Rose Matthews Profile picture
Apr 1, 2022 13 tweets 6 min read Read on X
#Thread
Things I don’t find funny.
From a very late diagnosed #ActuallyAutistic perspective.
On April 1, in some parts of the world, deliberate mistruths will be told to try and fool people.
Here in the UK this has now become standard government policy.
#humour
#comedy
#jokes
1/
In Brazil April Fool’s Day is known as: ‘Dia da mentira’ (day of the lie).
How interesting that so many societies make fun of people for believing what they’re told, rather than for telling lies.
This ‘put down’ category of humour is pervasive and has never seemed funny to me.
2/
A crucial factor in determining if something is funny is unkindness.
Anything resembling bullying is deeply unfunny to me.
I even find self-deprecating humour distasteful.
“Where’s your sense of humour?” they say while dishing out demeaning banter.
Not here, that’s for sure.
3/
“I was only joking” is a standard get out clause used to justify being offensive.
Teasing, joking, banter… a lot of it goes on, and it’s hard to pin down.
Getting something done about it is difficult even when it’s racist, sexist, misogynistic, transphobic, hate-filled stuff.
4/
I’m old enough to remember ‘political correctness’ and how the political right wing ridiculed attempts to be inclusive.
What’s so funny about avoiding language or behavior that excludes, marginalises, or insults groups of people who are disadvantaged or discriminated against?
5/
The threat of ridicule was supposed to deter people from being principled.
Wokery is the contemporary version of this.
Anyone who takes a stand on justice and equality instead of supporting right wing policies is a target.
Humour is a cudgel used to bring people into line.
6/
It’s easier to resist if you’re relatively unbothered by what other people think of you.
This is the case for many #neurodivergent activists.
Our moral imperatives outweigh concerns about being popular or ‘fitting in’.
We’re used to being marginalised anyway, so bring it on.
7/
The kind of humour I find funny is where an underlying truth is exposed.
Something we secretly know to be true, but have pretended not to notice, is revealed.
The ridiculousness of the situation is laid bare for everyone to see.
It’s often irony, parody or satire I suppose.
8/
It’s also satisfying when the tables get turned.
Like when Greta Thunberg threw shade at Trump.
That was funny, and clever, and completely justified.
Passivity can be our worst enemy when humour is a thinly veiled disguise for deeply unpleasant #bullying and abusive behaviour.
9/
Take two very offensive ‘jokes’ which have been made in the last week.
It’s obvious ‘humour’ isn’t going to be funny when it’s prefaced with “I love you”.
And then there’s the supposed ‘joke’ #BorisJohnson made for cynical political reasons, just before #TransDayOfVisibility
10/
Which was just before #BorisJohnson made a u-turn on his previous u-turn, but in doing so decided NOT to include #trans people in the ban on #ConversionTherapy.
It’s extremely difficult to parody politics now that we are living in #TheThickOfIt.
#TransRightsAreHumanRights
11/
As a child I was always relieved when it got to 12 noon on April 1 and I could relax a bit instead of questioning everything.
But in these troubled times there’s no escape from lies because the government holds the truth and the public in contempt.
#AprilFoolsDay
#April1st
12/end
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More from @NortherlyRose

Apr 3
#Thread
#Autism awareness and acceptance really matter because stigma, prejudice, and lack of trauma informed, ‘experience sensitive’ approaches perpetuate structural inequalities and injustices.
In my locality #SocialCare needs of autistic adults come under the #MH service.
1/
I saw an unqualified Assistant Psychologist in the #CMHT after my #autism diagnosis.
I wanted help with the existential crisis of late autism diagnosis but ended up being gaslighted.
I realised what was going on and discharged myself after explained what iatrogenic harm meant.
2/
A few months ago a combination of factors (none of them to do with mental health) meant that I needed social care support.
Because I am #Autistic I was told that my assessment would be carried out by the MH team.
I was so traumatised by my last contact with them I declined.
3/
Read 13 tweets
Feb 18
#Thread
Adjusting to a very late in life #autism discovery.
How my life has changed 5+ years on.
Like many #Autistic people I had experienced repeated episodes of #burnout and #trauma.
By the time I reached my late 50s I was exhausted.
I had no energy to get going again.
1/
This quiet breakdown could easily have gone unnoticed or been explained by a number of other things.
I’d always been quirky and different, a highly sensitive, deeply empathic person.
My distress could have been attributed to a personality issue, or to anxiety
and depression.
2/
Through good fortune and serendipity I found my way to a service that helped me to start making sense of my life.
The process of acceptance, adjustment, and self-advocacy has continued since then.
It’s not enough for me to adapt, other people need to make accommodations too.
3/
Read 16 tweets
Jan 2
I feel blessed to have reached the age of 64 with much of my life still intact.
When everything began to unravel in my 50s it wasn’t clear why.
My career (which had been reasonably successful, if somewhat disjointed) got derailed.
My personal life started falling apart too.
1/
Without understanding why this was happening, it would have been impossible to remedy the situation.
I’d have carried on pulling at the loose threads until there was nothing left at all.
Discovering that I was #Autistic gave me the answers I needed to start to repair my life.
2/
What needed fixing wasn’t me, it was my living and working environments, and communication between me and other people.
Although I’d realised that interpretation and translation prevented misunderstandings, I hadn’t recognised my language and culture were distinctly Autistic.
3/
Read 7 tweets
Nov 16, 2022
I’m celebrating the 4th #autieversary #autiversary of getting my v late in life #autism diagnosis today.
Here’s a thread of some of the #threads I’ve written along the way, starting with my 1st anniversary when I wrote about my beloved dogs.
#ActuallyAutistic
#AutisticTwitter
1/
Nearly two years on from my #diagnosis I wrote about how much I had discovered about #autism and myself.
2/
On the second anniversary of my #autism diagnosis I wrote a thread about #bullying (not realising that it was my #autieversary at the time). It was very appropriate though, as bullying and abuse have had a huge impact on me, especially in adulthood.
#ActuallyAutistic
3/
Read 8 tweets
Oct 29, 2022
#Thread
Rebuilding a career after a late in life autism diagnosis.
Personal reflections of a very late discovered #ActuallyAutistic person, 4 years on.
1/
Burnout was a factor in me finally finding out I was autistic.
I’d become overwhelmed and exhausted.
I’d drifted to a halt, and then couldn’t get going again.
I was overloaded by being bullied at work, being in perimenopause, unresolved trauma and my partner’s serious illness.
2/
A demanding new job immediately after my diagnosis didn’t kickstart recovery from burnout like it would have done previously.
What the psychologist had told me about taking ‘baby steps’ was true, even though I didn’t want it to be.
I finally realised I couldn’t afford not to.
3/
Read 23 tweets
Oct 14, 2022
#Thread
Why it’s sometimes difficult to know how unwell I am.
A personal autistic perspective.
I’ve been feeling rotten since Sunday, with some kind of respiratory illness.
After 3 years of respite from colds and flu it came as a bit of a shock.
I haven’t had Covid yet either.
1/
I wasn’t too worried to begin with, as my partner was ill before me.
After 2 or 3 days he started to feel better, and I assumed I’d be the same.
Unfortunately I’ve been getting steadily worse.
Less energy.
More coughing.
Less desire to eat.
More sleeplessness.
Strange pains.
2/
I’m almost always in some kind of pain so that in itself isn’t a reliable indicator of being unwell.
Nor is severe fatigue, which occurs so regularly it seems normal.
I rely on objective symptoms like fevers, rashes and swellings.
Tests are a bonus, if they are available.
3/
Read 21 tweets

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