#asperger was a nazi

[clownrecess]

What are your objections to the term "aspie"? When I first encountered the term, it sounded like it might be a slur because of the diminutive "-ie". When I looked for an answer though, all of the articles said is was a neutral/descriptive term, meant to distance the condition from Asperger.

(TW FOR ABLEISM, EUGENICS/MURDER, NAZIS, THE TERM ASPERGERS)

The reason I am upset my the word aspie is because is it related to aspergers.

"Aspergers syndrome" is not a different condition, it is just autism. More specifically, it is a term made by Hans Asperger (a nazi) to describe the "type" of autistics he thought were deserving of life. All the others were killed.

[apparentlyautisticandanxious]

Dr. Asperger literally spent his time deciding which autistic kids got to live based on whether they could be useful to society. Those that he deemed useless were either used for medical experiments to sent to death camps. Don’t be like Dr. Asperger. That’s some Nazi shit.

"Actually some autistic people make really important contributions to society-" Sure, but many don't, and you really shouldn't have to earn or justify your existence to be considered a person worthy of life.

[gay-jesus-probably]

This is your regular reminder that Asperger's is not a real diagnosis, as it was removed from the DSM a decade ago, because it had only ever meant "autism but with the Good symptoms", and those standards were always vague and poorly defined. Because Dr. Asperger was a Nazi whose job was to murder autistic children, and the diagnosis of Asperger's literally began as just the kids whose autism presented in a way that Dr. Asperger found tolerable enough to not murder them. The whole concept of Asperger's is literally rooted in some autistic people being considered 'better' than other autistic people for having the 'correct' symptoms, with the implication that anyone who doesn't display only those symptoms doesn't deserve respect or basic human decency.

Again, cannot stress this enough, the entire concept of Asperger's is literally a nazi thing, to justify the murder of autistic children. It's just autism. Just fucking call it autism. I'm sorry if you were diagnosed with Asperger's over a decade ago, but that specific diagnosis literally just means "Autistic but in a way that wouldn't get me murdered by nazi's", and that is not something to brag about (and if you were diagnosed with Asperger's after 2013, then your doctor either wasn't familiar with the DSM V, or was just very ableist). It's a shitty diagnosis invented by a shitty person for shitty reasons, which is why it is no longer in use.

It's just autism. Just call it autism.

[neuroticboyfriend]

i really feel like it should not be controversial that naming yourself after a fucking nazi is wrong? like you do realize that's what you're doing when you call yourself and aspie or say you have Asperger's Syndrome?? Hans Asperger was a real person who supported real genocide against millions of real people. why the fuck would you ever want to be associated with that? i feel like this alone would be enough not to use the term, let alone all the ableism and eugenics associated with it??

[crazycatsiren]

I'm out of patience at this point.

"Aspies" fuck off challenge.

[clownrecess]

Seriously.

I have seen too many autistic people (who have LSN) purposefully user the term "aspie", or "aspergers", as well as completely dismiss HSN people because they want to be separate from us.

You can help us advocate for ourselves, but do NOT dismiss us, do not try to act like you are better than us, and do not speak over/for us.

“we don’t have to listen to high support needs autistic people because they can’t voice their opinions, the greater autism community can advocate for them” holy shit do y’all not see how much you sound like an autism mom.

[sophieinwonderland]

if you agree with the statement "even if endogenic was a word used by ableist scientists in the 50s doesnt mean endogenic systems should stop calling themselves that because of ableist scientists in the 50s", then you agree that it is morally okay to use the term "Asperger's", correct? the nazi term used to separate "good" autistics from "bad" autistics to aid in the killing of "bad" autistics? the term that actively separates and harms the autistic community? because endogenic is the same thing. this is the exact same situation, a term created and used by harmful people that is for some reason, still being being used.

please try to actually read what I'm saying instead of blowing me off, thank you. its a common trend for you to badly misinterpret what someone else is saying and create your own meaning

this is the exact same situation

Is it? Is it really?

