r/TopCharacterTropes • u/MeepMan324 • 5d ago

Hated Tropes (Hated Trope) Autism is the best thing ever

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  1. Because of her autism, music's worldview is really innocent and positive with bright colours and these stupid dances whilst in real life she gets chocked out by her "caretaker" (Music)

  2. Most videos Dhar Mann has on autism have them being these really smart people that solve a test or a spelling bee or win a competition

8.1k Upvotes
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192

u/Troolr_the_gaemr 5d ago

not a franchise but might be on-topic: that 1 stereotype where autistic people like sonic, trains and dinosaurs that i HATE soooo much!!!

63

u/GayisGaywhenGay 5d ago

When people expect me to list off cool train facts because I’m autistic but I just tell the same ‘Dave Mustaine got kicked out of Metallica’ story.

6

u/I-Make-Money-Moves 5d ago

Dave was the first bassist for Metallica right? Then it was Clifford then Robert right?

2

u/Luxury-Problems 5d ago

You forgot about Les Claypool on Loaded but not Reloaded.

1

u/I-Make-Money-Moves 5d ago

Who does Les go between in terms of which bassist played for Metallica?

1

u/Luxury-Problems 5d ago

They hired Jason Newsted but Les came into studio and wouldn't let Jason plug in while everyone else pretended Jason wasn't there.

1

u/ForsakenWishbone5206 5d ago

Les Claypool is a top. Hope that clears it up!

1

u/I-Make-Money-Moves 5d ago

Dang you. I thought you meant Les was the first bassist in Metallica.🤦🏾😂

5

u/Unbuckled__Spaghetti 5d ago

What's the story there?

5

u/Comfortable_Bird_340 5d ago

For me it’s the story of Smoke on The Water and what happtened to Zappa the following week.

4

u/impermanence108 5d ago

Followed up with a "You ever heard of this band called Mayhem?"

1

u/Princeps_primus96 4d ago

"so there's this guy called Euronymous..."

2

u/TyWorth 5d ago

“Well I doubt you want to know the stat scaling for every weapon in Elden Ring.”

1

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

I can list an above average number of bird species and name every single Pokémon in existence.

58

u/justthatmom875 5d ago

I’m autistic and I hate trains. Too loud and you have to sit next to strangers.

23

u/SarryK 5d ago edited 5d ago

I love trains, though I‘m always wearing my ANC headphones and a cap. I also try to take this one particular train type that has a specific luggage rack I can sit in cross-legged where nobody can sit next to you.

(this felt more normal before typing it out)

1

u/YinTanTetraCrivvens 5d ago

It’s all good buddy . You love your own very specific thing however you want.

11

u/FrucklesWithKnuckles 5d ago

Amtrak is cool cause I can get a room and be by myself and ignore everyone and everything while I watch cool scenery.

Passenger trains are agony

6

u/Helota_Keksz 5d ago

I think those who like them mostly like the railways as such, the structure, the schedule, the tech details. Definitely not the social interaction part.

2

u/Normal_Cut8368 5d ago

The guys who actually operate the trains spend hours alone for work doing technical repetitive work.

3

u/Forward_Potential820 5d ago

Tbh some have private rooms

3

u/No_Appointment_1090 5d ago

Trains are feats of engineering. I have almost zero interest in riding them in the US (people suck), but the engineering is cool as fuck and I want to ride on one of the bullet trains in Japan one day...

Yes, I do, apparently, have autism.

1

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

THANK YOU! I friggin hate trains! They’re loud, crowded, inconsistent… I appreciate the history behind them but screw trains

1

u/PMDmakesmecri 5d ago

Had a nightmare about a train where it passed by. That's it. The train itself scared me. Really the only difference between reality was that the train was closer but still heading in the same direction (left/right). I'm better now but it's only because we moved, still very loud.

51

u/Recapitulated_ 5d ago edited 5d ago

Im autistic and people expected me to like things like mario because i own a switch

...there's other nintendo game series that arent mario people, I can think for myself COME ON

edit: i'm a dumbass sorry gang

22

u/Rabdomtroll69 5d ago

To be fair the general public pretends Mario and Pokemon are the only thing Nintendo makes

Where my Golden Sun homies at?

3

u/BeanTheSparrow 5d ago

Here golden Sun is my fave rpg series so not all us autistic love Mario

3

u/xywv58 5d ago

In the snes dude, its not coming back :(

2

u/Phonyyx 5d ago

I remember emulating that game years ago on my phone. Recently installed an emulator and it on my pc and played an hour or two. Such an oddly interesting game

2

u/Sanquinity 5d ago

I loved golden sun as a kid. Such a good game, and fun combat.

