It is highly possible that there is just way more autism today. It seems largely related to the host auto-immune disease which is largely a modern problem.
I don’t think we really know yet the cause of autism. I believe it is mostly genetic.
Like many things over the last forty years the medical field has gotten much better at diagnosing it.
Up until about 1980, the eccentric uncle was just that. “Oh he’s the odd one in the family, a bit eccentric and a loner”. It wasn’t discussed past that because he didn’t fit into “Normal”.
I also don’t think autism is something to be “cured”. And it’s a spectrum because the severity/disadvantages/advantages vary so widely.
Lack of quality food may contribute, similar to how there is some corrrelation between ADD/ADHD and food.
That said, many on social media claim “autism” when they clearly don’t have it and are seeking attention. That is detrimental to actual autistic people as it cheapens the issue and then even medical professionals don’t take it seriously if one can function as an autistic human.
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Wait, people seriously do that? (Damn must not have a life)
If anything I just see people call each other autistic as an insult on social media.
To pinpoint direct or exact cause is pretty difficult because it involves sensory inputs and perception, along with neurological/structural ambiguities in the developing brain.
That being said, a lot more is known about it and how it manifests now.
I’m like, mildly aspy. I was examined as a kid, about 42 years ago. I took a bunch of tests and ultimately the results were "Well, he’s not retarded. 
".
There was a very bullheaded social attitude about psychology and psychiatry at the time that wasn’t really focused on finding answers. It was more about making “problems” go away.
Being not retarded wasn’t very helpful for guiding any theraputic interventions, so it was just kind of looked at as a behavioral problem.
Basic punishments did not help.
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Yeah, They do unfortunately. It’s because on social media you need some sort of hook or schtick to stand out.
Claiming autism is one of those ones that very few will challenge out of fear of being called ableist or whatever other -ist
This is similar as to why transgenderism (I use this term to describe the social contagion, not actual trans people. I believe both exist. I actually hate the term because it sounds like a religion or something but can’t come up with anything better at the moment) is so present on social media. It’s a hook for those that need/crave attention that cannot be challenged (since one will be called transphobic if you do).
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Yeah…i have cousin’s believe that its the volume of vaccines that are given to babies and toddlers nowadays…don’t know if i believe that or not
back when i was vaccinated, it was only a few shots compared to now
Also had people say its all the processed food…not sure i believe that one either as processed food has been for about 100 years
some say its the chem trails in the sky or the pesticides
all just theories
For some context, that was a Halloween party outfit rather than a normal day-to-day outfit. Most of the time when I dress up and do makeup like this publicly, it’s for some sort of party/occasion (this is just as much of a factor of it being inconvenient to do as it being bizarre behavior, though). So in terms of messaging, the overt sexuality of the outfit was pretty much by design, as with many Halloween costumes. I feel confident in it, and (at least I think) I look good. There’s plenty of outfits I’ve worn where sexuality isn’t the main motivation (often times, it just makes good loungewear - thigh-high socks are shockingly comfortable) but I figured those would make for a much less provocative post.
Dressing like this is something I’ve started doing within the past year. The majority of the time I do so is actually spent alone, so I don’t think attention is the only motive. I can’t tell you what exactly compelled me to start, though, other than thinking it looked like something new/fun to try. I’ve never experienced gender dysphoria, and have no issues with being male.
In spite of that, I’ll be the first to admit that attention is fun. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that being a goal in and of itself (obviously, doing some unconscionable things in the name of attention is still wrong. I just don’t think the motivation itself is immoral). People around campus (I go to the University of Alabama - full ride scholarship which also gets me into a T-25 law school and pays for most of that, so life-wise I’m doing pretty well for myself) recognize me, ask to take photos with me, I’ve made it onto local news, etc. I particularly enjoy the whole dichotomy of doing this while being a relatively masculine person - I walk around at about 5’9” 190, have achieved some half-decent lifts (none of which would be all that impressive to you given your training history) and tend to be a relatively assertive, direct, protective person.
