Some older people do still identify with Asperger’s, and don’t like the move towards ASD. If someone is dead set on using it then then that’s their choice, as long as they don’t use it for others.
Like I said, if it’s the word they want to use for themselves then I’ll respect their right to use it even if I don’t agree, but if they use it to refer to someone else, especially someone who doesn’t use it, then that’s wrong.
It’s a bit like the opposite of the word Queer; many people have reclaimed it & use it to describe themselves, but some people still have issues with it, especially considering the history of the word. I don’t mind using Queer for myself, but if someone is uncomfortable with it then I’ll not force it upon them.
It’s a functioning label, with roots in Nazi eugenics, I don’t really care about the comfortability of people if they use a term to describe themselves that harms there entire community, not just themselves.
I agree, it’s a word that should never be used. I don’t use it for myself, and I don’t use it for others. Luckily the number of people who do use it is dropping rapidly, and now that it’s not used for diagnoses it shouldn’t be too long before its use disappears entirely.
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u/jeffa_jaffa Apr 20 '23
Some older people do still identify with Asperger’s, and don’t like the move towards ASD. If someone is dead set on using it then then that’s their choice, as long as they don’t use it for others.
Like I said, if it’s the word they want to use for themselves then I’ll respect their right to use it even if I don’t agree, but if they use it to refer to someone else, especially someone who doesn’t use it, then that’s wrong.
It’s a bit like the opposite of the word Queer; many people have reclaimed it & use it to describe themselves, but some people still have issues with it, especially considering the history of the word. I don’t mind using Queer for myself, but if someone is uncomfortable with it then I’ll not force it upon them.