i'd never seen the show before. i figured, meh, let me watch an episode, to get why so many millenial americans love it. i ended up crying. it's such a beautiful, gentle show that treats children with respect and as actual people. shows that touch us, that bring us comfort and make up feel respected and understood, are so so important. it doesn't matter what show it is. star trek in all its iterations is just as valid in that as is bluey, sesame street or teletubbies. plus for autistics, the visuals of shows and the audio is so important re: sensory sensitivities and stimming as well. i love the nebulas and space scenes in star trek and could watch the voyager intro for hours on a loop. partially bc of nostalgia and what the show itself means to me but also bc it's visually so pleasing and i love the orchestra score.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

Mr Rogers neighbourhood was the highlight of my childhood, especially since I didn't have cable at the time because my family was bankrupt and only had access to public TV channels so I grew up with pbs CBC kids and knowledge kids. Thank you for digging that memory up for me :)

[@bl3343]

I can definitely relate to the shame received from liking something "meant just for kids". I remember going to the theater to see Muppets Most Wanted, and all the parents looked at me like a criminal because "why would an adult without kids be here?".

[@raven4090]

I'm 60, and I still like the children's shows I watched as a child. It's comforting. This is the first time I've heard of Bluey, but I love Frozen, Tangled, and Hello Kitty. After going through severe burnout at 59 I bought myself an expensive doll, some colouring books, and some acrylic paints. I manage my finances well, and act responsibily in public, but I'm done pretending that I'm a boring person! My life began at 60 🎉 🤗😃🥰

[@skootergirl22]

Yea, I'm 36. I enjoy action comedy cartoons

[@thealmightybipper3381]

Awh, congratulations! I love that you found your happiness! 😊

[@raven4090]

@@thealmightybipper3381 Thank you 😊

[@-cat_in_space-]

this is so based and i love it

[@MandaPanda254]

Bluey here in Australia is loved and watched by so many adults. I would be pretty shocked if an adult made fun of another adult for watching Bluey, its very accepted here as a totally normal show for adults to watch 😄 its a brilliant show

[@RedFoxSkull]

Australian autistic Bluey enjoyer here! That’s news to me honestly, I’ve yet to meet NT adults who watch it too, but I’m glad there are some out there!

[@ecstasycalculus]

@@RedFoxSkull Virtually every Simpsons fan I know, neurodivergent or not, loves to watch Bluey because the humor is so similar. Joe Brumm was clearly inspired by the Simpsons when he created Bluey.

[@SadisticSenpai61]

I first saw Bluey when it was on in a waiting room. It was amazing. It came across to me as a show aimed more at parents with kids than at kids, you know? The adults were so extremely relatable.

[@conspiracypanda1200]

I was literally at a jetty bar a couple of months back and Bluey was playing on one of the screens alongside the news and sports. Got talking with my Mum about it while we got some drinks because she'd been hearing about it a lot but hadn't seen it yet. I told her she should lookinto it more since she works part time as a relief teacher.

[@sarahvanburen7819]

"Are you really going to be laying there on your deathbed thinking, 'I really wish I'd masked more?'" This quote really resonated with me, and I was surprised to realize...WHY? Why am I suppressing myself like this? Genuinely, what is the point? I write fanfiction. I love children's books. I've played Webkinz for over a decade and still sleep with stuffed animals. I'm afraid of the dark. I like to color with crayons. I still get excited over seeing penguins at the zoo. Sometimes I cry when I scrape my knee. I eat the same foods every day. I watch cartoons...and not just the "cool" ones, genuinely weird ones that people would poke fun at me for liking. My middle school poetry is downright embarrassing. My friend listens to Kpop and has even gotten me into liking a group as well. I've never had a real job, or been in a relationship, or even felt like I had a real best friend. I'm nineteen. And autistic. And you know what? I'm proud of every little inch of that. Even if I am still too embarrassed to wear my interests on my clothes or stim in public the way my body naturally wants to. Unmasking is hard. But I hope I'll get there someday. 💕

[@Qwer-teaBinch]

I had a very similar experience with a different part of myself, but I came to the same conclusion. Yes, I wanna wear a tux in my casket. Yes, I want people to understand who I am. My body, my life, this is all mine and I'm only here for a little while. Yes, my voice is awful, isnt it wonderful that i have one to sing with. Why spend all that time trying to be someone who regretted everything, why plan to lay on my deathbed waiting for an okay to dance when my body is no longer capable? Just to prove to someone else their misery is universal? It won't make them happy either way, because if th world they surround themselves with is miserable they can't even focus on the good nd when it all good they smash ot to prove it was already broken. They don't care if they break a million hearts. Why should I care if they couldn't break mine (forever)?

