u/VelociRapper92

I do not have an official doctor’s diagnosis of autism, but I am certain I have a neurodivergent disorder that could fall under the autism spectrum, and I have scored high and likely for autism on several assessment tests I have taken on my own. I have auditory/sensory sensitivities, I have extreme and sometimes debilitating social anxiety and communication issues, and I have difficulty maintaining interest or attention in anything outside of a few special interests.

I have maintained a retail job for the past five years, and am currently working full time as a stock room lead. A manager was hired on in the past year that seems to have very specific problems with the way I manage my team, and has recently threatened to write me up for something that previously was simply part of my everyday job. This is despite the fact that my team has been commended as an example of how a stock room should be ran, and I have been personally praised by our district manager and offered a higher paid position because of my work.

I have been told vague things like “I need to take charge more” and “I need to be more of a leader” despite the fact that my team respects me and that we run smoothly and effectively and get the job done every day. They want me to coach and micromanage people that have worked here for years and already know how to do their job, even though I have observed that this leadership style of micromanaging and constant criticism leads to resentment and eventually, people quitting. I am a quiet and somewhat shy person but I can give orders when I need to, but I like to do it in a non-aggressive way that doesn’t create annoyance and resentment. My manager seems to have a big problem with this leadership style. She is a very aggressive person, and most of my coworkers have complained about her attitude and communication style, and a few people have quit because of her. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with anger and on the verge of an emotional breakdown because of this person, which I hate, I wish I was better at not being so overwhelmed by my emotions.

Has anyone had to deal with a manager like this? Any advice?

I guess these people think that the purpose of a TV show is to portray every people group in the most wholesome possible way? I’ve seen people complain that this show is garbage because it portrays women, black single mothers, and trans people in a negative light. Do they not know that depiction is not endorsement? Do they not understand that characters do not exist solely to be positive representations of whatever group they belong to? I’ve even read mean spirited criticisms of Hunter Schaefer’s voice, and I read denouncements of the scene where she slaps Rue because they thought it was Sam Levinson giving TERFS ammunition to hate trans people. As if Hunter Schaefer is not an adult professional actor who is perfectly capable of performing and understanding a fictional scene between two characters. I actually think this show does a great job of representing women, black people and trans people because they are allowed to be complex characters. These people would have been outraged by David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, David Cronenberg, and most of the great filmmakers of the twentieth century. The lack of media literacy and fundamental misunderstanding of storytelling is shocking.