How much of the mainstreaming of political extremism is due to autism? -

[jorgoth]

According to the CDC, autism rates have virtually tripled from 2000-2016. Here's an article written by a self-described autistic man-feminist bragging about how feminism might result from autism, and of course there's the classic joke that the alt-right is a form of weaponized autism. Also, most of what you read on the Internet is written by insane people.

A lot of the typical markers of political extremism, the inability to fit in, the obsession with rules and simple explanations, the emotionality, are also markers of autism. Of course the really severe autists probably aren't going to be engaging in political activism of any kind, but people on the "higher functioning" end of the spectrum would probably be attracted to radical politics.

 

[Gentleman Gamer]

Autistic people are more gullible and are likely to take shit super seriously, so yeah it checks out they'd fall into that kinda crap, but I don't exactly think it has anything to do with why political extremism is apparently becoming mainstream.

 

[Disc]

I think it's less any mental illness or whatever directly, and more the media etc. relying on certain websites that normal people use minimally but weirdos and losers cluster to.

 

[Dyn]

Nah it's just way easier to tweet your bullshit opinions than to write letters to a newspaper editor like a boomer.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

Nah it's just way easier to tweet your bullshit opinions than to write letters to a newspaper editor like a boomer.

I agree, but autistic people do tend to get caught up in the ANTIFA/SJW shit way too much. I bet a lot of them actually believe there's concentration camps for troons.

 

[Dom Cruise]

I wouldn't pin the blame on just autism, I think mental illness in general is why politics have gotten so out there.

Crazy spreads on the internet, look at people obsessed with "gang stalking" or flat Earthers.

 

[Weppers]

I think the real question about autism and political extremism is, was there significant influence from autists who had technical jobs at these social media companies 10-15 years ago and then started power tripping when their companies reached the level of a monopoly?

 

[Dick Pooman]

I think if anything, it's shown us how many wacked-out people with personality disorders there are out there. When I see those videos of women in their cars screaming and crying into the camera, I really don't get the sense that they're autistic, rather very mentally unwell people.

 

[Kosher Dill]

Autism itself isn't the main factor here. Rather, it's the hollowing out of the media ecosystem. Once social media took over, a number of factors ensured that the only viable business model was industrial-scale production of clickbait at subminimum wage. And the only people willing to work in those conditions are weirdos, fanatics, failures, and yes - autists.

 

[Michael Jacks0n]

Autism diagnoses have been on the rise in recent years, not due to some retarded disease, vaccines, or chemicals in the water...but rather it's because we have a better understanding of the autism spectrum. 50 years ago, someone who would have been autistic wouldn't have been diagnosed as having autism: instead, he'd just be brushed off as being awkward and stupid, and his parents most likely smacked him upside the head for being a jackass. Nowadays a kid acts weird in Kindergarten (as most kids do), and the doctors diagnose them with a myriad of syndromes ranging from Asperger's, gender dysphoria, ADD, Beatlemania, Pac-man Fever, etc. etc.

 

[crocodilian]

How much correlation equals causation?

I get the impression this thread is a glorified "if you care about politics you are autistic (unlike me, who is enlightened because I don't)"-style shitpost.

On the off-chance it isn't: increased interest in politics is due to many factors, chief among them being increased access to an ever-growing swamp of information (both good and bad) via the internet. It's easier than ever to look up studies, federal documents and other factoids that encourage interest in how the world works, all while places like Twitter allow you to harp on about them to an audience (as well as receive feedback and read other users' harping.) The internet has showcased what individual people would do if given access to the mythical Library of Alexandria: bitch and moan, often times for no good reason.

There is no "ideal human" who completely lacks any mental hang-ups. Kiwifarms of all places should be familiar with how any eccentricity whatsoever may be put under a microscope, blown out of proportion and declared autism (or whatever the latest disparaging internet buzzword for an idiosyncratic imbecile is.) The internet allows everyone to willingly put themselves under that microscope, showcase their best or worst elements and submit to that sort of )usually negative) judgment. Some of them even enjoy it.

Combine those two elements, subject them to a horribly incompetent and corrupt media complex that focuses on sensationalism over informing people, and you have your explanation.

 

[NerdShamer]

Why ask this question when we have thread after thread of autists braying their political opinions?


