My Autistic Perspective on the Current State of our Wild World
I really miss the 1990s.
"Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world. It's hard to get by just upon a smile. Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world. I'll always remember you like a child, girl." - Yusuf Islam, Wild World, 1970
As a child and young teenager during the 1990s, I dreamed of seeing the world. I wanted to gaze up at Big Ben, hit the Sega and Taito arcades of Akihabara, catch a performance at the Sydney Opera House, ascend the Eiffel Tower, ride the double-decker trams of Hong Kong, explore the Colosseum, sunbathe at Copacabana Beach, marvel at the artistry of the Sistine Chapel, and ponder the mysteries of the Moai, Stonehenge, and both the Egyptian and Mesoamerican Pyramids. I had this plan to knock out three continents in one go by travelling across Europe with detours to Egypt (Africa) and Turkey (Asia), stopping at every major museum along the way. I'd looked forward to spending a year or two learning Spanish, exploring the South American side of my heritage, and reconnecting with beloved relatives I rarely got to see. Perhaps it was due to the naivety of childhood, but I genuinely believed I'd be able to accomplish all these lofty and expensive travel plans back then.
As a Canadian with constant exposure to American media and pop culture, I was also obsessed with the United States to the point that I'd often fantasize about someday living there. I kept a small American flag on my computer desk. I collected travel books on all the American cities and landmarks I wanted to visit. I frequented AOL chat rooms ("a/s/l", anybody remember that online greeting?). I was intrigued by all the cool restaurants, shops, products, and TV channels they had that weren't available in Canada. I was enamored with their tropical regions and countless amusement parks. I dreamed of visiting the World Trade Center's rooftop observation deck and riding cable cars along San Francisco's hilly streets. I cherished my trips to Buffalo and Walt Disney World, and the American people were always so friendly and helpful whenever we were over there. I'm grateful that I got to see the Twin Towers once with my own eyes in peace times, even though it was through airport windows and not at Windows on the World.
Anything and everything still seemed possible throughout the first 21 months of the 21st century. Then, 9/11 happened. Terrorism was followed by war, bigotry, conspiracy theories, and political extremism in both directions. As being mistaken for a "Yankee" or a "Gringo" could be very dangerous in this tense climate, I no longer felt safe travelling abroad, and my plans of learning Spanish and catching up with loved ones in South America were then officially off the table due to the rise in crime and political climate in the region. And what about the United States? Sadly, the warm relationship we once shared with our neighbours to the south cooled after 9/11, with beefed up security along our shared border. There were also the American accusations that the terrorists entered the United States via Canada, President Bush snubbing us during his "thank you" speech to all other allied nations, American accusations that we caused the 2003 Blackout (in actuality, it originated in Ohio), and constant criticism whenever we refuse to obey their every command.
As if things weren't already bad enough, the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it an epidemic of additional bigotry and conspiracy theories. Somehow, safety precautions, such as social distancing, masking, and receiving vaccinations became politicized by the far-right, with bullies harassing store and restaurant employees, assaulting the East Asian community, besieging Ottawa, and spreading misinformation about the pandemic. As an autistic individual, I found it extremely infuriating how anti-vaccers would ignorantly state that their kids would "catch" autism from the vaccines. By this point in time, I'd pretty much given up on all my childhood travel plans. It wasn't worth the risk, given the "new normal" COVID brought, coupled with even more wars being waged abroad. Again, what about the United States? Could our relationship with them get any worse in the post-9/11 world? As it turns out, it can get worse. Much, much, worse.
Flash forward to A.D. 2025. Instead of having flying cars, cities in the sky, or goofy futuristic clothes, we've had our very sovereignty threatened, are insulted daily (even being labelled, "worse than America's foes") and are bombarded with nonstop tariffs that are decimating our economy. Now, crossing the border carries a genuine risk to the freedom of anyone who criticizes the United States or belongs to certain ethnicities, faiths, or communities. It's mind-boggling how one country's election results can negatively impact the rest of the world. While we have zero control over the threats and attacks, we can at least decide where not to travel or spend our tourist dollars. Many of us are boycotting travel to the United States, and, damn, does it feel good doing so. For the record, we're appreciative of all the nice Americans over there who've been nothing but supportive and apologetic. Many of them are targets themselves, so hopefully they understand that our boycott of their country has nothing to do with them personally.
In closing, if you were to tell my childhood self that there would be a time when he would give up on his dreams of seeing the world or become disillusioned with the United States and no longer desire to spend time or even travel there, he would call you crazy and never believe such outlandish claims. Hopefully, the political extremism around the world will run its course, the "new normal" will become more normal, and all these ghastly wars will end. There are many places I'd still like to visit around the world and across the United States, though I don't mind waiting for as long as necessary. Speaking of our neighbours to the south, I am not sure our two nations will ever be as close as we were pre-9/11. Still, it would be nice to at least be on somewhat-friendly terms again, considering we're next-door-neighbours and all. Hopefully, we can reach a point of being amicable enough to want to visit their country again and feel safe doing so. As always, thanks so much for reading and take care of yourselves, wherever you are in this wild world of ours.
Do you have any thoughts on this post? If so, feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, dropping me a line, or signing my guestbook to share your opinions on this or any other topic. To receive the latest updates on my work or to directly interact with my content ("likes" or comments), follow me on Neocities. Also, feel free to press the "like" button if you enjoyed this post, as "likes" help me gauge audience interest in the content I post. After all, I don't want to bore anyone, ha-ha. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease!
Posted in "Autistic Perspectives" on Tuesday, August 5, 2025.