In truth, I'm not overly educated on the history of Asperger's and am reading some conflicting accounts of the history of Hans Asperger, so I'm just going to take the details you provided at face value.

Neither "endogenic" nor "endogenous" were made by bad people. These words already existed before Freud used them. He didn't coin them.

These are basic words with a Greek etymology. "Endo" means inside or within. "Genous" means originating.

In contrast, Asperger is a person's name. The name of a Nazi or Nazi aligned individual according to this account. Who was associated with the deaths of disabled people.

Aspurger's is a specific word that only applies to this one disorder. It doesn't have any existence or meaning outside of that.

Endogenic and endogenous have a long history with broad uses in a huge variety of contexts. Both within and outside of psychology and psychiatry.

Now, despite saying I was going to take this at face value because I am still learning. I will say that from what research I've done, it at least doesn't look Asperger's Syndrome was actually a "Nazi term." It wasn't coined until 1976 by Lorna Wing.

From what I've gathered... the term Hans Asperger actually used for his syndrome in the beginning... was autism. (Well, more specifically, it was "autistic psychopathy.")

And that would probably be a closer comparison. A word with a complex history including some ableist uses along the way. But one that most reasonable people wouldn't consider ableist.

Which brings me to the question... do you feel autism should be retired as well due to the fact that this is what Hans Asperger originally called his disorder?

I feel you should by your logic.

...

...

In any case, there's one last point I want to make on this.

You know Freud was of Jewish descent, right? And that many of his works were destroyed by Nazis who hated the field of psychoanalysis that he founded? (In fact, Hans Asperger himself was an opponent of psychoanalysis as well.)

There's something that really rubs me the wrong way when the comparison you're making is between a word that you claim was coined by Nazis who used it to kill disabled people, and one that's being associated with a man of Jewish heritage who was victimized and persecuted by the Nazi regime.

I don't think this is intentional. I don’t think you woke up this morning and decided "you know what? I'm going to equate a German Jew who suffered under Nazi rule to his Nazi-aligned opponent."

But I do wish you would strive for greater awareness before falling on Nazi comparisons in syscourse.

[schizopositivity]

Hey, I'm Curious

Is there a way that being schizophrenic, having Asperger and having anxiety could be related to...ehh... Idolizing...H*tler??

No. Antisemitism, or any other bigotry is not a part of any of these mental illnesses or any mental illness at all. And you cannot divorce idolizing Hitler from what he believed and perpetuated. Idolizing Hitler is a personal belief that someone would have, and that's something they should work through, or get help working through.

Yes things like schizophrenia could possibly make someone more susceptible to conspiracy theories that could lead down a rabbit hole that turns out to antisemitic (no statistics specifically on this but it's possible, just like it's possible for someone who isn't mentally ill). But that's different than fully idolizing a leader of a genocide. And connecting such an atrocious glorification to mental illness only damages other mentally ill people further.

Also Asperger's is an outdated and pretty offensive term to use. Dr. Hans Asperger (the man who coined the term) was affiliated with the Nazi party, and sent many disabled children to hospitals where they would be euthanized. Also a lot of people on the autism spectrum don't like how it tries to differentiate people with ASD based on certain functionality and lack of intellectual disability. And how that has led to many people thinking people with Asperger's are "better" or "smarter" than other autistic people. It's not my place to say since I am not autistic, but I think many people would tell you to just say "I am on the autism spectrum" instead since that is the most current and accurate term.

I don't know if this question is coming from a genuine concern for yourself or someone else, or you're just trying to make connections here for some reason. Either way I just wanna say that as someone whose family was affected greatly by the Holocaust, and who wouldn't be alive today if my family hadn't fled the country and luckily survived, I personally cannot condone idolizing Hitler or trying to justify it in any way.

