We’d like to think that awareness about autism has spread enough so that people know what to do and not do in the presence of an autistic person. Sadly, we’d be mistaken. One in 45 adults and one in 31 children in the U.S. have autism, according to Autism Speaks, but many still face mistreatment from ignorant strangers.
One woman shared a story about how her brother was attacked by an angry Karen in a bookshop. The rude customer didn’t shy away from using slurs and getting physical. Luckily, the sister’s boyfriend came to the siblings’ rescue and did something that made the woman realize he’s definitely husband material.
An angry Karen attacked a woman’s autistic brother in a mall bookshop
Image credits: sodawhiskey / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The altercation got physical, but then the woman’s boyfriend came to save the day
Image credits: freddie marriage / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: katemangostar / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: jaromirchalabala / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: KatherineTheSleepy
Autistic and other neurodivergent people are seen as an easy target for harassment and violence in public
Neurodivergent individuals move through the world differently. In many cases, they’re not afforded the same level of safety as neurotypicals. For example, research finds that neurodivergent adults are more likely to experience harassment, stalking, and intimate violence than their neurotypical counterparts.
This story is the perfect example of some people thinking they can attack another adult in broad daylight just because they’re neurodivergent. What’s more, it shows that even in this day and age, some people are still highly intolerant and violent toward autistic adults.
Younger individuals are especially vulnerable to experiencing bullying in its many forms. According to Autism Speaks, 67% of children and adolescents report being physically, verbally, or cyber-bullied. It happens to adults, too, as 60% of autistic adults report experiencing these behaviors as well.
In this particular case, it’s strange that the bookshop workers didn’t intervene. They might’ve thought that the Karen wouldn’t react to their saying or doing anything, but that’s mostly our own biases talking. Research shows that over half of all bullying incidents end when a bystander intervenes.
Many commenters also urged the OP to press charges, or to do so if anything like that happened again. That is a great way to ensure harassment and violence toward autistic people in public is seen as a real problem, and entitled Karens like this one don’t feel like they can bully them out in the open.
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Magnific (not the actual photo)
When our boyfriend or girlfriend gets along with our family members, we’re more likely to view them as stable, long-term partners
The OP emphasized that her boyfriend's coming to her and her brother’s rescue cemented in her mind that he’s The One. That’s not an uncommon realization: when we see how our partner treats our family members, friends, and other people we care about, we’re more likely to view them as lifelong companions.
Relationship experts consistently say that caring about a boyfriend or a girlfriend’s family members is a green flag. One 26-year-long study showed that when a husband maintains a close relationship with his wife’s in-laws, the divorce rate dropped by 20%.
The reaction from the OP in this story reflects that. When a partner shows care for a woman’s family member, they take it as a sign he cares about her. “Seeing her husband bond with her parents may make a wife feel that her husband cares about her that much more to work on having a close relationship with her parents,” Terri Orbuch, the author of said study, observed.
The boyfriend in this story even referred to the brother as his own. To the OP, her relationship with her autistic brother clearly matters, and when her boyfriend steps in as his protector and assumes the role of an older brother, it signals he’s in it for the long haul.
“Hell of a guy to do that,” commenters praised him, “I’m glad you found The One”
