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At what point did it start to be cool to have autism, social anxiety or asperger syndrome? Everywhere you go on the internet, now everyone has social anxiety and doesn't leave their houses, or they say they have asperger syndrome so they look cool. Why?

There will be always that thing that can make cool

Eh. I'm not sure it's actually cool. People are fine to SAY that they have it but if you actually start expressing traits it's the same as always. As for why geekiness in general became cool it's probably the massive pay checks some of us get.

>>2493 Probably about the same time being an attention whore became cool. I would have to say right around Myspace's peak popularity. Kids getting cell phones with cameras on them around the same time seems to be a major factor as well. I noticed a drastic increase in kids who never left the house ~2005 or so, which happens to coincide with the beginning of Myspace's dominance. Fortunately I was already out of school by the time it happened, so I never succumbed to it myself. It has only gotten worse since. Nowadays it is extremely rare to see children outside where I live, and the few who do venture outdoors are too young to have a cell phone or know how to type on a keyboard. Even then it is only for brief periods due to parents being brainwashed by the media to be scared of every little thing their children might encounter outdoors.

I hang out a lot in many chats for hikkis/neets and its not so often precived as cool there. There are positive aspects like not having to go to school/work and such but the real social autism/anxeity/depression is rarely played down in places where many people who actually are like this are. Sure there are some jokes made once in a while and imo having a bit of humor about these kinds of things is good.

>>2493 That image is bulls​hit. If you want to draw a line through all the doors, then each room must have an even number of doors, since each time you enter the room you must also leave it (note that the entire "outside" area can be considered a room with 9 doors). There only exceptions to this rule are the room where you start drawing your line, and where you stop drawing. Those are entered/exited but not exited/entered and can therefore have an odd number of doors, unless they are the same room and it must be even again. So from this we can logically deduct that for any configuration of rooms and doors, there must either be 0 or 2 rooms with an odd number of doors, where all others have an even number, in order for the given text to be possible. This is not the case. There are 5 rooms with an odd number of doors (including the outside area).

People don't understand that a lot of mental illnesses are just things that everyone has but magnified by 1000 times. For example, everyone gets anxious sometimes, but not everyone has an anxiety disorder, everyone gets sad, but not everyone has depression. With the destigmatization of mental illness (or at least the supposed destigmatization, these people say they're so supportive but if they talk to someone who actually has schizophrenia they'd think they were disgusting) also comes a misunderstanding that it's something good to have. People just want to stand out, they want attention. If you say you have depression then people will pity you, and also you can use it as an excuse. Also I think things like depression and anxiety are over-diagnosed, this coming from someone who has been diagnosed with both. These people who romanticize this soykaf don't understand what it's like for those of us who actually have to live like this, it's hell, it's not fun, it's not quirky, it's torture. The media glorifies these illnesses, people like kurt cobain for example are basically just a caricature of the cool depressed guy, or in movies tv and even anime the dark edgy characters are often seen as the "coolest". For example, a girl I used to know from high school, she dressed in sort of goth-ish clothes and claimed she was soooo depressed, even that she tried to kill herself. She does the whole "omg i have like no social life i just sit inside and play games all the time lol I'm such a nerd xD" type of thing, yet anyone who knows her will tell you that she is always going out to parties and getting fuarrrked up, she has loads of friends, been with many guys and just happens to have a steam account. Honestly it's fuarrrking disgusting. Because of this, no one takes it serious any more, if I say 'I have depression' they'll immediately think I'm just saying it for attention or that it's not really that bad and I'm just playing it up to seem cool or fit in. Everyone will say they have these things but as soon as you actually show them they'll think you're gross or fuarrrked in the head and they'll leave you. So don't be fooled. It's cool to say you have these conditions, but if you actually show any symptoms you'll be outcast just like how it's always been.

