Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
theguardian.com
Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
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Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#2Her Nanette special - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aE29fiatQ0
Nanette 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWJhMnYv6Mg
Can Nanette 3 be about autism?
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#3I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum. I have no problem sharing that detail of my life as I sit in front of a computer for more than 8 hours most days and would identify as introverted and eccentric in my own ways.
What I found interesting is that as I experimented with lowering my screen time and doing more analog activities, my symptoms that had me believing I was on the spectrum started to disappear.
I became more extroverted. I regained my attention towards a single task. I no longer exploded with anger or frustration when I was overwhelmed. I even started to accomplish things I never thought I would and see side projects to completion.
At a certain point, I said enough is enough with regards to coping and dedicated each new day to working on these challenges. I don't think I'm the same person I previously identified as. I mean that in a good way.
The article mentions this a bit later:
> Most people who struggle to find stable employment also contend with things like intergenerational poverty and/or trauma, cycles of abuse, mental illness, systemic discrimination, disability or neurological disorders. Not only are these all chronically stressful and traumatic circumstances, they have all been linked to a high incidence of impaired executive function.
I would agree here. As I started to face my childhood/generational trauma, mental illnesses, and other regular things you question as you approach 30, I started to find much more peace with everything. On-top of that, I started to find what I'm passionate for and continue to work towards that each day.
I think everyone has their own journey to go through, but I do believe it's possible to change drastically as an individual.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#4> "It is a basic human right to have average abilities."
I really like that quote from her on multiple dimensions.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#5Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains.
I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles she enumerates are common: most of us have crises of identity or meaning, many of us feel intense insecurity, cut off and isolated from others. This isn't to minimize her suffering, it's to say that suffering is normal.
I have a strong objection to people who freely talk about negative experiences. Some of the people I respect the most have had extremely negatives experiences but mention them only with great reluctance. There's something about that that seems right. Columns like this debase the currency: by exalting empathy and understanding as the highest values, they devalue them.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#6Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains. I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles…
you're fairly judgmental, you think there's a way people should be, and other ways people should not be. this is exactly the type of attitude that exacerbates the alienation autistics already feel.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#7Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains. I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles…
I think autism has become the IBS of neurodiversity, and will be retired someday just as the diagnosis of “hysteria” was retired as a catch all for women’s issues a century ago.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#8Not a fan of how she's focusing her career on grievances and opening up on her grudges. Doesn't lead anywhere.
She's got talent to do more interesting things than complaining about the same over and over, in a dead end road.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#9Autism has become a catch-all for "people who are weird". "Neurotypical" is the vaguely condescending opposite. Notice the sneer when she refers to "neurotypical 'experts'". The basic idea is that people who are weird are a subjugated minority, oppressed by people with boring, normal brains. I don't doubt that Hannah Gadsby is weird but I think life is hard for everyone, including normal people. I think the struggles…
you're fairly judgmental, you think there's a way people should be, and other ways people should not be. this is exactly the type of attitude that exacerbates the alienation autistics already feel.
Autism is not an emotional cycle, it's not a circumstantial state
it's a disorder determined by genetics.
Either you got the genes, or you don't. Pretty binary.
Re: Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis
#10I have spent majority of my adult life operating under the idea that I'm on the spectrum. I have no problem sharing that detail of my life as I sit in front of a computer for more than 8 hours most days and would identify as introverted and eccentric in my own ways. What I found interesting is that as I experimented with lowering my screen time and doing more analog activities, my symptoms that had me believing I was…
Really interesting to hear about the link between the things you were spending time on and thr person you were. We forgot how much the things we do affect who we are.
It makes me think of the idea in that book the shallows: Where every tech advancement also removes a skill or connection.
Writing meant we lost our oral tradition and the social bonds that came with it; Maps made us better at navigating but we lost touch with the spaces we were in; The clock gave our days structure but we stop depending on our bodies to tell us when we were hungry or tired.
I do wonder how many subtle things we are giving up for the privilege of using computers and participating in a global digital culture.
Thanks so much for sharing it was insightful.