[@dia5131]

What a beautiful way to put it!!! also what kpop group hehe

[@sarahvanburen7819]

@@dia5131 TWICE!! Friend affectionately refers to me as a "baby ONCE" 😆😆😆 Claimed Dahyun as my bias XD, hers is Jihyo Thanks for the compliment! Do you like any Kpop groups?

[@sarahvanburen7819]

@@Qwer-teaBinch I agree with this so much, and I'm glad you're finding the courage to be yourself. It's sad to say, but in today's world, just being yourself when you're neurodivergent is an act of rebellion. I hope that someday we can have a world where this is not the case. I especially love your comment about choosing to sing even though you don't have the most amazing voice. We were created with voices (most of us!) and bodies, so obviously we're supposed to use what we have been given regardless of skill level! People are allowed to sing and dance no matter their skill level. Thanks for reminding me of that!

[@AzuraTheGoodWitch]

As a person w/ adhd (suspected to be on the spectrum) i feel like the people commenting the hate towards that person just want to be taken seriously and treated w/ respect which i understand and know how it feels to be treated lesser or like they're childish or incapable. I showed many symptoms of adhd before i was diagnosed about a month ago and i remembered 3 years ago when i put 2 and 2 together but being blasted with those "faking disorders" videos and saw...i acted like that and...i never brought it up in fear of people calling me a faker...so i suffered for 3 years in school before someone took action because i was still scared and downplaying it...i never stopped being weird or stimming but now after being diagnosed i feel like...i can move my hands and i can move my feet...it feels good...thats why i thing constantly spreading this stuff of people faking for no reason is harmful...

[@Illhavesnakes]

Claiming that someone stimming while watching a kids show is infantilizing autism is so weird. I'm autistic, and my special interest is Sonic. I listen to the soundtracks while rocking back and forth wildly and/or flapping my hands. I have to pause to flap my hands frequently while playing the games. I hum and open and close my fists while watching the cartoons. I'm even drawing fanart while watching this video. Proudly having "childish" interests as an autistic person is not infantilizing all autistic people. We are allowed to like what we like. Trying to like things as an autistic person is exhausting :/ it's always too childish, too niche, too basic, etc.

[@nonyanae2]

I listen to video game soundtracks and pace violently lol

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

They have not met a real autistic person then, because me and my homies have special interests and hyperfixations one would consider childish or "nerdy" if that's even a thing anymore(geeks are still made fun of right? I'm not aging myself with my comment here?) like girl my bsf with autism and bpd is obsessed with mlp and I'm brainrotted about transformers atla and mha. Transformers and atla especially were a huge part of growing up for me, I watched the og transformers cartoon from the 70-80's with my dad on weekend mornings when he wasn't out working with concrete. Like nostalgia for things significant to your experience growing up is for neurotypicals only I guess according to these guys

[@cupio-stardust]

I’m autistic too, and my special interest is Pikmin! I get extremely immersed when playing the games, I visibly stim hearing all of the details in the music, I write essays about the characters while giggling, and I watch the shorts frequently as I’m stimming happily. I even have some plushies from it, and I always cuddle and kick my feet in the air because of how cute they are! Just know that you’re not the only one who does stuff like that.

[@ally939]

Ahhhhh I love love love Sonic too! Such a comfort character and series for me, I love them sooo much! I really liked it when I was a kid, but “grew out of” (and honestly kinda suppressed) it, but as I’ve been trying to unmask and discover who I really am and my special interests, I’ve earnestly gotten back into Sonic in a huge way and it’s made me very very happy :D

[@lulub517]

@@nonyanae2I ‘horbgorble’ which basically means ‘walking around in circles’ I do that when I really get into my music, I cannot physically sit still on a bop.

[@DnD_Boy]

What is so stupid to me is when people say that self diagnosis isn’t valid, like ok let me just go find several thousand dollars to have a doctor tell me what i already know.

