There are so many amazing Autistic self-advocates out there and to some extent, I do feel like one. At the same time, I don't feel like I have the same amount of energy and time to participate as much as I would like, so I have to leave some effort up to others.
Also, I don't feel like I necessarily fit in with some of the advocacy crowd. I have learned very quickly that trying to play Devil's Advocate or see a situation from all sides, gets me into trouble with some. There's a lot of all-or-nothing-black-and-white thinking - which is a really autistic trait, but also not always the best when it comes to making well-rounded arguments. "No, because I said so" doesn't quite cut it in the outside world.
I am passionate and political. I am very clear on my stance on vaccinations (please get them!), circumcision (please don't!), use of the R-word (please don't!), and basically always fighting for equality when it comes to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities/abilities, and neurodiversity. I could probably add more, but you get my drift. That's a lot of causes to be involved in.
I do my best to engage in meaningful dialogue and call people out when I can, but I am not a tireless advocate. There are also still times where I do not feel like I have enough privilege to speak up. There are times where I don't have the words to speak up, and there are still other times where I am simply too emotional to speak up effectively. I'm not even going to detail those situations because they are honestly too disturbing for me to want to relive and not useful here anyway.
I suppose I can be hard on myself for not doing more, but it's also ok to ask for help and let some others who are stronger carry the burden sometimes. I have hope that the world won't always be this way - by that I don't mean we will never need advocates (though that would be lovely), but that we can get to a place where I feel like I have more power than I do now. That is my simple wish.
Also, I don't feel like I necessarily fit in with some of the advocacy crowd. I have learned very quickly that trying to play Devil's Advocate or see a situation from all sides, gets me into trouble with some. There's a lot of all-or-nothing-black-and-white thinking - which is a really autistic trait, but also not always the best when it comes to making well-rounded arguments. "No, because I said so" doesn't quite cut it in the outside world.
I am passionate and political. I am very clear on my stance on vaccinations (please get them!), circumcision (please don't!), use of the R-word (please don't!), and basically always fighting for equality when it comes to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, disabilities/abilities, and neurodiversity. I could probably add more, but you get my drift. That's a lot of causes to be involved in.
I do my best to engage in meaningful dialogue and call people out when I can, but I am not a tireless advocate. There are also still times where I do not feel like I have enough privilege to speak up. There are times where I don't have the words to speak up, and there are still other times where I am simply too emotional to speak up effectively. I'm not even going to detail those situations because they are honestly too disturbing for me to want to relive and not useful here anyway.
I suppose I can be hard on myself for not doing more, but it's also ok to ask for help and let some others who are stronger carry the burden sometimes. I have hope that the world won't always be this way - by that I don't mean we will never need advocates (though that would be lovely), but that we can get to a place where I feel like I have more power than I do now. That is my simple wish.
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