>>2493 >At what point did it start to be cool to have autism, social anxiety or asperger syndrome? I would say that it is a product of cultural appropriation in at least eh United States, from which it bleeds over to other first world countries, trends and all... With the most recent revision of the DSM (the book that doctors use to diagnose autism) it became a "spectrum" where you can be autistic to varying degrees clinically, everything from mild to severe characteristics of what the book classifies as autism. THese characteristics deal with a grat variety of different things from social interaction (increasingly worsened by reliance on technology) and changes in social taboos and norms, in adition to interests. - 1 in 68 U.S. children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). - ASD in 4.5 times more common in boys (1 in 42) and in girls (1 in 189). - About 1 in 6 children in the U.S. had a developmental disability 2006-2008. This covers a wide range of developmental problems ranging from mild to severe. >Everywhere you go on the internet, now everyone has social anxiety and doesn't leave their houses, or they say they have asperger syndrome so they look cool. Why? see above temple grandin who was one of the foremost advocates for autism awareness (and hersel autistic) explained the situation as >“One of the problems today is for a kid to get any special services in school, they have to have a label. The problem with autism is you’ve got a spectrum that ranges from Einstein to someone with no language and intellectual disability,” said Grandin. “Steve Jobs was probably mildly on the autistic spectrum. Basically, you’ve probably known people who were geeky and socially awkward but very smart. When does geeks and nerds became autism? That’s a gray area. Half the people in Silicon Valley probably have autism.” >As the number of children diagnosed with autism continues to rise nationally, Grandin is sharing her message about the disorder and “differently-abled brains” with packed houses. At the heart of that message is this: Rigid academic and social expectations could wind up stifling a mind that, while it might struggle to conjugate a verb, could one day take us to distant stars. >“Parents get so worried about the deficits that they don't build up the strengths, but those skills could turn into a job,” said Grandin, who addresses scientific advances in understanding autism in her newest book, “The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum.” These kids often have uneven skills. We need to be a lot more flexible about things. Don’t hold these math geniuses back. You’re going to have to give them special ed in reading because that tends to be the pattern, but let them go ahead in math.” >“It hurts because they don’t have enough expectations for the kids. I see too many kids who are smart and did well in school, but they’re not getting a job because when they were young, they didn’t learn any work skills,” Grandin said. “They’ve got no life skills. The parents thinks, ‘Oh, poor Tommy. He has autism so he doesn’t have to learn things like shopping.” Grandin was raised by her mother in the 1950’s, a time when social skills were “pounded into every single child,” she said. “Children in my generation, when they were teenagers, they had jobs and learned how to work. I cleaned horse stalls. When I was 8 years old, my mother made me be a party hostess – shake hands, take coats, etc. In the 1950’s, social skills were taught in a much more rigid way so kids who were mildly autistic were forced to learn them. It hurts the autistic much more than it does the normal kids to not have these skills formally taught.”

Social anxiety is actually quite common. And it's not really trendy to be autistic anywhere that I spend time online. "Autism" is more an insult people hurl at each other or a term one applies to themselves tongue in cheek. It's not literal. Aspergers was removed from the medical lexicons recently, perhaps not in every country though.

>>2527 I can't tell if you're being ironic or sincere. This is hilarious either way.

>>2579 I believe that Aspergers is classed under "autism spectrum disorder" in the united states, but I have a sneaking suspicion that doctors are literally getting paid to widen criteria for medication and service requiring disorders, on an unrelated note, it's more profitable to keep people addicted to opioids against their will by doing nothing to help them by only going after dealers and supply, when rehab and awareness would solve the problem started by doctors getting people addicted to pain killers in the first place, thanks megacorps

>>2581 People previously classed as having Aspergers were rolled into autism spectrum on the lower end and the term Aspergers itself is being weeded out... at least that's been my understanding. > have a sneaking suspicion that doctors are literally getting paid to widen criteria for medication and service requiring disorders Well, around here they do get paid for every prescription they write (but that might be skin cream or constipation pills for that matter).