[@awakeache3627]

Well yes and no. While getting diagnosed is the better way to handle things, you shouldn't rely solely on self diagnosis. What I would recommend for self diagnosis is not to set point and blank but rather theorize. If you think you have ADHD then make sure to do lots of research. Are you hyper-active? Do you have hyper-fixations? Does your brain feel like it's constantly buzzing? Does your attention span tend to get caught up in everything and anything that it's caused you to run into walls? (Plus many other questions to ask). Don't rely on quizzes and short 1 minute videos alone to try and figure it out, since most of the time, they're made by people who put more vague answers that anyone can experience (I.e can you focus? Do you constantly feel like moving?) After you've done thorough research on the condition you think you have, don't immediately assume that you have it either. If all the research you've done points at the idea that you DO have ADHD, don't immediately go around saying you have it. Assume it as a likely possibility. Don't say 'I have ADHD, I did my research.' say 'I think I might have ADHD due to all of my research, but I'm not entirely sure.' When you are able to afford therapy to get a proper diagnosis, make sure to mention why you think you have it. (p.s if your therapist tells you that you don't have it after only knowing you for a few minutes, than you got the wrong therapist. Get a therapist who is willing to talk to you for a bit and actually listen to what you have to say before they give you a diagnosis!) And make sure to remember that sometimes you might not get the diagnosis that you thought you had. Instead of ADHD it might turn out you have autism instead, or it might turn out you don't have it and you're just full of energy! All of this is coming from someone who believed he has Anxiety and Depression, but found out that he was actually Bipolar when he got diagnosed. :(

[@BeeTeaBoi]

​@awakeache3627 I personally think as an autistic adult who had to self diagnose before getting officially diagnosed (had to fight for a test at 15, it was a two day test and they stopped it after 1 day. So it was pretty clear I was right.) I am of the opinion that if someone self diagnoses as autistic, that's up to them. There's very few resources for autistic people, much less adults, and all of them require diagnoses at the very LEAST. So someone who self diagnosed is not taking away resources or anything. In fact, if someone feels like being a part of the autistic community helps them and the resources and advice in that community help them, I don't see any harm in it! If it helps you to stim, why not stimulate? If reading an autism advice blog helps you, why not read it? This isn't a gated community where you need a piece of paper to get in, it's just a bunch of people helping eachother out. And if that person is wrong, if that person has ADHD instead or some other issue, then it's not really a big deal. The online autism community is not a limited resource, it's large and ever growing. If a couple people misunderstand their symptoms and get it wrong, it's not a big deal. Like it's impossible for someone self diagnosed to "steal" resources from the system that barely lets diagnosed autistics use it. There's not really any limited resources online, so if it helps someone, why does it matter? I think I care more about people feeling mentally healthy and accepted in a community more than keeping a community free of potential fakers, ya know? Share the love, share the stim toys :)

[@deeplyconcerned9306]

What really sucks though too (as someone who's pro self diagnosis) is that it's always self-diagnosed people irl going after me for being autistic bc their autism isn't the same as mine and using their diagnosis as a shield for their ableism.

[@balloonforest6378]

Not everyone wants an official diagnosis either, as you're then susceptible to systemic ableism, such as job restrictions, emigration restrictions, etc. Medical history can be held against disabled people easily.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@balloonforest6378 exactly, while I'm thankful for my autism diagnosis it's kept me from employment opportunities besides being visibly disabled in a very ableist town

[@kenmc1601]

"There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act a little childish sometimes." The Fourth Doctor (Doctor Who)

[@ZetEnMoth]

I remember being 12 and being told i couldn't watch MLP cause i was "too old" what has helped me get over the fear of appearing childish is that the people who told me that i now know mentally and emotionally abused me and therefore shouldn't have that authority to decide what i like

[@Icantchangemyhandlehelp]

Ive grown up with MLP my whole life. Still watch it. I also like Bluey. Theres never an age limit to fun and entertainment 😊

[@Alfre-Durst]

I had this mentality for years, if you're going to add a lore, a really deep lore to your children's media, and you are going to show it in a cool way with a really good writing, sorry, but its going to attract people from all ages too.

