Affective Factors in Autistic Manosphere Entry: An Autistic Perspective on Masking and Cruel Optimism

Abstract

An examination of research on autistic radicalization shows a preoccupation with direct entry into incel and blackpill communities, missing the beginning of radicalization via engagement with manosphere content. This article combines affect theory, particularly Berlant’s concept of ‘cruel optimism’, Connell’s gender order theory, recent literature on autistic sensory experiences, and autistic stigma to make the case that autistic men and boys are motivated to seek out masculine instruction to avoid the mental and physical harms associated with said stigmatization. This purportedly instructive content instead integrates cruelly optimistic attachments to hegemonic masculine embodiment with preexisting attachments to neurotypical performance. Furthermore, the internalized ableist epistemologies inherent in masking performances are likewise easily integrated with hyper-individualist and essentialist manosphere rhetoric. As manosphere content is predicated upon highlighting masculine, and by extension, neurotypical insecurities, these instructions will inevitably fail to result in the societal acceptance and internal emotional security that viewers seek. The negative feelings from these contradictions are redirected out onto mainstream society and women by manosphere rhetoric. This creates a situation where the subject is incentivized to further isolate themselves within anti-feminine communities, leaving them vulnerable to further radicalization into incel and blackpill subcultures. This article provides a novel perspective on how the perceived need to integrate hegemonic masculine performance into autistic camouflage represents a vector for radicalization via the manosphere.

Community Brief

Why is this topic important?

There is comparatively little research on what might make autistic people vulnerable to entering gateways toward such radicalization. In fact, there is very little research on autistic masculinity at all.

What is the purpose of this article?

To show how anxieties around autistic stigma, reinforced by emotional dysregulation, motivate autistic men to use online platforms to get guidance on how to act like society says men are supposed to act to ‘mask’ as non-autistic. Online platforms may feel less stressful to use than face-to-face social interaction. Unfortunately, because social platforms bombard male users with misogynistic content, autistic users are likely to be exposed to highly toxic and counter-productive content. This link is especially powerful in social contexts like schools, where manosphere content is common, and fear of stigmatization is particularly intense.

What personal or professional experience does the author bring to this topic?

The author is an autistic male whose life experience has been marked by struggles with acting in a way that satisfied societal expectations for men and for whom online communities represented a ‘safer’ social space than comparative offline spaces until later in life. He is also an experienced researcher of online communities and media whose doctoral dissertation heavily involved affective analysis of manosphere content.

How does this article progress theory, practice, or policy?

The intent of this article is to encourage research on links between autism and extremism to focus more upon social forces that push autistic people into engagement with spaces and groups that present a greater risk of exposure to extremist content. It also highlights how lack of accommodation for autistic emotional expressions can be a key factor for exposure to said spaces.

What is a key limitation of this article?

Although this article was written by an autistic researcher, I cannot claim to speak for all autistic people. Autistic presentation is extremely varied. Two people with a level 1 ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) diagnosis will not necessarily present in the same manner. Furthermore, while I am writing from an autistic perspective, it is equally relevant that I have the perspective of a straight, white, cisgendered male in his late thirties. Autism does not discriminate by race, gender, sexuality, or another attribute. Each of these intersections of identity, many of which remain woefully understudied, likewise shape the autistic experience.^1–5

How will this help autistic adults now or in the future?

It is important for researchers and other stakeholders to consider how autistic life and behavior is influenced by the emotional experiences of living within their social context. Having that consideration in mind could encourage people to create accommodations for autistic people that would allow them to be able to better function in public society without having to constantly fear stigmatization. It also encourages people to view autistic people as social actors rather than hyper-isolated individuals detached from society.