Words Shape Worlds: Let’s Choose Them Wisely

When I watch documentaries about the rise and fall of the Third Reich, I don’t do it to dwell on horror. I do it because I believe history leaves us clues — not just about what went wrong, but about how people were treated, how groups were singled out, and how the world responded.

It’s chilling how open people were to exclusion. How willing they were to believe that entire communities didn’t belong. And how quickly hate could be disguised as “order” or “protection.”

As an autistic person, that makes me pause.

No, I’m not comparing myself — or the autism community — to the victims of that regime. That would be inappropriate and inaccurate.

I do think there are patterns in history that we should never ignore: the silencing of people seen as “different,” the pressure to conform, the use of fear to separate people instead of bring them together.

Autistic individuals have often faced similar pressures in quieter ways. We’ve been told to mask, to shrink ourselves, to “pass” as neurotypical.

We’ve been excluded from classrooms, jobs, relationships — not always out of hatred, but often out of deep misunderstanding.

And when a society doesn’t understand something, fear tends to fill the gap.

That’s why autism advocacy matters so much. Because if we don’t speak up, the silence fills with assumptions. If we don’t show who we are — with pride and with clarity — others might try to define us by outdated stereotypes or flat-out misinformation.

History teaches us that exclusion doesn’t always start with violence. Sometimes it begins with indifference.

So here’s what I take from watching these moments in history:

• Speak up when people are being dismissed or erased.

• Notice how language shapes public perception.

• Don’t wait until something becomes “a crisis” to care.

Autism isn’t a crisis. Being different isn’t a threat. But silence in the face of slow, subtle dehumanization — that’s something we can’t afford.

Let’s break the silence together.

If you’re autistic, share your story. If you’re an ally, amplify the voices of those who’ve been overlooked. Read. Learn. Advocate. The more we understand, the stronger we become — not just as individuals, but as a society that refuses to repeat the mistakes of the past.