[@brittz7506]

Bluey is a parenting show that kids are drawn to. Honestly, it's helped my husband and I be better parents... we watch it sometimes by ourselves after our child has gone to bed 😅❤ let people enjoy the things they love ffs

[@fnors2]

I've watched some Bluey with my nephew. It's really an amazing show. It tend to have good lessons for the kids, and it depicts a nice, cohesive, loving family. All while also showing parents how kids play (and how they themselves used to play). It's a whole lot better, in my mind, than a lot of other "kid shows" like Paw Patrol and the likes.

[@feathersblack5942]

Just from my perspective, it seems that anyone who expresses joy without restraint is considered childlike. Honestly, I’m not sure why this is or why it’s not desirable. Also, I agree that Bluey is fantastic and you can’t watch that intro without dancing around, even if it’s just with your hands. ❤

[@imautisticnowwhat]

You're so right!

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I don't care if I am childlike, it's alright. 😊 I can through some miracle manage my household (the miracle is probably my husband is also doing a fantastic job lol) I haven't hurt anyone, my family is loved and well fed by the end of the day. I'm gonna kick my legs and do a bouncy dance when I am happy by golly. I'm going to squeeze my squishmallows. I'm going to sing badly to the music in my headphones while doing stuff around the house lol and make up weird nicknames for the ones I love. Feels good man.

[@ishathakor]

i was literally a child when i would laugh without restraint and some asshole adult would tell me off for being immature. so yeah people are literally just against other people having fun. i've been out in public with my baby cousin and seen adults glare at us if she starts laughing or babbling.

[@michajozwiak5557]

I'm a 40 yo extremely ordinary man with three daughters, and I tend to automatically hum Bluey intro during various parts of the day. I of course watch it with my kids because it's also a very good parenting show.

[@angeldude101]

If expressing excitement and enthusiasm is childish, then I wouldn't want to grow up.

[@strategicgamingwithaacorns2874]

Growing up, I had been infantilized and condescended (eg. my homeroom teacher loudly bellowing "I am an adult and you are a student!" whenever I "disrespected" her) so badly that, by the time I graduated from high school, I obsessed over presenting in public as a mature and responsible adult. It took until at least halfway through college, and coming across shitposting groups on Facebook, for me to indulge in childish things in private (or online). In my penultimate year in college, I binge-watched the entire Britt Alcroft era of _Thomas the Tank Engine_ in little over two weeks.

[@RyebuckCoppercap]

I used to binge all Thomas episodes while doing my design homework on my first year of Uni lol

[@Salandrews]

The more i see animations "for kids" the more i see how they are not made just for kids... Just enjoy life and stop caring so much

[@brielleandrews9707]

1. I'm neurotypical and in my twenties and I think Bluey is absolutely delightful 2. Your style (the Winnie the Pooh shirt, the hair tinsel, the lovely nail polish) is SO stinking cute

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I knew I was autistic before, but in 2020 my autism felt most obvious when wearing a face mask made me disoriented and practically deaf. I asked other people if they experienced similar things and everyone else said it didn't bother them much. I can see how a lot of people started questioning things that year.

[@gravetiger9333]

I hated the masks so much! I only wore them twice because it'd feel like I couldn't breathe (can't stand things attached to my face and to a slightly lesser extent, my neck) and I almost had a meltdown or a panic attack both times i tried. After that, I didn't bother and just picked up my groceries for awhile despite having the need to touch everything I'm buying. Walking around a store while everyone else was wearing one was also hell because I couldn't read people's faces and it was really upsetting. It felt very alien and my brain would itch 'this isn't right-! I can see more expression on a damn mannequin' so yea... you're not alone in being very much bothered by those horrible things

[@CeruleanStar]

I never realized how much I relied on reading people's lips until everyone was wearing masks. I couldn't understand anyone. Never realized I had an auditory processing disorder until then.

[@JonBrase]

I found the masks were an impediment to breathing (in particular if I was singing or walking up a hill), and also I tend to feel miserable when warm, and the masks trapped a bunch of warm air right next to my face.

[@iclynnx]

I felt really silly for being uncomfortable with face masks, I knew how important they were and saw how people on the internet mocked those who claimed it was too uncomfortable. I get it, a lot of people refused just out of spite and ignorance, but there were those who actually did struggle with the sensation. I at least had my vaccinations taken.

