Say No to Status Quo

For those of you who aren’t from the uk, the national referendum held yesterday has shown that the british people have voted (at 51.9% to 48.9%) to leave the european union. This was in large brought about by the old and poorly educated who blame immigrants for our problems, despite the net benefit they bring to our country, and the fact that many of these people will not have to live with the consequences of their decision for long

Less than a few hours have passed since the result was announced and already:

 our prime minister has resigned (though he was unpopular the people poised to replace him are far worse)

 the pound has fallen to levels not seen since 1985

 Nigel Farage (leader of the most prominent far right party in the uk and at the head of the leave campaign) has already started backing out of promises to voters by being unable to guarantee the money we’ll save from the EU will go to the NHS instead

the UK itself looks poised to break apart in the next few years with Scotland (and to a lesser extent northern ireland) having voted to remain in the EU which will likely prompt another scottish referendum in which they’re more likely to leave

the far right parties of other countries such as france and the netherlands are demanding their own referendums and europe is crumbling

Nigel Farage has claimed this our ‘independence day’ and called for a bank holiday, which is hugely insulting to all the countries who actually had to fight for independence from imperialist britain

Tim Farron (head of the liberal democrats) phrased it nicely "Young people voted to remain by a considerable margin, but were outvoted. They were voting for their future, yet it has been taken from them.“

Britain gave in to the racist and xenophobic rhetoric. And the consequences to the EU - and to the world at large - will be catastrophic.

I don’t care if you hate Hillary. I don’t care if you think Hillary killed your cat and stole your yogurt. I don’t care. You have to vote for her. You HAVE to vote for her. You cannot allow a megalomaniac racist piece of shit like Donald Trump become the President of the United States of America.

Do not give in to fear and hatred. Do not allow xenophobia and bigotry to run this nation. Do not. Do not. Do not.

Don’t ask us to stop if you catch us in doing a repetitive movement, whether that is flapping our hands, bouncing our legs, fidgeting with something, rocking back or forth or something else. It might seem weird and unnecessary to you, but it’s a natural part of autistic people’s body language that can help us focus, express ourselves and calm down.

If you want us to know something, tell us. Don’t expect us to get your hints. Many autistic people have trouble reading and comprehending facial expressions, body language and other non-verbal communication, so if there’s something you want us to remember or understand, tell us directly.

Don’t touch us without permission. It might just be a friendly, casual touch or hug, but many autistic people have trouble with sensory processing and touching can be stressing and painful. Don’t take it as an insult if we ask you to refrain from touching us.

Don’t expect us to have the same body language as most people. For example, don’t assume that we’re not listening because we’re not looking you in the eyes - eye contact is stressing, uncomfortable and painful to many autistic people. 

Remember that many autistic people experience and process sensory inputs differently than you might. We’re not overreacting or exaggerating - we just process the world differently from you. Don’t get offended if we ask you to turn off the music or if we leave the table to go do our work in a separate room. If we keep refusing to join your big parties, don’t assume that it’s because we don’t want to see you. Maybe suggest meeting up one on one somewhere quiet instead.

Don’t expect that we are capable of doing something because we usually are or because we once were. Some autistic people are capable of speaking sometimes and not other times. Some autistic people can sometimes enjoy a party but can’t manage eating dinner among other people at other times. 

Be prepared to make plans. Instead of just asking us whether we’d like to hang out sometime next Thursday, figure out when, where and for how long.