>>2498 >As for why geekiness in general became cool it's probably the massive pay checks some of us get. It could also be that we got bullied at school a lot for being nerds and geeks that we started wearing it as a badge of honor, especially when you find that there are a lot of people like you on the web. I use to get bullied a lot for being weird, I use to hate myself because everyone bullied me and because I didn't enjoy what others enjoyed (sports, cars, pop music, etc). After I got an internet connection (I got it when I was 10), I started to feel like I belong somewhere; I found others like me. When I got into computer science and decided to study it at uni, I found more people like me in real life, not just on the web; I am way more comfortable at uni than I ever was at school. Even people who don't study computer science here are very nerdy (I am in a university of applied science [Fachhochschule in German], so most people are studying engineering and scientific majors). >>2493 >mental illness is becoming cool I personally rarely mention to anyone on the web that I suffer from very severe OCD. In real life, the only person in the world that knows is my mom, and I only told her after 9 years of suffering from OCD and trying to manage it on my own. I don't think anyone thinks mental illnesses are cool, but I find it a good thing that people are accepting their conditions and enjoying their lives despite the conditions they have, and trying to find ways to solve or manage them without feeling great shame. It just shows that the rest of the world is becoming more tolerant and accepting of people who have mental illnesses.

I've heard a poor fuarrrker say that "I've got asperger's, but the good kind!". That was pathetic.

>>2530 >these people say they're so supportive but if they talk to someone who actually has schizophrenia they'd think they were disgusting i think about this a lot. another example: the neckbeard/fedora stereotype is a caricature of the aspie kid they made fun of in high school. he gets absolutely no compassion from the pop mental health advocates.

>>2580 he's completely right its basic graph theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulerian_path

>>2877 i realized this too. then i realized that realizing this means i passed the autism test. then i shut up ;)

>>2493 It's through, not trough!

>>2527 That's the point, it's an old meme image. I still spent 15 minutes trying to solve it

I really wouldn't say it became cool. The way I see it, the internet started offering more resources on mental disorders and the like, and many people are quick to diagnose themselves based on those traits. I'd say it's more of a looking for attention thing than a trying to be cool thing.

Different generation, different problems. More and more people have anxiety, depression and related trauma. Why that happens is beyond my knowledge.

I think it became this way for the sake of being "relatable" initially. Also, the whole "depression being cool" craze might have something to do with it.

I'm starting to wonder if people here are a lot younger than I guessed. Adults I know who suffer from these afflictions have trouble leaving the house, sometimes even getting out of bed. It's not something people claim for social capital.

>>2901 I think the idea of the autism test isn't to test for if you are familiar with graph theory lol. The idea would be that if you were an actual autist you would sit there and work a problem with mindless repetition without changing what you were doing or zooming out to look at the problem from a more abstract viewpoint. It is aimed at children. Most kids would give up after a few tries, or pull back to try to see what the trick could be. Most autistic kids would keep brute forcing it without getting bored.

>>3014 This. Even at college most people dont pull this soykaf for attention though some do. Nobody wants to have these things, not even for attention. You don't get any attention for having social anxiety because you come off as distant or shy a lot of the time and people cant connect with you. Im one of the most attention starved people I know, i'l do many things to get attention from people I like its something im working on. And I am depressed clinically and have social anxiety linked to that, but that is definitely something that does not get me attention. Things would be much better if I could always be happy because people want to be around happy people. Not to mention relationships are hard cause most people even those with social anxiety want somebody who doesn't have those things either cause they dont want to deal with it or they want a positive influence to fix their own soykaf.

>>2578 >With the most recent revision of the DSM (the book that doctors use to diagnose autism) it became a "spectrum" where you can be autistic to varying degrees clinically, everything from mild to severe characteristics of what the book classifies as autism. The DSM is used as guidelines to diagnose pretty much all mental illnesses, not just Autism. And Autism has been considered a spectrum for decades, these days the word is generally just shortform for Autism Spectrum Disorder (hence the abbreviation ASD). Asperger syndrome was originally considered a subset of ASD and was only added as a separate diagnosis in the DSM-IV; the new DSM-V folds it (and Rett Syndrome, CDD, etc) back into the Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis. It's worth remembering that Autism, like many mental disorders, is a purely behavioural diagnosis. It's not a single disorder like, say, Huntington's. There are an unknown number of underlying disorders that happen to fall under the Autism diagnostic criteria, which is why Autism can describe both highly functional and extremely limited people. This diversity of capability is why it's called a spectrum disorder.

