Asking for a friend…

There’s been a lot of attention drawn lately to what neurodivergence means, what it looks like, what it is (and is not), and what allowances we make for neurodivergence. The most obvious example people think of when they think of neurodivergence is autism. However, neurodivergence also encompasses: ADD and ADHD; dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia; syndromes like Prader-Willi, Williams, and DiGeorge; and plenty of other presentations. In some circles, even left-handedness is considered a form of neurodivergence. Essentially, neurodivergence means that a person’s brain functions a little differently than what is considered typical.

But what is considered typical, nowadays? It’s all relative, isn’t it?

Lately, fascism seems to be the norm, and things like diversity, equity, and inclusion have been deemed unacceptable. Being different is too different, now, and it is becoming less and less safe to be neurodivergent (unless you’re a billionaire getting a free pass on doing Nazi salutes, apparently…spoiler alert, you can be neurodivergent AND be a bigoted asshole at the same time!). It’s even becoming less and less safe to show you care about people who are different from you, or who are too different from what’s typical.

In a world where it’s becoming more typical to shutter ourselves away and avoid differences out of self-preservation, is empathy a form of neurodivergence? Is it different than the norm to have compassion for one’s fellow people? Is it weird to be on Team Human?

Am I neurodivergent because I give a damn?

I mean, I’m apparently neurodivergent just because I’m left-handed, but, that’s beside the point.

It is incredibly difficult to out-manipulate a master manipulator. There is, unfortunately, no great chance of finding a strain of logic that will make a narcissist concede a point to you. Narcissists are only ever victors or victims, never the problem. People like that who are given significant power to rule are very dangerous. They will force the system to serve themselves and go their own way as much as possible, shifting the markers of what we understand is typical, and redefining both what difference means and how it’s supposed to be handled in order to suit their own ends and justify their means.

All I know for certain in this increasingly uncertain, upside-down world, is this: I’d much rather care about other people than be considered typical.