It seems impossible to avoid a certain take in political media today: Ron DeSantis is socially awkward and fundamentally unlikable. Just look at him, the pundits say. He's not a people person. He laughs oddly. He wears white go-go boots to a disaster photo-op. He eats pudding with his fingers. He's not personable, and does not set people at ease. No one wants to have a beer with him.
I see these takes often, and the rate is increasing. I now see several a week, approaching daily, and I'm not even looking for them. But, you may protest, he actually is awkward with people. And we think that matters, because it shows he can't connect with voters, or he doesn't respect people. Last week, I heard someone say it was because his team insulates him from real people. Anyway, he makes folks feel uncomfortable sometimes and that should disqualify him.
No respectable news people give Chris Christie a hard time for being fat, or Pete Buttigieg grief for being gay, or mock Joe Biden for stuttering. But any number of TV shows and podcasts include someone giving DeSantis the treatment for acting weird. Somehow folks find a way to talk about Christie's weight or Biden's age without being insulting, but can't stop themselves from heaping insults on DeSantis for being weird and awkward.
The thing most folks don't realize is that these criticisms of a public figure for being socially awkward are all things that Autistic people hear about ourselves constantly. And it is painful to see how much people hate us for being awkward and weird. And no, that's not my imagination. Research shows that non-autistic people frequently formulate a negative first impression of Autistic people in only a few seconds.
If you want to see some research, here's a paper from 2017: Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments. If you aren't into research papers, here is a more accessible summary: Thin Slice Judgments and The Different World Autistics Inhabit.
Ron DeSantis is a garbage person, a monster, a fascist wannabe. I do not like him or anything about him. I am not defending him in any way. I have no idea if he is Autistic or some other flavor of neurodivergent, nor do I suspect he is, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that people think he's a big weirdo, and also that it's appropriate to criticize him for his awkward weirdness. And we Autistic folk see it, and see everyone accept the derision as fine and normal, and understand that that's how people talk about us when they think we can't hear. Because it's always cool to make fun of socially awkward weirdos.
Honestly, I'm not sure why I wrote this diary. I don't expect it to change anything. No one is going to stop making fun of DeSantis or other weirdos. Most people are just wired to take awkwardness as a sign someone is not trustworthy or reliable, and it's hard to fight that. I guess I just wanted people to understand that social awkwardness doesn't mean someone is a bad person who deserves ridicule. There are many other substantive things to criticize DeSantis for, and all of them are more important than how awkward he is.
UPDATE: Please don’t use this diary as an opportunity to make fun of DeSantis for being awkward. What the hell is wrong with you people?