Yet again, the autistic community (which includes me, diagnosed at age 49) utters a collective groan as another high-profile miscreant tries to use their autistic neurodiversity as an excuse for their unacceptable behaviour (Yes, the problem is men like Gregg Wallace – but it’s also those who should stop them and don’t, 10 July).
Any autistic person will tell you that they’re no stranger to messing up and embarrassing themselves in a social situation. But they will also tell you how mortified they were, how they apologised or retreated in shame, and then worked extra hard at finding ways to avoid making the same mistake in future.
What they never do is gaslight the person making the complaint, or try to shift the blame anywhere but themselves; that is the trait of a narcissist. Autistic people can be narcissists and narcissistic people can also be autistic – there’s no causal link, so let’s please leave autism out of this discussion, as it’s entirely irrelevant. Narcissists are naturally drawn to careers that put them in the limelight, and so it’s hardly surprising that they’re overrepresented in the media, entertainment and politics.
Gregg Wallace must take responsibility for his own actions, but it is equally the responsibility of employers in those “limelight industries” to spot narcissistic behaviour in the workplace and control it appropriately.
Richard Cross
London
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