aspie rhetor

Trendy labels

This blog is only pseudo-anonymous. Some people know who I am; others don’t. While I don’t have my name plastered all over the place here, I don’t expect my identity to remain veiled in the safeness of nobodyness. Still, I’m currently enduring several “coming out” issues related to AS. Up until recently, I’ve been very selective about confessing. Only two people at my prior institution explicitly knew of my label.

Perhaps I’m currently fretting because of issues related to my professional identity. I’ve “published” a short article related to AS experiences. I’ve also composed a bizarre webtext that features me and AS prominently. And I’m uneasy about all of this, because even though it explains me and helps others to understand my communication differences, it nevertheless casts me into some sort of Othered position, I feel. Almost as though I’m making “excuses” for my incurability, or as though I’m so different that I’m not worth anyone’s time. I’m probably projecting here, but I think the fear is warranted. At this point, I’m not sure how thoroughly I should broadcast my label, no matter the potential benefits. What must my confessional motives be?