And if you’ve made strides in reversing that stigma, how have you done so?
One side of my family is super white and unintentionally very racist. To give an example, they don’t hate Native Americans (or anyone for that matter), but will causally refer to them as Indians and seem to think they go around wearing feathered masks in 2023.
My fiancee is Korean, and her English is so-so- which is probably for the best, because if she could understand the things my Grandfather randomly splurts out she would rightfully be quite offended.
But there’s no malice, only ignorance. My fiancee and I pick our battles and let it slide.
Removed by mod
My friend, ongoing ignorance IS malice. I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you, but your family are just plain old racist.
(I say that as a person from a family full of very friendly, very racist people.)
I don’t know about stigma, but the whole family is just vaguely dysfunctional. We can’t really spend any time together for more than a couple of hours before someone starts a fight, generally (but not always) on accident.
Member of a family of progressives: there’s no stigma per se in my family about my autism, but sometimes I act different and they don’t understand and I can’t explain. That means sometimes ppl get angry / annoyed / confused / etc. because of something I can’t control, and sometimes they don’t understand why as well.
There’s never been a solution. I try explaining it but how do you explain what’s different between you and another person when it’s so native to you and you don’t have a comparison.
There are a number of things different parts of my family took a while to comprehend, from my sleep inconstiencies to my asexuality to my almost-perpetual emotional blankness. I’m not discriminated for these, just criticized, sometimes with assumptions taking a disastrous turn.