[@kk5dire]

2020 was horrid for me as the “must follow structure, rules, guidelines, and order to a T” side of me fought the “I feel like I’m drowning in a lake because I can’t stand out/ impress myself?” Side of me. That and everything being “self paced” being forced on my, drove me to madness for a while. I absolutely cannot stand the back and forth with practically everyone I had getting nowhere of just asking each other what we were doing. 😊

[@simonohara9617]

Gatekeepers everywhere need to realise that lack of purpose and the feeling that they are not heard will not go away by trying to impose arbitrary rules on others. As long as there is no harm, anyone can do anything for any reason. It is disheartening to hear those inside the community allowing their fear of rejection to project onto the actions of others. Bluntly, there is no wrong way to be autistic or allistic. Stim on!!!!

[@lulub517]

Very wise and true words there! Yes I agree completely! As the saying goes “hurt people, hurt people” in all sense of the word, even if they don’t think they are.

[@musical_costumer7976]

Bluey is a very popular show with even neurotypical adutls and parents, I've watched some of it and THRIVE(rather than suffer) from ADD and anxiety disorders and it's honestly super cute and really a great show for new parents or even people not interested in being parents.

[@emisformaker]

Too many people want there to be a distinct and permanent line between 'disabled' and 'abled'. Someone who's helped me unpack a lot of ableism (internal and otherwise) is Imani Barbarin (aka Crutches and Spice). She brought to my attention the idea that disability of one kind or another is an inevitable part of the human experience. The act of othering openly or visibly disabled people is a way for people to deny that one day, one way or another, they too will be disabled. Viewing the world and other people through this lens has fundamentally changed my perspective. Just yesterday, I was out with my family doing some high street shopping when I hit a wall. I felt it was from having been perceived for too long. So I took myself outside, sat on a bench and stimmed. I rocked, rolled my eyes and all sorts. Was I self-conscious? Oh yeah. But the fact that I needed to do that thing in that moment was more important. And the only reason I'm in that headspace is from other autistic people (adults) sharing their experiences and normalizing these things. I also recognize that my ability to unmask in public like that is a privilege that not everybody shares. I've also recently started stimming outside of stressful situations using a stim slug someone 3D printed for me. His name is Ripley.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

Exactly! As I like to say in a vaguely foreboding and threatening way "you are not immune to being disabled" 👁️👁️🫵 like the you aren't immune to propaganda Garfield meme that's floated around

[@MomokoTuHarumaki]

I am furiously angry over this. Seeing how people were treating Sienna and Chloe makes my blood boil. The duets bring back horrible memories of my classmates making fun of me and mimicking me while calling me the r slur. These people are disgusting and make me sick. I am so glad my partner sees my stims and interests and absolutely loves me for whom I am.

[@Melissa.Garrett]

I really needed this today, Meg, thank you! This week I made the difficult decision not to comment on KZbin videos anymore, except for Autism-friendly channels such as this one, because no matter how harmless my comment someone will always sense my differences and hone in on me to attack. The ableism I’ve experienced online has been persistent and sometimes horrific and I can’t take it anymore. But knowing that this is happening to so many other Autistic people helps me to realise that it is society at fault, not me. I haven’t seen this cartoon, but I do still watch the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the 80s even though I’m 44, and I LOVE children’s books. I must have listened to my Winnie the Pooh audiobooks two hundred times, lol. And my mother, who is also Autistic, has had a lifelong love of dolls and happy meals. Does that mean we are child-like in everyday things? No. But the simplicity and safety of childhood interests can be an excellent “cure” to the stresses of modern life, and I think that’s wonderful.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I think a lot on NTs could relate with this, how many are nostalgic about some cartoons or snacks they enjoyed when children? I'm sure most things like collectible figurines "25th anniversary releases " are not targeted towards actual children.

[@Melissa.Garrett]

@@ZhovtoBlakytniy That’s similar to what Meg was saying towards the end of the video with the IMDB ratings and the like, I think - it’s not the young children who are entering these ratings and reviews, it’s the adults! My friend (who is 45) is still into the D&D cartoon as well, and he’s neurotypical - we get to geek out about it, lol.

