Neurodivergence

I've been working on this since I was a teen: learning to be precise, but concise, and let it go.

Still haven't mastered it, and if let loose I'll write a wall of text or start talking about all the ramifications and dependencies, then worry about any misunderstandings... but over the years, I've learned that understanding works both ways.

If something I write or say, can have two, three, or more interpretations, and someone directly picks the worst and most offensive one, then goes on the attack... they can f off. I can learn, I can clarify, and extend the benefit of the doubt to others, but refuse to be a punch bag (...and it still takes some effort to not respond in kind).

One thing that I've learned recently is that there's always going to be a degree of misunderstanding but if someone is chronically misunderstanding you and demeaning you, their problem isn't that they don't understand. They simply don't like you. Do not waste your time engaging with such people and take every measure to distance yourself from them.

There is also this other type of nt person-- the kind who has got the Debate Brain. They're rhetorically inclined, if you know know I mean.

They will listen to your entire account and then locate the one word which, if misconstrued, would spin the meaning of your account to the most uncharitable interpretation possible. They will focus on that ONE word, ignoring all of the surrounding context as just… be such a bother.

I believe these people are either deeply hurt or some pathetic form of social vampire.

Thank you for reading my rant.

I also often notice that i won't even bother to try to put my thoughts into words because i just expect other people wouldn't understand anyways.

Depend on who I am around, I will either over explain things or say the least amount of words possible.

If I'm around people who make assumptions, I will give the shortest answer possible and let them read between the lines. I won't challenge them. If they refuse to listen to me the first time then they don't deserve to know anything about me.

So many guys at my last job thought I was gay. Never challenged them. If they asked me leading questions to try and figure out if I was actually gay, I'd give them a short, ambiguous answer. They couldn't figure me out and that drove them insane. My very nosy sister who does nothing but assume everything about me gets very upset with me because all I say is "I don't know."

If I'm with a close friend, I can talk none stop for 7+ hours, until my voice is raspy and my throat is sore. Even my therapist said I talk a lot in our last session. Although that's not really over explaining things. They tend to be more understanding from the start.

The older I get, the less energy I have towards people who spend all their energy trying to read between the lines.

Truth, its usually because nts make a ton if assumptions trying to read between the lines when neurodivergents literally said what they meant.

To be misunderstood is like being threatened with violent death

I'm in this picture and I don't like it.

Me as fuck.

I'm more misunderstood through text than verbal speech so I have to just assume most other people simply don't read as well as I do.