>>3086 I didnt know about that last bit. What qualifies someone then for autism, what links them. Im just curious btw. Im aware that autsim ranges from people who don't talk to people who just are a bit odd but why do we link them together under autism?

4-Chin glorified autism the way Tumbler glorified PTSD/depression/bipolar/transgendered/etc complex That said, I've always thought autists (particularly those who identify heavily with their disability like the Deaf with a capital D folks) are total cunts Of course, just this morning I found out my parents have thought I had at least asperger's since I was a fuarrrking toddler But regardless, all that means is I'm slightly disadvantaged, I have a lower baseline social ability; so it's my responsibility to ensure I observe social graces and not everyone else's responsibility to just deal with me

>>3090 No I don't think you understand. Most of us would rather deal with you. Look I have a friend who has autism who has never known it, but it becomes obvious after a bit and everyone he meets agrees, but still no ones told him. Some of his brothers are autustic as well Kind of mean of us but it feels like too much of a shock. He knows somethings different about him but doesnt know what and has as you are suggesting learned to deal with it himself. His first impressions are always really good, its only after a bit of talking to him you know, I knew instantly just cause im good at picking up on that but most people don't. Do you know how easier things would be for him if he knew? Or for us? Nobody wants to get fuarrrking irritated or weirded out by someone, if he just knew when he fuarrrked up bad or did something awkward we could all laugh about it knowing he just has autism. Instead everyone has to pretend like they can't tell and treat him like everyone else, but he isn't like everyone else thats just fact. Not more not less, but different. Sorry but you are doing yourself a disservice by not accepting your aspergers is part of your identity. The only reason you think people who identify with it are annoying is because they don't see it as a negative and you do. Its on you pal, your perception of autism is likely horribly skewed because of places like this. And I don't mean what it entails, your perception of how other people perceive autism is what im talking about. The only reason you are disadvantaged is because autism has a stigma around it that you are deciding to be a part of by trying to distance yourself from it. People might be interested in your alternative thought processes if you just made it clear when its appropriate. Of course im not saying preface every conversation with I have aspergers, but like if someone gets to know you after a few conversations you can tell them casually.

>>3091 To further elaborate on the perception thing cause I realized I phrased it weird. I think you imagine autistic people who fit the vague description of having it as their identity are annoying and seem like cunts to other people as well. When its more just a reflection of extreme examples of soykafty behaviour youve seen and didnt like, and it isnt a commonly shared perception. I think if you asked your average "normal person" if they thought people who were autistic and identified as being autistic were annoying they wouldn't really know what you are talking about. If you asked them if they just thought autistic people were annoying period some would probably say yes, you trying to play it off like your totally normal isnt going to change that. The people who find autistic people annoying are still gonna pick up on you being different and find you annoying, it doesn't matter. The people who don't would rather know because then they arent going to judge you if you say something a bit weird. You might think thats bad because you won't "correct" your behaviour but im just going to say trying to correct your natural responses and behaviour is a good way to fuarrrking hate yourself and be depressed. Work around the weird soykaf you do not against it. Might as well find people who will take you as you are, youl have much better relationships.

>>3092 sorry and one last thing, don't live your life trying not to be a burden to others.

>>2530 absolutely true. The faux-ill absolutely spit on the actually-ill.

