the term has become somewhat of a catch-all for behaviors that range from antisocial to just quirky. I do believe it is real and many people have it of course, but I question sometimes the eagerness with which people want to compartmentalize and… narrativize the things that are ”different” about them. I have always felt different from other people and often wondered as well if I was autistic, but now i feel that a label would not help me accept and understand myself more. Similarly to OCD, which could also apply to this post, sometimes it feels like people get so fixated with tying their identity to the label that they forget that the negative thought processes and behavior are meant to be overcome, not something they are chained with forever. Of course, with autism it’s not so much that it’s a disorder but that it’s a difference in the way that people interact with the world. I just wish that society was accepting of a wider range in people’s behaviors and dispositions, that everyone didn’t feel so much pressure to think and act like “normal people”. this is just a thought dump, I am interested to hear other opinions because I think there is a lot to be said about this from many different angles.