I have to deal with a Malaysian who thinks that Trump and Putin will kiclstart WW3, among other things.

 

[DrearyDoomguy]

Nah it's just way easier to tweet your bullshit opinions than to write letters to a newspaper editor like a boomer.

Little bit of column A, little bit of column B.

 

[Orion Balls]

All of it is caused by autism. Look at A&H.

 

[Bland Crumbs]

Stop trying to attribute stupidity to mental illness.

 

[A Pox]

It's more that our society has shattered and there's no mortar holding together the masses.

You may have thought Bob down the street was dumbass but you knew he was a decent guy because him and his dumbass family would interact with you at some community function. You may have razzed Bob about his dumbass ideas but, at the end of the day, his dumbass ideas had no effect on your life. When shit hit the fan, you could put aside your differences and pull together for a greater good.

Now you never interact with your neighbors, Bob thinks you are morally evil for disagreeing with him and that it's right & just to burn down your business because you have a Blue Lives Matter sign in your window.

There's two separate realities and everything is political. Everybody has to inject their poz into every situation.

The more the unsuccessful mong masses lash out, the more radicalized the every day person becomes.

 

[Pointless Pedant]

Pretty much nothing. CNN accusing bad orange man of being a Nazi Russian spy and idiots believing that has nothing to do with autism. "Autism" is just an internet slang word for the general stupidity and insanity of mankind, but it's not an at all accurate one. Autistics are 1-2% of the population, and over half are clinically retarded like Chris, so they can't really impact anything much. I'd be surprised if there were any autistics in Congress, even weirdos like AOC.

There are probably a load of other mental disorders going around in Congress, though, especially dementia with the older ones.

 

[LinkinParkxNaruto[AMV]]

Most normal non assburguer people in their day to day have very sensible and pragmatic concerns and really don't give a shit about semantics or abstract ideals that don´t directly affect their life in a practical way. People neck deep in ideology have to be fucking autistic, most of the time they are fighting rethorical ghosts and invisible shit in their minds more than they are affecting tangible change in their world.

It takes a very exceptional individual to A-log a corny john lennon song or make a protest about microagrassions and ableism, so much of ideology is just spergery about shit that doesn't improve anyone's lives but it probably makes a lot of sense to you if you are immerse in the political lore , rethoric and propaganda of your faction. Is very much like getting worked up about Sonic´s arm colour or following every step on a brave autistic boy´s life on a gossip forum, and when you let autist run shit and govern based on ideology autism alone, oh boy...

 

[Pointless Pedant]

Most normal non assburguer people in their day to day have very sensible and pragmatic concerns and really don't give a shit about semantics or abstract ideals that don´t directly affect their life in a practical way. People neck deep in ideology have to be fucking autistic, most of the time they are fighting rethorical ghosts and invisible shit in their minds more than they are affecting tangible change in their world.

It takes a very exceptional individual to A-log a corny john lennon song or make a protest about microagrassions and ableism, so much of ideology is just spergery about shit that doesn't improve anyone's lives but it probably makes a lot of sense to you if you are immerse in the political lore , rethoric and propaganda of your faction. Is very much like getting worked up about Sonic´s arm colour or following every step on a brave autistic boy´s life on a gossip forum, and when you let autist run shit and govern based on ideology autism alone, oh boy...

A-logging John Lennon I agree, but millions of otherwise normal people turned to fascism and communism in the 20th century because they thought those ideologies would make their lives better. The USSR didn't rise because of autism. Lenin and Trotsky were socially confident public speakers.

 

[LinkinParkxNaruto[AMV]]

A-logging John Lennon I agree, but millions of otherwise normal people turned to fascism and communism in the 20th century because they thought those ideologies would make their lives better. The USSR didn't rise because of autism. Lenin and Trotsky were socially confident public speakers.

But how many of those people are truly radical zealots? Totalitarian governments usually have a really hard base minority thats fanatic and commited to the end then most people are just normal randos even in they are pro the ruling ideology. I am sure most americans who voted for one side or the other are not bluehaired sjws or inbred white nationalists but the internet does have anough autists extreme enough about it to fit every stereotype box as most muslims are not jihadist martyrs and most nazi or commie citizens are probably thinking about inflation or their own family circle´s well being more than ideological or philosophical issues that the pundits and extremist are worrying about