>>3106 >>2530 No its absolutely untrue imo. You think going to parties or hanging out with people means soykaf. With all your anxiety and depressions or whatever it is you got say somehow you start going to parries or hanging out with people all the time your still going to be depressed and anxious as soykaf. Probably even worse cause you realize nothing can fix it. And your surrounded by people but still feel alone and like an alien. Most of this soykaf you guys say I think is projection. Most people don't think your trying to get attention when you say I have depression except soykaf people and possibly yourself. This idea that people are doing this soykaf for attention is ridiculous. Maybe if your still in highschool but even then i'd doubt its as much as you think. As you said its serious, nobody is going to tell people they have it because it doesn't work to make you any more friends. The fact is to me from reading your post that you guys probably disregard people who really do have issues because your judgemental and the fact that they have more or seem to be more normal than you must mean they don't have a mental illness. I think its more that, then people faking illness. Id be willing to wager your not even right half the time with the people you assume are doing it for attention. Sorry, but thats how I see it and I doubt you could change my mind. Im just trying to give you input if you care. Everybody comes from different places, just cause you see some pretty girl who goes to parties and isn't like you on imageboards with no friends doesn't mean she has nothing wrong with her. It doesn't even mean your mental problems are more severe, she just was raised different and picked up better socially acceptable coping strategies. Im not saying you guys are doing this but I see a lot of people try to say stuff like what you guys are saying and half the time it comes from a place of insecurity and a bit of jealousy. Its easier to think your depression or anxiety is why you have no friends and arent successful then to accept there is people who seem to live "normal" lives and have these things.

>>3108 so, you're making judgements about *me*, when you know literally nothing about my life situation?

>>2493 fuarrrk knows but having aspergers certainly isn't cool in reality. Like saying you got soykaf yea but actually having it just annoys people.

>>3117 im giving you feedback thats why I said judging from your post and not from you and that I was just giving you input on how you come across to me, take it or leave it. I think its a fair judgement because a reason you listed for how you knew she really didn't have mental illness was that she "went to parties all the time and got fuarrrked up" and "had many friends". So I mean don't act like its surprising, what am I supposed to gather from that other then you think people with those things arent depressed. And you have so much concern for mental illness im assuming you have something, I guess I could be wrong about that I kind of assume most people on this board have something. And then if you do have depression or anxiety and think people with those can't have the things you listed then you won't either.

You might be experiencing baader-meinhof phenomenon

>>3138 Now that you've named it, we're all going to have Baader-Meinhof phenomenon over the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon itself.

>>3091 idk Mosta the people I've ever known or heard of with any position on the autism spectrum became pretty entitled So perhaps there are advantages to "knowing" I know I'll certainly appreciate knowing for a fact that I "need" to put extra effort into not e.g., offending or alienating people But regardless most people (especially autists) aren't going to be taking this philosophy It's like the alternative thought processes may very well lead to more insightful/unexpected ideas (at least mine seem to tend to) But without something along the lines of Lord Chesterfield's advice to his son it's going to be useless "fighting the stigma" seems pretty cancerous, but I will admit that my perspective on that probably comes at least in part from my political beliefs

>>3149 > "fighting the stigma" seems pretty cancerous It is, and for different reasons depending on one's political bent too. The people who hear that rhetoric and agree with it in principle won't alter their behavior around you, except to become even more nervous than before out of fear that they are perpetuating stigma unintentionally. Which leads to worse stigma. It's probably better to just tell people, I'm a freak; you can deal with it or leave me alone, just don't be a f4ggot about it.

>>3150 >The people who hear that rhetoric and agree with it in principle won't alter their behavior around you, except to become even more nervous than before out of fear that they are perpetuating stigma unintentionally. How exactly and what makes you think this is the case?

>>3151 >he has autism >that means he's different >he needs special treatment / I need to walk on eggshells around him / accept whatever tf he does [because he's incapable of doing any better]

>>3152 Im asking how you know other people do this not your thought processes. Keep in mind there is a difference between walking on eggshells and accepting slightly socially awkward situations are just a part of interacting with someone who is socially challenged.

>>3152 > because he's incapable of doing any better Entirely the opposite of what I meant. >>3151 Because people are uncomfortable around anyone they perceive as different and slogans like "fight stigma" are about as effective as "say no to drugs" bumper stickers. >>3153 Some other Lain has attempted to hijack my argument. I'm speaking from experience of being outed as having a severe moid disorder, and the way people treated ne before and after. Ignore the other idiot.

>>3154 Alright will do. What was the difference before and after? Just curious.