16

u/TactlessTortoise 5d ago

Yeah yeah, sure thing buddy. Let me see how many hours your steam library has under farming simulator (doesn't count if you're german. Those mfs love simulators by default (I do too, but I'm not german (neither autistic (I think (autistic I mean, I know I'm not german)))))

19

u/SpiritNo6626 5d ago

Nesting and correctly closing that many parentheses... yeah, sure you aren't autistic

7

u/MisterShmitty 5d ago

Nah, just a Lisp programmer.

2

u/Chaincat22 5d ago

idk you might be german, maybe we should have you tested...

1

u/Recapitulated_ 5d ago

the only thing i've ever bothered playing on steam was btd6

1

u/TactlessTortoise 5d ago

Based bloon blaster

1

u/Recapitulated_ 5d ago

geraldo my beloved

10

u/Forward_Potential820 5d ago

What about Zelda? There’s a ton of series 

3

u/Drinkpool 5d ago

Top tier franchise

4

u/jacksonesfield 5d ago

exactly!! I like Pokémon, not Mario... huh

1

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

Mario is fine, I’ll play Mario Party when needed. But Pokémon owns my soul.

Also Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom.

And Stardew Valley.

And Animal Crossing for a solid 2 years before I got bored.

3

u/static_func 5d ago

That had nothing to do with autism dude. That’s just what everyone assumes about Nintendo. I know like 10 people who have only ever played Mario and Zelda on their switches, myself included

1

u/Recapitulated_ 5d ago

I mean looking back at this, a lot of yall are probably right.

2

u/HyzMarie 5d ago

Yeah like I like Mario but Zelda, Minecraft, SDV, and Splatoon are more my jam

1

u/OAZdevs_alt2 5d ago

Ace Attorney?

2

u/Kieran_Kitakami 5d ago

That’s capcom

1

u/OAZdevs_alt2 5d ago

Yeah but it’s popular on the Switch and Ace Attorney has always been linked to Nintendo systems. They used to be exclusive to them, even.

2

u/Kieran_Kitakami 5d ago

Oh I forgor

1

u/All_Work_All_Play 5d ago

I have to ask, have you collected them all?

1

u/_-Mavis-_ 5d ago

Honestly this comment reads like this to me

"Just because I am autistic doesn’t means I love Mario! Well, I love Mario… but not because I’m autistic!"

1

u/Recapitulated_ 5d ago

Wasn't really thinking when I made this comment, so its my mistake.

1

u/Henry_Fleischer 5d ago

TBH I'd expect anybody who owns a Switch to at least somewhat like Mario

1

u/Familiar_Delivery790 5d ago

I grew up to be a car kid instead of a train kid lol

-5

u/Digit00l 5d ago

Mario games aren't even fun

1

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

Mario Odyssey slapsz I don’t even like Mario games but I won’t deny I had a good time with it.

I got bored because I’m personally not a big fan of platformers, but there’s no denying it was an objectively fun game.

49

u/ChiefsHat 5d ago

…Hi. I have autism, and I really like dinosaurs.

I also think trains are kind of cool for long journeys.

5

u/SarcyBoi41 5d ago

I mean, liking dinosaurs is just common sense. They're dinosaurs.

3

u/Throwaway02062004 5d ago

Yup same, not so much into trains now beyond travel but had a childhood obsession with Thomas.

2

u/ChiefsHat 5d ago

Me too.

Even though he got stuck on my foreskin once.

1

u/Throwaway02062004 5d ago

Genuinely made me blink several times 😅

1

u/ChiefsHat 5d ago

I was a toddler.

2

u/Lastsynphony 5d ago

I have to admit it, when I went to Vienna, one of my favorite things were the u bahn and the public transportation system, is so efficient, clean and well kept much like all the city, and gives a peaceful feeling, I love it, now I understand why autistic people like trains.

2

u/ChiefsHat 5d ago

European public transportation is so wonderful, honestly.

1

u/Lastsynphony 5d ago

I agree, I admit this is the most autistic thing ever but one of the many reasons I want to hopefully live in Vienna one day, is for using that beautiful public transportation, I have a visual disability and is an absolutely blessing, I will always thank though that I have a single eye to see such beauty. It made me feel so peaceful to feel safe in a city and use trains and u bahns that work in time.

