A third structure that I would point to encodes for the autistic person’s special interests. Autists are magnetized by the most random and inane topics that you could possibly think of, like fire alarms or Sonic the Hedgehog. They are very serious about these topics and obsessively think about them. And when the obsession becomes intrusive, they actually try to possess it. They begin developing a collection, gathering any objects which are relevant, and then organizing them into a gestalt. If they are obsessed with minerals, they will buy lots of minerals and then sort them into organizers. They will even apply labels for easy identification.
It is important to understand that autistic people do not collect things for their functional properties. If they are obsessed with vaporwave, they may collect cassettes. But they will do this even if they do not actually intend to use the tapes. In fact, most vaporwave music is available for free download, and the experience of consuming it through an analogue medium is not particularly impressive. According to a 2016 study by Luminate, a music sales data company, “50% of consumers who have bought vinyl in the past 12 months own a record player, compared to 15% among music listeners overall.” So these people aren’t audiophiles; they aren’t even using their collection. Really, it is the urge to possess an object which embodies the idea.
For example, if the special interest is not collectable, the autistic person will find alternatives. If they are obsessed with trains, which are too large and expensive for any normal person to own, they will settle for representations (train sets or photographic prints). So clearly this is a meditative project. That is why they collect action figures, and then never use them, won’t even take them out of the box. There is something “about” Famicom cartridges. There is something “about” army fatigues.
And they make their gestalt, they spend significant amounts of time admiring this, and then, after a time, move on: either hunting for new additions to expand the gestalt, or finding another topic, starting a new collection.
Edward Dutton has suggested that autistic people try to systematize their environment. I would argue that collecting is a means to this end; it’s a kind of intellectual shortcut. By gathering the items into a centralized location, the collector has regular contact. When he steps through the door, or cave, he sees his snake pelts, his box of colored string, his extensive array of paintings. His interests are not out there in the world, running or growing somewhere – they are in his study. Moreover, he admires the objects in direct juxtaposition to one another. This makes it easier for the subconscious to process connections, what in time become epiphanies. “Pine needles treat scurvy.” “Turtles avoid dry places." “Fly ash binder.”
Obviously, prehistoric traits have had difficulty conveying their meaning. This is why autistic hobbies are so unusual. An obsession with Sonic the Hedgehog does not result in activity of adaptive importance. In nature, the range of topics that you can actually think about is small; it is limited to plants, animals, geography, and weather. Obsessive interests in these categories are extremely useful. A man who collects every kind of seaweed eventually realizes that it only grows behind the reef. But in internet land, the range of topics is basically endless.2
While it is true that civilized life is unpredictable, the routines that comprise it are uncomplicated. Succeeding as a journalist, a schoolteacher, an architect, or a doctor does not require an autistic touch. Civilized life means conforming to whatever system is available to you at the present time. If there is a hospital available, you learn the medical system, and someone gives you a license to be a doctor. If there is a lumber yard, you work sunrise to sunset for company scrip. So almost all of the topics that you could learn about on the internet have nothing to do with survival. In fact, even the topics which could at one time have been used for a relevant purpose are obsolete. A kid on the internet who studies every kind of seaweed probably isn’t subsisting on it.
And yet the autist tells us about his interests. He explains them to his friends, his family, his coworkers – whoever or whatever will listen to him. A breathless monologue: going on about swords, or his favorite Blackwing pencil, the origins of Mercury, or the entire history of the Backrooms. He wants other people to share in his rich inner life – (whether they want to hear about it or not). And so his emotions are tied up in all this: rapport in this context (special interests) is critically necessary for his mental health. In order to regulate his emotions, his sense of identity, he has to bond with others over the patterns that he has uncovered. And this is what a lot of primitive conversation would center around: how many fish in that pond, how dry was the gully, what fowl are available.
They, the recipients, are supposed to mirror his obsession – they are supposed to copy it. He memorizes, he systematizes, he shares. Now they memorize, they systematize, they share. The community becomes literate – literate in carpentry, in husbandry, in dance. And in this way they perfect the character and texture of community life.
Show and tell is the autistic interpersonal style – it is how primitives derive a sense of intimacy, or affirmation. It provides the autist with emotional support and it is also crucial for the development of his personality. Autists who do not receive this attention feel invalidated. Of course, allists aren’t interested, and other autists are in their own little worlds. So, autistic people use the internet to get their fix. The internet allows them to find people who are specifically like themselves. And so we have a theory of subculture.
This may also explain the popularity of branded T-shirts: a person who wears, say, a Black Sabbath shirt is looking for someone to talk to. It’s an icebreaker.
And I also think it’s the reason why so many spergy right wing people like to discuss their sexual fetishes. Sure, there’s an exhibitionist element. But sex is something that we all have in common, and a fetish is a passion that may be well-received. (Obviously, this can be interpreted as a cry for help).