Can You Be Transgender, Autistic, and Pro-Capitalism?
Autistic Advice #4
Autistic Advice #4
Welcome to Autistic Advice, a semi-regular column where I respond to questions about neurodiversity, Autism acceptance, and disability rights from Autistic people and their allies. You can anonymously send me questions via my Curious Cat askbox.
My question today comes from an anonymous user on Curious Cat. They ask:
I am a transgender Autistic who is pro-Capitalist. Is that a bad thing or contradictory?
Anonymous
Thanks for asking this question, Anon. I would imagine you’re asking this because you have been told by some trans & Autistic peers that your economic views are inconsistent with the marginalized place you occupy in society. I bet you’ve also seen a lot of rhetoric online equating a pro-capitalist stance with being amoral, unconcerned with the struggles of oppressed people, and maybe even downright evil. I recognize that kind of rhetoric makes it hard to have a conversation, so while I will still be pretty hard on capitalism in this column, I’m not going to be dismissive of you or your beliefs.
I’ll put my own cards on the table here: when I was young and closeted, I was very pro-capitalist. Throughout my teenage years and into my early 20’s, I identified as a libertarian. Today, I’m more of a libertarian socialist, still very obsessed with individual liberties and fascinated by anarchy, but also a firm believer that societies need to provide for their people. I remember what it was like to be a full-blown anarcho-capitalist though, and I know that in my case, being trans and Autistic and being a capitalist were strongly linked.
When I was young and was not out as either transgender or Autistic, I felt profoundly failed by society. I didn’t fit in with my peers. I struggled to make friends or follow unspoken social rules about how I was supposed to behave and what I was supposed to look like. It seemed to me that the only way to escape this judgemental, confining trap was to be wholly independent — which meant making a ton of money.
For years, I believed in the capitalist fantasy that if I worked hard and was really canny and smart, I could make a lot of dough and live an independent life free from oppression. No one would judge me for being too androgynous or awkward. Wealth and status would insulate me from the pain of social isolation. I also felt that since no one had ever taken care of me, I had no obligation to look after anyone else.
By the time I finished graduate school, I was close to attaining the elite status and comfortable life I had fantasized about, but I was also miserable. I had very few friends, and was overly reliant on my romantic partner for emotional support. I had overworked myself physically so badly I had a heart murmur. My gender dysphoria had gotten so bad I could barely look in the mirror without dissociating. I was suffering from regular sensory meltdowns and Autistic burnout, but I didn’t have a name for those things. Life was painful and empty.
What ultimately saved me, Anon, was realizing I needed other people. There is no such thing as a truly independent life. As I met other transgender people and fellow Autistics, I came to recognize we had shared struggles that could only be fixed by collective action and advocacy. Advanced degrees and money hadn’t made me feel any less broken, but meeting other people like me sure did!
Building community also forced me to confront just how economically exploited most transgender and Autistic people are. Money had allowed me to build a gilded cage to be lonesome inside of. Most of my peers had no such option. They were struggling to find work, and were forever having to negotiate fraught relationships with bigoted family members on whom they were financially dependent. They lacked access to therapy or hormones, or had no choice but to work in noisy, bright kitchen environments that were absolute sensory hell.
I learned that the average Autistic life under capitalism is one of immense suffering. So is the average transgender life. I couldn’t advocate for a system that would do this to people anymore.
I don’t know if your perspective is anything like mine once was, Anon. Maybe you are pro-Capitalist for completely different reasons. But I know that for many Autistics, capitalism offers an alluring promise. Use your skills. Take care of yourself. You can be a one-person island. Lots of Autistics want that, or think they want that.
The truth is, life as an island is hell, and each of us is reliant upon other people. We owe other people a great deal. The workers of the world keep us fed, clothed, sheltered, and sane. We must take good care of them. Capitalism won’t ever fix the problems of our oppression. We need to band together and resist transphobia and ableism collectively instead.
I don’t think you’re a bad person for wanting to believe in the capitalist fantasy, Anon, and I don’t even think your beliefs are inherently contradictory. There are many Autistic people who succeed economically. There are even some transgender ones who do. But I don’t think that success is worth chasing. I think we can do better for ourselves, and for others.
I know it will be hard to grapple with competing opinions on this stuff. Many leftists and anti-capitalists are pushy, dismissive, and hard to deal with, especially online. But I think you should welcome respectful conflict where you can find it. Read texts about sociology, economics, and social psychology. Have conversations with anti-capitalist transgender and Autistic people in private, one-on-one settings that don’t lead to flame wars and shallow attacks. Ponder what you truly believe, and which values you want to uphold in your life.
The Autistic and transgender communities are vibrant, intellectually diverse ones. I’m constantly revising what I think, and truth be told I don’t know what the best alternative to capitalism is or how a post-capitalist world might look. So there is plenty of room for you and your perspectives, as long as you keep your mind open and engage with people who do the same. Thanks for reaching out and best of luck on your journey!
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