56

u/NegativeMammoth2137 5d ago edited 5d ago

It’s also really funny how people always assume people with autism are good at math and engineering and natural sciences and such, while I, as a diagnosed autist really fucking suck at math and all my special interests are about the humanities like history, philosophy, religious studies, etc

12

u/Lastsynphony 5d ago

Actually those are interests in which autistic people thrive, specially with the pattern recognition, historically a lot of autistic men and women ended up in convents by their own will as monks, nuns or priests because the mass and the studies are very structured, they had peace and quiet and had access to all of those materials, that is why they could write entire encyclopedias out of philosophical or theological studies without problems, as well history is at least in my understanding one of those realms in which autistic people also thrive, and I do not mean also in the sense of WWII or war strategist or being obsessed with panzers and things like that but, as a whole in the discipline. My psychiatrist at least suspects that I have autism, although in the spectrum that was before called asperger, and at least history, psychology and medicine has always been my realms.

2

u/shootsandlads 4d ago

Unfortunately I am one of those history autists that is actually obsessed with WW2 and panzers (as well as the discipline as a whole). We exist!! Luckily the only thing saving me from being a stereotype is the fact I am a girl

1

u/Lastsynphony 4d ago edited 4d ago

I love the history of WW2, although not so much of the panzers, but they are fascinating, so do not worry lol, we also exist, I have several friends that are also autistics and fascinated with WW2 and panzers, specially if they are engineers lol. I think that having pattern recognition it does help a lot, so that is why also a lot of autistics friends study history or philosophy. I know that autism is a spectrum and while it gives you very specific skills, that are very important, it obviously has an impact in the relationships and emotional processing that is why for me, having other autistics friends or of neuro/divergency helps a lot, to be honest speaking with people that are non divergent, even as partners, feels very strange, even if they were romantic partners. By this obviously I am not saying that autism is a superpower, by any mean, that is a very somehow abeleist thing to say, but is true that it gives you skills to flourish or naturally lean into realms that usually non-divergent people cannot reach, but it has a lot of setbacks naturally. To be honest, I feel more the setbacks regarding to having low vision and a bad leg rather than autism, or ADHD (which by the way, I miss a lot the medication, it does affects a lot the attention span and the productivity) but obviously their experience is going to be very different, depending if their autism affects them more, specially what is being non-verbal, I think somehow there is a "autistic radar" I do not how to point that out, but at least in my experience having friends and realizing each other are autistic is easy to spot.

If you ever wish to talk about that, you can DM me >D I do not think there is nothing wrong at all to be of the ones with interest with WW2 and panzers, even if is an interest that can be judged, I know many that have that interest in the soviet union or the communist china for example, or the WWI, the ancient Rome (also very common)

7

u/Comfortable_Bird_340 5d ago

I hate math, which is strange since my old man and both my sisters are really good it

9

u/EtherealHeart5150 5d ago

Terrible at math. But Literature or Lore & Myth? I'll just geek right out and tell you everything.

2

u/Comfortable_Bird_340 5d ago

I love art and history myself

5

u/Glad-Tax6594 5d ago

It's called the savant stereotype and iirc it stems from the initial field study of 3 boys, who all had peculiar math conceptions. That study became a foundation for aspergers/autism research and those boys characteristics basically became the behavioral markers researchers looked for.

4

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

I too hate math. But I did used to read the dictionary as a kid and fill notebooks with lists of words I didn’t know/words I liked, and was thoroughly obsessed with writing in ciphers (to no one because I didn’t have friends).

There sure were “no signs” I was autistic back then. None at all.

3

u/NegativeMammoth2137 5d ago

Yeah I know a lot of people with autism who are super good at languages and use their skills to learn multiple languages at a really high level

2

u/Infinite_Dish_1949 5d ago

I’m actually okay at math, but doing it makes me want to blow up.

2

u/TypeOpostive 4d ago

It's weird having an overly feminine interest. But,it still gets overlooked because it's considered a neurotypical thing for women to be into since autistic women are usually made out to be nerdy and tomboyish at times.
I've never understood why people group me as”nerdy”. Have you actually been around actual nerds?
Not to say there aren't girly nerds; I’ve met plenty. But talking extensively about
each type of bracelets and the variety of textures and lengths along with your birthstone isn't what nerds usually talk about.

2

u/Deya_The_Fateless 4d ago

Right? I'm diagnosed AuADHD, a very common side condition of ADHD side of my dissability is discalcula, which is infinatly harder to dignose, but I am fairly certain that I have it because I just outright suck at math to the point where I can do the same equasion five timres in a row and end up with five different answers. My brain just will not hold large number amounts and I need to tripple check my math every time which slows me down even when I have a machine do it for me, it drives me crazy. Plus bieng forgetful ontop of that, makes me feel even worse. I hate it.

