People With ASD/Asperger Syndrome Are Especially Vulnerable to Undue Influence

This is well understood by the criminals who target them

This is a heartbreaking and important thread. It points to something that is rarely talked about but needs to be.

Ryan J. Reilly @ryanjreilly

Thread: Jan. 6 defendant Nicholas Rodean was sentenced to home detention, and if you were in the courtroom, you’d understand why. Rodean has Asperger syndrome, which Judge Trevor McFadden said played a “major factor” in his conduct on Jan. 6.

People on the spectrum, or Autism Spectrum Disorder, are especially vulnerable to undue influence aka brainwashing.

As I have mentioned, I am neurodiverse — although I have never received a formal diagnosis. In my view ASD/Asperger is not always a “disorder” at all. Many people on the spectrum have done very well for themselves, including, for example, Elon Musk.

When I worked at Google, while I don’t have any statistics, I can tell you there were a far higher percentage of people on the spectrum than your average population.

While there is no blanket statement you can make about people with ASD, many people on the spectrum have talents that “normies” don’t. But this is often traded off for certain differences in the ability to interpret and portray human emotions, and sometimes in a vulnerability to being victimized by conspiratorial and antisocial ideas.

The most blatant example of this is on 4chan/8chan where they refer to themselves as “weaponized autists” because a very high percentage of people there are on the spectrum. In a way, I can see how this is empowering. There is nothing to be ashamed of in having ASD, but allowing yourself to be “weaponized” is part of the vulnerability.

A proportion of men with ASD have a hard time emotionally connecting to women so they are “attracted to assertive male figures” to lead them instead. A high percentage of “incels” suffer from ASD — and they are frustrated and angry by definition.

Ryan J. Reilly @ryanjreilly

Rodean was attracted to “assertive male figures,” his attorney said. Rodean’s own sister said they were deeply interested in deterrence, but said “autistic people don’t fair well in prison.”

Here’s a typical conversation about it on Reddit.

We need to understand that the people who have targeted America understand the vulnerabilities of our citizens and target people who are most helpful to them.

To put it bluntly, a large group of angry men with ASD — like you might find on 4chan or 8chan — is the ideal target for people like Steve Bannon and Mike Flynn to radicalize into a white nationalist army. Which is precisely what they did.

#ArrestMikeFlynn