Instagram reel transcript: “So you know how autistic people just talk and we literally mean like exactly what we say?”
“So like I realized that when I’m talking to a neurotypical person, even when I’m saying exactly what I’m saying, they’re looking for like, the meeting underneath it, which is nothing.”
“So the other day at work…I had a feedback session and one of the things they told me was that my communication wasn’t clear… And their example was I asked ‘What is so-and-so’s job?’ And she said, 'I knew exactly what you meant. I knew that you meant, 'She’s not pulling her weight. Why is she on the team? Why haven’t you fired her yet?”
“And I was like, hold up. I asked about her job was because I didn’t know what her job was and I wanted you to tell me what her job was. And she was like, ‘Oh. Well, that wasn’t clear and you should really give more context when you ask a question.’ And I was like, 'Okay…?? so…'I don’t know what her job is…What is… her… job?”
While more manageable by NT people, I think this is clearly a toxic workplace where people are taught to fear their work can’t stand up to scrutiny. So anything that even counts as looking directly at their work is a threat, and any communication must be scrutinized for hidden threats.