Also, I'm a very artistic and creative person, no interests in science outside of palientology/prehistory. So it drives me absolutely bonkers when all people with AuADHD are supposedly super hyper math gods and science nerds. Becauseit makes me feel like I have the "wrong" type of AuADHD.

I wouldnt wish AuADHD on anyone, maybe except people who think it's this "beautiful and wonderful" *gift*. See how they like not having a *quiet* head for a while.

2

u/Dovacraft88 4d ago

Theres definetly a disconnection between liking a subject and being good at a subject. I like knowing things about trains and space, but i wont be a pool of knowlege to tell you the name of every piece of a train or say the exact composision of jupiter and its distance from the sun.

My hyper interest is minecraft :3

1

u/Own_Actuator_53 5d ago

Literally, I struggled with math because my special interest and attention span doesn’t gel well with numbers

1

u/Familiar_Delivery790 5d ago

dw same, algebra fucking sucks

1

u/Lonely-Artist-6222 5d ago

I have OCD. I may not have a spotless house, but I have a really big record collection with multiple copies of albums where I accidentally bent the corners and had to buy them again, and all the skin is chewed off my fingers.

0

u/Plus-Emphasis-2605 4d ago

Religious studies

24

u/loosesocksup 5d ago edited 5d ago

I'm autistic. I spend my time crocheting, spinning yarn, and belly dancing. All specifically chosen because they are quiet, portable, and de-escalating (as long as the pattern is accurate). 

16

u/canofwhoops 5d ago

And if it's not accurate you better believe we are RAPIDLY ESCALATING 😤

4

u/Grouchy_Ground_1916 5d ago

I'd love to crochet, but every single time I've tried to learn I've had to stop within a few minutes. I think it's made a disconnect in my brain now and I can't imagine getting past it.

2

u/SquareTaro3270 5d ago

Same I have all the supplies but I just can’t get the hang of it

2

u/brofishmagikarp 5d ago

Belly dancing is very good for getting abs

15

u/Wo0mylord 5d ago

I'm autistic and it's not inaccurate

But I know that those things aren't for everyone

8

u/RAGE_AGAINST_THE_ATM 5d ago

To be fair a lot of us really like or used to like those things, but not always

6

u/Aggressive-Pay9533 5d ago

Hey I actually like all those things!

… wait a minute.
(lol)

2

u/Forward_Potential820 5d ago

I mean trains are pretty cool…

2

u/One_Hunt_6672 5d ago

That’s more of a squares and rectangles situation

2

u/QuietProfile417 5d ago edited 5d ago

As an autistic person, the Sonic one is unfortunately true (I don't know what it is about that hedgehog that has such a hold on us).

1

u/Major-District2669 5d ago

mine are godzilla and transformers

once a life time ago, mtg but i fell off that

1

u/Mokiyami 5d ago

I prefer planes lol

1

u/Clair_Osbcurious 5d ago

As an autistic person, I care about computer hardware and photography. There are tons of us! Don’t mind trains, they’re cool. Dinosaurs… never really considered them fun. Sonic wasn’t even on the radar for me.

1

u/teeno731 5d ago

Absolutely! Some of us like anime

1

u/madog1418 5d ago

The trains and dinosaurs thing just come from the various groupings of categorization. I was a Dino kid but you could categorize dinosaurs and their “contemporaries” by period, by dino/icthy/ptero-saurs, but herbivore carnivore omnivore, by the hips (lizard hip or bird hip), etc etc. I imagine it’s the same for trains, with stuff like manufacturer, engine type, era, fuel type, and more (again, I was dinos), but I think if you’re not into those two things there probably is some categorization; but the big thing isn’t that you’re into those as a kid, because I think all kids brush on those subjects as they learn how to group things, I think autistic people just keep liking grouping things for longer. Pokemon is my real “autism focus” because there’s so many ways to group them.

1

u/Formal-Thing-2888 5d ago

ehh....My son loves Sonic and Dinosaurs.

He memorized like 100 of them and plays "The Isle" and the Jurassic World park builder game all the time. I know because I had to buy all of the expansions.

https://giphy.com/gifs/unFLKoAV3TkXe

1

u/william_afton20 5d ago

It is unfortunate that I am autistic and yet I fall into this exact stereotype. Trains are really cool. Sonic is my favorite character of all time. And dinosaurs are the most awesome thing to ever exist.

