Not terribly original, but clearly and lucidly stated

[ihcoyc]

Hypothesis: On the Internet, the Autism Spectrum Runs Backwards from bradhicks.

Comments

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

We can see where he's getting it. (We like Brad; his "Christians in the Hands of an Angry God" is a keeper, as is "How Wicca Lies.")

However, the concept that "text has no tone" is one which has always given us pains in the spleen. It absolves the writer of responsibility for her or his writings in exactly the same manner by which trolls rationalise their productions; "It's just words on a screen, what are you so upset about?"

For example, if you say that President Obama "explained", "described", or "spoke about" the need for U.S. caution regarding the situation in Iran, that's a lot different from if you say he "whined" or "dithered" about it. The latter clearly indicates that you think he should do something, that you see his lack of action as wrong. Journalists are very well acquainted with how text damn well does have tone, as are playground victims who have been taught to respond to bullies with that bogus "sticks and stones" incantation.

Read what sunfell says in the comments; it applies to autistics as well as non-autistics. We have seen writings by online autistics (or, at least, persons who describe themselves as autistic) who justify provocative, griefer, or troll behavior with the rubric "text has no tone, read what I actually said, not what you're reading into it." This is inexcusable, no matter what one's neurological configuration.

What the internet does give to autistics is a controlled environment; a chance to take in and process information at a comfortable rate, fast or slow, or save things for later, have sound and images off or on, etc. Some autistic people (sethrenn, for example) still have difficulty using computers unless they wear Irlens or have an Irlen covering the viewscreen. Not all autistics are into programming, know or care about how the computer actually works, although Paul Collins makes the best case we have seen so far for autistics having invented the concepts that evolved into personal computers.