The AutSide Podcast

Episode 427: The Architecture of Impunity—Ableist Systems and Abusers


Listen Later

Today’s episode outlines how ableist systems create an architecture of impunity that allows abusers to flourish in institutional settings. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks, argues that abusers succeed not because of exceptional skill, but because organisational structures—in schools, workplaces, and medicine—are designed to reward superficial charm and strategic ambiguity whilst punishing autistic clarity and truth-telling. This dynamic, which Dr. Hoerricks traces back to historical governance and industrial capitalism, causes institutions to consistently misidentify honesty as a threat and smooth performance as safety, leading to the systemic scapegoating of autistic people who name the harm. She concludes by advocating for a structural dismantling of these ableist systems to prioritize clarity, care, and accountability over hierarchical control and “forced politeness.”

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/the-architecture-of-impunity-why

Let me know what you think.

The AutSide is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit autside.substack.com/subscribe
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The AutSide PodcastBy Jaime Hoerricks, PhD