[@UniTheThing69]

WAIT THERE’S A D&D SHOW? HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE? >:O

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@UniTheThing69 I think sabrespark made a video on the cartoon once, although I may be wrong because it's a long time since I viewed his channel and content

[@lulub517]

I feel you so much! Yeah KZbin comments can be an absolute playground of hell and really strikes my mood and at my insecurities when things are particularly specific or targeted. I’m slowly learning to just accept myself and not try to care what other people think or when I do just come to terms with it instead of denying it. It’s made me feel a lot stronger with my emotions. I totally get that though! Sometimes I would spend hours in bed, feeling like shit for a random reply on a comment of someone attacking me. It is hard to deal with this shit and it’s always a good idea to detach yourself from something that can be affecting you badly.

[@Notamurperer]

I am a anxious 13 year old (trans) boy who absolutely LOVES dolls and has a huge dollhouse. When I heard that 19-year-old girl got made fun of by her FAMILY, I was so upset. No one can ever be too old for dolls.

[@erin1569]

You seem like such a genuinely good person and I'm so glad you're one of the voices that represent autistic people online

[@alliekatvlogs]

I'm 56 and still love watching cartoons ... I remember at 28 being made fun of for watching The Magic School Bus and Anamaniacs. After having a child and I was able to watch kid shows with him without being judged. BTW: I loved your rocking toe stim ... it looked like a beautiful dance to me.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

Oh I love Animaniacs too ❤ I liked to pretend I was Wakko when I was little. I'd put random stuff in a pillowcase and just pull them out when needed like he would. I'm in my mid 30s. That's nothing, my grandpa loved Loony Toons his whole life (he lived to be 76).

[@DoofenSpyroDragon16]

I thought the same thing, it looked like a neat dance 😃

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

Omg I thought I was the only one who remembered the magic school bus, ms frizzle gives me so much gender envy arghhh

[@dorothyallspice1862]

The Magic School Bus AND Animaniacs??? You have IMPECCABLE taste! Fuck what anybody else says!

[@alliekatvlogs]

Awwww.... thank you @@dorothyallspice1862 You're very kind. 💜

[@captmalingering]

My daughter (4) and I (35) are both on the spectrum and we thoroughly enjoy Bluey ❤ we memorised the tune together and we’ll play “what’s my line” with it, usually trading off humming the tune and shouting the names once it’s done, but she’ll dance, wiggle and freeze no matter which part she takes. When I first saw Bluey on my own I cried, my inner child has had it rough. But it did show me a better, healthier approach to parenting than the puritanical religious, oftentimes violent, upbringing I had to endure.

[@mkay0630]

Did we collectively forget the Bronie craze and how long that lasted? And these were not only adults, but fully grown men. People are ridiculous for criticizing this individual who looks so happy stimming.

[@alexdiazmora]

I cried a lot watching this. Just realized that getting called immature boils my blood very irationally. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

[@sarahvanburen7819]

I'm also moved to tears by these videos! She always says exactly what we need to hear. ❤

[@PretendCoding]

"Either you're faking it because you're masking on camera, or you're faking it because you're showing yourself stim. I'm not sure what people want." Not all people, but the vocal majority simply don't want autistic people. It's so upsetting hearing about those studies of people seeing autistic vs allistic people without knowing who the autistic person is, and they just naturally find the autistic person to be less likable, less trustworthy, etc. It gives me feelings that I don't want, I already have a very hard time dealing with my emotions. Edit: I just watched "Keepy Uppy" (an episode of Bluey) and it is the most wholesome thing. I generally find shows aimed at kids annoying, but after the first 15 seconds, I had a smile on my face that didn't leave until the episode was over. It was really what I needed after this video. Thank you for your continued voice in this space.

[@savannahthefangirlyt8884]

Not only that, but, in a sense, schools have pretty much taught children that anyone who stims/fidgets, isn’t someone worth being friends with (at least that’s how I’ve interpreted the one skit my sixth grade teacher did about how to communicate with people)

[@yurisei6732]

Not really surprising though, is it? Humans evolved for communication and autism is a term given to a bucket of brain types that experience impairments in that functionality. The closest thing to the defining factor of humanity is something where autistic people are out of tune with non-autistic people, of course that's going to cause feelings of discomfort for the neurotypical, just like it does for the autistic person.

[@robokill387]

@@yurisei6732 Yeah, but it doesn't make most autistic people view non-autistic people as subhuman, yet many non-autistic people can't help themselves but label autistic people as subhuman.

