Marginalized communities often face societal pressures that lead to internalized oppression andlateral oppression, where individuals turn against each other instead of confronting the systems that oppress them.Autistic hazing—where undiagnosed or masking autistic individuals project ableist attitudes onto openlyneurodivergent people—illustrates this dynamic. This behavior is similar to internalized homophobia, whereindividuals suppress their true identities and project negative attitudes onto others who are openly gay.
Drawing from thinkerslike Paulo Freire, Audre Lorde, and Patricia Hill Collins, we can understand howinternalized oppression operates within the neurodiverse community and why certain individuals are drawn into dangerousideologies. These scholars provide a framework for understanding how unrecognized neurodivergence can lead to the adoptionof toxic belief systems, which offer simple explanations or scapegoats for complex feelings of alienation. This essay explores howinternalized oppression and delayed diagnosis trap autistic individuals in these ideologies and how solidarity and early recognitioncan provide an alternative path.
Autistic Hazing and Internalized Ableism
In his Pedagogy of the Oppressed,Paulo Freire describes how the oppressed internalize the values of their oppressors and, in turn, act as “sub-oppressors” within their own communities. Autistic hazing reflects this process, as undiagnosed or maskingautistic individuals internalize ableism and project it onto those who express their neurodivergence more openly. This oftenmanifests as dismissive attitudes toward autistic traits like stimming or seeking accommodations, which the masking individual hasbeen conditioned to suppress in themselves.
AudreLorde discusses how marginalized people can direct their anger and frustration inward or toward each other rather thanchallenging external systems of oppression. In the neurodiverse context, this leads to behaviors where those masking their autism mayreject or criticize others who openly express their autistic identity. Rather than confronting societal ableism, they enforceneurotypical standards within their community.
The Allure of Dangerous Ideologies
Without a diagnosis or a clearunderstanding of their neurodivergence, autistic individuals are often left feeling isolated andmisunderstood. This alienation can make them vulnerable to dangerous ideologies that offer easyanswers or someone to blame for their struggles. One notable example is the rise of incel (involuntary celibate)ideology among some autistic men, who are drawn to online communities that provide a simple narrative: blaming women fortheir lack of romantic success. The rigid social norms and communication challenges many autistics face can exacerbate feelings ofrejection, leading some to adopt these misogynistic beliefs as an explanation for their struggles.
Additionally, autisticindividuals may be drawn into far-right extremism or white nationalism, where online groups providea sense of belonging and offer clear, albeit harmful, narratives. These extremist ideologies prey on individuals who feel alienatedby society, offering them a community that frames their struggles in terms of victimhood and conspiracy. Autistic individuals, whooften struggle with social inclusion and ambiguity, can be particularly vulnerable to the black-and-white thinking promoted by thesegroups.
Frantz Fanon, in Black Skin, WhiteMasks, explains how colonized people internalize the values of the colonizer and reject their own culture. Similarly, someautistic individuals internalize societal ableism and mask their traits, which leads them to seek out harmful ideologies that offervalidation by scapegoating others. These ideologies, while appearing to offer answers, further entrench the individuals in patternsof exclusion and isolation.
The Impact of Delayed Diagnosis
Delayed diagnosis plays a significant rolein the susceptibility to dangerous ideologies. Many autistic individuals grow up without understanding why they struggle socially orface difficulties with communication, leading them to internalize negative beliefs about themselves. Without a diagnosis, they lackthe framework to interpret their experiences in a healthy way. Instead, they may interpret their struggles as personal failures,reinforcing feelings of defectiveness.
bell hooks and Angela Davis have extensively discussedthe isolating effects of internalized oppression, showing how systemic forces can fracture individuals and communities. In the caseof undiagnosed autistics, delayed diagnosis exacerbates this isolation, preventing them from accessing supportive networks that couldhelp them make sense of their experiences. Instead, they are left vulnerable to harmful ideologies that offer simplistic explanationsfor their alienation.
By misinterpreting their struggles as personal shortcomings, many undiagnosed autistics find themselvesdrawn to communities that provide validation, even if that validation is rooted in exclusionary or extremist ideologies. Thesedangerous ideologies thrive on providing easy answers to complex feelings of alienation, framing societal failures as the fault ofspecific groups rather than addressing the larger structural issues of ableism, social isolation, or inequality.
Unmasking andSolidarity: Lessons from Internalized Homophobia
The LGBTQ+ community’s experience with internalizedhomophobia provides a valuable parallel for the neurodiverse community. Unmasking, the process of embracingand expressing one’s autistic traits, can be compared to coming out in the LGBTQ+ community. Both acts require rejecting
internalized societal norms and finding power in self-acceptance.
Audre Lorde argued that embracingone’s identity is both a personal and political act, challenging the oppressive structures that demand conformity. Forautistics, unmasking serves as a radical form of self-acceptance, rejecting the ableism they have internalized and confronting thepressures to conform to neurotypical standards. Unmasking also allows for building solidarity within the neurodiverse community,providing a counter-narrative to the dangerous ideologies that thrive on isolation and internalized oppression.
ResistingDangerous Ideologies Through Community
Preventing autistic individuals from falling into dangerous ideologies requiresfostering solidarity and supportive communities. As Patricia Hill Collinshighlights in her work on intersectionality, systems of oppression—whether based on race, gender, or disability—interactin complex ways, making marginalized individuals more vulnerable to harmful ideologies. Addressing these intersections within theneurodiverse community can strengthen its resilience.
Early diagnosis plays a crucial role in providingindividuals with the tools to understand their neurodivergence, reducing the likelihood that they will seek validation inexclusionary or extremist spaces. Creating environments where autistic individuals feel safe to unmask and explore theiridentity—without the fear of rejection or judgment—helps build a community based on acceptance rather than exclusion.
The neurodiverse community must also work to build bridges with other marginalized groups to challenge ableism and other forms ofoppression. Angela Davis and Mia Mingus have argued for an intersectional approach to liberation,where communities work together to dismantle the structures that perpetuate oppression.
For the neurodiverse community, thismeans recognizing the shared roots of ableism, sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination, and building coalitions to fightfor more inclusive and just systems.
The Broader Impact of Embracing Neurodiversity
By addressing internalizedableism and autistic hazing, the neurodiverse community has the potential to drive broader societal change.Just as the LGBTQ+ movement expanded societal acceptance of diverse sexual identities, the neurodiversity movement can challengenarrow definitions of what is considered "normal" behavior and cognition.
By advocating for early diagnosis, accommodations,and self-acceptance, the neurodiverse community can reshape institutions like schools and workplaces, making them more inclusive andsupportive of neurodivergent individuals. This will reduce the isolation that fuels internalized oppression and prevent individualsfrom being drawn into harmful ideologies.
Moreover, as Angela Davis and Mia Mingus haveemphasized, the struggle against ableism intersects with other social justice movements. Recognizing these intersections strengthensthe neurodiverse community’s ability to resist lateral oppression and build a future rooted in equity and collectiveliberation.