It was hard for me to accept! Asperger's had been on the table for a long time, but I clung to the other possibility of ADD instead. I don't know why I was so much more afraid of autism than of ADD, but I wouldn't be surprised if 4chan's slurs played a part.

Who’d have thought the heros of the day would be the weaponized autists of 4chan? Not only are they successfully identifying cowardly masked #Antifa anarchists, but they have analyzed their mob tactics in detail. These guys deserve some love! Schweppe, J., & Perry, B. (2021). A continuum of hate: delimiting the field of hate studies. Crime, Law and Social Change,1–26 How has this definition of autism been influenced by media, social media, and academic / medical literature? What values underpin the way Gab posters have defined / labeled autistic people?Phillips J, Yi J. Charlottesville paradox: The ‘liberalizing’alt-Right,‘authoritarian’left, and politics of dialogue. Society. 2018; 55(3):221–228. doi: 10.1007/s12115-018-0243-0. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] Ah dude its the nature of being a weaponized autist_x000D_ It destroys sanity and replaces with raw memes What makes weaponized autism so appealing to Gab posters is that it is seen as an all-powerful, omniscient force with limitless reach. It is highly prized as a sophisticated and advanced tool in the alt-right arsenal and perceived as an “unstoppable” means by which to secure the salvation of white, western culture. Nordahl-Hansen A. Atypical: a typical portrayal of autism? Lancet Psychiatry. 2017; 4(11):837–838. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30397-8. [ PubMed] [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] Eynon R, Fry J, Schroeder R. The ethics of online research. The SAGE handbook of online research methods. 2017; 2:19–37. doi: 10.4135/9781473957992.n2. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar]

Ashburner J, Saggers B, Campbell MA, Dillon-Wallace JA, Hwang YS, Carrington S, Bobir N. How are students on the autism spectrum affected by bullying? Perspectives of students and parents. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs. 2019; 19(1):27–44. doi: 10.1111/1471-3802.12421. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] What is missing from their definition of weaponized autism? What are they not saying? What part of “real life” is not being represented? In a nutshell many of them are basically super-geeks with some pretty awesome technical skillz. They tend to be politically conservative. You don’t want to get on their bad side :Oyou don’t understand I AMweaponized autism. I AMthe memetic autistic nonsense. it’s thanks to autists like me that Trump is your President (if you’re American), it’s autists like me that keep balance within the universe. you’re welcome Weaponized autism is a wonder to behold to us regular people. You guys are thermonuclear! Thank you for never giving up on anything!

Perry B, Scrivens R. Uneasy alliances: a look at the right-wing extremist movement in Canada. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 2016; 39(9):819–841. doi: 10.1080/1057610X.2016.1139375. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] Schroeder, J. (2019). A Warning to Moms of White Teen Boys. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/opinion/sunday/white-supremacist-recruitment.html For these posters, autism is a readily exploitable resource that can be channelled in pursuit of their agenda, and especially as a means for lashing out at those who are considered “the enemy.” Indeed, Gab posters within our data discuss how autistic people can be deployed to advance the interests of the alt-right. The comments reveal a sometimes implicit, other times explicit assumption that autistic people are ripe for manipulation. Paradoxically, to be a weaponized autist is to be simultaneously devalued. Alongside the expressions of admiration and affection are incongruous sentiments of degradation. While useful and talented, weaponized autists are seen as “strange” and incapable of many “normal” tasks such as maintaining hygiene, relationships, and employment. They are presumed to spend time engaged in “useless” activities (such as online gaming) and to occasionally engage in “unusual” behaviour, such as making screeching “Reee” sounds. Conway M, Scrivens R, McNair L. Right-wing extremists’ persistent online presence: History and contemporary trends. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism Policy Brief. 2019 doi: 10.19165/2019.3.12. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar]Huws JC, Jones RS. Missing voices: Representations of autism in British newspapers, 1999–2008. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. 2011; 39(2):98–104. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3156.2010.00624.x. [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] Our analysis was complicated by obfuscating language used within Gab, which is among several known communication tactics in alt-right spaces (May & Feldman, 2018). Gab, like many online spaces dedicated to alt-right or white nationalist interests, deliberately use humour, sarcasm, irony, and “playful” imagery (including memes) to obscure their intentions to spread hate (May & Feldman, 2018). These so-called “LULZ” (an adaptation of laugh out loud, or LOL) tactics are employed to rebrand and obfuscate fascist ideology and allows users a level of deniability when called out for their hate. These tactics work to make their offensive material more palatable to the mainstream, enhance their recruitment of young people and people who would be repelled by overtly violent or racist material, facilitate identification of insiders (those who know the vernacular) and outsiders (those who do not), and ultimately allow groups to “hide in plain sight” (May & Feldman, 2018). These tactics also pose a challenge to discourse analysis. Humour, sarcasm, and layers of irony are designed to leave many statements “open to interpretation”. Because of these tactics, extended immersion in the data was required to develop confidence in detecting the intended message of a post. The greatest weapon on Earth is the weaponization of the depressed and emotionally vulnerable. Is Weaponized Autism not a piratical suicide delivery device? Can Social Media be used to find and manipulate useful idiots? Sadly yes Sofronoff K, Dark E, Stone V. Social vulnerability and bullying in children with Asperger syndrome. Autism. 2011; 15(3):355–372. doi: 10.1177/1362361310365070. [ PubMed] [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] These posts suggest that “meme battles” are central to their tactics, and the greatest warriors are thus autistic people. Weaponized autism, then, is also considered to be something uniquely owned by the far right. It is claimed as something that has been and will be helpful in advancing their agenda, which is sometimes overtly linked to promoting favoured political figures and defeating their political enemies.