Between Spectrums

Sticks and Stones

Has there ever been times in your life when someone calls you something that sounded rude and you took offense to it? Well, I sometimes do. Now it's one thing to be offended that your opinion is questioned and you want to force everyone to agree with you. It's another to actually feel hurt and offended cause you are called something that you know you are not. Around my early teens I was starting to understand sarcasm. So when my siblings would playfully call me something, like dumb or some other name, I took offense. But they tell they were being sarcastic. Now I can tell when someone is just playing around or is being serious and I can be sarcastic myself. Sarcasm can be harmless when knowing your friends and family know that your just joking and you still love them. But when it comes to others, they can take it seriously, especially those who are autistic.

Autistic people, most of them, can't really till that you joking or saying it in a positive way. So when you call them an aspie they might actually get hurt, offended, and feel sad or mad depending on how they view that term. On Facebook, I asked people to see their opinion on using that word to describe autistic people. Some feel that it's not okay thing to say others think that if your not using it as an insult it's fine. In one of the comments a friend asked my opinion on it. I personally think that it's the person's choice to get offended or not but we individually need to be careful and considerate on what we say. Now I'm not gonna start telling you how you should talk, that's entirely up to you. But what I'm saying is that you should be aware of the words, sayings, and terms you use when you're around someone.  

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me". That saying is ninety five percent correct. But believe it or not, names can hurt. Sometimes harder than sticks and stones. As a writer, I know words can be used to either lift someone up or break him/her down. So I would recommend that when you are talking to someone or calling names, autistic or not, joking or serious. Be sure to think about what you say. Cause names can indeed hurt some people.

Thank you for your time

Tay Gallagher