Stop talking about people

I can barely tolerate the word 'neurotypical'. It's like saying 'snowflake-typical'. Human brains are way, way, way too complicated to have any two be the same. We are all atypical, every one of us. 

And, of course, it's also true that characterizing a person as being on the autism spectrum barely tells you anything, anyway. Some folk require a lot of help and others barely any. Some have complex social or sensory issues. Others, none or all or something else. Brains are too complicated to categorize.

For that matter, stop talking about people as categories. We are now aware that even the apparently simple categories, male/female, are overly simplistic. We know that the smart/dumb dichotomy conceals the rich variety of skills people contain. Beautiful/ugly? According to what standard?

Here's my idea: Don't talk about people at all. Don't say someone is normal, neurotypical, smart, ugly or tall, unless you are actively helping them solve an individual problem that you are qualified for.