[adhd-fandom-and-gay]

OH ALSO NOT SURE IF I MENTIONED THIS YET

But I got diagnosed with the 'tism a few weeks ago

And ocd

And I told my friends and they were like 'yeah we sorta knew. Thought that was a given' and I'm like HUH. YALL KNEW BEFORE I DID

And my guardian was like 'oh that makes sense' when my doctor told her and my partner (who I love love loveeeeee so much btw) said that they thought that I already knew I was autistic because they were also autistic and was telepathically pulled towards me

AND MY MIND IS REELING and I look like this now

[ethicallysaucedlibraryfaggot]

I honestly don’t know where the leap of logic is from “the writers of your favourite show are being paid fuck all for their efforts while ceos are raking in millions and billions.” To “fuck these privileged writers, they all sucks and should lose” all the while maintaining that you believe in a meritocracy… Writers asking for a bare minimum living wage for their work is them asking for their merit to be reflected in their pay…

Yes Hollywood needs to fundamentally change but taking out frustration on workers who need multiple jobs to survive and can’t afford healthcare is not the hot take you think it is.

Am I Supposed To Feel Bad For These Other Morons?

You know what, let them strike. I want both sides to loose. 

I want Hollywood to lose. 

I want these untalented, selfish entitled ‘writers’ to lose. They will soon finally learn that the world runs on meritocracy. NOT ON PRIVILEGE. 

[changecomesforyou]

Hans Asperger if you weren't already dead i'd kill you all over again

[clownrecess]

hey! im sorry if this is a weird ask and you absolutely don't need to answer it if you don't want, but i had a question. in your dni, there's a thing about 'people who use the term "aspie"', and i was wondering why? is there history behind that word i don't know about? (for context, me and my mother are both autistic, and she uses the word pretty freely to refer to herself, so i guess i knda just assumed it was normal lol). anyway, thanks. here's the best frog i could find on such short notice for the trouble. i hope you have a good day!

(TW FOR DISCUSSIONS OF MURDER, NAZIS, ABLEISM, ETC.)

Yes, there is a reason! But first, thank you for the frog!! ^^

"Aspie" is of course derived from the term "aspergers", and that is where the trouble comes in.

Aspergers used to be a medical diagnosis for "high functioning" (ew, functioning labels) autism. The term was coined by Hanz Asperger, who, was a nazi. The autistics he would diagnose with "Aspergers syndrome" were the ones he believed could be useful to him, all the others were killed.

For this reason, aspergers is no longer a diagnosis, it's all just under ASD.

People who use the term aspie or aspergers make me really uncomfortable for all those reasons. Along with the fact that then because of that, "aspie supremacists" became a thing, which is a whole other conversation.

[scorpius-rising]

Was going to do a big response to the person who wrote this, but I checked and they're a terf, so kinda glad I can just block and move on

[harry-the-pearce]

Ok we have a situation. Earlier today, I saw several Instagram posts about being autistic and hunting “sentient gnomes.”

And they all used the phrase “millions wear the hats” a blatant nazi dogwhistle. This means that “gnomes” definitely refers to Jewish people.

I believe nazis are trying to co-opt autistic humor to recruit autistic people. Luckily, it seems most of the comments are well aware of the dogwhistle and aren’t falling for it. If you see these posts, on Instagram or elsewhere, report them immediately.

[smindersonfan]

please do not refer to autistic characters or people as “aspies.” the term asperger’s was named after a nazi scientist and is often used to refer to people who have “lesser autism,” which is ableist and untrue as it is a spectrum. if you must call yourself an aspie, that’s your call. but using it so freely when it has direct ties to ableism and antisemitism in 2024 is alarming and disturbing.

What do I call myself and others then, Anon? My Asperger's diagnosis and the term Aspie is all I've ever known since I learned of my diagnosis at 16 and later found out the term Aspie as a nickname for people like myself in 2013, and I can't just switch to either a high performing Autistic or general Autistic because it's too broad! I still see the Autism spectrum as a bar scale like the color spectrum. So what do I call myself and others? Because if I can't use that term or properly name my diagnosis, I lose myself and I also feel like I lose a sense of community.

[chaossmagic]

Don't tell my supervisor I used Wikipedia to find the references for Hans Asperger's and Leo Kanner's initial papers on autism from the 1940s.