Member-only story
Maybe it’s the Neurotypicals who are Bad Communicators
I have spent my entire life learning how to talk to you so are you SURE it’s not you?
I’m autistic. I did not suspect I was autistic until I was in my late twenties and I did not embrace it until later. But once I did, everything in my life made sense. I don’t really make sense as an autistic person because — as I say in all my personal statements for jobs — I am an excellent communicator. I give engaging talks, I can write persuasively, and I understand how to phrase complicated subjects so that non-experts understand. I would describe myself as an introverted person, but you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t know me.
I’m terrible at playacting, but I’m an excellent actress because my entire life, I’ve had to pretend I’m normal.
I went into Anthropology initially because I was hoping it would help me understand people. Because I just don’t. Not in the intuitive way I was given to understand that normal people understand each other. I have always been an alien. I have always been alien. Anthropology is literally the study of humans. I figured even if it didn’t mean to teach me about humans in general and meant instead to teach me about human culture, it would end up helping me to understand this species that I’m both part of and not.
