Thread by @RichDecibels

#AskingAutistics: is the 'uncanny valley' a useful metaphor for how autistic / neurodivergent people interact with social norms?

/thread

Context:

1. I'm not formally diagnosed, but score high on ASD tests. (I'm new to autism, not an expert.)

2. My livelihood is derived from my expertise in understanding how groups work.

3. My natural way of being tends to 'rub people the wrong way': they find me disagreeable, grumpy, difficult, demanding, frustrating, triggering, etc.

Most of the people who know me think I am agreeable, kind, relaxed, flexible, compassionate, etc because...

4. I have learned how to perform in ways that balance my authentic self expression with my desire to be accepted into groups. (Autistic people call this performance 'masking'. It's a lot of work. I mostly find it intensely fun, but I think I'm a rare case.)

So: the uncanny valley is the idea that as dolls/robots/simulated humans get more lifelike, they get more (not less) repulsive to humans. i.e. being 'almost human' is more eerie than being obviously fake. A 90% accurate simulation is creepy af.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_v…

So I'm wondering if

1. it is common for autistic people to be highly perceptive of social norms, like I am; and

2. neurotypical (NT) people find us 'uncanny' because we are operating these norms in conscious awareness, whereas NT people sync up with these norms unconsciously.

[I'm specifically #AskingAutistics here. If you're not autistic or neurodivergent I welcome your input, but please disclose your ignorance. 🏋🏽‍♀️]

For example: it would be extremely uncool if you went to your high school and handed out flyers explaining the ten steps to be cool.

PS if you think this is a cool idea, maybe you're autistic buddy 😁