[@melinnamba]

Something I have noticed a few times now is that when I see autistic people happy stimming, I always get the itch to join in. When I see those caricatures where people are imitating and making fun of genuine happy stimms, I don't get that itch. I wonder if there is a similar reason behind it as with allistic people being able to tell the difference between a genuine and a fake smile. Anyway seeing autistic people happy stimm is just so infectious and it always gives me a burst of joy. I really hope the bullies won't win and people will never stop showing their happy stimms to the world.

[@ExplosionMare]

My sister isn't autistic but has something similar and she does the arm flaps when she's excited. I ended up mimicking the behavior, maybe because of our bond, so now it's almost like my excited stim too, lol. Happy stimming is fun!

[@vanessaries3991]

This video was so healing for me. I absolutely adore Bluey! I was introduced to it by my son, but it is one of my favorite shows to watch as a 34 year old. It is relatable, emotional and funny. I just realized that I get so filled with emotion when I watch this show that I flap my hands and quickly squeal ( non diagnosed BTW). Your Winnie the Pooh shirt and Eeyore earrings are everything! Thank you!

[@JalnorTheGreat]

"With our lack of embarrassment, maybe we could even help the allistic people too, maybe they could learn from the autistic people." YES! This! 💚 In fact, I'm currently doing preproduction on a channel for exactly that - like I noticed over the years of being an undiagnosed office professional that a lot of my colleagues never managed to grasp what I thought were really obvious life hacks. Which reinforced how I always felt like an alien wearing a human disguise. It comes up in so many things outside of work too, that the neurotypicals could benefit from an instruction manual by an alien like me. So keep your eyes peeled for the Alien Instructions channel going live ASAP 😁

[@yurisei6732]

"Undiagnosed office professional": I get what you intended to say, but I love that the wording on this implies that you were beginning to suspect you had an office job but were waiting to receive an official confirmation.

[@JalnorTheGreat]

@@yurisei6732 This might have been my twisted sense of humour wondering who would mention it first 👀

[@miloe6259]

This may be the most confusing bullying i've ever seen because the video was actually so normal to me... she smiled and shook her hands a little. That's how i react to most things I enjoy, and yet everyone reacted as if she had just grown a second head. Especially weird that so much of the hate was coming from autistic people themselves

[@yurisei6732]

Because every time someone tweeks out like this, another person goes "oh so that's what autism is" and then expects me to behave like that too. I shouldn't have to put in a disclaimer of "no, not like that" every time I state the name assigned to the way my brain works. And then people have the nerve to say that I'm experiencing internalised oppression just because I don't feel the urge to detach my limbs from my torso.

[@miloe6259]

@@yurisei6732 that’s a problem with allistics expecting all autistic people to act the same, not an autistic person enjoying a fucking cartoon.

[@fandomtrash7505]

@@yurisei6732 That's not the op's fault though that's on the people commenting on that. The person who posted the tiktok should not have been bullied for posting a video of themselves enjoying a show they like. You may not act like this but they do, and they have just as much a right to post videos as anyone else.

[@robokill387]

@@yurisei6732That's absolutely internalised ableism lol. You may not act like that, but many autistic people do. It's no different from assimilationist gay people who hated on "stereotypical" gay people for supposedly giving them a bad name.

[@Catlily5]

​@@yurisei6732 Unfortunately you will have to say that about almost every depiction of autism. Because we all are so different. Maybe just say that autistic people are different.

[@ErutaniaRose]

The idea that so many interests are deemed wrong because they are seen as "childish" is so strange. An interest is an interest and if it's not hurting someone it's literally fine. There are things people naturally grow out of, that happens, and there are things people find later in life and enjoy even if they are not the target audience or still enjoy from their childhood. Both are valid. Let people exist and feel joy!!

[@olioccasionallyanimates27]

YOOOOO I RECOGNIZE YOU FROM A DUDE COMMENTS

[@gatchamanreborn2030]

I blame the older generation had way too high of a stigma and expectations that you should be out of it by, well, in your teen years, and think about being an adult. My parents were a good example of believing that stuff like this was just 'made up' to make people more childish, and all you needed to do is be more strict on them...Unless it is more obvious. I know, it is dumb, and people shouldn't be exercising their micro aggression because they happen to like something that is cute! I recall someone making a comparison that why football is never deemed for children, yet video games are: they are both games.

[@S3lkie-Gutz]

@@gatchamanreborn2030 this week on: what haven't the boomers ruined yet?