In terms of your third question, gender isn’t one of the main things I consider when choosing clothes. Comfort is, formality is, convenience is, and in contexts where I’m looking for it, attention (or the lack thereof) is. Some of these things, by proxy, end up involving the gender of the clothes (any sort of cross-dressing is pretty much informal by default). I’m obviously not going to turn up to a job interview like this. >95% of the time, I dress completely normally. Band shirts, shorts, chinos, collared shirts, blah blah blah.
I’ve seen you talk quite a bit about societal and cultural implications of sexuality and the gender zeitgeist, and frankly, don’t know enough to make much of a point there. Suffice it to say that’s it’s not an encouraging factor in and of itself - I’m not seeking to make a cultural/political statement with my clothes.
I didn’t really go through your points one-by-one there, but I think I touched on them all. And I appreciate the seriousness.
I’m very happy with who I am and introspect quite a bit. I have a good circle of friends who I feel as if I can depend upon, good relationships with most of my family (I’m the oldest of five and see this as one of the most formative experiences of my life,) am succeeding overwhelmingly in the education/career department (again - $200,000 scholarship with a fast-tracked route into a T-25 law school, where my tuition will also be covered, and I have a student and a summer job). I have several mentally (literature, piano, etc.) and physically (lifting, wrestling, etc.) fulfilling hobbies. More of a philosophy fan than a religion one, so I’ll give you that, but I find history very interesting to study (was considering it or English as a minor, but ended up opting for ethics - two minors would leave me unable to finish undergrad in three years).
And come on, queer people with daddy issues is such a tired cliché at this point. Frankly, the assumptions that you’re making about me here are unwarranted, mostly incorrect, and generally obnoxious. I could just as easily say that someone willing to let his choices be defined by society’s arbitrary labels for something as simple as gendered clothes is scared to express himself and doomed to a life of over-conformity.
I don’t think that enjoying dressing like this - even if attention makes up a chunk of the motivation - is mutually exclusive with being a self-actualized person.
Thanks!
Honestly, if a potential employer digs 200+ comments deep into an argument about trans people and cross-dressing on a subforum of a niche fitness website, on an account that isn’t even tied to my full name, I think I just give up at that point lol. But to be frank, that particular picture of me is already on my (private account Instagram) socials. I like how I look in it.
Do you want to see one?
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And I would ask, how do you know their parents never used?
I should add that everything gets labeled autism or on the spectrum these days. So even if technically these kids aren’t autistic, they are still affected cognitively and behaviorally.
Those things are all kind of amusing in light of having to look past the simple fact that some people are just born that way.
Like, occams razor has nothing on peoples ability to deny some very simple facts of life when it comes to the state of ones existence.
Why can’t Peg just have a wonky leg?
Relative to what? I don’t want to sound like a jerk but if you’re happy and not hurting anyone, good for you, however, nothing you’ve said about yourself sounds masculine. Then again, you’re barely an adult so you’ve yet needed to be a man.
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I think people just look for conspiracy theories because they are against something…these same cousins believe the world is flat and we are in a glass dome and the moon landing was fake
also because it seems to be more prevalent nowadays…and that could be due to technology and the ability to determine whether its autism or something else
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Define masculine.
That sort of starts to get into the weeds of “what is masculinity?” How would you define it?
I don’t really have much of a working definition because, evidently, I’ve never put much stock into considering things as masculine/feminine.
I’ll give an example comparing men and women, and yes, it is a generalization. A man will stand up to the crowd, a woman will stand up as part of the crowd.
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So doesn’t that make @creative_name masculine 
???
I have some inlaws that are very similar. May not be the same family tree but definitely from the same forest.
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What crowd is he standing up to? Besides, it’s 2023, it’s not that brave to dress like that especially on a college campus. It’s as if people forgot Boy George or going back further, David Bowie. Every teen boy who paints his nails thinks he is the first one to have done it.
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Kinda like wearing pants below their ass to show their underwear…its not new
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If it’s not so special or new to you, then why do you fear it?
You know what would take courage? A student who tells a male dressed like that he looks silly. Of course he would get kicked out of school because as much as the supposedly radical crowd says they don’t care what other people think, they would see to it the student was crucified.
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