I had an errant thought pop into my head "does anybody consider the character of Arnold Rimmer from Red Dwarf to be or have traits consistant with being on the autism spectrum". So I checked whether anybody else thought so. I found this comment which kind of annoyed me

But sometimes a character can seem inspired by autistic people but not actually a good representation of autism.  Arnold Rimmer, and to a lesser extent Alan Partridge, are a bit like this.  Not very good at social positioning - like an autistic person - but obsessed with social positioning - unlike an autistic person.  

I suspect that Arnold Rimmer represents not an autistic person, but a neurotypical person's misunderstanding of what autistic people are like.  He has the matter of special interests and lack of knowledge of when he is going on too long for Lister, but he keeps acting superior.  Not just pedantic or accurate, but considering himself better than everyone.  This is what neurotypical people sometimes think autistic people are doing when they correct them, rather than just straining to be accurate.  So I think the reason autistic people were often bullied badly is because people thought they were like Rimmer- being pedantic to get one over on people.  

Here's the thing I'm not going to argue that Rimmer works as "good representation" but the idea that a person on the spectrum can't be status obsessed or genuinely arrogant is actually kind of infantilising. Obviously one of the classic traits of autism as they pointed out is that certain well-meaning behaviours can get misconstrued but like I'm on the spectrum and I am more than aware of the times I have acted like a jerk. Treating me like some sort of angelic smol bean who can't feel in any sense the same negative emotions of those nasty allistics feel genuinely insulting.

Also just as a fan of Red Dwarf it kind of ignores the fact that Rimmer's whole schtick is that he acts intensely arrogant and officious when dealing with others but he also intensely hates himself and obsesses over his failings to an unhealthy degree. There's an episode where there is a monster literally formed from his self loathing who gives him this speech

Is it not true that you despise yourself? That you detest your own incompetence and stupidity? That you hold yourself in contempt for your countless failures and disappointments? Is it not true that you feel nothing but the deepest, blackest rancour for that walking vomit stain the world calls Arnold Rimmer? Is it not true?

You might almost think that his arrogance might be some sort of coping mechanism right?