Post B22igKCDJxPLi7oVMG by artemis@dice.camp
 (DIR) More posts by artemis@dice.camp
 (DIR) Post #B22igKCDJxPLi7oVMG by artemis@dice.camp
       2026-01-07T11:08:02Z
       
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       Okay, I'm starting to accept that yeah, I'm autistic. It explains a lot of my experiences & difficulty fitting in. It explains a lot.But also...if I AM autistic, then autism diagnostic tools are absolute bullshit, because I have been going around & around on this for goddamn years.
       
 (DIR) Post #B22igSCVYkOeXM0qvY by artemis@dice.camp
       2026-01-07T11:08:02Z
       
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       The one that gets me most of all probably is the idea that being autistic means you don't understand metaphors or weird idioms, & like... *I know how language works*. I employ idioms like any other fucking person & I *love* metaphor.I frequently have no clue about what someone else is trying to *do* by saying something, but I know how non-literal linguistic techniques work, for God's sake. I was a fucking hyperliterate child. I know more about idioms than you do, hypothetical allistic person.
       
 (DIR) Post #B22igZndJ7Fi6WR6GW by artemis@dice.camp
       2026-01-07T11:08:02Z
       
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       Ok, also, "do you think small talk is pointless?"No, I fucking don't. I understand its *social function*, so even though I have had to work really hard to learn how to do it, & it doesn't come naturally to me, I'm not mad about it, & I'm not fucking confused about why people do it.
       
 (DIR) Post #B22iggoxCbT5se6knQ by artemis@dice.camp
       2026-01-07T11:31:47Z
       
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       I'm not "literal-minded" in the sense of thinking that everything someone says is intended to be absolutely literal, but I do tend to think that people *mean what they say*, whether they say it exactly literally or use figures of speech, hyperbole, etc.The "literal-mindedness" is expecting that people would want to directly & clearly communicate their meaning using their words rather than being inclined to try to figure out what someone intends to indicate when they refuse to actually say it.
       
 (DIR) Post #B22igojZmTv6QHeZWa by artemis@dice.camp
       2026-01-07T11:36:25Z
       
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       But as a highly masking autistic woman, I have gotten pretty good at interpreting *certain types* of non-literal allistic communication.It's still an act of translation though. It's "oh, when someone says something like THAT, they are indicating they want out of this conversation."So that kind of thing I can handle, the implications behind certain social niceties. It's when we get into using language to establish *social status & hierarchy* that I get lost.