Amrita Rose

I've just watched season 1 and have a very mixed response to this series. I'll start by saying that I am on the Autism spectrum and so am writing from that perspective. I appreciate that like other underrepresented groups of people, those of us who are ND (Neuro-divergent... a mis-nomer to begin with), are finally starting to see characters who are meant to represent us in films, books and more in the public sphere. It's a start. Here's the TLDR; - I appreciate that like other underrepresented groups of people, those of us who are ND (Neuro-divergent... a mis-nomer to begin with), are finally starting to see characters who are meant to represent us in films, books and more in the public sphere. It's a start. - What I find problematic is that while it does show one way that Autism can show up in an individual, i think on many levels it misleads the NT (Neuro-typical) viewer into falsely thinking that ND and/or autistic people don't feel strong emotions, because Astrid, at least in season 1, doesn't demonstrate emotions in a way that most NT people will understand. I see that this is one of the biggest areas of double-blindness that both groups, ND and NT have for each other. We who are ND often can't understand why NTs seem not to be thoughtful, kind or compassionate of others. For example, I often see how NT people seem to be self-centered and unaware of how their actions or words affect those around them. From the NT side, I can see that I appear to be unemotional when it's really a case of being totally overwhelmed and frustrated by my inability to comprehend why people act as they do. This double-blindness, our inability to understand why the other group acts as they do, shows up in all sorts of areas. We mistake each other's rationals in dealing with emotions, or sounds or lights or input of all kinds, and we too easily ascribe our own ideas and reasons to others actions, rather than taking time to consider that someone else is always having a totally different experience of the same environment. It all leaves me hopeful that as we move forward in time, there will be more different types of people playing roles, writing books, being protagonists in the stories we watch and read. And by expanding whom we come into contact with every day, perhaps we can become more compassionate and understanding of each other. At least that's my hope. To paraphrase Ram Dsss, when I see each person I meet simply as God wearing a different outfit, then how could I harm that person?