1

u/Axl4325 5d ago

Idk if this is insensitive but I teach kids and whenever a kid comes into class with Sonic merch 4/5 times they are on the spectrum, I am being one hundred percent honest here. It's almost a tell at this point.

1

u/Low-Nectarine1093 5d ago

I liked dinosaurs when I was kid

1

u/Faust_8 5d ago

Me with AuDHD: lol we don’t all love trains, I don’t pay attention to them at all

Me watching Tom Scott go in-depth at many train/railway things in Britain: utterly fascinating

1

u/apple_kicks 5d ago

Yeah some people like space and are trans

1

u/PrimalZodiac 5d ago

Sheldon from BBT comes to mind

1

u/Wonderful_Rub2944 5d ago

Transformers too!

1

u/SmallBerry3431 5d ago

Omg chat I might have it…

1

u/CementCemetery 5d ago

Jurassic Park has such a grip on women though. I was honestly surprised at an event that it was predominantly women. Dinosaurs are awesome so I get the fascination.

1

u/derpy_derp15 5d ago

But I like trains and dinosaurs

1

u/data-atreides 5d ago

I didn't realize it was a trope or stereotype for autistic people to like Sonic in particular

1

u/TyWorth 5d ago

Right? I’m autistic and the last good thing Sonic ever did was Chao Garden.

1

u/Mobius3through7 5d ago edited 5d ago

....Fuck I don't beat the allegations, all three of those things rule. Just look at this fuckin freight train I got to honk at me, cool as shit. (Sorry honk is hard to hear over my aircraft)

https://reddit.com/link/pfi1ar7/video/yeok9kgsz2vh1/player

1

u/HyzMarie 5d ago

As someone autistic, the only one of those I ever had a big interest in was dinosaurs, and now I don’t even have THAT much of an interest in them. Sonic reminds me of a friend of mine who loves it though (and who is probably autistic himself) so I love seeing it

1

u/Phaeron-Dynasty 5d ago

I like dinosaurs, but I dont think it has to do with my autism.

1

u/Actual_Exchange616 5d ago

I mean im autistic and like Sonic trains and dinosaurs. They're all so interesting

1

u/BlackStarDream 5d ago

Yeah. I mean, autistic people can also hate sonic and like skateboarding and scorpions.

1

u/X_Starchild_X 5d ago

I'm autistic and i DO like trains (I live near a railway so i keep a detailed record of every single train that passes by). But you'll never have me going near Sonic or dinosaurs, boring asf for me

1

u/Empty_Thought6841 5d ago

I’m Autistic and I think Klonoa solos Sonic’s ass by a Country Mile. Not saying I hate Sonic, I still like him, but I just Love Klonoa More because he’s just a silly long-eared little goober who inflates his enemies and says “wahoo!” Hell yeah, babeh!

1

u/TheRealRedParadox 5d ago

I.....listen I get it's a stereotype but....Sonic, Trains and Dinosaurs are cool okay, my autism has nothing to do with it.

1

u/JohnHenryMillerTime 5d ago

Fuck you. I like Sonic. One of my friends trips out the allos by being "Do you motherfuckers want to talk trains?"

1

u/ChargedFirefly 5d ago

My sister is autistic and she likes sonic and dinosaurs but she doesn’t care about trains so the rumors are false y’all

1

u/Major_incompetence 5d ago

Who doesn't like trains to be honest

1

u/AcceptableEgg5741 4d ago

As a huge Sonic fan i still dont know why im supposed to be autistic

1

u/cannedbeef255 4d ago

"autism is when you like childish things"

1

u/iloveseacreatures2 4d ago

Dumbing those things as 'childish' is wil though

1

u/ParaEwie 4d ago

(Me, autistic who still likes dinosaurs at age 21)

https://giphy.com/gifs/jUwpNzg9IcyrK

1

u/Iron_Wolf123 4d ago

That is the stuff that’ll get you demonetised on YouTube for not being child-friendly. PhantomStrider didn’t deserve his channel being crushed by the A.I. system

1

u/Specialist_Top_8485 4d ago

Yeah, it’s definitely a stereotype, I don’t like Sonic at all

1

u/GurrenLagannRyuko 4d ago

I’m autistic and love all 3.. perhaps the stereotype is true I guess

0

u/Folium249 5d ago

Okay, I do have the Sonic one… but the rest fall into other interests.

Just love the little blue hedgehog. He’s one of the few always positive figures I know.

0

u/GingerNinja119 5d ago

...I'm not helping the stereotype. (Yes, that is my own art)