So many people talk about the fetishization of goth people and queer people but I haven't seen anybody talk about how fetishized the neurodivergent community sometimes is. I am neurotypical so maybe I'm just being an internet warrior and this doesn't actually bother that community, but I see so many memes or reels saying "need me a bad bitch with autism" or "fumbled an autistic baddie" or "can get titties anywhere, can't get autism like this anywhere else", and it's just like...why? Autism makes people's lives incredibly difficult. Autism is something people struggle with and have to deal with every day of their lives, and these neurotypicals online are just using it as a word to replace "quirky" or "weird". And sexualizing it! I know a lot of people with autism are proud of that part of themselves despite its challenges, so maybe it's good that it's being more appreciated online, but I just feel like the online appreciation is less loving and more...lusting? Like what do you MEAN you prefer women with autism; is that some kind of power dynamic?? I don't know; I understand neurodivergent people wanting to date other neurodivergent people but I can't see any reason neurotypicals would specifically want to date autistic people if they didn't have some kind of ill intentions or mischaracterizations. I think a lot of it is neurotypicals seeing someone conventionally attractive and quirky, being proud of their autism online (and there are a lot of posts like that too), and thinking that's how those with autism are. Essentially just considering them hot since they're nerds without the negative connotations of being a nerd, and knowing autistic is more dramatic of a word than unique or dorky, which is what they really mean. I just feel like all these memes-while lighthearted-play into stereotypes that people with autism are all weird or nerdy or incredibly knowledgeable or just something to look at or be with. Again though, I have no idea how either community feels about this because I've never seen anyone talk about it. It just seems a little fetish-y sometimes.