>>3155 Before: writing off everything negative I had to say without a thought; loving my company when I was up and just avoiding me when I was down. After: trying delicately to work around my idiosyncrasies in patronizing ways; visiting me at home if no one saw me for a while, which I appreciated a lot. Much after: no friends at all.

>>3156 maybe im just assuming it would be easier if said friend I was talking about knew he was on the spectrum and the elephant in the room was addressed. As things stand I kind of do what you say in one, where I already know he's different so I write some stuff off. I know its some form of autism, but I think most people just think somethings off in general and naturally kind of learn to deal with said person in their own way. As we do with anyone I suppose. There is benefits of associating with your identity, you don't have to hide anything which can be rough on yourself. You have a better chance of meeting someone you really connect with as they come from the same background, and it is easier to connect with people who have experienced similar situations. But I guess if thats not what you want thats not what you want. Just dont kill yourself trying to be something else hopefully. This is easier to deal with but a lot of my social struggles come from spending more time online then in real life as a kid in middleschool/highschool. Sadly that means a lot of defining things developmentally were from there, but like you I wanted what is perceived as more I guess. I could have just decided to hang out with other people super involved in the internet, but that felt like quitting to me when I could do a lot more. I kinda succeeded. When people ask what I was like before college I usually just say I was a loser and move on.

>>3162 There's pros and cons either way. It's a matter of personal choice of course. I had a friend who was presumed autistic but also didn't know it. He was hard to talk to but after being around other adults who took him seriously and appreciated what he had to say, his conversation skills improved. He became a pretty good friend for a while. He was a really nice guy, just that when we first met him, he didn't know how to conduct a normal conversation and didn't know when to keep quiet (trying to talk about music to my friend in the middle of university classes every day for instance). Prior to that he had only his overprotective parents. Whatever he went through in high school, I have no idea, but I imagine it wasn't fun for him.

As someone who genuinely has both of these things, people give me nothing but hatred for it. It's probably just more common due to new parenting methods that are breaking children plus the even more broken system, as wage inequality grows and grows.

The question isn't so much cool as fitting in. Cool people are people you admire or want to be like, people who fit in are just people who fit in. Having anxiety or depression doesn't make you cool in todays society, it makes you normal. Thats a sad thing by the way, not something to look at and go ugh these people are idiots they don't know what REAL depression is like. They probably do. Im assuming you get mad when people do the whole "i want to die lol" or "my crippling anxiety" jokes. The fact is these people need even more help than you, they literally cannot talk about their problems without using humor to mask the fact it actually hurts them. source: my therapy group where there is at least 3 people who have probably been through way worse than a lot of you yet I know if some of you met them, based off what your saying, you would judge them as seeking attention. Especially because they can function in conversation and might seem "normal".

>>3255 yeah. I've been worrying about a friend from back home who made suicide jokes all the time.

I don't think it's "cool" per-se. Just the rise of social media and the certain sense of self-deprecating, nihilistic humor that now populates it, coupled with people being more frank about discussing their mental illnesses, and also turning said frankness into humor as a coping mechanism. In an era where discussion of mental illness was previously very heavily stigmatized, being upfront and honest about ones experiences with it can come across as "everyone" suddenly having it but the truth is the vast majority of these people had it all along. It's just that people are finally comfortable talking about these things, as the internet has become a ubiquitous presence in our lives -- meaning that people both have an anonymous (if they choose) platform to discuss mental health and, also, they have access to information about mental health they wouldn't have had fifteen or twenty years ago. And, yes, of course there are also individuals who attempt to emulate the behavior of those with mental illnesses for attention, or to fit in, but those people are middle schoolers or narcissists.

>>3264 I know ASD is common, but based on my own experience of interacting very regularly with internet misfits ranging from young teenagers to people in their mid-20s, I think the need to belong and self-(mis)diagnosis are similarly common. I mean, the need to belong is practically universal so that's no surprise. But for whatever reason having a mental disorder became just as popular as (if not more popular than) joining a counterculture movement. Which is just as well, I suppose I prefer that over those same people realizing they're functional and turning into moral user activists