this post was submitted on 17 Jun 2026
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me_irl
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i like the sentiment, but i hate the imagery.
a dad wanting to have his alone time with his hobby that is miniature trains is the thing that is supposed to indicate autism?
i don't like this because it stregthens ideas about which hobbies are "normal" and which hobbies are "weird" and only bearable for autistic people (i am exaggerating, of course).
wanting to have alone time is a completely normal thing for neurotypical people, and the dad even expresses it verbally, explicitly.
Its just the stereotypical trains = autism trope. As our understanding of autism is expanded, the joke stars feeling dated.
People, like whoever drew this comic, are starting to evoke the trope without any nuance or understanding. Like you said, it’s just trains = autism. It’s getting annoying.
It becomes bearable when you realize everyone trying to define autism is just fumbling around. Autism is a human construct. It doesn't reflect reality, just ideas neurotypical people have.