Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/autism/comments/1vqvv8s/has_anyone_else_completely_given_up_on/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/autism by /u/Antique_Cabinet_9482 on 2026-08-17 15:40:41+00:00.

My autism is just one of the many reasons why I've spent my whole life facing all sorts of exclusion, bullying, harassment, difficulty with tasks and processing, you name it. In every school I've been in, I've been immediately singled out and condemned to daily verbal bullying by the people there. It wasn't just the stereotypical "bullies" and popular kids that did this to me, it was also quiet people, people who were friendly to everyone else, well-respected and well-regarded people, people from different years who I didn't know who somehow knew my full name.

It didn't end when school was over. Classmates will see me on the street and scream at me and ask awkward questions. Strangers will say passive aggresive comments to my face or laugh at me while I'm literally just walking. And even if I'm not getting harassed directly to my face, I still get stared at, ignored and left alone in public places but the other strangers next to me will be happily greeted, they will have a nice conversation and receive help if they need it.

Why not make friends online then? Well, I've tried, but even online I get ignored, and often insulted or disagreed with, my autism even permeates through how I type and respond. I can't even be bothered to go much deeper into this but knowing that nobody will ever like me has made me realise that any further attempt at forming any sort of social connection or participating in any social event would be nothing short of a humiliation ritual with how out of my depth I am and always will be in this regard.

In a way I consider myself a bit lucky that I've naturally always had a very low social battery and desire to be around any people, yes a lot of this is down to anxiety, but that anxiety is there for a reason and for me it serves as a bit of a survival instinct. Now I just sit at home all day, rarely go outside unless it's for a longer trip, and I receive benefits so I am able to live like this for the unforseeable.